2 Begin Again

An epic journey to start over

Trusses and Puppies, OH MY!

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Well it has been awhile, to say the least…

Life here has been super busy, but in all the good ways.

School has come to an end and we are now half way through summer time. We have been busy her on the property with new additions, family, friends, summer jobs, hay season, the house and doing our best to still get out and see some new corners of our new home state. The month of August is full with weekend trips, road trips to see PINK and horse shopping! School will be upon us before we know it, and I am not ready, but such is life. We have decided to switch things up this year and Ema and Dom will be going to a different school. We had to make some tough decisions, but did so to the best of our abilities and fingers crossed they will settle easily and find a place in their new school. We got the first of our garden planted along with fruit trees. It is step 1 of MANY, but we got it done and sometimes that is how we have to judge our progress.

Well as of my last post, we were hoping to receive a positive test for pregnancy for our Willow girl. Not only was she indeed pregnant, but her litter is here and keeping me on my toes. 6 very healthy, very active, very adorable labs are now 5.5 weeks old. This was a first for us, and no matter how prepared, you seem to be unprepared. I still do not think I am caught up on sleep, but overall the first litter has been a very good experience. She had a rainbow litter is what we like to call it. Black, Chocolate, Yellow and Reds! We bred her because 1. we wanted to continue her amazingness and 2. we plan to have a full breeding program within the next 5 years. So, we are retaining two of her puppies and have since added yet another beautiful lab. Stella is our new lab and has only been in the family about 2 weeks. She is a charcoal and just so beautiful, sweet and loving. She has made her place within the pack very quickly, and we are excited to watch her grow. We are retaining one female and one male lab from Willows litter. Female is very light yellow and we call her Daisy. The male is a robust red lab and we call him Atlas. I know CRAZY is an understatement, but sometimes you just do what needs to be done to follow a dream!

The HOUSE! Oh my gosh so much has been done. Chad worked tirelessly through the month of June to prep for Trusses the first week of July. Our friends arrived in masses to help with the process of rolling out the trusses, and oh my gosh what a time it was. Community, do you have it? Do you appreciate it, grow it, nurture it? There is such an under appreciation for community and what it does for an individual. We had a huge community in Oregon that we were so very grateful for, and not gonna lie and say I was not worried that it may not be the same once we moved. Of course, it is not the same, we now live in another state. But, it is the same in the fact that, they still are there and they still show up and love you. We are forever grateful for them, their relationships and their help! Our house is not only being built with the love and soul of my husband, but also with the love and soul of friends and family.

Family continues to arrive. My mom is with us currently, getting lots of love from the grandbabies. My brother and his girls arrived 2 days ago, and we get to spend a week with them. My brother is of great help to Chad and they are currently rolling out all the sheeting on that massive roof. My other brother and his family arrive the first of August for a visit and again, it just makes us feel so full and aware of how grateful and blessed we truly are.

Life is such a journey of ups and downs, but if we take those waves and understand that it is all part of our destiny, we will begin to look at the lows differently and the highs differently. We will even begin to understand that the middle ground is a time of filling and growth to get us through those highs and lows.

“Opportunities many times, are so small that we glimpse them not and yet they are often the seeds of great enterprises.” Og Mandino

Sweet, sweet summertime!

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Here we are already into the first week of May. Temperatures have been in the 80’s for about a week, and it feels wonderful. Life here has been full and busy! The kids are in full extra-curricular mode which means lots of travel and car time for Dad and Mom. Living in a rural area, means drives are long, and plentiful in order for our kids to experience some of those simplicities of childhood. However, the drives are gorgeous and so very easy. I would any day rather spend 1.5 hours in the car with no traffic and mountain views, then 45-60 min in traffic and congestion. It is all about perspective and how you want to spend your time. We got news on Easter that we will be blessed with our fourth grandchild in October and could not be more thrilled. Life continues everyday and for that I am so grateful and blessed.

