When we lived out of state I remember always wanting to come back to Texas.
The people here are just different.
Kind. Generous. Welcoming.
When I met Bekah I felt all of these things. I’m excited to introduce you to one of the first people I met when we moved here from West Texas last August…
Hi Bekah! Tell us about yourself…
I am a believer, wife to Tyler, mom to 3 babies, Pilates instructor and amateur farmer, beekeeper and bread maker.
What drew you to living in Dripping Springs?
Tyler and I both grew up in Boerne, TX and have always loved everything about the great state of Texas. We went to school in Cali and although the beach and everything Cali has to offer was amazing, we got back to Texas as fast as we could. After living in Austin for a few years we made our way to Dripping about 7 years ago.
Even though Dripping Springs is growing more and more each day, it is still a small town and that’s what we love about it. We love running into people we know at the local coffee shop and watching our kids play various sports with friends from their school. It truly is a small town with a heart of gold.
How did you and Tyler meet and how long have you been married?
Tyler and I met on the playground in kindergarten and we will be married 11 years this summer! We “went out” for a few weeks in 7th grade but remained friends through middle school and high school. I never thought my Texas cowboy would go to school in Cali but he was given a great opportunity to play basketball, and I just wanted to sit on the beach, so we found ourselves at Westmont College in Santa Barbara, CA.
After dancing around each other for a few years we finally got together our Junior year and the rest is history.
He is truly the most amazing husband and the best father.
I’m a lucky gal.
What are you passionate about?
Well I am an enneagram 8 and if you know anything about the enneagram you know that 8s are very passionate people.
So where should I start? The first thing that comes to my mind is faith and family and honestly everything else pretty much falls under those 2 things.
One of our main goals in building our new home was making it a place where anyone and everyone is welcome.
We have an open door policy and it’s my mission to make sure that everyone knows it. Hosting events, Bible studies, holidays or just your casual Sunday brunch are things that give me great joy. Our kids are a part of everything we do and it’s our hope that this builds a strong sense of purpose and humility in them as they get older.
Tyler and I are involved with Young Life here in Dripping and on any given week you can find high school kids gathered at our home hanging around the fire pit laughing or talking about Jesus while eating my homemade sourdough bread.
To me a full house equals a full heart.
2020 was a weird year for everyone but it was/is extremely hard on middle school and high school students. Wyldlife (middle school) and Young Life (high school) provide a safe place where kids can just be themselves and be poured into by one of our amazing leaders. Nothing like seeing the joy on the faces of our of middle school or high school friends as they let go of the expectations of this world and just have fun.
A fun new way that I have loved to gather people is by making sourdough bread. I know that sounds random but stay with me.
There is nothing better than fresh homemade bread and sharing it with those around you. Best way to bring people together is over food, so if you ever come to my house you can bet there will be a loaf of bread waiting for you with some fresh honey to drizzle over it. My family was going through 2 loafs of sourdough a week so I finally said I can make this myself! I find it relaxing to make the bread and I feel great about the added benefits of making bread rather that buying it from the store.
I have used a couple of different recipes but the one that I have had the most success with is the one Lauren sent me. It’s from Tartine Bakery.
Tell us about your Pilates studio:
I fell in love with Pilates in college and would skip class to go to my favorite instructors classes (sorry Dad). As an athlete I have always loved pushing myself and getting in a great workout, but once I started doing pilates I was sold for life.
It was the first time I ever saw a real change in my body, so I decided to get certified. I have been teaching for about 8 years and it’s the most fun I have ever had! On that note, I’m thrilled to announce that my Pilates studio will be opening in late May or early June!!
This has been a dream of mine for the past 10 years and I can’t believe it is finally happening! Group classes will incorporate the reformer, the pilates chair as well as Bodhi straps. These classes will focus on building strength, increasing flexibility, improving posture and creating long and lean muscles.
This is not your average pilates class.
We will be moving through fun and unique flows at a faster pace. There are of course modifications for every move and you can work at your own pace throughout the class. I can guarantee you will leave feeling stronger, longer and excited to come back! It’s my hope that this studio will be a place where people can come for not only a killer workout, but also a sweet community who supports one another.
Instagram @r3pilatestx
Website: R3 Pilates
Can’t wait to see yall there!
What made you want to buy goats and milk them?
Why not really?
We have horses and a pony and they are so great, but I wanted something smaller that I could play with. What is more playful than mini goats?! We love having animals and teaching our kids the responsibility and discipline of taking care of another living thing. We are all learning a lot. Everyday I am working toward living off our land as much as we can.
The fewer things I can buy from the grocery store the happier I am.
Everyday, before school, my oldest son and I walk to the barn for the morning milking and honestly it’s my favorite part of the day. That sweet uninterrupted time with my boy where he is just chatting away as the sun comes up is something I will cherish forever.
Also goat’s milk is delicious!
My kids now prefer it over cow’s milk and we have even experimented making cheese. It’s so much fun!
Why do you keep bees?
I became a beekeeper because I had to.
We need the bees for ag exemption so Tyler tasked me with becoming the family beekeeper.
I love learning new things and I love meeting people who I can learn from so here we are and I am SO happy! Bees are the most interesting creatures and I have officially become a huge bee nurd.
