I grew up in what I always felt was a small town and longed for the chance to move to a great big city and make something of myself. I lived within ten minutes of dozens of grocery stores, restaurants, gas stations, department stores, an airport, etc. It was a foreign concept to know your neighbors beyond what car they drove. Then, I grew up, attended college, got married, graduated college, got divorced, got remarried, became a mom, bought my first home and realized what I thought was a small town was actually a metropolitan area with approximately 150,000 people and all the negatives of a big city with none of the positives. Crime, political drama, corrupt police force, lots of traffic, too many tourists, no theme parks or water parks, no auditoriums to attract big name celebrities, a zoo that is laughable, barely enough shopping to speak of, vacant homes/buildings inviting gang violence, drugs, prostitution and slave trade rings, etc. The gritty underside of what I thought I’d grown up in reared its ugly head as I matured and began to look around me. Was this the world that I wanted to raise my Little Bird in? Did I want Little Bird to grow into the kind of person who was immune to the scary bits of this life?

As any good mother would, I answered NO!

Thus, my husband began to look for work around his hometown, Tiny Town, USA. Tiny Town has a population of just 6,500 people (approximately). A massive difference from what I once considered “small”. The Hubs works over the hill and into our state capital, but we, as a family, have secluded ourselves away in a tight knit farming community where people still share their excess and love their neighbors. A place where there is literally one grocery store, no Walmart, and everyone attends their own church (there are 14 different denominations throughout this little valley). We have a modest home on one acre of land surrounded by fields and about a mile from the pasture of our horses. It is a completely different culture and lifestyle from what I’ve always known.

Most of my family and friends don’t think I’ll be able to hack it. Most think that I’ll get burnt out in this farm lifestyle that I’ve dropped our little family into. I haven’t the faintest clue how to live like this, but I’m up for the challenge. I am living in a farming community, but I am not a farmer. And I am surrounded by good people who, hopefully, will lend a helping hand to this city girl!

Though I feel like I am a mermaid out of water (because who wants to be a fish anyway?), I know that whether it’s with legs or with fins, I am capable of adapting to and excelling at anything I put my mind to! This story may be a wild and crazy one that sometimes seems incredibly far fetched, but it’s my story. In the future, you can look forward to home cooking ideas/meal plans/etc., ways to save money and live on a budget, little tidbits about the random wildlife I now find myself surrounded by, humorous anecdotes about family and friends and quite possibly some animal husbandry stories! Stay tuned!