My life is richer and better today because of my precious friend and business associate, Janice Timmer, from Grand Rapids, MI. She and Keith were married 46 years and she passed away at 63 years young last week. She was a spiritual mentor to me, I looked up to her and will always remember how welcoming and encouraging she was to me. She believed the best in people. She gave generously of herself and if you were a guest in her home, you got the royal treatment! My family and I always loved visiting them, shelling peas from her garden in the summer, and swimming in their lake and hearing the stories. It’s so hard to believe I won’t see her this side of heaven. My heart goes out to all of her loved ones. I am so much better because of this woman’s love. Praying for her 4 children and 15 grandchildren and loving husband at this time. I Love you all! —
TRANSFORMATION FROM UGLY DUCKLING NO ONE WANTED TO DREAM HOME OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD!
“Do YOU have the guts to take on a Fixer Upper?” We love that show, don’t you? Well, we think it takes twice as many guts to do it yourself and even more guts to live in it while you renovate. But to do all that and pay cash as you go, dragging the project on way too long, well, that’s probably the definition of insanity…what do you think? It’s been over a year now since Day One of Demo of the Snyder Family’s home and I’m happy to report not only are we still married, but we are happier than we’ve ever been. #ThankGOD
The family story behind the 2211 sf dream home we remodeled together and are leaving behind to build a 400 sf house on wheels to pursue the dream of traveling. This is possible because we homeschool our 6th grade son and have a business we can work from anywhere. We will be completely mortgage free and our residual checks will afford us a great traveling budget as well as a great budget to invest into our new tiny house business. With one daughter in Michigan and another in Round Rock, this allows us to spend more time with them and the rest of our family spread across the U.S. Stay tuned for our tiny adventures and where our maiden voyage will be…
If you’re looking for a handcrafted home built with love by a family remodel project, we are pretty sure there’s not another one around, at least not with such excellent craftsmanship. You’ll feel proud to own this one of a kind home that impresses even the builders when they come and see it. There is nothing that resembles builder grade or cookie cutter here. It was built to be our forever home. The builder/owner used trees cut down on the family farm in Michigan to make cabinets and countertops so they did not plan on moving. However, the tiny house movement captured their attention and the romantic life of traveling while they homeschool their last son at home was the chance of a lifetime.
When you walk in the front door, the open floor plan welcomes you and the “wow” of the kitchen invites you to inspect the details further and further. Most people walk in and just stand and stare at the kitchen for a few minutes. Then the back yard pool in their line of sight captures them and draws them outdoors to the beautifully landscaped backyard. It feels like an oasis in the city.
Honestly, the main problem we have here is the common theme that our guests just don’t want to leave because they feel so peaceful here. Often, it’s midnight before we part ways, the kids tired out from swimming and playing all night long and the adults satisfied with great food and uplifting conversation. We love to entertain and consider this the highest compliment, but if you’re not so inclined, you should be fore warned.
It’s not every day you get to read about a modern day hero of faith…
That’s why I had to write this.
April 5, 2017
Today was a beautiful celebration of a life well-lived and a life well-loved. “Is there anything greater this side of Heaven?” I’ve been asking myself that question all day and keeping myself up most of the night. “Is there anything greater this side of Heaven than a life well-lived and a life-well loved?” A great Patriarch in the physical and spiritual realm is no longer with us on this earth. Today, we celebrated some of his greatest accomplishments including 51 years of marriage, 9 children, 27 grandchildren and counting…
The Snyder clan on the day of the funeral
As I sat in the funeral with more than 400 people gathered to honor my father in law and as I later watched the recording through Facebook live, where I was joined by more than 1600 others across the nation, many of his students who wanted to be there to honor their favorite teacher. Most of the time, people attend funerals out of obligation, but even if someone did for this one, I am confident they left feeling brighter about life in every way. It was the kind of celebration and inspiration that you couldn’t help but want to give more and be more as you listened to the stories and you left feeling encouraged and grateful. These photos were taken the last time our family was with Dad. The poster board Dad is holding says, “My grandpa built this stone house in 1918.” Todd’s says, “My Great-Grandpa built this house.” and Andrew’s, “My great-great-Grandpa built this house.”
