It has been just about exactly a year since the day we decided to sell our home on .35 acres and attempt to make the move from the suburbs to a much more rural setting.  Just like in Braveheart, I picture my self yelling…”FREEEEEEDOMMMM!!!!”  Of course we bought our house in 2006 when prices were high and were trying to sell in 2012 when prices were much lower.  The reality of that was just a little disappointing.  Real Estate Agents will tell you “Oh but you are going to turn around and be able to buy so much more for your money then you could have back in 2006!”  Yes, yes, I agree BUT when I am walking away from the closing table after writing a check not receiving one, it stings just a bit.  We wanted to make a change and that change meant enough to us that we were willing to make a sacrifice.

My new mantra: 

The journey of life is truly amazing and surprising.  Sometimes you feel like you are on a walk down your path with the sun shining down on you, warming your skin.  Other times you feel as though you are careening down the path, slamming into an occasional tree trunk or tripping over some roots while the rain pours down on you.  Its the pit stops along the way that have surprised me.  Some of them I thought were destinations or at least long term pit stops.  A couple of weeks ago we were under contract on a cute, small ranch on 18 acres (see first photo at the top).  The home needed some updating but there were so many things about the property and the home we loved.  As you can see from the photo, the land was beautiful.  Turns out this house was only meant to be a brief stop along the way to another.  There were lessons learned from the time spent planning and researching the property that we carried with us.  Hopefully this property is a very long term stop on our journey.  The home has much more to offer and sits on over 6 acres of beautiful land.  I’m referring to it as my Hobby Homestead.  We’ll probably have a few chickens, a small garden, and some fruit trees within the next year.  I’m looking forward to taking one day at a time and enjoying each one.