Reflections

This year has been a year full of changes.  Changes I did not anticipate and that have shaped me in ways I never could imagine.  Never would I have imagined I would be where I am today one year ago.  I will not say it has been an easy journey, but it was a journey that proved to me I am stronger than I give myself credit for.  Many of my friends have come to me and said they admire me for what I have done and they wish they could have the same journey.  Be careful what you wish for my friends.  Yes it is wonderful to own your dream barn, I mean home, and to have the land you never thought you could play with; don't get me wrong I am very grateful. But there are times when you sit back and look at your surroundings and just say WOW.  Wow I get to play with all of this, wow I have to do all of this and wow you want me to do WHAT?  It can be a bit overwhelming to say the least.  But then I stop and sit in my back field under the light of the full moon and just say wow I am blessed.  I could never ever ever do this without the help of my dad, and I wonder some days who loves the property more, him or I.  Together we are bringing new life to the  property and making it shine like the jewel it is; but I often wonder if we are making it shine or if it is making us shine.   I am doing things I never thought I could do.  Such as conquer my fear of heights on a ladder, crawling into a crawl space in the middle of the winter, replacing an exterior wall and snowblowing a huge driveway at the end of the day.  My dad has been there through it all with me, even those late night calls when the basement is flooding or the furnace has stopped working and it -20 outside. 
My boys are learning along side of me too.  They are learning that on the weekends an old property needs love and attention and there is always a project to be done.  They may put up a small fight with me, but in the end they surprise me and jump right on the lawnmower and take care of the yard for me or work along side grandpa and surprise me when I get home with a completed project. 
As I go through the process of buying this home I stop and wonder if its worth all the tears, aggravation and stress.   As I sit under the glow of the full moon in my back field and look at my surroundings, I realize I already know the answer.  Yes it is all worth it, oh so very much worth it.  So many people have loved the property and I am so very grateful that I can now share with them the love and leave a story or two behind of our time spent on the property.
This past year has taught me that sometimes you have to step out of your comfort zone and have faith that you are on a journey that you are meant to take.  You wouldn't be on this journey if it wasn't meant for you, and the time for it was now.  It may not be an easy journey, but if all journeys were easy life would be a tad boring don't you think? On the hardest days it is hard to remember to keep an eye on the prize, so to speak, but yet I do.  And for me that prize is my barn and the amazing property with it.  Looking back one year ago, if you would have told me I would be where I am today, I would have told you that you are delusional, I could never do that.  But I did it and I am doing it still, I may want to give up some days; but I will never give up completely, never. 
 So if you are ever in the area, look for the big red barn and stop by for a visit.  Share a story of the property or make a  new story with us, we always have a project or two you can help us with and we always love giving tours of the barn.