As I sat there, I couldn’t help but wish I could see a recording of a funeral in that same church, that same community, and yes, that very same family in 1992, just three years before I met the family. A funeral Bob Snyder preached for his 13 year old son after a tree felling accident in the woods on Good Friday. I’m sure that funeral didn’t have a dry eye either. It certainly goes down in history as one of the bravest things he did out of sheer obedience and the power of the Holy Spirit. His heart was full of love for the living to hear the gospel before it’s too late. He knew where his son was and that he’d wanted to be a missionary leading people to Jesus. We think he may have won more souls through his death, beginning with that funeral. 25 years later, his best friend, Mark Wagner, was asked by Bob to share the gospel at his funeral, where again more were saved.
Just hours after Daniel’s death, this father gathered his family in the living room where they all knelt down to thank God even in this darkest hour. Not a hint of bitterness could take root because they believed their Sovereign Loving Father would hold their hands and carry their pain until they would all be reunited in Heaven.
Just five years earlier, this same father had to cut his older son’s jacket off a PTO elevator shaft that nearly killed him, but instead left him severely injured. Through the years, one of Todd’s favorite topics for discussion with a new acquaintance has been these stories that demonstrate his dad’s character. He always lights up as he includes the impact his dad’s response had on him personally, especially through those two great trials. Proverbs 17:6 says, “…a child’s glory is his father.” and Proverbs 20:7, “The righteous who walks in integrity-blessed are his children after him.” Proverbs was his favorite book of the whole Bible. His life verse was Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not unto your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge him, and he shall direct your paths.” In fact, the greatest legacy he left his children was the fact that every single day they lived at home, no matter what, Dad read the Bible to them. He ended in reading the proverb of the day. As a result, the children pretty much have the entire 31 chapters of the book memorized and can draw from that wisdom automatically to guide all their decisions.
At Bob’s funeral, during open mic, many shared the greatest thing Bob Snyder did for them. Well, the greatest thing Bob Snyder did for me was to raise a godly son, my husband now of almost 21 years and father to our 3 children. I don’t take any of this for granted, but I also recognize that behind every great man is an even greater woman. Dad knew that too and made reference to it sharing his gratitude for her faithfulness the last time I saw him just four weeks before he died. When todd and I were first getting to know each other, He told me his dad was his best friend, his hero, and the best Christian he’s ever known. I didn’t fully believe him as I had never heard a grown son speak of his father that way. But after all these years, I not only know it’s true, I also know our children would say the same thing of their own dad.
Although I didn’t have to ask his dad for his hand in marriage (some of the brother In laws refer to that as one of the scariest days of their life), the day I did meet his family, I was pretty clueless of all that was at stake.
Unlike two of my brother in laws who knew him as their teacher and principal, I first met him the day Todd brought me home. Todd waited to see what his dad would say before he would commit himself to officially dating me. If he had said, “Son, I don’t think this is a good match”, that would have been the end kuz he gave his dad full veto power and more than one prospect hadn’t make the cut (I’m glad I learned this information after the fact).
The truth is I fell in love with his family before I fell in love with him. I paid close attention to the closeness he shared with his mother and the honor and respect he treated her with. It was genuine. That’s what really won me over. To be loved and cherished by Todd has been the greatest joy of my life.
Bob Snyder’s strictness in helping his children choose a good mate paid off because every single one of his 8 living children have solid Christ centered marriages some 5, 10, 20 almost 30 years later. He groomed them all from very young ages on the importance of choosing the right spouse and the sacredness of marriage.
I remember when Todd first told me his dad read the Bible to his family every single day growing up. I found this hard to believe until I witnessed it myself every single time I was there, including the morning I visited just four weeks before he died. He also prayed out loud for his children, their spouses and grandchidlren every single day. It is a rich rich heritage and legacy that will live on not only through his birth children but the many students he taught over 49 years who were made to feel they were his children too. Many of which serve in full time ministry today and would say Bob Snyder’s influence helped me be who I am today!
He saw potential in the ones others passed over and considered unworthy. He believed in them and they wanted to live up to it. Countless lives were transformed because of one who cared. As a young man, he aspired to join the peace corp to change the world! When you invest in the lives of children and those children pay it forward with strong healthy families that give out to their community, one has to wonder if there is any greater way to change the world. Although he wanted a dozen kids, in the end, he had to settle for 9. They were incredibly frugal and almost always debt free, but the meager salary the Christian school paid him didn’t go far with that many children. They all had to pitch in on the farm or they wouldn’t have had food to eat. Basically, if they didn’t grow it, they didn’t eat it.
