Busy Not Working

It seems like forever since I've written a blog, and it also seems like there has been a whirlwind of activity in my at-home-dad life. I'm not sure exactly where time goes, but it has been going fast. Shelby and I have been running store visits, which are nice drives spotted with trips to Family Dollars, Home Depots, WalMarts, and Ace stores. There are the never ending chores of dishes, laundry, cooking, and cleaning, which are...well, never ending. But nothing extraordinarily time consuming. We watched our son Drake perform in the Greenmont fourth grade play last Thursday, and hosted two school Halloween parties at school yesterday. Which, as a side note - what the heck was I thinking there? I'm an at home dad and want to help with school things, but being a homeroom parent for two classes means trying to be two places at once for EVERY school party day. Thanks to Shelby and Kait for helping! So, anyways, it has been busy-er, but feels like a can't-catch-your-breath kind of busy. This is good though, as it helps time by and keeps our minds busy.

Shelby's back is still aching and we're waiting on physical therapy. The MRI is a big expense for us so we're waiting on that one. Life is quiet at the apartment as people move out, at least their persons. Still waiting for people to move out their "stuff" so I can get in there and cleanup. Cora's birthday at Delco Park was awesome, and before that, Kings Island and the Haunted Hayride at Young's Dairy was so much fun for everyone! Did I already write about the Renaissance Festival? Ok - I guess we have been busy...we pretty much rock right now :)

Our hopes are still to get out of here, and we continue to receive encouragement that we will achieve that goal. Just a matter of time...which makes moving the coats and Halloween supplies out of Grandma's attic and into our house a little heart breaking, but acceptable as we keep our eyes focused on our future.

The Beach

Living in Clearwater, Florida definitely tops the list of places we have lived. The two years that we lived there gave us so many more memories than seems possible for that amount of time. Being water people, we know of nothing more powerful than the call of the ocean, more peaceful than toes sunk into the sand, water overlapping occasionally, and nothing more exhilarating than watching the sun singe the horizon as it sets in an explosion of oranges, reds, and purples. Spectators applaud these sunsets...literally. The Pinellas County side of the bridge is laid back with no worries, and there are always, always plenty of activities going on for everyone to enjoy, often for free. When I close my eyes, I can feel the humid and salty ocean breeze, the dried salt on my skin and in my hair left after from a dip in this endless pool, and the cool fine grains of sand surrounding my feet. So, why are we here? Why, oh why did destiny bring us back to Ohio? I've heard some say that Ohio is a black hole that few escape from. I prefer to believe that destiny brought us to Ohio to open the door to ECOS for Shelby, and to confirm our feelings for our home away from family. The Island is calling, and we will be back (LOST reference - you're welcome). Back may be Florida or some other location, but it will be a place that we can be confident as our own family unit and confident in who we can be. Granted, Florida would be awesome, but Florida will be a part of our lives whether we live there or not. Destiny works in funny ways - we have accomplished many things in Ohio since we returned, the most important being that we know what is right for us and our future. Look back at this from wherever you end up, and tell me that I was right!

Reflection

The hardest thing to do right now is wait...I'm kind of done researching and planning until we know what we're researching and planning for, and I'm ready to live life like we love to do. But...the benefit of limbo is the reflection  of who we are and what we want. Today is a dreary, hum-drum day, and I feel like doing nothing. I will, however, take a moment to sum things up.

What I want for us:

• At least 5 acres
• Off grid
• A well
• Awesome vegetable garden - totally organic
• Berry patch started with the raspberry, blueberry, blackberry bushes and grape vine we have now
• Fruit orchard including the apple, peach, and nectarine trees we have now
• Lots of trees, including the starts we have now (sycamore, hickory, tulip, maple, and pine)
• Water gathering and recycling features
• Composting and recycling capabilities - I'd like our trash to be minimal
• Bees
• 2 Goats, lots of chickens, 2 sheep, a cow, and maybe a pig
• Lots of outdoor living space
• Space for living, workshopping, and growing
• Spaces for family and friends

Who we are:
Not that I'm and expert in any of these, but I feel a connection to many different cultures. We share the Native Americans' love of the earth and beliefs that we own none of it, but are responsible for the welfare of all of it. We admire the sense of community of the Amish, their sustainable off-grid living, and preparedness for the future. We believe in a pay-it-forward society and teachable moments. Life should be lived and enjoyed every day, not spent working overtime for those few days of vacation. Recently we feel that destiny has guided us down certain paths, although I believe that you can choose which path you take (but do you still end up at the same destination?). Like Shelby says: "We're not extreme anything." Extremists are fanatics and tend to be scary. Our beliefs evolve and grow, yet we're not purists in any one of them. I value life, but that fly I destroyed earlier probably doesn't get that. I don't drink soda, but I'm pretty sure my body would go into shock without coffee. It's not only that I want to live on renewable energy, but I want to reduce our energy use dramatically...yet I don't want to give up this laptop. The journey will be awesome, and hard, and will give us life. I know that we will spend way more time outside, and learn so much about ourselves while we build our home and grow our food. The place where we want to be will be our own, and our few dependencies on others will be tied to our community, education, and medicine. We will learn, and then teach, about this way of living because it is a growing wave that many people are gravitating towards. I think it is essential to our spirit. We will get there, but the dream makes waiting that much harder. I sit in an apartment that is lit with computers, video games, and lamps. The outdoors offer little here. But life will change drastically, hopefully soon, hopefully for the better that we are dreaming for!