What's in a name?!

I get asked often about the name Casa de Ponderosa - what it means or where I came up with it. The truth is, it’s kind of a long explanation and it requires me to explain some heartbreak. Hopefully this trip down memory lane will help you better understand who I am, so here I go!

I got married in 2011, and I intended to be married my whole life. The thing is, I was raised Catholic and I don’t even think of divorce is an option. I still don’t, by the way, but as I’ve learned the hard way, most things are out of my control. But let me back up a notch.

We were living in Austin and had adopted my sweet HoneyDog in November of 2011. When we would go on a vacation, we’d often take Honey to my parent’s place in Goliad and they would watch her for us. They live out in the middle of nowhere in an adorable pale yellow board and batten farmhouse with a big red and white barn next to it - both built long before the world even knew who Chip and Jojo were and before “farmhouse design” was a thing.

Anyway, I started saying “I’m going to head out to the ponderosa to pick up the pup.” And I decided I really liked the word. The definition doesn’t translate to “out in the country” as I meant it, but I started calling it the ponderosa anyway. I think it was maybe from an old TV show?! Who knows, but it stuck (in my head).

Fast forward a short 20 months after the wedding, when I was blindsided by my then-husband, who decided he didn’t want to be married to me anymore and left in July 2013, without so much of an explanation and no willingness to work on our future. So much so, that I literally never saw him face to face after the night he told me he was done. Quite the coward, but that decision he made helped catapult me into a much better and more rewarding life.

As one would imagine, at the time, I was not in a good place and wasn’t sure what I wanted to do. Luckily I worked from home and traveled often, so I had some flexibility in where I could live with my job. I decided very quickly that I didn’t want to be in Austin anymore, or really within a 100 mile radius of him. Within a couple of weeks of the initial shock, I had moved to the ponderosa, put the Austin house on the market and, shockingly, by the end of September 2013, we were legally divorced. It was a hell of a whirlwind I wouldn’t wish on anyone, but I did so much healing at my parents in those few months as I prayed, went to counseling and spent time with friends and family, including my amazing parents. Looking back, I wouldn’t trade my time there for anything.

I clearly married the wrong guy and while that will always be a bit of a regret, I believe God had a plan. If I wouldn’t have gone through those tough times, I would not be who I am or have what I have today. And for that, I’m eternally grateful.

By the end of 2013, I started selling vintage items on Etsy and when I decided to create a brand and a logo, I chose Ponderosa to always remind me of my time healing out on the ponderosa.

In 2015, I got remarried to Danny, who I’ve know more than half my life and who complements me in so many ways. We both have the same religious beliefs, we enjoy many of the same hobbies and we both love to agitate each other. 😄 He had two children, so I get to be Bonus Mom, which is one of my favorite roles in life.

In 2016-’17, Danny and I designed and built our home with a local builder and we incorporated antique pieces and creative solutions to create a collected and cozy space. In 2018, though still employed full time, I began taking on more side projects on nights and weekends to redecorate and remodel. It started mainly with family and friend jobs and has grown slowly from there. Because we pivoted to house design and build from selling antique goods, I wanted to rebrand to incorporate “house” into the brand name, but still keep the original name and feel of the brand/logo.

Me & Danny in March 2020 at a Midland concert.

Casa de Ponderosa was born in October of 2018!