The McNally Family

Family Members:

James and Michelle, Noah (college), William (high school), and Marian Grace (elementary).

Do you have any pets?

We have one cat named Raven. He is 3 years old, long hair, all black.

Where do you work?

James works at Jeff Davis Family Medicine in Jennings. He is a Family Physician.

How long have you lived in Walnut Grove?

We have lived in Walnut Grove a little over one year.

Why did you choose to make Walnut Grove your home?

At first it was mainly the location. We wanted to stay near the downtown area. There weren’t many homes built yet when we started looking, but there were sketches and layouts of the plan for the neighborhood. We could tell from the sketches, it was going to be a beautiful, unique place. Abby Cagle, a realtor for Walnut Grove, also explained to us that it was designed in a way to bring the neighbors together. This was very appealing to us. We had never built before so the idea of building was scary for us, but everyone we worked with at Walnut Grove made the process very easy and non stressful.

What is your favorite thing to do at Walnut Grove?

Our favorite thing to do here is visit with neighbors at the end of the day. In the evening, everyone sits outside, or walks their dog, or goes to the park with their kids. So we all get to see each other, and it’s a great way to end the day. The residents of Walnut Grove are a great mix of people. There are families and single people. There are all different ages, and we are from different backgrounds and from places far and near. We all have one important thing in common – we care about each other and love that we can see each other often and be there for each other.

What is your favorite place at Walnut Grove?

We love the green spaces the best. Marian Park is right across the street and the playground is at the center of the neighborhood. We also love the beautiful post office where we go to get our mail – this is another place to get to see your awesome neighbors! We like to eat at Calla at least once a week. We also like to walk along the boardwalk. The lanterns that line the streets are beautiful at night, and we have the best sunsets! The commercial buildings are as beautiful as the homes, and they blend very well. All of the common areas (post office, restaurant, playground, walkable streets) pull the neighborhood together. It promotes togetherness. After being here a year, it feels like our neighbors are part of our family, including their pets. We love dogs so its nice to get to visit with them as well.

What is your family’s favorite hobby?

Our oldest, Noah plays piano. Our middle child, William plays guitar and sings. William is involved with Young Band Nation (a music school that teaches and gets the kids performances locally), Show Choir at St. Louis, and he is part of a music group called The Deep End. Marian will start taking ballet lessons this fall. Our whole family is obsessed with Legos – we have a closet full! We love Star Wars, Marvel, and Harry Potter and the boys could answer any trivia question about any of these. James has started playing tennis again. Noah and James both love to run long distance. I love to paint, and make unique rosaries. As a family, we love music from alternative to folk to Opera and Andrew Lloyd Weber, old and new. Our home is filled with music, live and radio. We love to go to Austin City Limits Music Festival each year. It has become our yearly family vacation. Noah and William both love to travel. They have both been to Italy. Noah has also been to Ireland, Scotland, Wales, England, France, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Australia, New Zealand, and Fiji. He traveled with People to People each summer while in High School, and did 2 summer abroad programs in Italy – one with the University of Notre Dame and one with Texas A & M.