We are choosing to stay

For 3 years, we discussed moving. for 3 years we lived in limbo, for 3 years we stopped any sort of progress on our house and yard.

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And boy, oh boy, living in limbo, a limbo that we put ourselves into, was hard. We made little to no progress on our yard, very little decor/character to our house, we felt like we lived in a rental that we owned. A trailer in a field. Living half packed up: roots hardly settled came with some crappy attitudes,

a narrow mindset and limited perspective

We had long pro and con's lists for staying vs. moving. We talked about amenities of town life, programs for the kids, utilities, garbage pick up! Then we would argue that we can see the stars, the silence, the wildlife in our own backyard, we have an abundance of good water, we can dirt bike and hike without having to drive somewhere.

We had poured over MLS listings, we went as far as having a realtor out to chat about listing. The Realtor even put up a "coming Soon' sign at the end of our gravel road.

Despite all those lists, and reasons for wanting to leave, we always came back full circle to "what if we build" "what if we renovate" "what if we MOVE our house"

Within 3 days, (and a meeting with the bank) we went from "ok lets not bring up staying or building again, WE"RE MOVING" to Ok, We're building, here is our plan, lets talk to the building movers, the power company, the septic guys" (The final full circle conversation) and we haven't talked about moving ever since.

I can't tell you how good it feels just to make a final decision. To be secure in our choice. The thing is, there was never a right or wrong choice, we just had to make one. However, in saying that, I do believe there is a divine reason that we could not just "up and leave" our little 4 acres. I have to trust that God has us here for a reason, and I will rejoice and be glad in it.

OUR REASONS TO STAY RURAL

• Its the Right thing to do.(for Us) We have been blessed with this property and I trust the Universe is at work. I also believe that if we were meant to move, then it would have been easy and plans would have fallen into place

• The silence. To hear the rain, birds, trains in the far off distance. The silence is almost deafening. Its peaceful, its tranquil, far from the main road.

• The Dreams. Veg gardens, chickens, goats, pigs, turkeys, swoon worthy flower gardens, social gatherings, bonfires, bbq's... these are just a few of the dreams we have for our home.

• No Neighbours... our closest neighbour is family. There is also no one to complain about how loud we can get! heehee!

• Outdoor Space. We are not limited to a standard town yard, our kids can run and run, we could have 5 camper trailers parked around the yard and still be able to play a game of baseball comfortably.

• Living off our land to the best of our abilities- growing our own food, laying hens, maybe one day a milk cow or pigs.. we have the space and the freedom to do this

Attitude of Gratitude

Being thankful for what we have, all that we have. One thing I have always said along this rollercoaster, is that we will never have what we have, for the amount we have into it. Acreages are one HOT item right now, especially with this post 2020 situation we are still swimming in. City folk are flocking to small towns and rural areas. I am so thankful that we were still able to easily go for a walk or a hike and not see another soul, thankful that summer of 2020, my son learned to ride a peddle bike (no training wheels) We got to work hard on our property and start making it become what we have always dreamed

The Dreams

Every time we talked about moving, I would be slightly disappointed that I would not be able to carry out all the dreams I have for this place. I wasn't ready to let go of all that I had conjured in my mind about gardening, and landscaping, about the gatherings of family and friends. We have a blank four acres, a blank canvas for this creative mind of mine. I want a massive veggie plot, I want a garden cottage for my parents, I want lush shrubs and trees and English Ivy on all the fences! I want hostas and a dry river bed! SO many items on my "gardening bucket list'

My biggest lesson....

CHOOSING to live my best life, wherever I am. I am choosing to thrive here, in central Alberta. I am choosing to work at our yard, creating the beautiful landscape I dream of. Choosing to get outside in all seasons and temperatures of the year. I am choosing to put effort into this small town life, the little k-12 school, the community spirit. I am choosing to be happy, choosing joy. choosing peace. choosing life.