Whenever we crest the hill into this desert valley, a sense of peace comes over me. That feeling of safety you get when you are home. It doesn't matter if we were gone a day or a week, when we top the hill and look at the red rocks that surround our valley in Grand County, I feel at peace. 

This valley has been in our family for seven generations (our children making the eighth). An hour and a half outside of town, this valley has always been a dry oasis that has evolved with each generation. 

Life here is so different from the world around us. We spend most our time outdoors and have little-to-no cell service here. We grow our own food and produce our own electricity even. We've been told we live a simple life, but if you've worked in agriculture, you know how far from simple our work is.

As parents to the next generation here on our ranch, it is impossible not to think of all the hardships or hoops to jump in the future. While we know the hard stuff is there, I am so grateful to have the opportunity to raise our kids here. I hope they learn the importance of perseverance through those challenges, but also to fight for what finds them peace.

Out here, in the middle of nowhere, is the center of everything that is important to our family. It’s creating memories while working hard and caring for the land and our animals. It's having faith when times are tough. It's finding your peace at your home, whether that be as you are pulling in the driveway or working in the fields because that feeling of security that peace brings is what drives you to protect what you love most.