We have had a year of abundance, joy and never ending development

We truly feel blessed. We traveled, learned new things, and poured energy into our home, our careers, and our farmette. We were grateful for safe and memorable journeys both close to home and abroad (including August!), and for the pure joy of introducing him to his very first amusement park.

We are deeply thankful for our health and for all that brings us joy, especially our loved ones.

Italy & Florida 

Our furthest and most memorable trip this year was to Italy. After landing in Rome, we drove into the Tuscan countryside to Cortona, where we slowed down and learned to truly savor each day. Joined by our dear friend Wesley and his partner, Nastya, we shared beautiful moments exploring Florence, the countryside, and even the Mediterranean Sea.

As one friend wisely put it, “You mean your first trip to Italy.” We certainly hope so — next time with August. While we were away, he was happily held and spoiled by his Mamey and Papa in Florida, enjoying play time with cousins, and plenty of love during our nine days abroad.

Knoebels Amusement Park & Pennsylvania Wedding

It felt like watching a small miracle unfold as we took our son to his very first amusement park — Knoebels in Pennsylvania. From riding the miniature train on its mile-and-a-half loop around the park to bravely tackling toddler rides (without his parents!!) just shy of his second birthday, August was completely enchanted.

We stayed in a cozy cabin at the nearby campground, walking into the park each day and cooling off at the water park during the hottest afternoons. We’re already planning a return next summer — for more pickles on a stick and, eventually, those highly coveted “big kid” roller coasters.

After our amusement park stay, we had the joy of attending the wedding of longtime student turned dear friend, Spencer, and his fiancée, Veronica, in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The day was beautiful, and because the wedding fell on August 16th, August spent much of the celebration happily singing “Happy Birthday” to himself. It was a wonderful evening filled with laughter and the comfort of reconnecting with longtime friends.

Vancouver & Washington

We had a delightful time exploring Vancouver en route to the highly anticipated wedding of Aunties Trish and Laura-Lee in Washington. In Vancouver, we wandered the city and rented a car to venture North to the charming town of Squamish, taking in incredible wildlife and natural beauty along the way.

The wedding itself was truly special, a joyful reunion of aunts, uncles, cousins, and especially the cousin crew, affectionately known as the “Spectacular Six,” all born within the same year. While only four of the six toddlers were present, they more than made up for it, enthusiastically taking over the dance floor and keeping the celebration lively and unforgettable.

Farmette Visits & California Celebrations

We were so grateful to spend a couple weeks in November hosting Great Grandma Lucy and Great Grandpa Jerry at our Hudson Valley farmette. It was a gentle and joyful way to end the year filled with home-cooked meals, long conversations, and peaceful walks. We already hope for many more (and longer!) visits, though we’re happy they’re now soaking up warmth with the Florida crew for winter.

Lily also made a trip to Sacramento, CA, to celebrate Jasi’s baby shower, as she and Tyler prepare to welcome a baby girl in March 2026. It was a wonderful gathering of the Johnson/Zavalasky ladies all staying together and celebrating in style. We loved meeting and getting to know the Les family and we’re beyond excited to welcome a new niece and cousin! 

August & Finding His Voice

What has felt most incredible this year is watching our darling son grow. August has gone from pacifier-dependent and delightfully wobbly to a fully spoken, (somewhat!) independent toddler. He is opinionated, endlessly curious, and loves moving his body through play, dance, and enthusiastic stomping around the greenhouse and gardens.

He has a serious passion for playgrounds and libraries, delights us with his singing and inventive phrases, and is learning each day what it means to be thankful, generous, and gentle. He especially loves calling family, so please reach out anytime if you’d like a chat with him.

Habitual Designs Taking Root

Habitual Designs experienced a season of growth in 2025, with a full slate of client projects ranging from perennial and shade gardens to over 3,500 sq ft of flagstone patios, custom decks, raised garden beds, border gardens, and a bespoke arbor. Each project offered an opportunity to design structure, beauty, and thoughtful land care.

