We Thought We Were Home
The last few years have been a roller coaster for so many and we have been riding the ride with you! We started The Daily Homesteader from our sweet little 5.5-acre farm in Georgia. We got chickens, then pigs, then goats! We were learning and growing right along with everyone else who had jumped into homesteading in the 2020 fog of…well you know!
Then, one day, we got a call. It was our oldest son telling us he had a great opportunity to advance his career but he would have to move to South Florida to do so. We were excited and devastated all at once. At the time he had two of our four grandchildren and they were going to be hours away! Then he punched us in the gut! He wanted the whole family to move BACK to Florida. We had just gotten to Georgia to start our new life. We had just bought this sweet little farm that we loved so much. His older sister and younger brother owned houses with their families. He thought we could all just sell our homes and up and move back?
Little did we know, he had everyone but me and his dad already on board. Because we lived in Florida when all three kids got married, they all had families they had left behind. Going back to Florida meant being closer to their loved ones too. And since we were small business owners and could work from anywhere, it wouldn’t take too much to transfer everything back to Florida. So…we started the process of moving back.
This time the move would include 10 turkeys, 20 chickens, 22 pigs, 2 goats, and more plants than I will ever actually admit (think 26ft Uhaul for plants alone). This was an insane thing to do! We didn’t even have a place to go!
After several fact-finding trips, we found a 9-acre piece of raw land in North Florida. RAW LAND! That meant we had to build. With one son, his wife, and two boys going to South Florida, that left just 6 adults to figure it all out.
Moving 22 pigs was enough to make us turn on each other a few times!
Now We Are Home, Right?
The story could go on and on, but the short version is, we moved into a very old, very used fifth wheel and built
a house. And, we built a farm! We even brought home our very first dairy cow! We could see that God moved us here so that we could realize our dream in an even bigger way than we had ever thought!
OH WAIT!
That was NOT the case at all! About halfway through the build, we started to feel uneasy. Something wasn’t right. Our South Florida son and his family took a transfer to be closer to the rest of the family, so that wasn’t it. The build was going well, so that wasn’t it. We had started the farm business and we were growing a good customer base, so that wasn’t it. We just couldn’t put our finger on it.
Then we got the news. The loan company did not like the way that we changed the plans of the house. Even though we had told them about it and gotten approval in a conference call with the contractor and bank, they changed their minds. If we didn’t do it the way that we had originally planned, they would not close the loan after the construction was finalized. The house was built at this point! There was no turning back.
I was heartsick! We were at the end of a nearly 2-year journey and we had to leave…NOW? We contacted everyone at the bank that we could think of and then with no warning, God just calmed my spirit. Calm in a way that I should not have been. Calm in a way that my husband was, absolutely, not! It wasn’t our house! It wasn’t supposed to be our house. I didn’t know why! I couldn’t even tell anyone how I knew, but this wasn’t our house.
So, we found a realtor and listed our FRESHLY finished home and farm for sale. Two showings…nothing! Then the third! God showed us so clearly that He had used us to build a home for a very special family. They had owned a 9-acre piece of land that they started to build their dream farm on but an accident changed their family’s future. They had to sell that property and had almost given up on their dream to have land and a small farmhouse. But then they saw our listing. It was THEIR house! It was always their house! And we got to be used as His hands and feet to help make their dreams come true! What a blessing! So many laughs and happy tears were shared with this family during the sale process and I believe they will be friends for life now.
But wait…where were we supposed to go? Funny thing…that question never really crossed our minds once we met that family. We just knew…God had a plan. So we packed, buckled up, and said, “Now what?”
We FINALLY Made It HOME!
There were several beautiful gifts that God gave us through that whole process and one was a significant equity check that allowed us to buy a new piece of land with cash and do the upgrades needed to live on that land. We had so much fun traveling around together to different parts of North and Central Florida searching for the perfect spot to…do it all again! After just a little bit of time, we found 2 acres in a little town that I had loved since we moved back to Florida. There are a couple of properties that flank ours that are the same size and if they come for sale, we may buy them. But for now, we have settled. It took us 6 more months of Air BNBs and hotel stays while we got the land ready and got the house ready. But we FINALLY moved home on January 1, 2025!
As blessings go, we have been rich over the last 2.5 years since leaving Georgia! Now, all of our kids are within 45 minutes of us, we are closer than ever to being debt-free because of the 9-acre property, and we have everything we need! Plus, through all of this, our fifth grandbaby was born and our 6th is coming in just a few months. God took us on a roller coaster ride for sure, but because He led us and stayed with us the whole time, we are better than ever!
