“These are going to be the best memories your kids will have!”
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When we first moved to the farm, we had so many people share their thoughts and feelings with us! Many people said to us, “These are going to be the best memories your kids will ever have!” We nodded along and agreed, but truthfully, we had no idea.
We knew our move was big. It was big for us and it was big for our kids. We were leaving behind everything they knew. For their entire lives, they lived in a beautiful ranch home on a secluded subdivision. It was spacious, safe, and happy. They had friends they could see on a daily basis, and our neighbors would watch over our house if we left. The only jobs our kids really had was to help us with the chicken coop, garden, cleaning their rooms, and their school work (which was Kindergarten to first grade work). It was a safe and comfortable life. We were on our way to paying off our house. Why would we leave?
We Wanted More
We had a desire for more. We wanted more land and the option to raise livestock. It was this burning desire that sat under the surface, because we knew we had a good life. We didn’t truly need anything more. We had it all!
And then a friend of ours came to us and told us that he was selling his place. A nice ranch home with 30 acres of great hunting land and apple tree’s. Although we were not even thinking of moving at the time, we started to mull the idea of moving over. Should we leave this comfortable life to live a life of homesteading? We started looking at other properties (just to see). Nothing fit. Until we met a realtor who lived in the country and understood our dreams. She told us about this property that she loved, which had everything we were looking for. It was over our budget, but we took a look. And we LOVED it. In fact, I declared it my “Dream House.”
We came home and pushed the thought of “my dream house” aside; it was more than we could afford. But God has his ways. A few weeks later our realtor contacted us saying that the family had an offer on a portion of the land and were willing divide and sell the house at a lower price with less land. They liked our family and wanted her to specifically reach out to us. Was this the push we needed. We took a leap of faith and did it. We were moving to “My Dream House.” It was a whirlwind!
That meant that we had to sell the home I grew up in; the home that my late father had built. I do not like talking about this. It is painful to my heart. For the last few years, my family was living in the house my father had built. My uncle and many of his friends had helped build this ranch house. I helped my father pick out the counters, the carpets, and the flooring. I helped him sand the wood tongue and groove. My husband spend hours with my father in the workshop helping him with his projects. There were a ton of memories there! After he passed, living in the house “he” built made me feel closer to his memory. And when you live like that, it is easy to not actually face your grief. So, I had a lot of emotions with selling this house! There was A LOT of crying! His dreams were not our dreams; so it was time to sell our beloved house in the suburbs.
Our Move
We had to get it ready to sell. We deep cleaned everything and fixed all those things that we just kept pushing aside. It was finally time for the first two showings. We were on pins and needles. A day after the showing we received notification that the 2nd showing put in an offer on our house. It was fair and it was quick, but they wanted to move NOW. We decided to accept the offer and the next few months were a whirlwind. No time for a garage sale or going through our things. It was a throw it in the box and go kind of move.
Finally, moving day came and it was so bittersweet. We moved into our dream house as the other family moved out. It was not ideal. I know it was bittersweet for them too; but it was what had to be done.
Life on the Farm
After living here for two full years, I have to say that I had no idea my “Dream House” was so much work! I sometimes forget that I chose this path. Everyday is an adventure and I never know what I am going to wake up to. Sometimes, I wake up to a cow eating my flowers in our backyard. The horses breaking through the electric fence and running across the field. An Amish man just waiting for me at my back door. The water went out and now I have to carry buckets of water down to the barn. All true stories! When I think I may get a break, life always ha a way of changing my plans.
I can’t help but to look at our move as a new phase in our life. To be honest, I think of my old life as easy and this life as hard. I remember when we lived the easy life and could watch TV all evening if we wanted too. I think of how much work is now expected from my 10 year old who helps with barn chores on a daily basis. My 9 year old daughter is expected to stay in the house with the younger two and get everyone set up with breakfast or lunch depending on the day. We have chores, school and then more chores. Is it fair for me to ask this them? Is this really the life they will look fondly on in 30 plus years?
I received my answer tonight as I was thinking about this in the barn. Daniel and I went down to take care of the evening chores. My oldest son comes down to help take care of the mini horses and chickens. My oldest daughter follows him down and helps feed the cats and takes care of the ducks, but can’t get the door to close the right way. My son swoops in to help her. The youngest two wander down to the barn in their nice clothes with no shoes. All four of us yell at them to get their boots on. They come back a minute later (how can they move so fast in this instance, but not others, I will never know) and they run around laughing, holding kittens and jumping off of flipped over animal food dishes. I finish giving a 50 lb bag of grains to the cows and smile as I watch them run around with such joy. I then notice, my two oldest children holding their favorite kittens while observing a brand new spiders web. And I think to myself…. “Yes…. yes… these are going to be the best memories my kids will have.” It doesn’t matter how much more work it is to live here, how much dirtier they get, or how they have less time to play LEGO’s. They will remember this! It is better for them and for me.
This life is not for everybody. We feel very blessed to have the opportunity to raise our family in this environment. This is simply our story.
I want to encourage you, no matter where you are in life, to create lasting memories with your family. They are not always easy but I truly believe that some of the best memories come from not going down the road less traveled.
What road do you want to travel down?
-Lindsay from Life on Misty Acres
Would you like to read more about how we ended up on this road? Check out my husband’s article: It all started with tomatoes!
