About Us

Savanna was born October 31, 2010.  She was diagnosed with Hydranencephaly before birth. Doctors gave her a very small chance of survival or quality of life….  However… she was born healthy and only spent 11 days in Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford.  She lived in Sonora at home with her sisters, John and I.  She celebrated her 1st birthday in our barn and all the ones to follow. Her life was filled with Love and joy and she brought more life and love  to our home than I ever knew possible. She traveled the world, went on cruises… and stuck her toes in many parts of the oceans. She loved to be sang to and played with. She enjoyed music, and walks. Her favorite place was Hawaii and the ocean.  She loved snuggling and watching football with her dad. She even attended multiple Raiders football games in Oakland Coliseum! She loved her sisters more than anything in the world!  Her entire body would perk up whenever they were around.  She lived a beautiful life, full of so much love. She was always kind, happy and held a fire inside her that burned so bright. She was the strongest little human I’ve ever met… Even until the very last moments of her life, her light continued to shine. 

She went to heaven on March 20, 2015.  Losing her was the hardest thing i’ve ever experienced…. and the pain and hurt that remains is unimaginable sometimes…  

The thing to know about all of this is that…  Life matters… Love matters… there is more then just science and medical diagnosis’s for a child like Savanna. She was a person with a soul and she lived a real life, full of love, family, friends, travel, joy, silliness, kindness, courage and lots of memories. We all Love her so much.  She was the most special thing i’ve ever been a part of… I’m so proud to have been her mommy and know what a beautiful soul I brought into the world.  I’ve never been more sure about anything in my life. I was meant to be her mommy and would never want to change her. I just really miss her smile and the sweet sounds she would make while I held her. 

I am so thankful to have a place to remember her. The Barn at Savanna Gardens is dedicated to Savanna and is a place where I can remember her life and feel her love. 

She was my greatest adventure… My Greatest Love…. So  perfectly Imperfect. 

This his John. He is my everything. He is strong, hard working and is always happy.  He is an amazing father to our 5 girls. His love for me and his never-ending support has allowed me to become the person I am today. I don’t know where I would be without him. I thank God for him everyday. He has made me a wife and a mother and allowed me to become the person I was always meant be. This barn and landscape is all thanks to him. He has single handedly planted 97% of all trees and plants in our garden.  He has build all the rock walls and spent countless hours building, planting and so much more to make this space all come together.  His love for nature and landscape makes my heart so happy.  I can’t wait to see how our love grows here in our garden. 

Hi I’m Bobby and this is my mom Billy.  We stared Savanna Gardens together here at the Barn. She is one of my very best friends as well as the best mother I could have ever asked for.  She is kind, silly, sweet and funny. I love her creativity and her ability to see the good in all things. She has taught me so much about life and love and I feel very fortunate to have a strong woman like her to call mom.  We love spending our days together at the barn.  As we set up for events I sometimes stop and look at her and realize… this moment… right here, right now… with her,  is what life is all about. I am thankful for her everyday and I’m proud to stand by her side on this new journey.