Hi there! My name is Kristin (Shriner) Hain and I'm the owner (President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Shareholder and all that other legal mumbo jumbo) of Land Escapes Inc. here in Lincoln, NE.  Many people ask me how I got into the world of landscaping, and my story is different than most in the business.  In 1994 I moved into my first house and started messing around in the yard, planting annual and perennials, shrubs, installing a small pond and learning the basics of what any new homeowner needs to know to care for their property.  I became quite interested in gardening and quickly learned what worked, what didn't, and effortlessly absorbed all kinds of information about plants, their names, growing requirements and habits.

     At that time I was working as co-owner of a local coffee shop and enjoyed discussing gardening with my customers while I was making their morning mocha's and latte's.  One day in 1996, one of the customer's in line asked if I might be interested in helping them out with their gardens. I thought this sounded like quite the deal to be able to get paid for my "hobby".  Well, little did I know then that would be the begining of a new career!  For the first few years, I worked very few hours at a few select properties in Lincoln.  At the same time, I held my position at the coffee shop and also took a seasonal job working for The Growhouse (no longer in existance), a local greenhouse and nursery.  This job provided me with even more knowledge on annuals, growing, production, and other nursery-related work.

     My client list has grown substantially since those first few years and I currently provide quality and personal landscaping and maintenance services to approximately 200-300 properties each year with an average of 50-65 properties serviced on a monthly basis. My education is 100% hands on experience.  I know from personal experience what works and what doesn't. I have won awards for my own home landscape and also was a professional "Tool Reviewer" for Fine Gardening Magazine since 2004.  My love of plants and gardening drives my success and my longterm experience with customer service and business ownership and management provide the strong base for a quality company.  The only thing I don't do in my business is the quarterly and year end accounting. Every other aspect of Land Escapes is personally created by me, down to each word you are reading on this page! My certifications include: Licensed Ornamental and Turf Pesticide Applicator and Licensed Nursery Dealer.

     SO, do I have a life outside of landscaping you ask???  Well, sometimes it's hard especially from March through December when we're in the prime growing season or holiday decorating season. However, I do try to pull myself away and enjoy other things in life.  In 2005 I was certified as a Personal Trainer and Kickboxing instructor although I haven't found the time to persue either of these professionally, the knowledge and experience has been fun and interesting. 

With my interest in the fitness industry, I became a Coach for Beachbody in 2009.  Beachbody is the producer of a wide range of fitness videos (such as P90X, Hip Hop Abs, Insanity, Kathy Smith's Project: YOU, and many more) as well as high quality nutritional supplements including Shakeology.  As a Coach I help people all over the country with their fitness and nutrition via email and local meetings.  Visit my website:  www.Lift-Fit.com to learn more about my Coach business.

     I lost both of my dogs to cancer, one in November '05 and the other suddenly and unexpectedly in March '06. They were my babies and I miss them terribly! After the loss of the second dog I found myself petless for the first time in my life! That didn't last long however as I quickly took in a neighborhood stray cat who had been hanging around outside my house for a while. She is grey with yellow eyes and is the most loving, tolerant cat I've ever known.  I named her Saki.  Much to my suprise it turned out that she was pregnant and I ended up with three kittens on June 29th, 2006. I couldn't justify keeping all of them so I found a loving home for one and have kept the other two. The kittens (now cats) have been named "Zen" (longer haired boy) and "Chopstik" (white and grey girl). They've been a lot of fun and very entertaining!  Although I grew up with cats, I don't remembering loving them as much as I love these three. They are the light of my life!

The other and much more significant light of my life is my fiance, Pat Hain (pronounced "HINE") and his son Josh....UPDATE!  Pat and I got married in September 2009, yay!!!  Pat and I have been together since January 1, 2005 and are looking forward to building a life and future together.  "The boys" and I enjoy spending time outside swimming, biking or hanging out at Woodcliff lake boating and relaxing. Josh is very busy in school and other activities throughout the year such as Taekwando (currently green belt), swimming, and more.  Pat is also a Coach with me for Beachbody (see above).

         Me, Josh and Pat at a KC Royals Game - July 2006                                                

                                           Chopstik, Saki and Zen - 2006                                             Chopstik and Zen - 2006               

In Loving Memory... Max and Kenya