The Begining

"Courage is being scared to death, and saddling up anyways"~ John Wayne

For as long as I can remember, I have dreamed of a nice plot of land out in the country of my very own. I wished for the kind of life that could be found thumbing through the pages of Farm and Ranch Magazine. Up until now, I have gone in every other direction.

I went to school to become a hairstylist. I married a Navy man almost 8 years ago. We moved to Japan for three years. We had a son. I raised him mostly alone. My husband was out to sea 300 days a year. It was a hard life, and it took it's toll on us and on our marriage. Although I tried to stay positive, there was a time I thought we wouldn't make it. Eventually we moved back to the US, barely in one piece. We needed some peace and a place to put down some roots and establish a bond as a couple and as a family. It's almost like starting all over when you've been apart that long. There are many more details. But you get the gist. It certainly wasn't a farm life. So this year, when my husband was given a nice long stretch of shore duty, I saw my chance and I took it.

I looked and looked until I found the right spot to settle down. A small house. On 5 acres. With a barn. You have to start somewhere. This place had so much potential and room to grow. So we bought it. And ran at it full force. In a matter of weeks we fenced the horse pasture and built a horse stall in the barn. We've been painting, installing cabinets, clearing land and cutting down trees. My son's playground and sandbox are being built and my green house is up. It's like we couldn't wait to start our lives. With each project we grew closer and tighter together. We still have a long way to go. This is what we had been waiting for. I'm not saying life will be easy from here on out, in fact it will be harder. But it will be far more worth it than it ever has been, and we're so thankful for the opportunity we have to grow together.

My writing will become more detail oriented, with plenty of pictures and recipes. Tonight as I write, I realize how afraid I was of starting over. I needed to start fresh and begin again. This is a very small step in that direction. I invite you in the following weeks or years to peak in and see just how we're doing. One project and milestone at a time. ~Happy Trails to You