Born in Defiance

Born in Defiance We're Luke & Samantha Kuhn, a NW Ohio couple sharing our lives, passions, and videography.

♥️ Valentine’s Day had us both stumped: what to do this year? We haven’t been the best at prioritizing quality time with...
02/16/2026

♥️ Valentine’s Day had us both stumped: what to do this year?

We haven’t been the best at prioritizing quality time with one another… but we are committing to more date nights in 2026!

✅ Easy option: Go see a movie at Phoenix Theatres Northtowne Mall in Defiance! 🎥 This is not the movie theater you grew up with — they now sell ice cream, beer, and buttery good jumbo popcorn with bottomless refills! 🍦 🍺 🍿

Did we mention heated, reclining seats? 🔥 💺 🤩

There’s something undeniably charming about an old-school movie date. It’s simple. It’s nostalgic. And it works.

In a world of constant notifications and packed schedules, a movie forces you to slow down. For two hours, you’re not multitasking. You’re not scrolling. You’re just there — laughing at the same jokes, jumping at the same plot twists, maybe even holding hands like you’re 17 again. 😘

POLL: What are some other date options we should try? 💡

As we step into 2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣6️⃣, we’re feeling deeply grateful for the people who surround and support us. 2025 was full, f...
01/04/2026

As we step into 2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣6️⃣, we’re feeling deeply grateful for the people who surround and support us. 2025 was full, fast-paced, and meaningful in so many ways. ✨

Our lives have never been busier, as we both work full time and help manage several businesses with family — Crystal Fountain Park even hosted 27 weddings this year! 💍 We’re thankful for steady work and opportunities that keep us growing.

🚢 In May, we checked off a major bucket-list dream with an extended family Mediterranean cruise, soaking in unforgettable moments from Athens to Ephesus and Rhodes to Rome — memories we’ll treasure forever. 🏛️

From New Orleans to local gems like Lincoln Ridge Farms, Weller Farms/Auglaize Canoe & Kayak, Nelis' Dutch Village, Warren Dunes State Park, and the Fort Wayne Zoo, we are making sure our kids know how to handle new experiences — and have a good time! 😉

At home, life is lively and sweet. Charlie, Defiance County’s first New Year’s baby of 2025, turned one and is pure sunshine. He’s always clapping, doing his “Wheels on the Bus” motions, and insisting on being part of whatever his big sister is doing. His smile truly lights up every room. 💙

Evelyn turns three this winter and is every bit the spirited “threenager.” She loves Play-Doh, Magnetiles, giving checkups with her doctor kit, and caring for her beloved little “friends.” Her personality keeps us laughing and on our toes. 🎀

Becky (aka Nana) continues to be a trooper through it all. 🩺 While we recently learned her immunotherapy treatment has failed, the fight for healing from uterine cancer continues. 💪 As a family, we’re entering 2026 with health, hope, and faith at the center of our focus. 🕊️

✈️ 🚘 We have lots of shorter trips in the works this year, as traveling with littles requires a different kind of grace and sanity. 😉 Stay tuned, especially if you have kids! We enjoy sharing our adventures in the hopes others will see that travel doesn’t have to be intimidating… it’s all in your mindset! 🧠 🗺️

The moments we capture here on Born in Defiance are also treasured family memories of our own, as little Evelyn has now taken to watching the videos of our adventures! 🍿 🎥

🙏🏻 Thank you for walking alongside us through the joys and the challenges. We wish you a New Year filled with health, love, and moments that matter most. 🌟

With love and gratitude,
The Kuhn Family

Rejoice, O Emmanuel.🕊️ Merry Christmas from our family to yours! 🎄 📸 Thanks to Whimsically Wild Photography for capturin...
12/26/2025

Rejoice, O Emmanuel.🕊️ Merry Christmas from our family to yours! 🎄

📸 Thanks to Whimsically Wild Photography for capturing these beautiful photos of our greatest blessing: family. ♥️ Check out her awesome new studio in Sherwood, the new place to be! 📍

🎤 Fun Fact: The word “trivia” comes from the Latin trivium, meaning “the crossroads where three roads meet” — which feel...
10/17/2025

🎤 Fun Fact: The word “trivia” comes from the Latin trivium, meaning “the crossroads where three roads meet” — which feels pretty fitting, because that’s exactly where our brains collided at Trivia on Tap! 🤯🍻