Farm animals are all growing and doing well, Ema has two rabbits arriving in about 10 days which she will be showing in 4-H. My garden starters did not make the first round (virgin veggie starter, always started right in the ground in Oregon), but have the second round started and being successful. Planted 8 new fruit trees and 46 new evergreen saplings this last weekend. I think this is probably the most overwhelming thing about starting out fresh. What will I restart and what will I not. I have already decided that manicured lawn area, will be limited to small backyard and the rest will stay organic to the area. I definitely am restarting my garden and fruit trees, but again how will that look and what size? It seems so simple, but yet preparing this virgin ground to be capable of growing, is quite thought provoking. But here we are doing our best with trial and error and grace for all the mistakes and successes.

Oh the house! Chad is making so much progress. We had a little hiccup last weekend and was unable to stand the second of two big walls, due to space and utter strength. However, we will rent a piece of equipment and get it standing here soon. Chad continues onward ho and has the rest of the house almost completely framed. I can now stand in each room and feel the shape and size and it brings great joy. What was the most exciting room to stand in thus far? If you know me well, you know or have guessed THE PANTRY! I am so freakin excited to have a large indoor, walk-in pantry. I feel like my whole life I have been waiting for this, hahaha. I can tell the kids are loving and embracing standing in their new space and how that will feel. Talking about how they will arrange their rooms. We have begun design processes for each of them, and I utterly love watching their personalties emerge in their design taste. The more that is ready now, means the less this mama has to figure out in a frenzy down the road.

Other than that, we are gearing up for end of school year around here, 3 more weeks! Our summer will be spent close to home as we get the house standing and winter ready before Fall. No big trips planned for the family, but some smaller road trips for some of the tribe. We have our fingers crossed that we have had a successful breeding for our Willow girl (lab) and will be expecting puppies around Father’s Day, we will see. We are also

In the garden, prepping ground for fruit trees!
First beer in the new house!

Spring Has Sprung!

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Yes, in more ways then one. I know you are probably thinking I have lost my mind if that much snow means Spring Has Sprung! Here in NW Montana the days are getting longer, the temperatures are rising and the snow is melting which means Spring is upon us. I know as Spring and then Summer show themselves in more glory we will come back to remember Winter time in Montana. Yes this is a real thing, everything slows way down in the Winters as a much deserved rest time. It is an oddity that we are all still adjusting to, but at least speaking for myself, really appreciate and love.

Spring in the form of babies! Oh the much anticipated building back of our herd has begun. I for one was very anxious to begin this. Now take that with a grain of salt as the term “we” should be held very lightly. I have taken on a lot of new roles here in Montana and so my days are still being designed on how I want those to look and in turn my time with the animals has not quite been what it would have been in the past. However, I know I will get that balance figured out with grace and time for myself. In the meantime they are being loved on and taken good care of by the family. We added 2 new Dexter cows to the farm (Wilma & Betty), I can not wait to see them become a part of our farm and bring them into milking. This last weekend we picked up 2 new pigs (Ginger & Spice), so that we can begin the process of growing our own meat again. Our pork selections are very low, and so this provides me with great comfort and security. I love showing our children the circle of life and where the products they consume and enjoy come from, but also the work it takes to have that same product. I truly believe we have lost this part of education and it is one all my children and hopefully grandchildren will know, love, trust and work for.

The garden is still a ways away. I have begun the planning process and actually will start my first seeds indoors this week. One of the biggest changes for our growing practices will be the garden! The growing season here in NW Montana is much shorter then it was in Oregon. I will start all seeds indoor this year and harden to outdoors as the season progresses. I am sure there is going to be many ooops and mistakes, but I am very anxious and excited to get my hands in the dirt again. It has been two full years without my own garden, between listing the house and then selling the house and then moving! I am ready to plant, tend to and see the fruits of our labor in fresh vegetables.

Our home! Oh my gosh things are moving. The wood package has been ordered and delivery has begun. The delivery will come in pieces for many reasons, but today is the first delivery day, which enables Chad to start building walls. Yesterday the entirety of us went out and started shoveling snow off of the house. It was a beautiful weekend and working as a family up there felt so right and true. It is a process, but it is coming together. Hailey and I would fight over shoving the big pieces of ice off the side, it was such a reward after the work. I know it seems so silly to enjoy this kind of work so graciously, but it is truly so fulfilling and prideful to be doing it, doing it together, and instilling the ethics and pride into our children through the work, but also through the example. We have begun the ordering/quote getting of windows, doors and trim. Chad is really wanting to get everything on site, so that when he is ready it is ready. This has pushed me a little faster then anticipated, but definitely makes me get definite on some decisions and is so very exciting. Two of the bathroom vanities have been ordered, tile for the bathrooms and laundry room, and I have now really started looking at my options for the wood floors! Progress, progress, progress.

