We are thrilled to bring you a new Neighbor Profile this month, featuring the Allen family: including Brett, Portia, Fletcher and Gage. The family of four moved to Bend just over one year ago after living in Seattle for 26 years. Read on for our interview with them to get to know your neighbors!
What brought you to the area?
We were ready for a change that included more outdoor activities and recreation, more days of sunshine, a safer city where our boys could walk to school, “cruise” the neighborhood with friends, play sports at safe, clean parks, and overall enjoy just a slower pace of life.
Why did you choose Discovery West?
We love proximity to our kids’ schools, the proximity to the amenities of NorthWest Crossing, the access to trails, the community out our front door and the view out of our back door. It was exactly what we were looking for and why we moved to Bend. Our younger son rides his bike to The Grove every morning and meets up with a buddy of his and then they ride to school together. Our older son walks to school, meets friends at The Grove after school, gets a slice of pizza from Bend Pizza Kitchen. The location of Discovery West is perfect.
What do you like best about your new home?
We absolutely love living in a brand-new home. The back deck is our favorite feature. We love the view from the backyard, we love eating dinner out there together, I love having my morning cup of coffee with my dog and watching the sun rise.
What do you/did you do for a living?
Brett: My whole career was in finance and small business ownership. About five years ago I was looking for a change and went back to school to get my Master’s Degree in Teaching. I taught 3rd grade in Seattle for a few years and now I am a long-term sub at a Bend La-Pine school program called The Nest. I get an opportunity to work with kids ages kindergarten to 5th grade that have experienced trauma and have some behavioral issues that prevent them from being in their general ed classroom. We show them the love and kindness that they need to get them back up to speed socially and academically so that they can return to their regular classroom. It is extremely rewarding. Portia, my wife, had a career in sales in the field of tech consulting. She has enjoyed being a stay at home mom since our first son was born.
What do you like best (so far) about living in Discovery West? Bend?
Access to trails. I love hopping on my bike and being at Phil’s in just a few minutes. We love walking to the farmers market, The Grove, all of the shops and restaurants nearby.
Any hobbies, activities your family is interested in?
We are taking full advantage of all the outdoor activities that Bend has to offer – paddle boarding, mountain biking, trail running, hiking, floating the river, snowboarding, cross country skiing, snow shoeing. Our boys, Fletcher and Gage, both play baseball and soccer and my younger son, Gage, loves indoor rock climbing with the Bend Endurance Academy.
Any pets that also make Discovery West home?
We have two cats – Blitz and Stan Lee, and a new Australian Shepherd puppy named Clover.
“We have loved our time here in Discovery West and know that it will just get better and better as it continues to grow and look forward to meeting all the wonderful families that move in.”