We had an absolute blast at the Friends of Sherwood Branch Library’s Trivia on Tap night at Iron Horse Brews! Luke took the mic as host and emcee, keeping everyone laughing while testing just how much useless knowledge we’ve all been carrying around. 😆

The kids even joined in on the fun — helping Dad with the mic and proving that curiosity definitely runs in the family. 🧠 Let’s just say we learned a lot about everything we didn’t know we didn’t know! 😂

Big cheers to the library crew for such a creative community night and to Iron Horse Brews for the perfect setting. 🍺📚 Here’s to more events that make learning (and laughing) the main event!

10/14/2025

🎤 Happening again TONIGHT! 📝 🍺

Luke is the emcee for the Oct. 14 Trivia on Tap at Iron Horse Brews — hosted by Friends of the Library! 📚

Doors open at 5 p.m., and trivia begins at 6 p.m. Cost is $10/person at the door to play, with proceeds benefitting Sherwood Branch Library!

Register a team of up to 6 players by calling 419-899-4343. Walk-ins are also welcome. Don’t worry; responses are written so it’s a low pressure, fun event!

🍽️ Full food and drink menu will be available for purchase.

✏️ 🍺 Come out with your crew for a night of friendly competition, cold brews, and a whole lot of laughter! 😂

09/21/2025

Ney Homecoming 2025: Bringing the Whole Herd Together 🐴

Lately we’ve been seeing something pretty special in Defiance County — from Ney to Sherwood and all across NW Ohio. There’s a new energy in the air. 💫

This year’s Ney Homecoming felt like more than just a festival — it felt like a comeback story. In a post-COVID world, when events looked a little different, Ney Homecoming came galloping back in 2025.

People were excited. Kids were everywhere. Volunteers worked hard. It wasn’t just an event, it was a reminder of what happens when a community shows up. ➕

It makes us hopeful. Hopeful that we keep leaning in, keep showing up, and keep making these moments happen. 💯

Because the more we do, the stronger this connection gets — not just in Ney, not just in Sherwood, but across every little corner of Northwest Ohio that’s ready for its own comeback story. 🏡

Here’s to more nights like Ney Homecoming 2025, more laughter, and more reasons to be proud of where we call “home.” 🖤💛

Special Thanks:
CLUBHOUSE
The Casual Pig
Ney- Washington Twp. Fire Dept.
Farmer Fire Department
Fairview Marching Band/Central Local Schools
LifeWise Academy - Central Local
Troyer Custom Farms
Ney Areas Jaycees
Volunteers Madison Gregg, Suzy Sheets, Billy Jean Pelland, Ashleigh Masser, and SO many other hard-working Ney-bors.

09/16/2025

🌒 Père Lachaise Cemetery – Paris, France 🇫🇷

"Into this house we're born, into this world we're thrown..." Jim Morrison’s lyric felt especially haunting as we stood at his grave.

A wise man once said that to explain heaven to a living person is like explaining what green grass and sunshine is like to a child in the womb: they could never understand it, because they have yet to experience it. ✨

Père Lachaise, founded in 1804, spans 110 acres and holds over a million past lives—some famous, many forgotten, all remembered in the grand scheme of things. ⚰️

🙏 To Fr. Jacques Hamel, the martyred priest.
🎙️ To Edith Piaf, who sang from the heart of France.
🎼 To Chopin, whose music still moves the world.
🕶️ And to Morrison, whose words still echo in our culture and consciousness.

A place like this reminds you that all paths—famous or forgotten—lead home. ❤️‍🔥

Life is temporary. What matters is where you’re headed, and who and what you walk with to get there. ⏳

Père Lachaise stirred something deep in us. A reminder to live for more than today. To live for heaven, whatever that looks like.

“C’est la vie.” — such is life. ➕

🎡 🎈 One special day, two sticky hands, and more memories than we can count were made at the Defiance County Fair this ye...
08/23/2025

🎡 🎈 One special day, two sticky hands, and more memories than we can count were made at the Defiance County Fair this year!

Evee made friends with everyone, pet every animal she met, and saw “real” dinosaurs and stunts at Stone Age Show & The Steamers Thrill Show. 🌟

“Dad, more cotton candy please!” 😂

Tonight is the last night to go, so get out there, breathe in the sweet fair air, and support local!

