I Am The Best, Because I Was The Worst…

Figuring out how to build your life here in Bend is not easy for anyone, with all the tasks to be done and nuances to learn. This was especially true for me as a single parent, and even MORE especially as a human who emulates more of a MacGyver style of home project approach.

Why am I the best choice to help manage your mountain home in Bend? Because I was literally the worst at doing my own home projects and planning.

In the last 10 years living in Bend, I have stumbled my way through setting up 3 separate homes while also mommying two amazing young daughters and maintaining my Cardiology career—accomplishing it all but probably not doing any of it particularly well.  In order of importance, you can imagine how low the home maintenance and management fell on my own to do list. I required serious professional help.

Lesson # 1: Imagine my horror when calling around to find an Electrician to help me with the fixtures in the first home I purchased to find out that I was completely out of luck for the forseeable future. It is the one task I relent to asking for help before I try it myself, as it involves potential electrocution. It’s never a good sign when you get apologetic chuckles from multiple businesses when asking for service in the next few weeks if possible. I was stuck with multiple ceiling fans from the 80’s for at least a year. First world problems for sure, but it was my first peek into the shortage of help.

My next big hurdle was an HVAC problem. My brand-new washer/dryer was not working after it was abruptly delivered, attached and I was wished good luck after it did not fit into the space designed for the appliance, so again I was calling around EVERYWHERE. This time, I lucked out because I believe the very nice person who I finally got ahold of after fibbing that I had an emergency, took mercy on me probably due to noticing my quivering voice over the phone. Do not mistake said quivering as the proverbial crocodile tears to get help. I was literally trying not to Lose. My. Sh$t. I needed to wash our clothes, and I had already procrastinated asking for help, yet again not realizing how long it would take to get help.

Childcare. The topic that still makes me physically shudder years later. I believe that is called trauma with a little t.  Moving from Portland, I was already used to paying a hefty price tag. What I didn’t know was that in Bend (at that time at least) there was such great demand that I could only find care for my 4-year-old, and that was only because a wonderful woman that I worked with gave me an inside scoop on a new preschool opening. I also had a 6-month-old to figure out. As I contacted every single place in the area, I was astounded at the wait list length of time to actual enrollment. ‘If I understand correctly, for this timing to actually work out for someone, a mom needs to apply for your program approximately one year prior to getting pregnant.’   Long story short, there was an entire year when I had to pay well over three grand per month for childcare because I was forced to hire a nanny for my baby while the other held the spot in the preschool and ‘siblings get first dibs on openings’. Don’t think I didn’t diligently research opening a day care of my own during that time but ultimately realized that I am not a good enough person to be able to spend that much time with children. ;)

Those are just a few examples of many hurdles I have jumped, lessons learned as I have built my life and homes here in Bend. The number of botched paint jobs, furniture put together incorrectly, drains filled with Drano until giving in for a plumbers help, light fixtures falling from the ceiling, water heaters busting, oh yes—-burst frozen pipes…ugh. The silver lining is that over these 10 years I have compiled a trusted group of local experts/businesses that I can call directly for timely help and guidance.

All joking aside, I am simply being honest about how difficult it can be to get these tasks done in a community where the growth is booming, therefore the demand is consistently high. Being a futurist thinker helps me plan for and predict the needs of people and communities and provide potential solutions before they are even identified. I am an excellent multitasker, and I strongly prefer to have annoying tasks like home maintenance etc. be handled quickly, done the right way, and completed efficiently so nobody has to worry about it longer than necessary.

I believe our homes should be a sanctuary that brings calm, peace, relaxation, fun, joy, privacy, relief, quality time, rejuvenation, focus on what we value most, whatever that means for each of us individually.  I absolutely love creating a cozy comfortable vibe in each home on every level possible, from selecting a certain set of pajamas to baking something special, to having the softest blankets on the planet to snuggle into on the couch so you just can’t not watch that movie snuggled in together. Candles, lighting types and levels, textures, snacks, unexpected perks, wellness treatments, beauty treatments…The list goes on, but you will have to chat with me to find out more! 😊

If you work with Eventyr Collective you will have a hand selected team of people with well-balanced skills who will help you keep your mountain home safe and maintained as it should be, on the appropriate schedule. You also have exclusive access to services to make your home and life cozy, enjoyable, wellness focused, and full of some special experiences curated for you. It really is as nice as it sounds.

Take Care,

Lindsey Hovland