Mari has always had a deep connection with land. Her father couldn't pass a pasture of cows grazing without commenting on the beauty. Mari's father and grandfather had a habit of buying property with the primary purpose of teaching families how to work; moving dirt, digging post holes, setting fence posts, footings, culverts, ditches, subdividing,and ranching. Mari's extended family's business include residential subdivisions, high desert recreational properties, first gen solar infrastructure, and cactus farms.