Lily especially enjoyed collaborating with longtime colleague and talented videographer/director Aaron Craig to film a video this fall. It’s on her website at habitualdesigns.com. She looks ahead to 2026 with excitement growing her client list, deepening long-term partnerships, and enrolling in the Master Gardener Volunteer Program through Cornell’s Dutchess County Cooperative Extension.

Gavin Flourishes: Teaching at Columbia University and working hard with Tredence

Gavin remains actively involved at Further Advisory, which was acquired in 2025 by Tredence a data science and AI company. He’s been leading AI and product strategy for Visa, Citizens and more recently with Bank of Montreal. We also have exciting news that Gavin was selected for the Board for Habitat for Humanity of Dutchess County! Gavin has been a long-time fan and supporter of the amazing work Habitat does and was told that the board’s vote for him to join the board was unanimous. Although he is already active, he will attend his first board retreat in early 2026. Lastly, this will be Gavin’s 6th year teaching product innovation and entrepreneurship at Columbia University.

Farmette & Seasons

Life at our 11 Stream Farmette brought both ups and downs this year. Lily tapped into her longtime veterinary instincts while nursing our hen duck, Gus Gus, back to health after a serious and nearly fatal accident. Gus Gus has since gone on to thrive with her mate, Chonks, after joining a larger, mixed-breed flock of more than twenty ducks at a nearby farm, a place Lily still visits often. Their transition made room for growth at home, and we welcomed six new hens to our chicken flock, while also saying goodbye to one hen lost to a predator.

On the growing side, this was a year of great pleasure. The vineyard is now well established producing our second year of grape harvest for wine, and both the potager garden and greenhouse were in full swing. Many plants were propagated, and Lily and Gavin installed a sloped perennial “bee yard” garden just steps from the hives, providing abundant nectar and pollen for our bees.

Indoors, our animal companions continue to thrive. Maddy will soon turn seven (January), and Lucy, now twelve (September), spend their days lounging, playing, and skillfully avoiding August’s quick and enthusiastic advances. They live a good, comfortable life, and we’re deeply thankful for their continued health.

Outdoors, we took on a big project and rebuilt our deck from the ground up. Designed by Gavin and Lily, it features built-in kick lights and an open, 180-degree wraparound step. We can already picture summer barbecues and, eventually, an outdoor bar with a grill and sink. We can’t wait to host and cook for you! 

With Warmth and Gratitude

Love,

Gavin, Lily and August

A few things from the year

It’s remarkable to reflect on the milestones and challenges that shaped our year in 2024. We celebrated with friends, Grandparents and Great-Grandparents as August turned one year old —  He is filling our days with endless joy and discovery. Lily launched her own Landscape and Garden Design firm, Habitual Designs —a venture that has brought her purpose and holds much promise. On a more challenging front, we faced the heartbreak of Mrs. Wassung’s stroke, but our family’s resilience and unity through the long-going recovery has been the silver lining. Meanwhile, we’ve been enjoying simple moments in the garden and homesteading feats—like Gavin growing, harvesting and producing his first wine. With his wine we’ll toast to everything come New Year’s. Balancing the highs and lows, 2024 has been a year we’ll never forget. 

Lily Landscape and Garden Design

When August was born, everything changed for me – in the best way. Stepping away from my producer role for nearly six months—a gift made possible by New York State Paid Family Leave—gave me time to focus fully on my new role as a mom and to reconnect with the things that brought me true peace and joy: being with family and spending time in the garden. Those months were transformative, a reminder of what I value most, and they sparked a desire to balance work and home life in a way that felt sustainable.

Becoming a Mom also brought me courage—a sense of clarity about living more intentionally. I wanted to nurture growth, whether in August or in the plants I was drawn to more and more. Gardening became my therapy, my outlet, and my source of inspiration. Stepping into the garden allowed me to immerse myself in nature’s rhythms, to feel the soil under my hands, and to embrace a slower, more intentional pace of life.

