How one couple went from admiring MetroWest to calling it home, with a warm welcome from a neighbor along the way.
Long before they had a MetroWest address, Wesley and Durrell Hambley had a MetroWest dream. The couple spent 12 years living nearby, close enough to know the community well and admire it often: the tree-lined streets, the well-kept landscaping, and a feeling that was peaceful, established, and a little bit special.
“I remember us thinking that we would have to win the lottery to live here one day,” Wesley says. Five years ago, that dream came true.
The Day It Became Real
The day the Hambleys closed on their home in Stonebridge Lakes Enclave felt completely surreal. Their first drive into the neighborhood as homeowners, with all three of their fur babies along for the ride, is a moment they will never forget. “After admiring MetroWest for so long, it was hard to believe that our dream had finally become a reality,” Wesley says.
A Sweet Welcome
Not long after they moved in, neighbor Monica El-Rassy, then president of the Stonebridge Lakes Enclave HOA, welcomed them with a homemade dessert. It was a small gesture that said a lot. “It immediately made us feel that we had moved into a caring community where neighbors look out for one another,” Wesley says.
Today, Monica is a dear friend, and the two now serve side by side on their HOA board, with Wesley as president and Monica as vice president. That welcome has come full circle.
Tails Wagging
Every good MetroWest story needs a few four-legged neighbors. The Hambleys’ crew includes Reese (the blonde one) and Rilo (the white one), and the family also remembers Ricki, their late grey pup, who made that first drive home with them.
Reese and Rilo have been regulars at D Pets since the day it opened. “Our dogs enjoy going there so much that they run right inside without hesitation,” Wesley says. For pet parents, that says everything.
What Home Looks Like
Ask the Hambleys what makes MetroWest home, and they come back to the same things that caught their eye all those years ago: mature trees, beautiful landscaping, great local businesses, and friendly neighbors. And, of course, the horse statues. “Seeing them gives us the familiar feeling that we are home,” Wesley says.
As MetroWest turns 40, Wesley has a message for anyone just moving in: “MetroWest is much more than a beautiful place to live. It is a true community.”
Some people wait their whole lives for a lucky ticket. The Hambleys found theirs right here in MetroWest.