The kids are all doing very well. Spring sports are either starting or on the horizon, so that will be the next new experience for them. Ema and Dom have got to take advantage of ski school through their school, and have both very much enjoyed this new experience.

So, I believe you are all caught up for now, and we look forward to sharing the progress through out the spring and summer.

And the Journey Continues…

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Well we are already into February 2023! Figured it was about time for an update.

Winter is slow and quiet here in the mountains of Montana. Business owners are resting from long summer days and the people like the animals tend to want to settle in and hibernate. But, do not get me wrong life is still moving along! The kids have settled into a routine of being kids, busy in extra curricular activities and finding the past times that interest them. Our Hailey went back to brick and mortar school in January of 2023 as a freshmen at a local High School. It was with a lot of anxiety and fear of the unknown, not only for her, but ourselves as her parents. However, I am happy to report that she is doing exceptionally well and finding her way. We could not be happier with how this transition has worked itself out.

We are finding our new balance between busy and quiet and what that will look like here. Our kids push us to be on the busier side, but I think we are still doing a good job of finding the balance. As spring is approaching we begin to look at the house and the homestead and how and what that involves. Chad is actively creating supply lists, so that he can continue to progress with the home as soon as weather allows. It is very exciting and very nerve wracking at the same time, not gonna lie! We are in the planning and purchasing phase of putting all the animals back on our little homestead. Creating plans for the garden and what that not only looks like, but needs in order to be successful. What animals will be here first, what our priorities are with said animals. Remember it is still all a balancing act, as the property did not get completely fenced last year and so we have to find what is right for right now.

I think we all are getting our heads and bodies right with the busy of the coming seasons and the transformation and growth of our home and property. We are steadily learning a new 4-H program and what that looks like for not only 1 child but 3. What we need to be doing now and through out the next 6 months. Who wants to do what, finding new challenges for each of them to continue to encourage them outside of their comfort zone and finding out new things about themselves.

Spending some of these winter months trying my hand at home made mozzarella and home made bread. Going to report that I am still trying! Lol, no really it is much more trying on the patience then I thought it would be. I have nailed an artisan bread, but still working on others. I find this crazy because two years ago, I had sourdough down, but can not seem to replicate. I know I am overthinking it and will figure it out. Nailed mozzarella once and then failed miserably 2 additional times! Going back to the basic process and going to stop trying to make it more difficult then it needs to be. We look forward to sharing our continuing journey with you as the months progress. Stay tuned in the coming months for adorable baby animal pictures!!

Our first winter…

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It is December 2022 and it is our first winter in our new home. It is also the first holiday season that looks and feels very different. So, we thought we would touch base.

So here, where we are, we are kind of in a pocket from typical Montana winters. We are in between two major mountain ranges, so the wind is significantly less and the temperatures and snow accumulation tend to be much less also. With that being said there is a lot of snow. It has been so beautiful and breath taking to watch and see. Overall the family has welcomed the cold, DRY winter compared to the alternative in Oregon. We obviously are still adjusting and learning everything that there is to thrive in this environment. Chad is embracing plowing the drive way on a regular basis. We have all learned the necessary evils to make sure water to the barn is always a priority. We have embraced the style of multiple layers, snow boots and snow attire and rock it with the upmost flare! The kids are loving that they get to play in the snow at school, previous school that was not an option. Work sites are frigidly cold and that is a consistent learning curve. Montana time, is a real thing here and winter is for the slower paced. Not something my construction guys are use to, but they are embracing and making adjustments as needed when they come upon it. However, it is very obvious when you have a sub that is from here and sub that is a transplant!