Two of my favorite things were listening to him lead family devotions and sitting in his Sunday school class. He was a great storyteller with a deep booming voice and the wisdom he shared was priceless. He might have been poor in this world, but I promise you he is rich in heaven and has no regrets about choosing heavenly treasures! As his favorite book says, “A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches.” Prov. 22:1 I included a short video of him reading below so you would see what I’m saying.
https://youtu.be/W1alh0KBuYc
Two of my favorite Holidays with the family were 1. when Dad asked everyone to share the story of how they came to Jesus and 2. when he asked everyone to share what God had been teaching them lately.
Dad had a few close calls in the last couple years of his life. Out in the cow pasture trying to climb a gate, his heart stopped and Brandon brought him back. Many times in the hospital we thought it was the end. Mostly, he just felt so awful, he wanted the Lord to take him home to Heaven. But he told us God gave him this verse and reminded him that God wasn’t finished with him yet. So instead of complaining, he was still winning souls to Christ and sharing Him with anyone that came by the house in the last week he was here. He claimed the verse, “I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord.” Psalms 118:17He determined to LIVE and DECLARE all that God did for him. #mydad #liveanddeclare #totheend #sharingJesus
Continuation: To honor him on the new garage build the family did the following Christmas, Todd and his mom stamped it into the concrete.
Todd and I have decided to join the Tiny House movement ourselves so we can be a product of our product.
Since both our girls have flown the nest and we have just Andrew, it’s a perfect time for a new adventure! I have this romantic idea of a little house on the prairie lifestyle with me and my man raising our son in the great outdoors teaching him life skills.
We’re going to sell our newly renovated forever dream home to give us morecashflow and more time for our startup business. We are excited to offer next generation housing solutions to help others and give them options as well!
My dream Kitchen Todd hand made the cabinets and butcher block countertops from Maple and Cherry trees he and his dad cut down on the family farm in Michigan and we hauled to Texas with us. The other counters are concrete with an aged copper stain. The backsplash of slate was hand cut by our oldest daughter and our second daughter and I glued them to the wall one summer.
Going Forward
I’m excited to watch my husband; he is a Master Builder and Creative Designer and he thrives on the challenge of creating exciting spaces using innovative designs for people to live out their dreams. If you know me at all, you know one of my favorite things to do is brag on my husband so I made it my main job! He’s built me 2 dream houses now with his own two hands.
I’m chief marketer and he’s chief builder! As long as we don’t try to put each other’s hats on and we stay working in our strengths, we believe we can create a successful partnership this time around without sacrificing the marriage. (If you’re lost, go read Part One of the big reveal for the rest of the story)
If a client has an idea that’s never been done before, they always hear my husband say, “I bet we can figure that out.”
I jokingly call him “Todd the builder” with the motto:
“Can we build it?”
“Yes, we can!”
What’s Next for you?
If you don’t want to be left out of this epic journey of tiny house living and our airbnb experience, fill the form out below. Visit our website and enter to win a FREE getaway in a tiny house. www.hillcountrytinyhouses.com
As newlyweds, my husband and I had a dream to start a family business, spending each day working toward the same goals, growing closer, and building our legacy together. It was a romantic idea; unfortunately, the dream quickly turned into a nightmare.
Our first attempt in our second year of marriage did not go so well. Still, I did not lose the dream in my heart. Our second attempt was 10 years later after I started Dare to Believe Marketing LLC. After four years of hard work, the big dream to retire him from his corporate job at Nextel and work together, came true. That year, my company paid me twice as much as his so we felt safe partnering up again. I hired him to run my company and it took me three long years before I released him from his misery of doing things are are not his strengths: sales and marketing. I jokingly say, “I retired him, hired him, then fired him.” He then started his own construction company in Michigan, enjoying the manual labor while his partner did the sales side.
Miraculous Marriage Makeover
Fast forward to 2015 when our miraculous marriage make-over occurred and the desire to be together every single day working side by side became stronger than ever! I kept asking, “Isn’t there a business we can build together that uses each of our God-given strengths so we can really enjoy what we do and be successful at it?”
