So.. Just trying to figure it all out :)

So, wow is right.. We are going to have to start over in so many aspects when we move. It’s so scary to let go of what you already have to even embrace the possibility of a better future. The future we want is less dependance on anything store bought. And that ranges from food to clothing to gas. We started that here and now we’ll start again.

I’m losing the chickens today. Yes I’ve cried more than you can imagine over three birds. I put their whole package on Craigslist for $100 and it sold in 30 minutes. He’ll be here today. A small family with two growing children. I’m glad people are starting to realize the importance of growing it yourself. You know what goes in that chicken, the eggs are walked in your back door, fresh as they can be. Who wouldn’t want that?! And to have it all packaged up to boot! We’ll have to check ordinances once we get settled in, build a better coop and start again. Keep moving forward!! (saw it on a movie)

We found Budget to be the cheapest rental. They have a 20% off until the 28th and we’ll save around 75-100 bucks going during the week instead of weekend. So the last week of February will be our last week in Indian Trail. My stomach is doing somersaults right now!

I have already emailed Michael’s resume to my mom to hopefully work her magic!! She knows someone at the Honda dealership there in Valdosta and took Michael’s resume up there. Everyone seemed really excited about his certifications in general not just the ones with Honda. They asked all about the move, when we would be there and if he would be able to start work the following Monday. THIS COULD BE A GREAT THING!! So please everyone keep your fingers crossed. He is so worried about finding a good job in a smaller city and it working for all of us. I’ve also decided to seek employment. The house sits pretty central in Lake Park so commuting on the SS is going to be sweet. I really hope I can find something close enough and be able to work things out to be home for Syddo! Because that is really what this is all about for me in the long run. Raising her to have a different awareness on the world and I have to be there to do that 😉

So I’m really scared, nervous, excited, etc., etc. Everything is moving so fast. I think we are going to try for the yard sale this weekend. Go ahead and get that stuff gone and purge again. We plan on taking the basics, we just all have different definitions on what exactly the basics are!

Headed back down South.. :)

So, BIG BIG news folks!! We are moving to Georgia in four weeks!! My family owns a house on a small lake in Lake Park, GA. It’s about five miles from the FLA line in Lowndes county. We are so excited about this opportunity! You know around Thanksgiving, we were wanting to get back closer to some family and I seem to have the biggest lot in one place 🙂

The lake house was built by my great-uncle around ’74, I believe. He had moved there to become Principal of Lake Park Elementary. He and my great-aunt have been gone many years now. Their three children inherited the home until my mother bought it.. eh.. 15 years ago?? (don’t hold me to that date ;)) What! I remember working on it on my 13th birthday, so.. that means15 years, hey I was right! Mom gutted some of the house, knocked down partial walls and voila!

She just celebrated her second wedding anniversary with her husband who she now lives with on a beautiful spread of ten acres. She has rented out the house(it is still being paid for because of refinancing) and the tenants moved out last month. So!!! We are going. It’s a 3 bedroom, 2 bath, 1 office/laundry room (which was my room as a teen! but when I left, mom knocked down another wall and extended her closet halfway into that bedroom and put the washer and dryer and computer desk in there :/) All brick exterior, fireplace inside, four 75 year old (at least) oak trees that had been there before the house was built. My uncle planted four dogwood trees when the house was built but only one remains living. They died from the inside out just like the Sunday school story.

So how does this help our self sufficient journey you ask?? One major factor here is community (my family and friends of 28 years) We don’t really have and never will have the network we will down there. My two parents alone know 75% of Valdosta, GA. Michael has taken a big decrease in pay and it is really affecting us here. Commuting with my bike will be awesome around the Lakes and community there. The exercise on bike alone will be phenomenal! I’m actually REALLY excited about that! But.. I will not have the garden plot I had here. And everything we have planted in ground, we lose. We are still trying to find out about the chickens. They will be in a dog kennel in the back of the Fit if I can help it 🙂 We’ve planted 5 beautiful trees, 3 tea olives, 3 rosemary bushes, 2 blueberry bushes, 2 jasmine, 1 huge Triplecrown blackberry bush, 1 each mint, spearmint, and apple mint. I can only hope the family who moves in here next sees these as a blessing. Will appreciate the life we tried so hard at putting back into the soil.

