The Adventure Begins!

When Ryan and I first met we already had similar ideas of what we'd like our futures to hold. We wanted to find a way to live simpler, more fulfilling lives. Our first few plans included a houseboat, a sailboat, a small house in Florida, a home in Charleston, etc. While these plans would all have taken us to beautiful places near friends and family, they just didn't simplify life in the way we were hoping. About a year before the wedding Ryan and I started discussing homesteading. We both loved the idea of self-sufficiency and living off the land, and we really loved the thought that all of our hard work would directly effect our livelihood. This option quickly became a plan and a priority. After months of research and talking to friends and family, we decided this was definitely in our future and haven't stopped thinking and talking about it since.

Our original plan was to save up for the next few years and, together with a couple friends who share our dream of simplicity, find 10-20 acres of land somewhere in the southeast when we had the money to do so. We've looked at hundreds of properties just daydreaming away and had settled on a few particular states because we could get the acreage we wanted for lower prices than other areas that had the climate and geography we were looking for. Our plans all seemed to be so far out of reach, but we were excited about the future.

We planned and budgeted and were finally able to start saving a little after our wedding, but a few short weeks ago we were far from being able to realize our dream. Then as we sat talking on Mother's Day about our plans for the future with some family-caliber friends we were given the gift of a lifetime: a wooded 2 acre lot in Dawsonville, GA with beautiful trees and a creek in a quiet, secluded area with endless options and opportunities. We just about burst with excitement and will never be able to thank our benefactors enough. We hope to show our thanks and gratitude through our exciting plans and projects and invite you all to come on this journey with us!