Who We Are
Caroline (CarlyQ)
Howdy! My name is Caroline but close friends and family call me CarlyQ or 'Q'.
As cliche as it sounds, I truly have always had a passion for serving others and a desire to make a real and quantifiable difference in the communities around me. My passions vary and change often as I grow and learn which is why I decided to get my Undergrad Degree in Nonprofit Management & Leadership from Indiana University in Bloomington. Go Hoosiers!
However, it was not until the months following graduation from IU in December of 2019 when the pandemic hit, that I discovered an entirely new passion for animal rescue (me and Micah rescued three dogs in two years!) as well as a reignited love for working with special needs kiddos. This ultimately led me to Western Michigan where I am currently studying to obtain my M.A. in Special Education with an emphasis in Learning Disabilites! I will be bringing these skills and the knowledge that I learn from Graduate School to the farm as well as we move along, grow, and continue learning here.
While I had found my love for animals and working with unique leaners again, this period of time following college graduation was especially straining on my mental health. I have been living with chronic conditions since my early teenage years and the pandemic was especially isolating and scary for those of us who were already considered 'high-risk' prior to the big fiasco.
Additionally, I battle with depression and anxiety (as most of my spoonie friends can surely understand) and this whole 'deadly virus that is killing vulnerable people like yourself' thing was not totally jiving with my early Psoriatic Arthritis diagnosis at the age of thirteen.
As a result, I found myself outside exploring and adventuring constantly to ground myself in nature while also staying safe. Growing up, I loved being outdoors and some of my fondest memories are of harsh but beautiful Michigan winters refusing to come inside (even if my cheeks were frozen) too busy building my own snow ramps and forts.
This is kinda how The FancyPants Farm was born! My passion for advocacy, animal rescue, the special needs community, and the good ol' outdoors all collided into one joyous place; The FancyPants Farm.
The goal is really to give back to the animals, friends that come visit, and the environment and land as best as we can! I have a lot of dreams and goals for The FancyPants Farm. Frankly, maybe too many and most of them may be too ambitious or too 'out there'. But people are really remarkable if you give them the chance and opportunity to be so. And I do believe in that; in the power of community and having everybody's backs.
One of my favorite quotes reads, "People who really want to make a difference in the world usually do it, in one way or another. And I’ve noticed something about people who make a difference in the world: They hold the unshakable conviction that individuals are extremely important, that every life matters. They get excited over one smile. They are willing to feed one stomach, educate one mind, and treat one wound. They aren’t determined to revolutionize the world all at once; they’re satisfied with small changes. Over time, though, the small changes add up. Sometimes they even transform cities and nations, and yes, the world." - Katie Davis
Micah
Hi there! My name is Micah and I am the other guy in charge of this little shindig and operation. I also happen to be CarlyQ's partner in crime for over the last three years.
I grew up in rural Michigan on forty acres of land with a wide aray of animals such as chickens, ducks, goats, horses, dogs and some barn cats! I was also homeschooled until high school so I was blessed to have the opportunity to grow up learning outside and was lucky enough to have nature as my playground.
I went to two years of college at Northwood University where I played on the soccer team before deciding after the pandemic hit to begin pursuing my passion for working and learning about all types of people and humans in the workforce. This is my favorite part of my job; getting to know people from all walks of life and cultures. Which I am really excited to continue doing as we continue working towards establishing ourselves here and as we grow The FancyPants Farm. We want the space to be inclusive for all communities; this is very important to me!
I'm currently studying at Saginaw Valley Univeristy to become a High School English Teacher and love helping kiddos reach their full potential and undestand new lessons and concepts. I also work full time at an Accounting Office for a local tire company here in Green Bay!
When I'm not studying, during homework or taking one of my three dogs outside, I love hiking, playing soccer and going on runs, and living this beautiful life that I am blessed to have!
I'm super excited to support Caroline's dreams in building this space and I am already finding myself adding to her laundry list of to-do's with plans of my own for the land. I'm telling y'all right now to watch out because The Fancypants Farm is going to have one of the prettiest and most flourishing gardens you ever did see eventually here; I promise it!
Our Story
The question everyone is dying to know. How the heck did you two meet?! We actually have a cute and fun little love story and met while working at a little bitty christian camp located in the Upper Peninsula called Presbytery Point.
After talking a little at camp we quickly realized and put the pieces together that where Micah attended school and played collegiate soccer, Northwood University, located in a town he described at the time of our meeting as 'a small tiny town with nothing much going on' was actually the same tiny town where both of my sets of grandparents had decided to settle down and make home for themselves and their children (my parents); good old Midland, Michigan.
What a small world! My Mom and Dad both attended Midland High and are proud Chemics and I was even baptized in Michigan as a baby and spent most (if not all) of my holidays visiting said "tiny uneventful town" growing up making the road trip from the suburbs of Indianapolis.
My sweet Gran-Mo still resides in Midland to this day. And get this - Me and Micah's first shared apartment together in 2020 was located just a block away from my Gran's home. We were able to borrow her laundry machines and get a quality Gran-Mo dinner date every week; a speical weekly tradition we did not take for granted.
Flash-forward a bit and by now we've been together over three and a half years and are still having fun being goofballs and building a life that we are really proud of together. Our goal has always been to keep things honest and real, spread joy and beauty everywhere we go, and love everyone and everything the best that we can. We strive to continue doing this as we build 'The FancyPants Farm'. We hope to create a space full of unconditional love and laughter and yummy s'mores where many memories will be made and much healing will be found.
The Three S-Migos
Micah was upset I didn't focus on 'The Three S-Migos' enough and that they didn't have their own section on the site - so here it is. He was right though; they deserve this! As I briefly mentioned above, Micah and I did indeed rescue three dogs from our local shelters in the three years we have been in a relationship. This is where we discovered our passion and purpose for animal rescue!(:
It all started with Sullivan Magoo; The OG Amigo. The Humane Society of Midland County had a litter of German / Chocolate Lab furball puppies up for adoption that had recently been surrendered for not being cared for properly. Mr. Sully had only eaten grass as his main source of food for the first two months of his life before we adopted the little guy. We named him Sullivan in omage to my sweet, wise Gran (who's maiden name is Sullivan).
Next came the queen herself; Miss Sadie Belle. Sadie is a Louisiana Catahoula Leopard / Lab Mix who was transported all the way from AK to MI to be apart of the Olgine home (sweet pea would have been euthanized if not for HSOMC saving her for us). After having her about four months we unfortunately found out that sweet Sadie girl was heartworm positive and immediately started treatment in Colorado Springs for our sweet momma pup. She has since made a full recovery and is a healthy happy girl who LOVES running and hunting!
Finally, Bean Sprout accidentally fell into our family and stole our hearts in the Summer of 2022 after seeing her sad but triumphant story on our local Humane Society of Pikes Peak's Facebook Page. She was starved and neglected for way too many years but she is happy and HOME now with her siblings and parents who adore her! All three of them together - Sullivan, Sadie, and Sprout - make up our pack and tribe, The Three S-Migos ♡