Dream Catching

Earlier today I updated my facebook status to read:

"This year is a year of making dreams come true. What have you been dreaming about?"

I got some good responses: a newlywed couple striving to move into their own place; my brother wanting to teach English in a non-English speaking country; a close friend wanting to get out of debt; and as always... adventure, adventure, adventure! These are all great dreams for the year and, luckily enough, we all still have plenty of time, fore the year has just begun!


Beau and I had been working on buying a home here in Arizona. We even put in an offer on one that was "perfect" for us... for now. It was a 4 bedroom, 1.75 bath 1963 ranch styled home with a wonderful kitchen, dining area, living room, and reading room. A laundry room tucked away behind an inconspicuous door, and storage like there was no tomorrow. It was a great sized lot: 10,000+ sq feet, perfect for a large garden, a play area, chickens, and a shed that could be turned into my future holistic office, equipped with herb and flower garden. It was in the most adorable neighborhood we could ask for. It was absolutely perfect... for now. You see, it is that "for now" bit that wasn't quite feeling right. 

A little paint to brighten the place up, a garden out front, and its curb appeal is undeniable!

We put the offer in to the selling agent early November. It wasn't until just before Christmas when we finally heard back from the second lien holder who counter offered asking for $19,000 cash from the current owner. Now, call me crazy, but if the seller is going into foreclosure do you really think he would have the 19k on hand? Yeah, I didn't think so either. So here we are, almost 3 months later and we are still in gridlock with the house. We were really frustrated at first, but now we are starting to see this in a whole new light.

This is a blessing because it gave us the time to realize that this "for now" business meant we were settling for less than what we truly want.

"For now" meant that eventually we wanted to move out of the city... once we could afford it. "For now" meant that we wanted to homestead and be off the grid.... once we could afford it. "For now" meant going home to the NorthWest to be closer to some of my family, but to also be back in the beauty of the Cascades... once we could afford it. "For now" meant that this house just isn't going to cut it. We aren't about to accept defeat because what "For now" really meant is that it was good enough and when you get comfortable in the world of "good enough" you stop striving for what was beyond your "for now." Following me still? If you keep putting your dreams off for tomorrow, oh but wait... the next day. And the day after that. And the day after that. And the day after that... it never gets done.

Instead, what you have to do is move now. Act now. Do what you have to do now to get that dream in motion!

 We can't keep waiting. It has been my experience that the Universe conspires to help those who are moving forward. It moves toward the person as that person moves toward their goal. Eventually they meet, and that moment they do is when the dream comes to fruition.

Source

So this is us, taking our first step toward our dream. "What is our dream?" you might ask. That's easy. Our dream is to own land. Not just a little, but a lot! Acres and acres of land. We want privacy and room to breathe. We want to build our own home, have a well full of the most divine water, and power our lives by the energy of the sun and wind. We want to work the dirt with our bare hands and have chickens running everywhere. We want to wake up in the morning to the sun rising over the hills and to fall asleep to the musings of the crickets. We want to be able to raise our children in a natural and organic environment where they spend more time outside in the elements than inside in front of the TV. We want to be modern day homesteaders.

And we don't want to have to rob a bank to do it.

If all goes in our favor we won't have to study Heist then Prison Break to make our dream come true. Instead, we have a better plan. We have post-poned our wedding until next year, although we are likely to still get married this summer. We have done this to save money and to focus on the task at hand. Secondly, we are really watching our budget in general, saving every penny we have. It is very likely I will get a second job unless my current work will let me go full time. We have set a goal of acquiring the land this Spring, prepping the land for a homesite this Summer, and ordering our home-kit this winter for a move in date of next Spring. 

A little more modern than this. Source

After doing an extensive amount of research I have found that while this plan may be ludicrous it is absolutely feasible! Not only that, but achieving our dream will actually turn out to be less expensive than buying that perfect home... "for now." We would be crazy not to take advantage of this opportunity! The only thing holding us back? Jobs. Where we would be... ahem.. are moving to is not a highly populated area so jobs can be scarce. There is a community college in town, but they aren't hiring currently. Neither are the schools. So Beau might have to find something else. There are a lot of family services in the area, zero are hiring, but that could change. My job background is a little more flexible so I could find work at a preschool, restaurant, office, or cashier if necessary. Fortunately, our cost of living will be significantly lower than what it is now, so minimum wage jobs would be able to survive us and who is to say the job market won't change by Spring of next year?


Moral of the story, folks? Stop waiting. Stop waiting for the right moment. It will never be the right moment.

Just go. Do. Make it happen.

Create a plan, do your research, and make it happen. It is possible. You just have to find a way.


Yours in the Pursuit,
~Birdie