Keep Honking, I'm Reloading! Our Great Escape.

Living in the city seemed to be just a steady stream of stress. Between my wife's long daily commute and my odd working hours we were always in a rush to go somewhere or get things done. It was go-go-go Monday-Friday and then on the weekends mow the lawn, catch up on laundry and before you know it Sunday night has arrived and we start all over. I had been talking to my wife Nicole about moving to the country for a couple years and she always blew it off. One day Nicole arrived home from work and her one way drive took two hours, instead of the usual one, and she was frustrated. Nicole sat down in the living room and said let's do it, leave the city. Green light baby! I took a few days and made sure this wasn't some rash decision and once I was convinced it was game on.

Within two months we found new jobs in a city of six thousand, we found a house with 5.34 acres 15 miles outside of town, we sold our house and loaded the U-Haul. Now, the day we arrived in town we had a MAJOR problem, I mean tears flowing, rethinking what we had done and all kinds of doubt problem - that story is for another day though. Sitting here writing this we are about two weeks shy of our one year move anniversary and it has all been worth it.

Picking up chickens at the post office

All unpacked and happy! All of them survived too!

I was in the big city this past weekend for a wedding and I really dreaded making the trip. The traffic was bad, a wreck had cars backed up for miles, people were rude and just cut in and out without concern. I seriously could feed my anxiety crank up the entire time I was there. I had already adjusted to our new traffic style, which often times meant I only saw one or two cars when driving to town, not thousands, and this Interstate/Nascar/Mad Max traffic was bugging the crap out of me.

Upon arriving back home I could feel the stress leave my body. It is simple things that make that stress go away. I can look up at night and see stars, they seem amazingly bright. I can sit on my porch and watch the humming birds come in to feed, a cardinal that lives in the tree by our porch and some beautiful blue I birds that I have not identified yet. The equally amazing part is I can visually observe this beauty while not hearing traffic, sirens or all the other noises associated with the city. A few mornings ago I woke-up to a heavy fog and just sat and enjoyed watching the goats graze in the haze of the fog – peace. We only live once and I truly believe that the city is not what was intended for my family and WE couldn’t be happier with the move.

Yes, you can lose somebody overnight, yes, your whole life can be turned upside down. Life is short. It can come and go like a feather in the wind.