THAT CRAZY I CAN’T BELIEVE I’M GOING THERE THOUGHT
There was this thought, you see. A thought that wriggled around for months
until it finally landed and I was able to see it for what it was. A dream, for sure. It sounded a bit ridiculous in the beginning
as it was still niggling around not quite believing it was there. And it didn’t want to let go. No matter how much I tried to shove it to the
back of mind… it was still there, living and breathing and forming a life of
its own.
I’m not quite sure why I let it fester for so long. Fear was certainly at the forefront. Fear of dreaming the impossible. Fear for dreaming up insanity. Fear for what people would think. Gasp!
And then suddenly those fears started to shrink and eventually evaporate
into thin air. Suddenly I could breathe
and it felt so fresh, so alive and so powerful… and I knew in those winter
months we were on to something.
Something that could be big.
Something that could be exactly what we were meant to do.
The research began involving letters, emails, walking up to
strangers’ doorsteps and talking to trusted friends in the area to make
discreet inquiries on our behalf. After
months of searching, we finally had our answer, as if it had been waiting there
for us all along.
THE WHY
If there is one thing I have learned about life over the
years, it has been the realization that life is a journey. Constantly learning and growing and shifting
and pivoting to places I could never dream of.
I’m so grateful these types of decisions are being thrown at us now that
I’m older and wiser and all that. I have
found that in maturing and learning from our journey along the way, it’s okay
to admit to mistakes.
You may remember that just a few short years ago, my husband
and I made a life-changing decision to move back to my husbands’ hometown. We did it for so many reasons (see
blog entitled, When one door closes). However, at that time as we were leaving the
suburbs behind and moving to the “country”, ironically enough, 4-H and
livestock wasn’t even a passing thought.
We looked for houses in the school district we desired to no avail. We looked for land, both via realtor and for
sale by owner. Eventually we came across
a lot in a country subdivision that seemed to check all the boxes. We took a leap of faith and went for it,
without too much second thought or further consideration.
I don’t regret that decision. Not one bit.
Even though that decision was a mistake for us, we learned from it. We had never built a house before, and we
learned from it. We opened up our world
to possibilities these past two years, and we learned from it. We introduced the kids to 4-H and livestock
and we learned from it.
So, with all that said… wait for it, wait for it…. We are
moving again! Say what? I am so at peace
with our decision that it is no longer an afterthought. It’s for real and it feels so good. We’re not moving far. About 3 miles to be exact. And why, you may be asking? Many reasons actually, but the main reason is
that we have found property with fewer deed restrictions, including the ability
to have livestock.
WHAT WILL PEOPLE
THINK???
There was a time when I would have been so worried about
what people might think. Thank the Lord,
that is no longer the case. This may
sound crazy to some… and that’s perfectly okay.
For our family, it makes perfect sense.
If you read my last blog entry entitled, “I Heart Something” this will
make a lot more sense.
There is something to be said about feeling settled and not feeling settled. Even though we only moved into our house
about a year and half ago, I never quite got that settled feeling. Probably due to the niggling thoughts that
turned out to be much more significant that I originally believed. There is also something to be said about
listening to your gut. I’m such a big
believer in that. For the longest time,
my gut was telling me something wasn’t quite right. Then came avoidance. Then came denial. Then came, “Julie, you are straight up crazy
to even be considering moving away from the dream home you just built. Crazy. Crazy. Crazy.” Then came our first 4-H meetings and the
adoption of sheep. Then came the fair in
the form of pure magic. And that’s when
I knew. I wasn’t crazy. It was okay to dream. It was okay to start anew. It was okay to think of all the
possibilities.
THE SEARCH
So, after months and months of researching we finally had
our answers. We knew we had to get it right this time so we took our time and
made sure to weigh out all the pros and cons.
We’re big list people. It’s amazing how a pro/con list can give
perspective. However, our months of
searching for houses with land and searching for land to build a house on where
we could have livestock was full of dead ends.
It was literally like trying to find a needle in a haystack. The ever elusive land opportunities in our
part of the world made making a dream happen nearly impossible. A lot of “no’s” came our way. Yet, we still continued the search.
It's all very strange, actually. We weren’t even looking to move to another
subdivision, but rather searching for small lots of acreage along country roads
within our current school district. Then
we drove through another neighborhood that had chickens and goats and the like and
we realized that livestock were allowed back in this neighborhood. We got really excited, then realized…. not so
fast. You see, in this neighborhood, it
was originally developed several years ago.
The original deed restrictions allowed for livestock. Then another developer came in a few years
later and put in pages and pages of deed restrictions on the neighborhood,
including NO livestock. Noooooooo! We were so close!
KEEPING THE DREAM
ALIVE
And it goes to show, never give up. When you want something bad enough, you keep trying. Well, after more research, we
figured out that about 10 lots were grandfathered into the original deed
restrictions. Nine out of those 10 lots already had houses built on them and
none for sale. And then finally, there
it was. The last lot that was
grandfathered into the original deed restrictions that included the approval of
livestock. Approval. Of. Livestock. With big neon flashing letters. Somewhere the angels were singing that
magical chorus. Dare we hope that this
lot could be sold? We reached out and by
the grace of God, found out that this last lot was bought several years ago and
the owner was indeed looking to sell.
Again, with the hallelujah chorus.
And it sounds so pretty.
So much has happened over the past few months. We got approval from the bank and our house
plans are complete. The kids are excited
for what’s to come. The house will be
built over the next 8 months and we will be building a barn next fall to
accommodate future 4-H projects. Dreams
really do come true. And yes, that’s
super cheesy. I know this. But man, when
it happens, and it such a way that you know it’s meant to be… that’s something
to behold.
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| At the new lot on closing day, 10.23.18 |
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| At the new lot on closing day, 10.23.18 |
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| Final drawings of the new house |
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| We will soon be saying good-bye to this house, sometime in late spring/early summer 2019. |
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