The Beginning - Plans

This year promises to be an exciting year of change for our family. As mentioned in a previous post, we have always dreamed of things we would love to one-day do. For us, one of those things has been to own a resort type property. A place where we can run a business alongside the kids, but also facilitate ministry by hosting under-privileged kids, church groups, missionaries on furlough, etc. Well, through a long process of evaluation, we’ve decided the time is right for us to move forward with our dream.

We have looked at resort properties for years and know the type of property we would like to purchase and what we would like to do with the business. However, we also know that we don't have much experience in the day-to-day operations of running this type of business. Therefore we decided to look into managing or 'workamping' at a resort before purchasing our own. This would give us more experience in the field and allow us to better determine if we're able to "cut the mustard".

Late last year we accepted a position at a large fishing resort on the White River in Arkansas. White Buffalo Resort (where we will be working) is a beautiful place, in a wonderful location, on a world-class trout stream in North Central Arkansas. We are extremely excited about the opportunity to work at this resort. Matthew will be working full time doing everything from servicing the boats, assisting customers throughout the property, mowing the grass, and the list goes on. Kyla will be working part time in the office and assisting with housekeeping when needed.

The website for the resort is www.whitebuffaloresort.com. If you're able to get away for a few days, we would love to have you come stay for a while. The resort has several housing options including: basic camp sites, FHU RV sites, small bunkhouses, and large fully furnished cabins. We will be arriving at the resort in early April and will be working through October.

Initially we had planned to work as managers at several resorts for a 1-3 year period. (Most of these positions are seasonal.) However, with the baby on the way, our current plan is to purchase a resort after completing our time at White Buffalo. Perhaps we’ll be able to invite you to a place of our own in 2011!