Some neighborhoods make such an impression, you can’t help but return. For Julie and Javier Nieves, Yankee Trace is one of those places—a community they loved enough to call home not once, but twice.

 

Throughout Javier's military career, which started while living in California, the Nieves family has lived in Georgia, Italy, England, Texas, Germany, Colorado, Ohio, and Virginia. Now, they are back in Ohio. Their first move to The Buckeye State arrived when Javier was stationed here in 2011—they lived on Water's Edge in Yankee Trace back then. They moved to the neighborhood again in April 2025, this time to coincide with Javier’s retirement from the Air Force in July. 

 

The Nieves family calls returning to Ohio a full-circle journey. “Andrew Gaydosh sold our Water’s Edge home back in 2023 when we got orders to move to Virginia,” Julie recalls. “Fast forward two years—Andrew and another friend who lives here in Yankee Trace, Nat Croumer, called to tell us about this home they thought was meant for us. And they were right—it’s become our forever home.”

 

Javier and Julie have been settling into their new space, which is undergoing a major remodel. Julie, a former Finance Risk Manager in California, is overseeing the project, while Javier acclimates to his post-military job as Internal Medicine Physician/Aerospace Medicine Specialist. “He just started a new job at the FAA as a Flight Surgeon/Medical Officer,” Julie shares.

 

The couple met in California while both were working in the medical field. They married in Monterey, California, on New Year's Eve 1999 and went on to have two sons, now adults. “Javi works as a software engineer in Colorado, and his wife, Amanda, is an Emergency Room registered nurse,” Julie says. “They have two dogs (Scarlet and Playdough) and two cats (Mr. President and Oliver). They love to travel and entertain whenever possible. Javi loves gaming, coding, Formula One, and traveling. Jordan is a third-year high school biology teacher for a Title I school and lives in Florida. He also has an orange Maine Coon cat, Jasper. He loves gaming, watching movies, traveling, and cooking. He hopes to one day live and teach overseas.” Although their kids are no longer at home, Julie and Javier do have three rescue kitties—Simon, Evie, and Finn—that they adopted from SISCA in Centerville. 

 

The couple is loving life in the quaint and beautiful Yankee Trace and is quick to name the best part of their home so far. “We have a beautiful pond with a waterfall and four frogs,” they reveal about their golf course property. They also like to visit the neighborhood pool, venture out to see movies, and dine out in the community.

 

Reflecting on their return to Ohio, Julie notes, “We greatly enjoyed our time overseas and established great friendships with our local neighbors. It was a wonderful way of life raising our sons.” Still, she and Javier love being back in Yankee Trace for their empty-nest years and are eager to get to know their neighbors and become more involved in the community—for a second time.