The turning point came when a friend, familiar with the garden we’d created at home, asked me to design her backyard. She’d been considering professional help but felt those ideas lacked the heart and personalization she craved. Designing her family’s outdoor space became a revelation for me. I found myself channeling skills I’d honed as a producer—coordinating moving parts and ensuring everything came together beautifully—into something fresh and deeply rewarding. It was a pivotal experience that set me on my new path.

Gardening has been my reset button. It’s taught me patience, tenderness, and an unexpected courage to step into this new chapter. Combining my producer skill set with garden design felt natural, allowing me to craft sacred outdoor spaces that resonate on a personal level. Now, I get to work with families and homeowners who, like me, seek meaningful connections to their land and want to create spaces that feel like sanctuaries.

Family history has also shaped this journey. I grew up with my mom and grandpa cultivating vegetable gardens, while my grandma and great-grandma—Lillian, my namesake, focused on flowers for sheer joy. My great-grandfather’s sugar beet farm and the family’s peach orchard in Colorado remain sources of pride. Those juicy Palisade peaches even made it to Gavin and my wedding as favors, a little tribute to my roots.

It wasn’t until we left Brooklyn and moved to Beacon in 2017 that my personal love of gardening began to flourish. Gavin and I, inspired by Monty Don’s Big Dreams, Small Spaces, began experimenting in our tiny yard. When that wasn’t enough space, we rented a plot at Stony Kill Farm to grow organic veggies and herbs. Moving to Pleasant Valley with its two acres gave me a blank canvas to experiment more seriously with design.

I’ve approached this craft with curiosity and passion, even though I lack “formal” training. Local resources like our library, seminars at local gardens, and meeting other garden and agriculture professionals in the area have been invaluable in helping me grow my knowledge and confidence. Renovating our homes also gave me insight during the pandemic’s home-focused era into the high demand for skilled labor, especially landscape designers and construction teams in the Hudson Valley. To my surprise, calls often went unanswered and many professionals were fully booked for years – with ZERO advertising efforts!

Recognizing the need for project management in this field gave me a vision for how my experience and interests could align. Now, I get to wake up each day excited to help people reimagine their outdoor spaces. From ecological mindfulness to personalized creativity, each project feels like a unique story waiting to unfold—and I’m grateful for the chance to play a part in it, both for my family and for others.

North Carolina Trip to Visit Auntie Susie and Family

Grandma and Grandpa Visit

August turns 1 Year Old

This year we had our first crawl, first words(“Hi Dad”), our first step in a North Carolina park, going up and down stairs like a boss, and now he’s running around playing basketball (or dunking sweet potatoes in the hoop too!!), asking for bananas (“nana’s”) and laughing the whole way. We’re in awe of the precious time we’ve had together to play and be a part of his growth.

In August, we had a wonderful party for Augie’s one year old birthday. Inspired by his love of swimming, which started in the bathtub but also from taking swim lessons this summer at The British Swim School, we knew that our little fish would love nothing more than to celebrate his first year of postnatal life in a Swim/Sun environment with friends and family.

We were so blessed by those who came – the Allen’s from New Jersey, Mom and Dad from Connecticut, Alissa, Chris and the kids from Brooklyn, NY and even Grandma Lucy and Grandpa Jerry from Florida/Colorado! August had a wonderful time playing, splashing and at this point, walking around in the Sun that day. We had yummy cupcakes, sandwiches and other finger foods for everyone. We sang “Happy Birthday” to him and he watched as Mom and Dad helped assist blowing out the candle. It was a blast!

Gavin’s 40th

Mom’s Stroke

It’s been a challenging four months for my family since my mom had a severe stroke. The journey has been full of ups and downs and lots of feelings, but we’re grateful to share that she’s now getting the care she needs. After some difficult transitions, she’s in a place where she is being nourished and making progress. My Dad has recently moved closer and were making plans for Mom to be home with him in the New Year. Thank you for your support and love during this time—it means the world to us.

Our Farmette and our 1st Wine Harvest

I’ve added 3 new rows to the 5 rows that I already planted 3 years ago.

More pics from our farmette.

With Warmth and Gratitude

Love,

Gavin, Lily and August