Meet Your New Neighbors

Jenny and Jeremy Jones moved to California from South Dakota. They came from Brookings which is about 45 minutes north of Sioux Falls. Jeremy was hired as a test pilot at Edward Air Force Base so they temporarily settled in Rosamond at the Air Park where they had the use of a neighbor's plane. However, they are not desert people and found the beauty of the mountains in Tehachapi and the weather closer to their native South Dakota. They found a home in Bear Valley and made the move in May.

Both Jenny and Jeremy were raised in Brookings. Jeremy has a brother and a sister. Jenny has two sisters and a brother. She said that her parents moved to Wisconsin about 20 years ago as did one of her sisters. Although Jeremy had been her brother's friend, the two didn't actually meet until high school.

Jeremy was a member of the ROTC in high school and got his private pilot's license as soon as he was old enough to have one. He went on to college at South Dakota State University in Brookings and got his degree in aviation. After college he enlisted in the Air Force. He left active service just before taking the position at Edwards. Jenny said that he is reserve for now but will probably reactivate.

Jenny attended Cottey College in Nevada, Missouri, an independent liberal arts and sciences college for women. She and Jeremy married and they are now the parents to three boys; Sam age 12, Max age 11 and Jack age 8. All three of them are totally immersed in Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts. In fact, the whole family is very much involved.

Needless to say, hiking and camping are big family activities. Jeremy has his eye on doing some glider flying at Skylark North and Jenny is the family photographer. She is also trying to start a garden at their new home if she can find a way to beat the ground squirrels. That is her project for the summer.

Welcome to Tehachapi, Jenny, Jeremy and boys. I know we'll all have fun "trying to keep up with the Joneses."

Michael and Sharon Jarvis, while not really new to Tehachapi, are new to Bear Valley. They really didn't think they wanted to live in a gated community, but Bear Valley Springs was a big surprise. They originally moved to Tehachapi in 2011 from Eastern Washington. Michael is the Pastor of Tehachapi Sovereign Grace Church, a non-denominational Evangelical church on Brian Way in Old Town.

Michael was raised in Northern California. His father worked on Mare Island in the Bay Area before the family moved to Washington. Sharon was raised in the state of Washington. When Michael finally decided he needed to become a pastor, he attended Master's Seminary in the San Fernando Valley before spending five years as an Assistant Pastor in Eastern Washington.

Sharon home schools their two daughters, Ellianna and Samaria. The Jarvis family is part of a group of 16 families teaching their children using the Classical Conversations curriculum. Sharon said that there are 27 elementary students and five seventh graders. Michael said that while it is Christian based, the curriculum includes the sciences and Latin. The students all meet together one day a week in Old Town allowing for social time as well as time to practice public speaking and participate in science experiments, art and music. I had not heard of Classical Conversations before but they have a website and you can check it out at http://www.classicalconversations.com to learn more.

Michael likes to spend his free time golfing and fishing. Bear Valley is the perfect place for both those activities. In her free time, Sharon likes to spend time in the garden with the help of Cooper, the family's Pom-Shih-Poo.

Welcome Jarvis family. I'm sure we will be hearing more from you.

If you have moved to the Greater Tehachapi Area within the last six months and would like to know more about your new community, call (661) 822-8188. We will be happy to make an appointment for a hostess to come by and give you lots of helpful information, some valuable coupons, gifts and much more. Many families and individuals who come to the area are pleasantly surprised with the amount of knowledge they gather about their new home. Publishing your welcome article is completely voluntary and is not a requirement of being welcomed.