The Happy Heart Haven is a most delightful animal rescue in Valley Center. Proprietor Cristi Walker and her husband Mike recently moved out to VC and started this passion project. Sometimes when one door closes, another one opens and it is the right path that you are meant to be on. That is the case for the Walker family. Two years ago I'm sure they would never have imagined where they would be today.
Cristi was born with a congenital heart defect and after a series of surgeries, she eventually was outfitted with a heart valve that she received from a cow. Could it be that this was not a coincidence that her favorite animal ended up giving her new life? It certainly birthed a dream within her and her supportive husband. They traded in life in suburbia for life in the country and they now own and operate a rescue outfit with scores of animals. They opened in July of 2020 and have all kinds of things going on for you to enjoy like private tours, birthday parties, open farm days, and so much more. Their goal is to have you leave with your heart happier than when you came. I can say that this was certainly my experience. There is a whole lot of happiness radiating from this place and I hope that you will help support the dreams of the Walker family and go check it out. Schedule a tour. Tell a friend. Send a donation to help feed the animals. I recently started my day with joy and laughter doing goat yoga at Sugar Sweet Farm in Encinitas! They invited me to experience their class so I could share my thoughts with you. I admit, I had no idea what it was about but yes we actually did get some yoga done and yes we also did quite a bit of laughing and snuggling as well. We even got to bottle-feed milk to the goats. While this type of yoga is maybe a little more down and dirty than you are used to, it also comes with towels steeped in lavender essential oil for your eyes during shavasana and chilled cucumber water when you’re finished with your workout.
Thank you Elizabeth for opening up your sweet farm to us and sharing your fruits, and thank you Beth for your instruction. Thank you for providing a professional photographer to catch all the magical (and funny) moments so we could hold on to the memories of the day! We had such a great time and you can bet we will be back! Barb's tips: Leave plenty of time to get there and map your route out in advance. Maybe not wear your very favorite yoga outfit, you will be interacting with goats, afterall. :) I suggest leaving your yoga mat at home and using one of theirs for obvious reasons. Lastly, just be prepared for enjoyment, laughter and fun. EMBRACE the experience! If you would like to give it a try, I highly suggest Sugar Sweet Farm and if you use code: BARB10 when you sign up, you will save $10! http://www.sugarsweetfarm.com/goat-yoga.html |