One of our neighbors lol

S. Dakota

His glory

Not there yet ... just

Not there yet ... just in awe of the beauty in this part of the country!

Deer + loaded down passenger

Deer + loaded down passenger van pulling trailer ... PTL we missed it!
TNT 4-EVER

It's not just a move ... it's our dreams

Wow .. only 5 more days until we move. This is the first time I've ever been nervous about a move ... I guess because this time, it's not just a move. It's our dreams. I'm not worried or nervous about failing at anything though ... I count on making mistakes simply because that's how we will learn the how's & what for's of our new lifestyle. I think I'm nervous just because this move is "the" destination we've planned through out our entire marriage. How huge it is to grasp something that has always seemed so far away.

We're hustling to get some (minor), last minute things done ... but for the most part, we're ready to head home ... home ... what a powerful, new meaning that word holds for me. As of Tuesday morning, our vehicle turns in to a time machine ... & is escorting us back to the days of "Little House On The Prairie." Our lives now, though slower paced than most will shift to the days of our pioneer ancestors. Water heated by the sun or a fire for the first few weeks ... dinner by lanterns, cooking with a camp stove or fire pit until we purchase the most beautiful & effective woodstove ever built. I'm sure we will all gain a greater understanding of, "early to bed, early to rise." The anticipated sense of accomplishment as we plan our crops .. as well as which animals to raise for food.

I've been on the verge of tears all day .. some times a few strays make their way down my cheeks. It's all becoming so real. I am filled with excitment, wonder, amazement and a small touch of fear ... fear because we are moving in to tornado alley. From what we've been told, the area we are moving to has the highest rate of tornadoes .. those most are not "that" damaging due to the trees & rolling hills that get in the way of them picking up speed. Still ... just thoughts of the possibilities could cause me to panic ... so I spend my days thanking God for our safety & His protection on our land.

We won't be completely sheltered from the world or the present times. Our laptop will offer a window to those who want to see how our lives progress ... or should I say, step back in time. We'll be emailing, blogging and playing on Facebook when we have extra time .. HA .. I'm wondering if that will become a thing of the past (at least for a while). We have a TV and a DVD player .. planning on watching only on days we can't be outside due to weather & even then, maybe only a half hour per day. The kids share hand held video games, that won't depleat our power source so that's ok. Hopefully though, they'll desire to learn new skills & find new ways to have fun ... building bird houses, horseback riding, watching a calf being born, maybe just sitting under an apple tree to read a book ... or a moment to gaze out on God's glorious landscape.

I just can't wait to get home!

Testing Email ability

 

Just sending a quick test to make sure blogging by email is active. It will make blogging easier & use less of our bandwidth. Hope this works!

Last minute list

Time is drawing near ... the closer our moving date comes, the more excited we all get! We've gotten a lot of packing done .. the only things that are left, are things we'll use until we're walking out the door.

List of things to do on Monday:

Call electric company for shut off date
Call internet company for pick up & transfer date
Call propane company
Email our local community board to announce weekend yard sale
List some Ebay items
Go to dealership to look at vehicles
Go through paperwork boxes
Set up filing cabinet
Put "For Sale" signs on all vehicles

We went shopping today .. picked up a few things for our new homestead. We've also been "window" shopping ... Windows XP shopping that is LOL (We're looking on Ebay & other online stores, for items we'll order once we get to the homestead).

Once we're done doing the above, we'll be completely ready to leave (except for the items we can't pack until we're leaving)

Some items we're on the market for .... (first purchases we'll make when we get to The Maker's Acres)

• Camping shower
• Solar Lanterns
• Generator

Sleep well ... dream BIG ... they really DO come true!