Whenever I do construction projects with him, I realize I just don’t enjoy that kind of work. For him to do marketing with me is just not going to work, but isn’t there something we can do, maybe something like Chip and Joanna Gaines on the Fixer Upper show? We were in the thick of our remodel project and that just didn’t quite pique our interest.
After almost a year of research, we finally found something…building Tiny Houses! He can build them and I will market them. We created our LLC a few months ago and Todd’s sister designed this lovely logo.
This time around, we believe we are more mature and will create a winning team as we celebrate 20 years of marriage. This seems to draw perfectly on both of our greatest talents.We know the road ahead will stretch us…a lot, but we are up for the challenge knowing the reward of actually living out our dreams will be worth it.
What is our Mission?
Providing Next Generation Housing solutions so people can enjoy financial independence and peace of mind.
Tiny Houses are also for those looking for a second home for: vacation, guests, aging parents, boomerang children, an off the grid home, or an income producing property for primary rentals or vacation rentals like on www.airbnb.com or www.VRBO.com. One added benefit of a Tiny House that’s under 400 sf, is that you don’t pay property taxes on that building.
Thank you for joining us on this journey and for being our friend. You can also follow the progress through our website, here.
We have decided to join the Tiny House movement ourselves so we can be a product of our product.
Since both our girls have flown the nest and we have just Andrew, it’s a perfect time for a new adventure! I have this romantic idea of a little house on the prairie lifestyle with me and my man raising our son in the great outdoors teaching him life skills.
Whenever I do construction projects with him, I realize I just don’t enjoy that kind of work. For him to do marketing with me is just not going to work, but isn’t there something we can do, maybe something like Chip and Joanna Gaines on the Fixer Upper show? We were in the thick of our remodel project and that just didn’t quite pique our interest.
As newlyweds, my husband and I had a dream to start a family business, spending each day working toward the same goals, growing closer, and building our legacy together. Although it didn’t work the first or second attempt, I did not lose the dream in my heart. Fast forward to 2015 when our miraculous marriage make-over occurred and the desire to be together every single day working side by side became stronger than ever! I kept asking, “Isn’t there a business we can build together that uses each of our God-given strengths so we can really enjoy what we do and be successful at it?”
I have been building my home business a now for almost 14 years and the income pays for our monthly expenses. Residual income has been a tremendous blessing; we have almost 1400 loyal customers nationwide shopping with a 96% reorder rate. I will continue to build this business, but residual income gives me the time freedom to work with Todd in our other venture as well.
After almost a year of research, we finally found something…building Tiny Houses! He can build them and I will market them. We created our LLC a few months ago and Todd’s sister designed this lovely logo.
This seems to draw perfectly on both of our greatest talents. We know the road ahead will stretch us…a lot, but we are up for the challenge knowing the reward of actually living out our dreams will be worth it.
I’m excited to watch my husband; he is a Master Builder and Creative Designer and he thrives on the challenge of creating exciting spaces using innovative designs for people to live out their dreams. If you know me at all, you know one of my favorite things to do is brag on my husband so I made it my main job! He’s built me 3 dream houses now with his own two hands.
I’m chief marketer and he’s chief builder! As long as we don’t try to put each other’s hats on and we stay working in our strengths, we believe we can create a successful partnership this time around without sacrificing the marriage. (If you’re lost, go read Part One of the big reveal for the rest of the story)
If a client has an idea that’s never been done before, they always hear my husband say, “I bet we can figure that out.”
I jokingly call him “Todd the builder” with the motto: “Can we build it? Yes, we can!”
WHAT IS OUR MISSION?
Providing Next Generation Housing solutions so people can enjoy financial independence and peace of mind.
Tiny Houses are also for those looking for a second home for: vacation, guests, aging parents, boomerang children, an off the grid home, or an income producing property for primary rentals or vacation rentals like on http://www.airbnb.com or http://www.VRBO.com. One added benefit of a Tiny House that’s under 400 sf, is that you don’t pay property taxes on that building.
Thank you for joining us on this journey and for being our friend.
Review of the Intimidation Game by Kimberly Strassel, an editor for Wall Street Journal since 2005. She is one of the most respected columnists in the political and financial business spectrum to date.
