Eyes on the Prize

When I start feeling really broke, discouraged about our "little" house, feeling like we'll NEVER move to the Braddock ranch, when I feel like it's a money pit of land and we've gotten in over our head, Scott feeds me a little propaganda.  Today was that day.  

We've bought 34 acres of land out on the east side of Hartselle.  When we drive out there, it seriously gives me a little chemical reaction when I see how absolutely beautiful it is.  The amazing scenery from "our" little piece of land overwhelms me with how blessed we are to have been able to purchase the land at all.  It seems like a good of time as any to share how that came about at all...

Scott and I had driven around a bazillion times admiring land and dreaming about where we might one day settle down after our Navy life was done.  I knew at that point that I wanted to be no more than 10 minutes away from my parents' house.  Scott wanted a little piece of land that he could work.  We knew that this particular area of countryside was especially pretty, but things never seemed to be available.  While Scott was on his last deployment, cruising around the Arabian Gulf on an aircraft carrier, he found a 2 sentence classified ad online about some land for sale.  My Daddy and I went to see it.  We stomped around this big piece of land and I prayed the whole time.  "Lord, is this it?  Is this where you want us?"  The answer came back in a whisper, "Yes.  Yes."  

This began a flurry of e-mails as I start to communicate with Scott all about the land. He quickly agrees while seeing only the handful of pictures that I took while on my initial scout with Daddy and one arial photo from google maps.  He never even saw the land we were going to build our "Braddock Ranch" on before we bought it!  This also began my real estate crash course as I began not only buying the land (by myself, of course), but also selling both our houses in Virginia and California.  Within weeks I sold two houses, bought 34 acres of land, and moved my girls and I across town into base housing.  Whew!  Lots of folks thought that we were absolutely nuts, but the Lord has totally provided again and again - reassuring us over and over that we're exactly where we're supposed to be.  More on that to come...

In the meantime, Scott has become an avid reader.  He reads nonstop about sustainable agriculture and becoming a profitable farmer.  Who knew?  We really are going to be farmers!!  :)  As we continue to figure out what that looks like, we are trying desperately to follow the Lord's leading and the blessings continue to follow.

The pictures above are of what will be the view from our front porch, the pond that sits to the right and closer to the road from the house, and my favorite - my Little House on the Prairie girls traipsing around in the overgrowth.  All 3 are His blessings that I was reminded today to appreciate!!!