06/18/2025
Well… George and I have some big news to share!! After almost 10 years of serving the elderly population in our community, we have decided to “retire” our Holiday House. Although we had a 5-year plan, a unique opportunity arose that we just couldn’t pass up and as we did when we opened our care home, “if a door opens & a light shines bright, we will walk thru it”.
We have so many special memories in our home, not only did we raise our wonderfully amazing kids here (& some special fur-babies), but we also created a space to love and care for our elderly friends who quickly became part of our Holiday House family.
To have a job where you truly feel you are making a difference in people’s lives on a day-to-day basis is so meaningful and powerful - a very special kind of joy. We built sweet bonds with not only our Residents who lived with us and shared their lives with us, but also their family and friends - some of which have now become our friends. We have also been blessed with many wonderful Caregivers along the way - they too became part of our Holiday House family.
The fulfillment of knowing we empowered Residents to be “their own boss”, which we would often say to them, contributed to their independence, their choice & voice, motivating them to live a life that they wanted & to find the joys in simple things that perhaps they had forgotten or no longer had the opportunity to enjoy.
We will greatly miss all of the fun we had day-to-day like hosting birthday parties, going to the park, creating amazing holiday bliss and simply “loving on our tribe”. We know the memories we have made will last a lifetime.
We will be closing our Holiday House on August 1st. We are overjoyed to share that as our door closes, another one opens. On September 1st, AFH Provider, Damaris Nyanjui, will be leasing our home and starting her own adult care home continuing to provide services to our elderly community. We know she will do great things here!
As for George and I, we are not going anywhere - many have asked if we are moving - no way!! We love Grants Pass - we recently built a new home - our little “Love Shack” that just happens to be next-door to our Holiday House. We have created a space over there that we are excited to spend more time in and enjoy making new memories with our family and friends.
As for retirement, as many have asked - nope! We are not retiring - well George may semi retire, but he will stay busy continuing to care for the grounds at Holiday House - well, the new “Abundance” care home and keep up with our Love Shack - as he always has some great projects going on. I will be staying on for a short time to help Damaris get her AFH up and running. Then, we will take a break and enjoy some much-needed R&R. After January 1st, I will be seeking a new part-time job that will hopefully bring new adventures my way.
Thank you ALL that have supported us, blessed us and encouraged us all along the way of our Holiday House journey. We love and appreciate you so much. A special thank you to our kids, Brendon, Ryan, Brittany and Shawn, who have also joined us on this journey in many ways. Our sweet neighbors who always supported our endeavor. To all of our Josephine and Jackson County AFH Peers, thank you for helping us grow into the best Providers we could be. A special shout out to two ladies who agreed to be our backup Providers long ago (& now are “true” friends), Becky Olson Scriber and Kim Arsenault - we love you! To those at Team Senior who provided us with excellent referrals, we thank you and continue to sing your praises out in our community. To our State Licensor, Joshua May - you not only provided us with guidance but became a collaborative partner, which we always appreciated.
We will continue to be a supportive voice for the AFH world as we love its mission & all that serve it.
Hugs to you all,
Paula and George ❤️