Our December in typical usual fashion has been full of tradition, but that tradition looks much different now. We did travel back to Oregon at the beginning of the month, so that the kids could participate in an annual family event and have some cousin/family time. Our weekends are now ours and not everybody else’s, that has been a very welcome change. Our Christmas Tree came from the forest, instead of a farm. Love it, but hate it at the same time. I will be very interested to see how that changes through out the years to come. Will I embrace it, or want to go back to my big tree with really strong branches to hold all of our ornaments? This will be the first Christmas Eve on our own, finding our new normal, our new traditions. Not gonna say this will be easy and or gentle, but it will be and we will figure it out. Christmas was Linda’s favorite holiday and her spirit and presence is so missed right now. This will be the first Christmas Day that we do not pack up after Christmas morning and spend the entirety of the rest of the day surrounded by family, cousins and crazy. I know it will be missed and I know it will be different. I pray daily for my kids to continue to have the flex and strength to embrace all the change and new. They do not cease to amaze me every day that we are here. Not only amaze me, but honestly thrive and be awesome. Together as a whole family we will find our new, we will find our new quiet, we will find our new easy. That is what we are all embracing everyday no matter what it is that we are doing. Work is a lot less stressful, school is less constricting, play is full of unbridled imagination, extra curricular activities are less competitive and intense, the busy of life is quieted, the simplicity of life is embraced!

We are wishing all a Merry Christmas and a New Year filled with joy, love and light. May you have the insight to see your true self and be brave enough to do whatever you need to do to embrace that.

The mad rush!

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Well we arrived home on October 17th, or I should say everyone but a few of us! We ended our road trip in Oregon to celebrate our grandsons 1st birthday and move our oldest son and his family back with us!

Arriving back home, we knew that our time outside would be limited, but we had to hope for the best and see what happened. The barn needed to go up before winter and trusses did not arrive until the day we got back home. Everything was prepped up to that point, but trusses, roof and two sides had to go up this year. We also had to get our son and his family settled as they will be living here on the property for awhile until they can figure out what and where they want to be.

With a lot of good weather and some very sketchy bad weather days, the barn is finished to this point. It provides shelter for the animals and the hay and that is all that we can ask. With a lot of hard work and the grace of god, we (Chad and the boys) did it again!

We got the garden area scrapped back and some nice compost laid on it to cook for the winter. I desperately need to dig in the dirt again. It has been two seasons since my last garden and that is waaaay to long. I think this is one of the hardest parts of starting over. The garden, animals, trees and such! I have found a raw milk supplier here in the area, so that is amazing. Currently we will spend the winter months researching and finding replacements for the animals we have had to sell for the move.

All the kids are settled back into school again and finding their routine. Chad is buckling some things up around here and helping our oldest get into his new job helping my sister finish a house. It is a big job, but I know between the two of them, they will do a fine job. Just another reminder that opportunities happen for a reason not by chance.

Not sure how often posts will be happening over the winter as things will greatly if not completely slow down, but if there is something to share, I will be sure to share it.

Oh did I mention that having all our kids and grandkids here fills this mama/nana heart!

Catching up…

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So we are now at the beginning of November! It has officially been one year since we signed on our home in Oregon and began this crazy, beautiful journey.

Our last post was in August and I apologize for the time in between, but life has been busy, and I am technically challenged, so was struggling with some blog issues. Last I posted Chad was busting ass to get everything done by September 10, the date we were leaving on a 37 day road trip! Well he got everything he needed to get done before that date. Our foundation and all the mechanical underneath is buttoned up and sealed for the Winter. As soon as spring graces us with her presence, work can begin and walls can start going up!

We left on our epic trip and had an amazingly, wonderful time. We traveled to like 19 states, 6 National Parks and more historical monuments and sites then I can remember! We chose this trip as an experience for our children to learn about our history in a real way, hands on, being in the same places some of these things happened, but also to feel and be in it. We also have always wanted to travel to the New England States in the Fall. We had the time and opportunity to take an extended road trip with nothing to hold us back! There are so many highlights, and if you are interested please contact me, but I am not gonna go into all that right now. Highly recommend road trips and traveling when you can, not someday!

