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Payton Padilla's childhood was marked by a strained relationship with her mother, but she never could have guessed that strain would veer into a situation hazardous enough to drive her out of the only home she'd ever known.
When Payton's grandfather passed away, she and her husband Gabe moved into their Arizona home to help take care of her grandmother. Payton's mother and her boyfriend were also living in the family home at this time. Tension began to build in the home as Payton's mother issued threats against her daughter's family. The continuous intimidation, coupled with rampant substance abuse, caused the Padilla's living situation to shift from uncomfortable to unsafe. Even after Payton's mother moved out, the couple was uneasy about remaining in a place they knew she could find them.
They couldn't shake the feeling that they still weren't safe.
The final straw for the couple came on a December evening in 2022, when Payton was five months pregnant with their daughter Elena. A car had crashed into the driveway of their home. Shortly after, another car pulled up and began shooting at the driver of the first vehicle, and Payton and Gabe were struck by the harsh realization that their daughter would never be able to play safely in that front yard. This was the moment the Padilla family knew they would be leaving Phoenix for good.
"Find the armadillo that lives in Amarillo."
These words were uttered by Payton Padilla's grandfather every summer when they passed through the West Texas town on their journey east from Arizona. Though Payton may have rolled her eyes at the phrase after hearing it time and time again, it stuck with her, and when the time came to relocate from Phoenix, she knew Amarillo was the place they'd call "home."
"We wanted someplace safe," shared Payton, "someplace we felt comfortable raising a child."
In late September of 2023, the couple contacted the Betenbough Homes team in Amarillo in search of a fresh start for their family of three. As Payton and Gabe sat down for their VIP tour with New Home Associate Courtney Grimes, they openly shared about the dangers that marred their current living situation in Arizona.
"As a mom, I couldn't even imagine my family being in their situation," reflected Courtney. "As much as I hurt for them, I honestly was even more excited to go show them the home I felt would be best for their family. I knew that we had something that would give them what they needed, that safe haven for their daughter."
Courtney took careful notes as Payton and Gabe shared about their current living situation and their hopes and dreams for their new home. She was then able to match the couple with a floor plan featuring everything they were looking for, including a large backyard and a formal dining room they planned to convert into a playroom for their daughter Elena.
"Our whole encounter with Courtney set the tone for everything," explained Payton. "Everyone we engaged with from Betenbough was so nice, without expecting anything in return, and I told my husband that was something you wouldn't experience in Phoenix."
The Padilla family returned to Arizona while their new home was under construction, but Courtney and her teammate Nikki Harada made sure to include the new home buyers every step of the way. At the frame tour, Courtney even snapped a picture of what would soon be Elena's room and added a crib to share with Payton as she began to envision this new space for her baby girl.
A few months later, at the Padilla family's Welcome Home Celebration, Payton burst into tears upon receiving their Bible from Amarillo Construction Manager, Andrew Amstutz.
"That was the biggest sign to me that buying this home was what we were meant to do," said Payton. "No other place would have done that for us, and it meant so much to our family."
After the Welcome Home Celebration, Courtney and Nikki invited the family out to lunch. Here, Payton shared with the two that she had finally found a place where she felt safe.
"This was a reminder that we're not just building a space for people to sleep," said Nikki Harada. "We're providing a home and a safe haven for their family."
Over the six-month construction process, while the Padilla family's home was being built, Payton and Courtney were also building a friendship. Courtney's young daughter was even invited to Elena's first birthday!
"I’m so thankful God connected us," shared Courtney. "They have become family through this process and I am so excited to see how their family blooms now that they have the peace they deserve!"
Payton and Gabe closed on their new Betenbough home in February of 2024. Shortly after moving in, their daughter Elena learned to take her first steps in their new living room.
"Home is a place that should always feel safe," expressed Payton. "What I didn't have from my mother is what I want to give my daughter. We want to make sure Elena knows she's always welcome and safe in our home."
