The Cliffs at Glassy
As the leaves turn and temperatures cool, Kristine and Dr. Evan Zahn look east and count the days until they can return to The Cliffs at Glassy. The space, the serenity, the views. It’s a far cry from the pressure, hustle and bustle of their lives in Brentwood, California. As director of the heart program at Cedars Sinai Medical Center, Evan treats ill children on a daily basis (including high-profile patients, like Jimmy Kimmel’s son). The newlyweds share how they find Glassy to be the perfect escape.
How did your home search lead you to The Cliffs at Glassy?
Kristine: My husband’s winding up his career and we were trying to figure out a good place to retire. We didn’t want to retire in California for various reasons. When Evan worked in Miami, he used to take his kids to Asheville for camp, and he told me we needed to look at the area.
Evan: It started with me and two buddies dropping off our boys at Camp Highlander. We love the area so much that we’d stay two to three days to bike and hike. That turned into a week, and when the kids got older, we just kept coming.
Evan, you grew up in New York. Kristine, what about you?
Kristine: I’d never been to this part of the country! I’m a West Coast girl! On our very first scouting trip, I fell in love with the community right when we drove through the gate. We looked at a few houses and found the house we ended up buying.
Evan: That’s one of the many things I love about her: her impulsivity. She’s more impulsive than me. We were looking at all kinds of communities online, but the minute we came through the gate at Glassy … it was love at first sight, I must say. The house sits on 4 acres with forest all around. The neighbors have been so welcoming.
Do you have a favorite place in the house or on the property?
Kristine: Definitely! We call it our “Carolina Room.” It’s the screened-in room on the side of the house and was a “must have” for whatever home we purchased. We don’t have that on the West Coast. We love that we can enjoy it year-round since it has a fireplace.
How will your home at Glassy meet your family’s needs for the next chapter of your life?
Kristine: It’s so different from Los Angeles. We have eight kids between us. We’re a blended family, so we wanted a place that was big enough for everyone to come and gather. Evan doesn’t have a firm date for retirement, so we’ve committed to coming once a month until he does.
Evan: It’s conceivable I could retire from clinical medicine in 18 months, but I built the heart program at Cedars Sinai, and I would feel bad to leave it and not have stewardship leading in the right direction. I take care of babies with heart disease.
That’s got to be high pressure. And Kristine, you’ve joined him in helping some young ones?
A Kristine: Yes. We also work with Mending Kids, a nonprofit that provides critical care to children in 74 different countries. We do two medical missions a year. This year, we’re going to Mauritius, off the coast of Africa. My husband does heart procedures on babies, and I’m a mission coordinator in the field, working with parents and our partners.
Evan: Nothing feels better than helping these sick children. I describe it as a warm shower for the soul.
Do you feel the need to relax?
Evan: Our patients have a 99% survival rate. So, 99 out of 100 days, I’m having an amazing day. But Los Angeles is very busy, and crowded — a hectic place. The truth is, since I was a kid, I’ve always wanted to live in a less-citified environment. When we go to Glassy, within 20 minutes, I feel it in my head and all around me. It’s peaceful.
Kristine: We are so excited to start this next chapter in our life. It’s like summer camp. I got the book, “How to Be a Southern Girl,” and I’m learning all the proper sayings. See y’all soon.
This story was featured in Cliffs Living magazine. To see more stories like this one and learn more about The Cliffs, subscribe here.