There is the question of the day. How did you manage to do this trip, when you are living on a budget? No we did not dip into our house money or put it all on a credit card. Most of you know that know me, is that I thrive off planning our vacations as economical as possible. My quest, the cheaper it is, the more times we get to travel. So I began the quest to see if we could make this happen. It quickly became apparent that we would need to drive and take the travel trailer otherwise it would be completely out of our reach.

By driving and staying in campgrounds we would cut our cost by over half. By having the trailer we would be able to eat the majority of our meals in the trailer and the cost savings there is extraordinary. The average cost of our nightly stay was $50. When we stayed in state campgrounds average cost was about $26, when we stayed in KOA it was about $80. I would have preferred to stay in more state campgrounds, but the KOA’s were very convenient to the big cities and traveling over an hour to see the those cities each day was just not worth it. Gas varied, but overall we paid the same as in Montana or less. We got robbed a couple of times for convenience but overall pretty good. The truck and trailer averaged 13 miles to the gallon which is pretty freakin good. We ended up traveling over 9000 miles!!!! When we first budgeted this I totally did not factor in all the traveling from places we were staying to the sites we were seeing, so we ended up going over 3000 miles more then we budgeted! Whoops…. 90% of the places we visited were free. We paid entrance or bought tickets to 5 places, this was huge as you know entrance fees for 6 can add up quite quickly. We ate at the trailer or packed a meal 95 out of the 102 meals we only ate out 7 times! These were mainly in the bigger cities when we were not getting back until very late, or we wanted to experience a specific restaurant. This was huge, because for our family to eat out for an entire day would cost us $150 or more easily. That would have been $14,250 more!!!! WTF….. Even if we would have taken that down to two meals a day you are looking at 10 grand! So I guess the morale of the story is if you really want it, you can make it happen. I will not be cooking burritos, hamburgers or hotdogs for some time!

Again, if you have specific questions or want to pick my brain, you know where I am at.

Toodles for now, and again thank you for following us in this.

Sweet, sweet water!

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Oh my it has been awhile! Life has been quite crazy, but we are still here and pluggin along…

August was a busy crazy month, with family visits pretty much everyday of the month. It was so great to share our new home with all of our family and get to be and see all the cousins, aunts, uncles and grandma.

Biggest news is that we got WATER in August!!!! I can not tell you how very exciting this is to us. We feel so very blessed to have water, even though they had to go a whoppin 480 feet!! Yes, you read that correctly, holy shitake mushrooms is right.. So our well is definitely the first budget buster, but what do you do? You just do it, because it is water and we neeeeeeeeeeeed water.

Our foundation for the main house was also poured. This too was behind schedule due to the concrete shortage here in the area, and so Chad has been busting his ass to get the underfloor, mechanical, plumbing and framing done before we leave on 9/10! This is two weeks less time than he thought he would have, but progress is happening. Have I ever mentioned what a bad ass he is. The kids have been right there with him, actually being of assistance! They are the perfect height for running mechanical without having to duck.

The kids started school this week and so it has been a week of many new things. Ema and Dom are at the local school this year. First time back in a brick and mortar school since March of 2020. They are both really, really enjoying it and I have been so very impressed thus far. Hailey is homeschooling first semester of freshmen year and then she will start at the high school second semester (reason for this next)! Ema and Dom are also riding the bus for the first time ever! Dom was so excited and then quickly realized that it was not a very fun ride! Country dirt roads and bus driver that has a lead foot! We laughed so hard the first afternoon after he got off the bus, his little face was just astonished..

We decided this summer to take the opportunity we have of time and freedom and are leaving on an epic road trip 9/10. We will be on the road for 32 days visiting like 19 states, countless monuments, 4 national parks and fingers crossed more memories then we will know what to do with! Mount Rushmore (littles have not been), Niagara Falls, New England States, NYC, DC, Philadelphia, Boston, Louisville, Kansas City (to see Hailey’s best friend). We are very excited and feel very blessed to be able to do this, but are definitely also feeling the pressure. The kids schools have been phenomenal. Really taking the road of experiences are as valuable if not more valuable than text books, and that has absolutely won my heart. We will learn so much about US history and World history on our trips. The nerdy teacher has definitely come out in me and I have so many fun, cool things to do with them while we are gone. Going deep into World War ll and the Holocaust with them all but especially the girls. Keep us in your prayers for patience and grace with each other. We will end in Oregon for our grandsons 1st birthday!