For 20 years now, as people have hurt me, disappointed or abandoned me, one person has stayed constant. People come and go in life, but as long as I have my husband by my side and on my side, I feel I can survive anything. When it seems the whole world is against me (moms raising teenage girls may relate, thankfully that’s in the past), Todd’s always been for me, believing the very best in me. He is my hero! He is our children’s Hero too. Men interested in our girls have a very tall order to fill.
In reality, it’s only been a handful of people who have really hurt me and that’s not to say my husband wasn’t one of those at times. Forgiveness is a powerful tool, my friends!
All in all, I’ve been incredibly blessed with such amazing friends and family and kind people all around me in Texas and right here on Facebook. This last week, I got to talk to my best friend from gradeschool; we always pick up right where we left off even though 1500 miles apart. #iamblessed, #feelingsentimental
Our son is in the purple t shirt, the other kids are his friends. Our daughter helped direct the ad and our whole family and a bunch of friends are in the crowd at the end. We submitted for super bowl and placed #18 of 100 entries that made it to the finals. #crashthesuperbowl
Todd and I fell in love again on Oct. 11, 2015; it was nothing short of a miracle. To celebrate, we took a second honeymoon Oct. 24, almost 20 years after we started dating the first time. We have vowed to spend the next 12 months acting like newlyweds. We’ve never been happier. Thank you to our friends who helped our kids out.
5 things we learned from our adventure in the wild wild west
Texas is a VERY LARGE state.
West Texas is a great place to fall in love again!
Everyone should see the moon through the amazing telescopes at Mcdonald Observatory.
Four days is not enough for Big Bend let alone all the other great places.
SEX in the wild wild west is the BEST!
Since our family migrated from the north four short years ago, we have traveled to numerous cities, but in the end, we definitely prefer the smaller remote ones like the one we chose to call home, Kerrville, Texas, whose population is 21,000. We hadn’t ventured very far west until this October, during a four day romantic getaway in the wild Wild West.
Why do they call it the Wild West?
We drove 1,000 miles round trip and never found a single Walmart or traditional chain Store. If being completely off the grid is your idea of a great escape, just go west. All around Big Bend, you’ll have little or no cellphone coverage, not even your data will work. However, inviting roadside picnic areas are plentiful.
We decided to Push the RESET button on our marriage…
Pack you’re guns, a gas can and a picnic basket because gas stations, civilization, fast foods and even restaurants are few and far between. You quickly learn to be strategic about your drinking habits if you know what I mean…
We are kicking it off with a second honeymoon and a 12 month plan to act like newlyweds!
Although we’ve travelled alone to Bora Bora, Hawaii and numerous romantic places during 19 years of marriage, we agreed to call this our official “second honeymoon”. That’s because we pushed the RESET button on our marriage and agreed to act like newlyweds for the next 12 months much to the dismay of our teenage daughter who requested we wait til next summer when she leaves for college.
The Jewish husband devotes 12 full months to bring JOY to his wife; he is free from a job or going to war during this time so nothing will interfere with setting up the rest of their married lives for success. This brings all future children into a loving environment of stability. Jews have THE lowest rate for divorce and typically enjoy great prosperity while Americans today have the highest rate of divorce, debt, addictions, medications and obesity in all of history. We believe passionate marital sex would go a long way to reverse these trends and change our next generation.
Our first stop Saturday night was the Mcdonald Observatory that inspired a whole new appreciation for the sky, one part of God’s vast creation and a new appreciation for His deep love for us, the crown of His finished work. We attended a twilight program followed by a star party. I’m not gonna lie, it was very cold at 6800 feet above sea level in October as a cold front came in. We shared a cup of Hot chocolate at the star date cafe where the cashier replied to my question, “what’s the wifi password?”
After driving and hiking the breathtaking skyline trail, we enjoyed southern hospitality at the Indian Lodge with a Sunday afternoon pot roast meal.
“There’s no public wifi; your phone’s as good as a paper weight up here”
We stayed the night in the beautiful Davis mountains in what we lovingly refer to as our little love shack on wheels. We fit our queen mattress in the back and were quite warm and cozy. Sunday morning, we woke up to this view in the state park.
