High school sweethearts find their forever home

"If we're going to do this, we're going to do it right," Josh said.

Rooted in family and hard work

Their new home is on 400 acres that's part of Josh's family land. They live there with their dog, Lena, and their cats, Eloise and Nora. Josh's parents live next door, and they all share a farm with chickens, geese and cows, including a calf named Penny.

"We both worked really hard," Koven said. "We aren’t people who have just had things handed to us. We're very fortunate that we have this land, but we've worked really hard for all of this."

A place for friends to feel welcome

Their new home is known among their friends as the crash pad, because it's always full of life and a welcome feeling. "Our friends stay here a lot. They sleep on our big couch," Koven laughed. "We’re always cooking for people, and I think (they like staying here because) we're not the most fancy people."

The open kitchen layout is Koven's favorite feature of the home. "I love being able to cook and still talk while hosting," she said. "Being able to hold multiple people is really important to me."

But for Josh, nothing beats the large shower. "When we first moved in, his opening phrase to everyone was, 'You gotta see our shower,'" Koven laughed.

A love for antiques

When you walk through the Bruce home, every corner is perfectly curated with beautiful antique finds and family heirlooms. Koven grew up antique shopping with her grandma, and it is still to this day one of her favorite pastimes. Their guest bedroom is dedicated to her grandma, where you'll find love letters from Koven's grandpa, family photos and heirlooms. Koven attributes her eye for design to her grandma.

A full circle moment

Koven's journey to homeownership is a deeply personal one. She grew up in a manufactured home behind a funeral home. She didn't have a bedroom of her own, and she remembers being made fun of for where she lived.

"My grandpa worked so hard for that house. It was not much to us, but it meant everything to him," she says. So, years later when she stepped into the Sedona, she was blown away. "I didn't know there was such a thing that was so nice," she says. "And to have a home so quickly, at such a young age — it's a prideful feeling." One of the most meaningful moments was when her grandmother walked through the door of their new home for the first time. "To have my grandmother walk in here and be so proud of it — it's been really cool."

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