10 Years on Fox Cross Farm
Ten years ago yesterday, we piled into the U-Haul after cleaning out our apartment in Alexandria, Virginia, and headed north.
7 hours later, we pulled into the driveway on my childhood farm. I know we both felt a sense of relief, but if I’m honest, my relief was coupled with an intense grief, coupled with an unsettling ambiguity for the life that we had signed up for after loving the life we left.
After a decade, I think both of those feelings still take hold from time to time. We miss our DC life, our friends, the restaurants, walking the Mall on a beautiful day. But what has replaced that life is equally fulfilling in a thousand different ways. (Though we love you forever and ever, DC.)
In ten years here, I’d like to say we have accomplished a lot. I’d love to tell you about our renovated farmhouse, a reclamation of our 22 acres, a restoring of our barns and property.
Alas - that will be the story of the next ten years, I hope.
But what have we accomplished in a decade at home?
Well, for starters, we officially bought the farm in 2017, one month after we said “I do” right on this land. Our 9 year anniversary is in less than a week, and we did a good job whipping this place into shape for our wedding.
The buying, running, and selling of Shirt Factory. Starting a cocktail program, introducing boozy brunch, making it through a pandemic that shuttered businesses just like ours. Small, local, impossible to keep open. But we did it, and we are only a little worse for wear.
Roux - and then unexpectedly, Beau. We never thought this life would include children of our own, but we are so grateful that life slowed down long enough for us to realize that the greatest chapter of our love story would include two perfect little boys.
The house has seen a little change - not much, and most of the money can be found in the un-fun things. You know, the things that cost a fortune but you can’t play with. New foundation. Insulation. New roofs on the house and barn. We did German Shmear our woodstove hearth, which years later we still adore, and we’ve been working painting and wallpapering spaces as we go. But the kitchen renovation remains on the back burner. That one will be the fun one.
We’ve stayed true to exploring WNY, which honestly started fully after we sold the Shirt Factory. Something about having children makes you want to create so much more adventure and magic than if you’re only living for yourself. And since Roux’s favorite thing to do is “adventure”, as he says, we are planning a lot more of that this fall.
Last night we decided to recreate a night we had in Medina a decade ago when we moved home. We asked Roux out for a date night, and happily ended up on our first family date night at Zambistro.
Bowen was a champ - truly, for 8 months old, he was incredible. And Roux, as always, finished the meal telling our server to relay, “compliments to the chef.” As we got packed up to go (because when you take a baby anywhere, '“packing up” is par for the course) Roux asked if we could take an evening walk around Medina.
Yes, my love, always yes.
We meandered around the canal, walked down main street, saw the glow from the bar as we walked by the Shirt Factory. When your kid loves to take in the beauty of this village on his own, you know you’ve made the right choice.
I’m wishing a lot of things for this next decade. We’ve got plans, we want more adventure and even more date nights as we continue to “find” our way back home. And maybe now that we’ve landed on that ten year anniversary, we can finally embrace Finding Fox Cross fully, and remember In a DC Minute as the path that led us back here.
Well, the baby has stirred and is staring at me on the camera. Must go.
Cheers to ten years, friends.
-Al