“Our Humble Hideaway, at the top of a hill, through meadows and woods and all our dreams come true.”
It started with my dreams of a simple life...
I'm Ashley, a photographer, creator, dreamer & gardener.
My husband Nick and I purchased our property in 2015. It was a mid October day when we viewed it for the first time, the leaves were perfectly changing to yellows and reds — it was so beautiful it had us completely overlooking how neglected and run-down every square inch was. We hadn’t even made it up the long gravel drive - I saw the trees, the hills, the barn — I turned to Nick and said “this is it.”
I started a blog and instagram account a few months after we closed — I knew I wanted the word humble in the name, because thats exactly how we felt standing in our home that had no working heat for two months in the dead of winter, HUMBLED. I needed a distraction while we were experiencing infertility - so I turned to this space to share how a couple city slickers turned full on country. It has been so much fun for me to share the ever evolving land that we so naïvely bought with our maxed out budget in our mid-twenties.
Everything around here has grown, my belly a couple times, the grass, the animals, the buildings, the boys, the garden, my love for the outdoors, and most importantly my heart. I have learned a new way of life, that feels like it was what was always missing. We were meant to live here and add soul and charm and laughter within these walls. Our Humble Hideaway is HOME.
My grandparents spent the better part of their lives building and restoring their farmhouse in the Ohio countryside..
just a few miles from where we live now. I spent weekends on their land playing in the creek, running through fields, riding quads and tractors, and eating home cooked meals made by my beloved grandmother. For as long as I can remember, I knew I wanted that life for myself and my future family. Our boys play in the woods, run through flower fields, stomp through creeks, and cannon ball in the pool at the end of a hot summer day. I always wanted this to be a place we shared, there’s not much that brings me greater joy than hosting our friends and family and seeing them enjoy it out here in the boons as much as we do. We are immensely grateful for every opportunity we have had to create this oasis.
I feel so lucky to not only live in this incredible space, but also work here too. We renovated the barn into my photography studio, added a greenhouse, and an ever growing flower farm.
When I was diagnosed with cancer in 2022, so much of me changed.
My perspective on life, my priorities, and where I wanted to spend my time and energy. I knew my career was going to change forever. I knew I would have to pivot. In my experience, cancer is not something that happens, and then it’s gone. It is something I carry around with me every single day. Sometimes the load is lighter, and sometimes the heaviness is debilitating. I am still learning who I am now. If you are here, know that you are here to see the real me. I made a vow to myself to move forward living with intention, showing up authentically as myself, and chasing the passions that make me feel alive. Giving myself permission to say no to what no longer suits me, and to be HAPPY. To simply just, be. I am part photographer/entrepreneur, part flower grower, part home maker, & full time survivor, mom and wife. This is a landing space for all of those things.
Living here has been a dream come true. Renovating our home, planting flowers, building our barn and greenhouse, raising our family amongst all this beauty, and turning this land into our oasis has been the greatest joy of my life.