Sunday evening, we travelled to Big Bend, where Visibility was over 130 miles, which added to the feeling of vastness contrasting to your own the smallness of your own person. Although we felt small, we felt nothing of insignificance. Instead, we felt incredibly valuable and worthy; in awe of our Creator and Redeemer!
We stayed in a primitive campground with only a handful of people, I suppose because it was a cold Sunday night in October.
Next comes one of our favorite memories and what we look forward to on our next visit…
We hiked to the hot springs to watch the sunset on Mexico across the Rio Grande River. The springs really were hot and full of red mud due to the recent rain. We didn’t mind, it was an added benefit of a mud bath before bed. We left before dusk because we forgot guns and wondered if Mexicans might try cross the border and the drive back included a curve without much space for error or you’d fall off the gravel road.
Monday, we hiked the beautiful Santa Elena Canyon, finding it even more picturesque than the brochures we saw or even than the
photos we took that day.
We devoted time each day to meaningful conversations about our relationship, memories of our love affair, our current romantic life, our future, dreams, family, likes and dislikes, being vulnerable and renewing our vows to make our marriage a picture of Christ’s love for His bride and creating our own little paradise on earth that points people to Jesus and looking forward to Heaven.
We reviewed material and listened to favorite love songs that take us back to our courtship and honeymoon to make romance blossom again. We called this our little love shack, we put a queen size mattress in the trailer and were very cozy under the big Texas starlit skies in campgrounds. We had been pouring every extra penny into remodeling our house so this was how we did our second honeymoon on a budget.
Our final destination before home was Marathon, a small antiquated town deep in the heart of West Texas. The town boasts of 3 gas stations, the place where Big Bend and starry skies meet. It is so quiet and small that from the center of town, from the Gage Hotel.
Step back in time…literally, to a town where the train still runs almost every hour and time stands still, no one is in a hurry, stores close at 8 pm and people still drive trucks from the 1970’s. The only form of entertainment after dark besides stargazing is…you guessed it.
One of the best parts about west Texas is definitely the night sky featuring the brightest stars and darkest skies you’ve ever experienced. What they say really is true, the backdrop is black velvet and the stars like shining diamonds; there’s no interference of city lights or pollution to dim their beauty. It’s a spectacular sight to behold.
Ending our romantic getaway at the Gage Hotel was just perfect…A hot shower in a hotel room vs. a campground was luxury.
Welcome to the Gage Hotel, the towns finest and in my opinion its only interesting attraction.
Be sure and wear your western boots as you walk across the old wooden floor in the lobby as the sound itself will transport you back in time 100 years and you’ll feel powerful as you command the attention of those nearby.
I will admit, I was shocked at the rugged amenities because I felt the price tag deserved more luxury. I guess they call it rugged luxury. We could imagine Buffalo Bill staying in our room in years gone by. It was an upgrade to have a room with a private bath, but the community bathhouse was nice enough as I toured it. I’m not sure what kind of upgrade you’d need to get a television in your room, but the absence of one sure adds to the charm, in my opinion.
We had a dinner reservation for 6 pm at the 12 Gage Restaurant next door, where we sat in the courtyard by the warm fire, enjoying Texas Quail and chicken fried steak. We admired the sunset from the 27 acre Gage Garden that hosts many weddings across the street, ending our evening in the hotel courtyard by the fire pit.
Tuesday proved to be another perfect October sunny day. We enjoyed a lazy afternoon in the hotel’s back yard with the swimming pool and refreshing green lawn (fake grass surrounded by desert) just reading our books in lawn chairs by the sand volleyball courts.
We are Enjoying a lazy day in the gardens at Gage Hotel, downtown Marathon, a city so quiet, you hear the church bells, roosters and train whistle crystal clear. Mostly, it’s the sound of birds and wind though today.
On the way home, we stopped at a locally owned Mexican restaurant, Bienvenido’s, in Ft. Stockton, where I had the best authentic Mexican meal since we moved to Texas. You see, we were very spoiled with home cooked Mexican meals our pastor regularly made for us in Michigan. This came close, but still fell short of his gourmet meals.
In conclusion, we encourage everyone to take a second or third honeymoon and push the reset button on your marriage. Why?
The state of the marriage produces the state of the family and the state of the family produces the state of the community.
Marriage is only hard work when the glory has gone out of the marriage. Take time to get the glory back and reignite the passion, you and your children and your children’s children deserve it!
