For the Riegel family, home is a place where different cultures, shared hobbies, and plenty of laughter come together. Brant and Daniela Riegel live in Wildhorse with their two children, Isabela (11) and Trent (9), along with their beloved 13-year-old cat, Molly.

Brant grew up in the small town of Oakland, Illinois, while Daniela was raised in Belo Horizonte, Brazil – a bustling city whose name fittingly means “Beautiful Horizon.” Together they have created a family life filled with travel, language learning, and strong traditions.

Before finding their Wildhorse home, the family spent about eight months searching while renting in Valley Park. “We thought we had found ‘the one’ many times, but our offers kept getting rejected,” Daniela recalls. One Sunday afternoon, Brant spotted an open house while scrolling through Zillow. Daniela admits she wasn’t thrilled about leaving her puzzle, but the promise of grabbing dinner afterward convinced her. When they arrived, the realtor was just locking the door because the open house had ended. Fortunately, she allowed them a quick look, and it was love at first sight. The Riegels made an offer that very day, and it was accepted.

Once the Riegels moved in they felt so welcomed by everyone in the neighborhood! From their next-door neighbors who became like family, to neighbors they see on walks, summer by the pool, or neighborhood events, everyone has been so nice and so friendly. They feel truly blessed to be part of such an amazing community. As Daniela jokes, it all happened because she was a little hungry that afternoon.

Brant works as a chiropractor, while Daniela is a pediatric dentist. Outside of work and school, Brant enjoys competing in taekwondo, cooking, trivia, movies, and learning Portuguese on Duolingo. Daniela loves puzzles, movies, travel, taekwondo, and learning Italian. Isabela enjoys art, reading, Legos, and studying music, while Trent loves soccer, Roblox, Legos, and learning chess.

One special bond the family shares is through taekwondo. Brant and Daniela actually met in high school at a taekwondo school where Brant was a black belt instructor teaching Daniela’s younger siblings. After Brant went to college, he stepped away from the sport. Nearly 18 years later, he returned, and this time the entire family joined in. Since 2020, they’ve been training together. Daniela has now earned her black belt, and Isabela and Trent are both getting close to achieving theirs as well.

When they’re not training, the Riegels enjoy relaxing together by watching shows, playing video games, or heading to the movies. They also love traveling, especially visiting family in Florida and squeezing in theme park adventures at Disney or Universal, where roller coasters are a must!

A favorite family tradition is collecting a Christmas ornament from every trip they take. During the holidays, decorating the tree becomes a chance to relive special memories together. Wherever life takes them next, the Riegel family clearly enjoys the journey most when they’re sharing it together.