We drove through Idaho headed toward Dave’s interview.  I had no idea what to expect.  We drove through luscious valleys with farmland growing anything from hops, potatoes and herbs to ranches with race horses, cattle and even elk.  I was in awe at the beauty of Idaho.  From mountains to valleys to desert and rivers we drove.  We drove up this huge grade and as we came over the top it opened up to the prairie.  It was beautiful!  I’ve heard people explain it as God’s quilt.  And that’s what it looked like.  It was an open prairie of farmland with colors of bright green and yellow in late August.  As we passed by these beautiful fields and awesome old barns and homesteads, I knew this is where we were meant to be.  I had an overwhelming feeling that, “we are home” but I kept this feeling to myself.

We made it to Dave’s interview on time…at least we thought.  The time change issue came into play.  Dave was actually an hour early for the interview but they decided to start it anyway.  He was dressed to kill in a nice business suit and early for an interview that they never thought he’d make it to.  He was told later that they didn’t expect him to come being that it was such short notice and a long, long way to come.  After the interview, we stayed with my brother and sister-in-law and their family for the remainder of the week.  He received a call the next day to offer him a job and Dave accepted.

This is how we made it to Idaho.  As for the homesteading, how did we get there?  Well, we had always thought it would be a great way to live and bring up our children.  Dave’s Granny and Grandpa didn’t have much.  They embraced the homestead lifestyle and raised their children the same way but with so much less than we have today.  We are definitely spoiled with all of our technology and everything right at our fingertips.  But by homesteading, we hope to round out our own lives and hopefully keep us a little more humble.  Our dear Granny passed just a day after the birth of our last daughter.  But one of the nicest compliments she gave me was that she “liked how we did things”.  I know Granny had a kindred spirit.  I only wish she could have seen what Dave is doing with the land and the fun we are having learning to raise our own animals and grow our own food.  We truly feel it is God’s will for our lives by living a traditional, rural Catholic life.

Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us.

Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us.