I listen to beekeeping podcasts and I am one step away from becoming a crazy bee lady.
I knew nothing about beekeeping before all this started and I still have an insane amount to learn but I’m all in. I feel very thankful to have found Landon Holden from Royal Bee Jelly Co. to help me on this journey. His knowledge of bees is impressive and I would be lost without him.
I won’t bore you with a million facts about bees, but one of the coolest facts I learned the other day was about the Queen Bee. As she is laying eggs she can choose whether to lay a male for female based on what the hive needs at that time.
IS THAT NOT INSANE?!
You built your home last year, what is your best advice for people who are looking to buy their own land and build their dream home on it in Dripping Springs?
Don’t be afraid to ask for what you want.
Building is extremely intimidating especially when don’t know all the ins and outs of building a home, but you cannot be afraid to ask your builder for exactly what you want.
If you have a great builder, and thankfully we did (shout out to Cody Schdmit and Schmidt Customs Homes) they will help you through the process and not make you feel silly about the questions you have.
What’s the perfect day in Dripping Springs look like to you?
I would start the day eating brunch at Thyme and Dough with the family before heading off to Ranch Park to watch Tyler rope or going to the Dripping Spring Rodeo, when it’s in town.
After that we would make out way to one of the amazing outdoor breweries like 12Fox or Fitzhugh Brewing to relax and watch the kids play. We would finish off the day by going to a concert at Nutty Brown amphitheater or grill out at home with friends
If you were hoping for Bekah’s sourdough recipe then you’re in luck!! Here it is…
Tartine Sourdough Bread Recipe
Ingredients:
- 200 grams leaven
- 900 grams white-bread flour
- 100 grams whole-wheat flour, plus more for dusting
- 20 grams fine sea salt
- 100 grams rice flour
- Make the dough: In a large bowl, combine 200 grams of leaven with 700 grams of warm water and stir to disperse. (Reserve remaining leaven for future loaves; see note below.)
- Add 900 grams of white-bread flour and 100 grams of whole-wheat flour to bowl and use your hands to mix until no traces of dry flour remain. The dough will be sticky and ragged. Cover bowl with a towel and let dough rest for 25 to 40 minutes at room temperature.
- Add 20 grams fine sea salt and 50 grams warm water. Use hands to integrate salt and water into dough thoroughly. The dough will begin to pull apart, but continue mixing; it will come back together.
- Cover dough with a towel and transfer to a warm environment, 75 to 80 degrees ideally (like near a window in a sunny room, or inside a turned-off oven). Let dough rise for 30 minutes. Fold dough by dipping hand in water, taking hold of the underside of the dough at one quadrant and stretching it up over the rest of the dough. Repeat this action 3 more times, rotating bowl a quarter turn for each fold. Do this every half-hour for 2 1/2 hours more (3 hours total). The dough should be billowy and increase in volume 20 to 30 percent. If not, continue to let rise and fold for up to an hour more.
- Transfer dough to a work surface and dust top with flour. Use a dough scraper to cut dough into 2 equal pieces and flip them over so floured sides are face down. Fold the cut side of each piece up onto itself so the flour on the surface remains entirely on the outside of the loaf; this will become the crust. Work dough into taut rounds. Place the dough rounds on a work surface, cover with a towel, and let rest 30 minutes.
- Mix 100 grams whole-wheat flour and 100 grams rice flours. Line two 10- to 12-inch bread-proofing baskets or mixing bowls with towels. Use some of the flour mixture to generously flour towels (reserve remaining mixture).
- Dust rounds with whole-wheat flour. Use a dough scraper to flip them over onto a work surface so floured sides are facing down. Take one round, and starting at the side closest to you, pull the bottom 2 corners of the dough down toward you, then fold them up into the middle third of the dough. Repeat this action on the right and left sides, pulling the edges out and folding them in over the center. Finally, lift the top corners up and fold down over previous folds. (Imagine folding a piece of paper in on itself from all 4 sides.) Roll dough over so the folded side becomes the bottom of the loaf. Shape into a smooth, taut ball. Repeat with other round.
- Transfer rounds, seam-side up, to prepared baskets. Cover with a towel and return dough to the 75- to 80-degree environment for 3 to 4 hours. (Or let dough rise for 10 to 12 hours in the refrigerator. Bring back to room temperature before baking.)
- About 30 minutes before baking, place a Dutch oven or lidded cast-iron pot in the oven and heat it to 500 degrees. Dust tops of dough, still in their baskets, with whole-wheat/rice-flour mixture. Very carefully remove heated pot from oven and gently turn 1 loaf into pan seam-side down. Use a lame (a baker’s blade) or razor blade to score the top of the bread a few times to allow for expansion, cover and transfer to oven. Reduce temperature to 450 degrees and cook for 20 minutes. Carefully remove lid (steam may release) and cook for 20 more minutes or until crust is a rich, golden brown color.
- Transfer bread to a wire rack to cool for at least 15 minutes before slicing. The bottom of the loaf should sound hollow when tapped. Increase oven temperature to 500 degrees, clean out pot and repeat this process with the second loaf.
I love meeting the people of Dripping Springs and know that you will too! If you are looking to relocate to this area or just want to know what to do for fun while you visit then reach out to me and I’ll help!
