We went to a wedding on Saturday and as I sat in the crowd during reception, I looked around the room.

Faces upon faces of people we have been blessed to know for over ten years. It would have been 11 years in April that we have been down here in the prairies of Minnesota.

I think of all the things I have learned to do here, and am just blown away by what those 11 years have brought us.

The ability to garden. The ability to raise our own food. The knowledge of how to can and when to harvest. How to cook from scratch. How to make our own mixes. Grind our own grain.

What it is to know folks who have know the same exact people their entire lives. Folks who grew up down the street from each other and are still friends 70 years later sitting around a table drinking coffee together once a week. Highschool sweethearts who are still happily married, and whose children are carrying on the same tradition.

Lovely teen girls and robust teen boys, all polite, all fun, who used to be the kids and toddlers that played in my yard or went to sunday school with my daughter before they all could even read.

Time is a funny thing.

I looked around and felt a sense of love mixed with sadness. The thought of letting some of these people go further from me and only see them once in a while is a brutal thought. My  best friend is dearer than the world to me, and so is her family. I cant imagine not seeing her every week across the table and a cup of coffee.

But then there is the world waiting for us. New house. New dreams to craft and fulfill. New neighbors, church, and friends.  We dont know very many people yet, but those we have met are incredibly self sufficient, and full of joy. The land where we are moving is even more beautiful than here, stretching out in every direction. It is a land of cattle ranching, and horse riding, rodeos, and strong, solid people, much like what I grew up with. A little closer to the West is fine with me, as I miss that culture.

The Handy Hubby loves his job. LOVES his job. He is happier than he has been in longer than I can remember. He calls me excitedly each Monday to tell me that his case was emptied over the weekend and bluster about how much work he has to do to fill it back up again….but I can hear that thread of pride and confidence in his voice.

He is  HAPPY……..and that is all that matters.

So I am feeling a lot like the ties are slowly being cut and as if I am floating between two worlds. Each box I pack I wonder where it will be placed and opened in a new house I have only seen once and cant hardly remember. It is enough that we will be together. It has been a long LONG 14 weeks at this point, and seems more like years upon years.

Hug your family tight.

Blessings to you and yours.

~Heather <3