Hudsons Head West - Part 8 - Heading Home

Our time in the west was over.  Our responsibilities back home were looming ahead.  None of us were ready to leave, yet the choice was not our own.  Our pets needed us home, hubby needed to head back to work, and the children and I needed to get back in the swing of "normal" schooling.  And we missed our church family and friends.  So we all piled back in the suburban and started back home.  Even the baby was upset about coming home, so the 2 yo tried to comfort her.

On the way home, we were suppose to stop and visit a dear friend of mine.  Unfortunately, her children were sick, so we were unable to do so :'(  So, we kept on driving, and reached our next destination early.  The night before getting home, we stopped in Hendersonville North Carolina.  There is our favorite apple orchard that we go to each year.  Since we were passing through there anyways, we decided to pick apples the morning we were to get home.

After a fun time of picking five bushels of apples and picnicking at their tables, we finished the journey home.  Truth be told, it was quite nice to sleep in our own bed that night, though we desperately missed the cooler temperatures and beautiful slowness and scenery of the west <3 p="">

Hudsons Head West - Part 7 - Land Search

My family and I dream of what life will be like after the military... when we get to chose where to live.  Tons of prayer and dreams have gone into our plan.  Each of us have been given the opportunity to express our heartfelt wishes.  Lists and spreadsheets have been made, comparing and contrasting all fifty states.  We have listed our desires in order of importance, with the state's laws being at the top of the list, especially regarding home school and personal protection and safety.

We also have a great desire to live in a climate that has all four seasons, rather than "hot" and "hotter."  Snow is a must.  Being able to garden and have chickens is also a must.  Raw milk is desirable, though we are hoping to eventually have cows, goats and/or sheep to supply our own.  Hunting our own property would be ideal.  A fresh water supply would be phenomenal.

Our quest has led us to the northeastern parts of Wyoming.  Our last day in the area, we headed over to Crook and Weston Counties and looked at some properties.  What a gorgeous area!  The laws are ideal, raw milk is accessible, grass-fed beef is in the nearby areas.  The properties we looked at were nicely sized, with plenty of trees along with some areas that would work nicely for building sites.  The lots obviously had critters living in the vicinity, as you could see numerous bedding down areas.

We will continue to pray that God shows us the exact property He has in store for us.  We are quite certain it will be in that area.  He has shown us over and over again that it is the general vicinity He desires us to be.  We look forward to the day where we can live the simple lifestyle we feel called to live!

Hudsons Head West - Part 6

Sleeping in was an option today :)  Rather than the alarm going off at 5, it was set for 6:30.  What a nice change!  Ahead of us is a day of relaxation and taking in the local life of a smaller town called Spearfish.  First up was a trip to one of the local parks to let the kids run.  We met some family there and enjoyed a morning of playing on the playground equipment and wading in a stream.

After that, we headed to the local Fish Hatchery.  I'm not sure if the kids had more fun feeding the fish or the ducks!

Once our fish food cups were empty, we headed to a local coffee shop to get our own cups of refreshment.  Wow were the drinks yummy!  Picking up some fresh, local, raw milk was next on our agenda.

With the evening approaching and nothing on the agenda, we decided to head back to the Wildlife Loop at Custer State Park.

The next day we met up with our family again, and "hiked" a gorgeous trail to see a spectacular waterfall.  The little ones did really well, with the 2 year old tiring at the end, yet he kept on going.

On Sunday we headed to church and then over to our family's house for a day spent enjoying the gift of loved ones <3 a="" day="" great="" hat="" nbsp="" p="">