Koby and Natalie and the kids also made the big trek over in August to their first home of their own. They purchased a super cute little house in Thompson Falls and are now here full time. Natalie is still working for Samaritan, just 100% remote now. Koby is taking some time at home with a toddler and new born. They are settling in well and finding their new normal. So, very exciting to have them close.

I am sure this will be our last post for a bit. Do not foresee making any while we are on the road. We will talk to you soon, and as always thank you for following us on this journey.

The apartment is finished!

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Oh my hell, can you believe it! Our little 900 sq ft. apartment (home while we build the house) is finished. It turned out so cute, and we are all excited to transition to it from our 300 sq ft travel trailer. I am also excited at the rentability of it, once we are living in the house. It will be a perfect little AirBnB for families or couples. The kids nook areas, turned out so perfect and cute and I know they are going to love having their own space. Everything we need is in this space. We have a few little finishing touches to finish and a lot of personal touch, but overall it is done and once we have water (well) we can move on in. In about 7.5 weeks we (Chad) got this completed from framing, electric, plumbing to cabinets, lights and trim. Yay to more space and progress.

Each little area will also have a small shelf by the light.
Still need some floating shelves and the refrigerator brought in from the shop, but pretty much done.

Faith, do you have it?

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We talk a lot in society about faith. We like to mention in passing about having faith or with faith anything is possible. Even though I believe whole heartedly in both those, I also believe that we love to talk the talk, but never get uncomfortable enough to walk the walk. This post this week is more about mind set than progress, and that is just because I could not pass these feelings up. We have had two conversations and one life event to bring it full force to us in the last week.

When we began this new path in life, we did so because we wanted real change and in a really big way. Life as we knew it, was just not what we had envisioned and we did not want to wake up one day regretting it all. We felt a very real pull to our property in Montana, so we took all the signs and we lead with faith. Faith that our god would lead us and never forsake us and also that we together as a family can and will do anything we set our minds to. This did not mean we were taking the easy way or even the best way, just the way that we knew, the way that faith pulled us towards. After we sold the home in Oregon, I really had to focus hard on getting my mind straight. Really, truly strip it all down, and get honest with myself. I knew the coming years were going to be pretty damn difficult to say the least, but I also knew that my families health, happiness and peace was more important then any comfort I was currently experiencing.

We got information this week that our well would be at least another 30 days. Chad immediately apologized to me, not that he has any control, and it was so in my face because I looked at him and was like for what? This is really inconvenient, but I can honestly say I am not upset. Things are going to happen in this process, things are going to not always go to the time schedule we planned. We are not in control, our path our journey is already preplanned we just get to choose how we get there. How we think, how we behave, how we lead by example, how we believe and have faith. That is what we get to control everyday and how we take care of our body and minds. Life is going to happen and when you are rebuilding everything from a sticks and stones perspective, you are definitely going to come up against bumps in the road, but it is just that. This is how I chose to lead my life/our life because life is just to damn short to let the little things become a part of who you are. Honestly the since of peace and calm that has come over our family is honestly so crazy and so 100% amazing. The sense of being and contentment was at first very uncomfortable, but now that I have allowed myself to feel it and be in it, so refreshing and eye opening. Very little rattles me anymore, and that is huge. Now I know as life gets more involved and more “busy” that may change, but I am embracing this and being so very grateful for it. I am living with faith, grace and gratitude.

We paint and texture this week!!! Yay, so excited. I have totally embraced sanding sheet rock the last week, and am attaching a picture for your laughing enjoyment. Yes, yes that is a shower cap on my head because when you are on shower rations, itchy sheet rock dust is not meant to be in the scalp. We have laughed and loved through this, and that fills my heart so full. We will continue to keep working and leading my example and see where our path leads and enjoy and appreciate whatever time we are granted on earth.

Love The Roofeners

✕