THE HEART ROCK RANCH
A story About The Heart Rock Ranch
By: Kathryn Meloy
So why the name "The Heart Rock Ranch" you ask? Here's a little back story.
prior to dating Glen, I had remained single since 1999. Don't get me wrong I had my fair share of "not the one" long relationships. In 2018, I decided it was time to throw in the towel after numerous heartaches. That same year I had an epiphany "stop trying to take the wheel and become the vehicle!"
You know the old saying... "Jesus take the wheel" ??? Well that's exactly what I did. I relinquished all control (that's hard for me) and I sat back to enjoy the ride to my own destiny that God had planned for me. WOW! After making that key decision, my life changed drastically! that same year, my biggest prayer was answered! I began dating the most wonderful, sweet, loving man, Glen Meloy. (Record scratch) I know I said I threw in the towel, but hear me out.
Glen and I both had been searching for our soul mate for 20 plus years. What's interesting is we had lived within 20 miles of each other our entire lives without knowing it, we even moved to the same cities in the same year! DODODODOO. That was not a coincidence, it was fate!
In 2019 we were engaged, and in 2020, when everyone was washing groceries and freaking out during the peak of Covid-19, we married 10,550 feet above sea level in Wyoming. It was a glorious wedding and day!!! Best day of my life!!! Just months later, in 2021, we decided to purchase a home during one of the craziest real estate markets this state has seen in years!
We couldn’t believe it when the Sellers told us they didn't want our "Over offer", to just pay listing price listing price! Another record scratch! everything was selling WAAYYYY over listing! It truly felt it was a blessing from above! On closing day, Glen and I stood back at the street gazing at our newly purchased home and he said, “I love this place, it's like heaven to me and I never want to leave” and I said “something bigger than us is supposed to happen here, this was offered to us for a reason” so we decided to name it. but what??
On a side note: I have collected heart shaped rocks since I was five years old. The rocks always found me, (or I found them, not sure which), even during my travels through 38 states and 3 countries.
So moving forward, this house needed lots and lots of TLC. Within the first week of living here, my brother suggested we call it the Heart Rock Ranch because he knew how much I love Heart rocks. We put the name on the back burner until one day we were cleaning up the land and we discovered it was littered with fossils AND heart shaped rocks! Imagine that! the name stuck. However, that isn't the only reason we call it The Heart Rock Ranch.
The foundation of our marriage is built on love in both our big Ol' Hearts, that is centered around God who is our rock and... well, our little acre Ranch . A ranch isn't a ranch without lots of people working on it, eating, and spending time together, which is you guys and gals! So there you have it!
How did the Giving Heart Music Series get started?
One of the many things Glen and I have in common is our passion for music. Music carried me through very challenging times in my life and became instrumental to my survival. Over my lifetime I developed an appreciation for all kinds of genres. I have even dabbled in playing instruments such as the piano, congas, digeridoo, goblet drum, violin and tambourine. I have attended countless concerts since I was 14! (Dream Theatre, Kraftwerk, Van Halen, Scorpions, Willie Nelson, Pat Green, the Doobie Brothers, tom Jones, Jimmy Buffett, Jill Scott, Prince, Amos Lee, Monty Montgomery), the list goes on forever!
Glen, being the studious type, has enjoyed learning music throughout his life. He sang baritone in high school choir, taught himself how to play guitar at age 15, and also played the piano, violin, Banjo, drums, and most recently, the bass guitar. In 2019, he joined a praise band at the church we attended which kicked off his live performances.
While working on the Heart Rock Ranch, I've had a dream to support musicians and charities at my house for several years, when I looked at the porch, I thought that looks like a stage to me! I began planning the philanthropic event called "The Giving Heart Music Series". The planning went incredibly and eerily smooth!
our first musician (Michael Ingalls) practically fell into our lap. He just happened to be our first live musician we saw here in Salado at the Stagecoach Pavilion. turned out, he had been wanting to do a philanthropic show too. We set the date for March 11,2023.
That Texas Spring Day, which you know is a gamble for an outdoor event, was absolutely gorgeous! It was a sunny, 85 degree, breezy day!
We didn't know many people since we had just moved here, but remarkably wonderful people came out of nowhere and offered their time and services to help us with the event. It was apparent and quite obvious that this event was something we were being called to do!
So here we are, the attendance grows year by year and so does its success. We welcome our neighbors, friends, family, and even strangers to The Heart Rock Ranch to enjoy camaraderie with like hearted Giving people.
As far as the “something bigger than us” goes ...we aren't sure if this it, but we sure are enjoying the ride to our destiny together with Jesus behind the wheel!
LOVE BIG Y'ALL!
Kat