For John and Kiki Weald, Bend has become a family affair. Residents for just four months, the couple moved here to be closer to their children who already lived in the area. They chose Discovery West for a number of reasons – and are extremely happy with their decision. Read on to learn more about them in this month’s Neighbor Spotlight Q&A.
What brought you to the Bend, Oregon area?
Our son and daughter-in-law moved here first in in December of 2018, and they talked our daughter into applying to OSU Cascades for her master’s degree. She came in May of 2019 to pursue her degree. At the time, we came back and forth to visit them, and then the pandemic arrived. We quickly decided we wanted to be closer to the kids, so we began our search for a house here in Bend. After looking for about six to eight months we were able to buy here in Discovery West.
Why did you choose Discovery West?
Our kids both live in NorthWest Crossing, so we knew we wanted to live close by. We also liked the architectural choices and the vision for the future in Discovery West.
Tell us about buying your house and the process. Did anything stand out for you?
The house was pretty much finished by the time we found it; built by the amazing Michael Wilkins. We couldn’t have been luckier than to work with him, his attention to detail and the quality of the interior is outstanding. Mike is so attentive to his projects that he notices even the smallest of details that we hadn’t even discovered for ourselves, and is super fast to put anything right.
What do you like best about your new home?
It has a great open plan on the interior that gives us the freedom we like so we can hang out together rather than separate rooms. The location is ideal as it’s close to the kids, and many other activities. John loves that he can be upstairs while working from home as it allows him the separation of work and home.
What do you/did you do for a living?
John is V.P. of engineering at a company in Silicon Valley. I got to be a stay at home mum, the hardest and best job in the world.
What do you like best (so far) about living in Discovery West? Bend?
The neighbors have been amazing. As the houses get finished and more of us move in, the camaraderie and ability to enjoy and make new friends is wonderful. We have been fortunate to have been invited to a few of the neighbors’ houses for dinner already and look forward to returning the kindness when our house has furniture. 🙂
Members of your family – including pets?
Our son, Ryan, is married to Samantha, they live in NorthWest Crossing and they are both working from home. Our daughter, Amy, just graduated the master’s program at OSU Cascades in June and now is a full-time mental health counselor. She also lives in NorthWest Crossing.
We have two granddogs: our daughter has a Westie named Albus (he is four years old) and our son has a standard Poodle, Bishop, who is also four. You will find us often walking them in the neighborhood!