We will definitely have to change some garden practices for the new house. Start making a new homestead 🙂 The back yard is mostly shaded by the oaks. The front yard is your conventional turf yard. I can’t wait to get back down there to look at the grounds with a grower’s eye. I know container gardening is going to be huge for us. Can’t wait to keep you guys posted on everything. Wish us good luck, I feel this move is for a right reason and we are embracing it wholeheartedly.

We have started the pre-packing purge for a yard/moving sale and it feels GREAT! Until next post 😉

Just another day commuting..

So as I venture farther and farther, I learn so many things as a new cyclist in the city. Everyday it’s about seeking the eye contact needed not to get plowed over, gaining more and more nerve to hold my line/lane.

Today I learned two more things to add to my list.

1. You can get run over by some odd characters on Halloween. Don’t get me wrong, people try to run you over all the time, but usually just on Halloween do you almost get creamed by the Tinman in an Izuzu.
2. People that ask cars on the curb or what not tend to not ask you for money while on your bike. This guy actually avoided eye contact and moved to the car behind me. Brilliant. And I didn’t have to make a car payment this month probably unlike the car behind me. Double score.

All and all, it was a great trip! Beautiful weather despite the recent storm. I love the parking. People still look at me sketchy when I walk in with my book bag, but you know what they say.. Haters gonna hate 😉

Happy Halloween everybody!!

I can get my new tires now!!

My new score on the Schwinn didn’t come without extra costs.. The tires were super dry rotted and while Cody, Michael’s son, was riding, it blew the front tire. Now I need tires and a tube 😦

I had already said no to new tires until I sold the cruiser to pay for them. It also gave us time to shop for best pricing. Visiting bike stores is awesome. It is a whole different realm to me. Michael had a conversation with one of the techs and I didn’t understand half of what they were saying! Michael would love to be a bike mechanic.. There’s just not a lot of openings for them at the moment :c (He has a follow up interview this Thursday for GOP!! Yay!! Fingers crossed) One thing I learned right off, these people take biking of any kind freaking seriously. I mean it. These dudes are hard core, just look at some price tags. You have to be hard core to be able to afford equipment like that. Just so y’all know if I could afford it… I would want the Surly Troll, I like this years purple 🙂

Back to the Schwinn in my current reality.. I sold the cruiser yesterday for $50!! We had found the best price on Amazon, duh, and I might even have enough left to get a rack.. Maybe. I am so excited, so were the people getting the bike. It was win win all around!

First trip with the bike!

So, the car has been gone over a month now. We have Michael’s Fit and the 2 bikes. He has been commuting, even before he left Firestone. He would cut out in the morning with his bookbag and be gone! Now if he can ride his bike, he wants to. He used to be hard core into trail biking so he’s back in his element. He was able to find a GREAT bike at the flea market for $40. He’s gotten the rack for his grocery runs( I’m not ready for that haul on the cruiser yet) Our neighbor gave him a trailer that you would ride kids behind you, he’s put down a floor to make it a true little trailer 🙂
Back to me of course, we went in the woods first for leaf mold run on the bikes with the trailer and Rubbermaid! We get back home and decide to make my first trip to the store. Holy Cow. We were able to use our woods shortcut at first, but then we had to ride on the main road. And its not even a ‘bad’ road. I just concentrated on staying on the white line. It was weird to stop at redlights on your bike, next to someone in their Expedition blinking at you. Lights turn green and we pedaled off!! Michael’s mom gave me a sweet blue beach cruiser. I would like a mountain bike one day.. but for now I’ll just be cruising 😀