Alex and Russel on investing in your own happiness

You may recognise Alex and Russel from around Woodlea, beaming rays of sunshine, always smiling and friendly and they’re usually accompanied by their baby Archer and two golden retrievers Parker and Charlie. 

The young couple relishes their life and the simple pleasures that fulfil it. Their life is a balancing act like most young families; juggling their successful careers with raising their very happy and energetic first born Archer. With busy work lives Alex and Russel enjoy relaxing at home and making fun out of day-to-day tasks, including Alex’s love for baking desserts.

“We don’t feel like we have to do anything special to make it special,” Russel proudly reflects.

They first met and became friends at the age of 14 and following high school, Alex worked tirelessly in a restaurant for two years; sunrise starts and midnight knock-offs were a norm for the pastry chef. With a similar work drive, Russel, a business development manager and self-proclaimed ‘workaholic,’ has always been in the same field of work.

It was New Years Eve of 2015 when Alex and Russel started scrolling for land to buy. Boasting that they had “the feels” immediately when they visited Woodlea; 2016 was a year that certainly began on a high for the young couple, placing their first deposit down for land at the age of 23. 

Luckily for the young family, their immediate family now resides in Melbourne’s west, meaning they have a strong family support network within 15 minutes and for baby Archer, the first grandchild across the board, lots of time with his grandparents.

With a wedding under their belt, pregnancy, a career change and a new home build, over the years the couple have learned the importance of not sweating the small stuff. Today, Alex and Russel have the confidence to do what makes them truly fulfilled. It’s relationships and building a life for their family that is most important; investing in their future and their happiness. 

Alex and Russel’s story is part of Humans of Woodlea, an initiative by the fully integrated master-planned community as a means of highlighting the unique stories of its residents whilst showing its diversity and spirit.