If you already went, drop a photo below or let us know what your favorite thing was! ⬇️

If you’re looking for a powerful story performed in a fun and touching way: go see Big Fish by the Fort Defiance Players...
08/09/2025

If you’re looking for a powerful story performed in a fun and touching way: go see Big Fish by the Fort Defiance Players! 🎭

Last night I had the experience of meeting Edward Bloom through the portrayal of a great friend; and in meeting Edward, I saw a reflection of myself.

When Steve (I mean Edward Bloom) told us we needed to see this show, Samantha and I had no idea it would bring us to tears and make us feel the way it did.

Big Fish is about how stories — more importantly your story — impacts the lives of your family, friends, community, and even the world. One of my favorite quotes is: “whoever tells the best story wins.” 📖

And Edward Bloom sure can tell a fantastic tale. 🖊️

From the opening “Be the Hero of Your Story,” to “when you know how it ends you begin,” Big Fish made us think about how we’re writing, and telling, our stories to our kids, to the world, and to God. ➕

In this story, I saw myself as a husband, a father, and a son. I heard my wife singing through the voice of Edward’s wife as he grew old, “I don’t need a roof to know I’m home. I don’t need a roof to hold my heart.” ❤️‍🔥

I saw myself singing with my kids “we’ll fight the dragons, and storm the castle, til we win what needs to be won. I’ll fight the dragons til you can.” ⚔️

I saw the love I have for where I’m from: “The best thing about growing up in a small town; a boy with ambition can be a pretty big deal.” 💯

While the sign in the musical said “Save Ashton” it said something close, but different for me. It was told to Edward “the ones who face their fears live the most interesting lives.” 🛡️

For Edward, and me too, nothing great happens by the hand of one person alone. While I’ve found great friends, may we all make more like Amos and Karl. “The best part of an adventure is the people that you meet.” 🤝

I saw myself as son, hungry to know the stories of my own parents: to write them upon my heart, and into my own tale. And I heard my Heavenly Father telling me that he gave us a “storybook” to follow called the Bible. 🕊️

And while young Edward Bloom surely saw his death in that crystal ball, “it’s a surprise ending… wouldn’t wanna ruin it for ya.” 🪄

So I had to tell my wife after the show: “I’ve seen how it ends, and this ain’t it.” ✨

“I know I wasn’t perfect,
I know my life was small,
I know that I pretended that I knew it all.
But when you tell my story,
And I hope somebody does,
Remember me as something bigger than I was.” 🎣

A great story just may have the power to change the world, for the better. 💫 — Luke

⏰ 7:30pm Saturday August 9, 2025
⏰ 2 pm Sunday August 10, 2025
📍 Defiance Community Auditorium
🎟️ Tickets online or in cash at the door: https://cur8.com/14587/project/131223

07/28/2025

🕊️ Lourdes, France — A Journey of Hope 🇫🇷

We didn’t go to Lourdes for a vacation. We went for a reason: For healing. For hope. For Becky.

When Becky's cancer returned, our hearts broke—but not our faith. We knew we couldn’t fix it, but we could take it to the One who could make it make sense.

So we packed our bags, gathered our family, and brought Becky to the waters of Lourdes.

And something happened there. Not just in Becky—but in all of us.

A softening. A strengthening. A stirring to listen more closely for the Holy Spirit.

Lourdes didn’t erase the hard things. But it lit a fire in our hearts to carry on—with peace, with courage, and with trust in His will. ❤️‍🔥

We came back seeking holiness in a new way.

This trip was a gift. A reminder that suffering isn’t the end of the story—and neither is healing. The real miracle is walking the path with Christ, wherever it leads.

The fact that you can't see the light at the end of the tunnel isn't a defect; it's a part of the program. 💯

The Father Creates. The Son Redeems. The Spirit Moves. ➕

Thank you, Lourdes.
Thank you, Mother Mary.
Speak God, for your servants are listening.

“I do not promise to make you happy in this world, but in the next.” Our Lady of Lourdes to St. Bernadette ✨

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Wage War Against Indifference

Defy the urge to do nothing. Join us in the battle to become your best self: explore the world, share inspiration, feed your curious intellect, and foster fortitude. Today is about growth.