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 dated but remained unmarried since 1999 so in 2018, I decided it was time to throw in the towel after numerous heartaches. That same year I woke up and had an epiphany "stop trying to drive 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 as it is with most women) 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 Mr. Glen Meloy (Record scratch) I know I said I threw in the towel, but hear me out.
Glen and I had been searching for our life companion for 20 plus years. What's interesting is we both had lived within 20 miles from each other our entire lives without knowing it, even when we moved to different cities! We even moved to the same cities in the same years! DODODODOO. That was not a coincidence, it was fate!
In 2019 we were engages, and in 2020, when everyone was washing groceries and freaking out during the start of Covid-19, we got married on top of a mountain top in Wyoming 10,550 feet above sea level. It was a glorious wedding and day!!! Best day of my life!!! Just months later, in the same year, we decided to purchase a home during one of the craziest real estate markets this state has seen in years! Both of these large life moments had its challenges but we preserved with love. I know this all sounds sappy, but it's a LOVE story, it's our LOVE story.
We couldn’t believe we were able to buy our home for listing price when everything was selling 2-3 times 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” 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 find them), 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 our one acre property and it was littered with fossils AND heart shaped rocks! Imagine that! Glen and I both knew we wanted to share this beautiful piece of property with others, so the name stuck. However, that isn't the only reason we call it The Heart Rock Ranch.
The foundation of Glen's and I's love is built on a love of our big O Hearts, but centered around God which gives us a rock solid foundation for our marriage, and... well, a Ranch isn't a ranch without lots of people working on it, eating and spending time together from sun up to sun down. So that's how we named our home.
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 dabbled in playing instruments such as the piano, congas, digeridoo, goblet drum, violin and tambourine and have attended countless concerts! (Dream Theatre, Kraftwerk, Van Halen, Scorpions, Willy Nelson, Pat Green, 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 for our then church and that's what kicked off his live performances.
While working on the Heart Rock Ranch, I had an idea to proceed with something I have always wanted to do which was to support musicians and charities. I began planning my philanthropic event called "The Giving Heart Music Series". The planning went incredibly and eerily smooth!
our first musician (Michael Ingalls) practically fell in our lap. He just happened to be our first live musician we saw here in Salado on our first date night at the Stagecoach. turned out, he wanted to do a philanthropic show too. We all 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 supporting 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 that I mentioned when we first moved in...we aren't sure if this is what the end all is, but we sure are enjoying the ride to our destiny together!
LOVE BIG Y'ALL! See ya at the next fundraiser!
Kat & Glen