Take Me Home Country Roads!

We have done it again, we've moved! I know our moves are old news because they seem to happen every 6 months or so, but hopefully this is the last move for a while. We have been searching the past few years for a property with acreage so we can start a little homestead, and we have finally found that property!

We've moved back to the Shenandoah Valley and are so excited to call Linville, Virginia our home now! It is a property with 6.5 rolling acres. We also have a (distant) view of the mountains bordering West Virginia. Our hope is to grow a giant garden, get chickens, sheep, maybe pigs, maybe a cow, plant a variety of apple trees and grape vines, and get some wildflowers growing in the unused "meadow".

We have big hopes and plans, but of course no experience, so this will all be trial and error for us. And of course with everything, this will all take time. This year we are focusing on a small garden and hopefully chickens.

We have named the "farm" Whimsy Acres and I have started a separate Instagram account to document the property's beauty and of course our experiences. Feel free to follow the Instagram account: whimsyacresva. Also, I hope to write more about it here along with pictures. What an adventure we have gotten ourselves into!

Year of Rejuvenation!

Many of you know that we have moved AGAIN! Yes, it is true. How many times can one move in a year...apparently a lot. And this time it is to another state. Unfortunately, Andy doesn't have one of those live-in-one-place kind of jobs. He usually travels all over the place for work, which means Hazel, me, and Mr. Buckles (the dog) are left at home doing our own thing, eagerly awaiting his return.

Our move to Maryland is a long story, but hopefully it will mean that we will see more of Andy since the majority of his projects are here in MD. We are also hopeful that this move will only be for 1-year. At which time, we will happily move back to Harrisonburg and Andy will once again work remotely.

A lot of our moves are chosen by us, such as buying a new house, but a lot are also dictated by Andy's job. It is somewhat of a nomadic life, which I used to like, but have just decided that I am over it. Moving with a child and dog multiple times in a year is just draining. Back in our childless days, Andy and I would rock and roll a move! We'd put on some loud tunes, pack up our things, throw them into a truck, and off we'd go. We could be 100% moved in just 24 hours. Now'a'days moving isn't so simple. One of us has to watch the toddler, the dog gets anxiety so we have to pay special attention to him, so only one of us can move things until nap time, then nap time for the toddler is when we crank out the real work (no rest for parents), and so it goes until we are all moved. Shew, it is draining!

In the past year and half Andy and I bought a new (old fixer upper) house, completely renovated it ourselves while living in it and then living with friends, part of the renovation was during my pregnancy, then we brought our new baby home to that house, finished the renovation, bought a different house (a duplex!) in our favorite part of town, lived in one part while we rented the other, worked on updating and maintaining the part we were in, then moved to the other apartment and found new renters, fixed a bunch of things in that apartment and landscaped the backyard...and now we are moved yet again! So while we currently live in a tiny RENTED apartment in Maryland, we own two houses in Virginia, of which we have poured our blood, sweat, and tears into. This was not our original plan...but alas, it is life. And the hope is to get back to our home in Virginia (and houses) in a years time.

So all of that said, we have decided to make this year of living in Maryland a year of rejuvenation. We are planning for it to be a year of cooking fun healthy food, exercising as a family, and enjoying more of the outdoors, all the while living in an apartment and not worrying about renovating a house or doing yard work. (Not to say that we won't maintain our houses as rental properties, we just won't actively work on them.) I'm also making a monthly list of things that I would like to work on during this year of rejuvenation:

October......write more letters
November......meditate every day
December......get better at wine tasting
January......yoga/hot yoga
February......do more drawing/art
March......learn new recipes
April......exercise outside every day
May......hike a new trail every weekend
June......go to bed early
July......photograph something every day
August......no sugar
September......drink 10 glasses of water a day

May it be a healthful year of rejuvenation in Maryland!

Tips for packing and moving

I love to move, it invigorates me! A friend recently commented that since we move so often we must be pros at it. I have never given it a second thought, but yes, I guess we are pros at it. :) Through each move we learn something different, and have thus developed quite a few tips and tricks. Here are just a few of the handy things we do when we move:

-Out with the old and unused!!
First of all, sort through ALL of your things. Yes, this can be a tedious process but is so rewarding in the end. Get rid of those things that you don't use anymore, that don't bring you joy. By getting rid of these things first, your move will be lighter and you won't have to pack as much stuff. (I am always amazed at the amount of unworn clothes I am able to dig out of my closet!)

-Invest in rubbermaid containers
If you move often, it is helpful to just invest in some sturdy moving containers/boxes. A few moves ago we bought a whole bunch of rubbermaid containers and now we use them for each move. They are convenient, heavy duty (don't fall apart), and are even great for storage after you move. (Or, you can use them as furniture!)

-Use moving straps
We first borrowed these from a friend and after discovering how awesome they are, bought our own set. Since Andy and I don't hire anyone to move our stuff, these moving straps have come in SO handy. Andy and I are able to lift anything with them because they offset and distribute the weight. They are probably the most useful, awesome moving tool that we own.

-Wrap dishes and delicate things in plastic bags
Like most people, we have an excessive amount grocery bags accumulating in our house. I like to save them for picking up dog poop and moving! I use them to wrap our dishes and any other delicate things we may have. They provide great padding, AND if something breaks, then it is contained within the bag for easy cleanup.

-Find moving boxes in store dumpsters
We primarily use our rubbermaid containers for moving, but if we need a few more boxes I will go grab them from a store dumpster. Stores like the Dollar Store usually have tons of boxes that they get rid of. You can even call Lowes or Home Depot first thing in the morning and have them save you a few of their giant appliances boxes.

-Pack per room and label
This is probably a well known moving technique, but I figured I would throw it in with the mix. When you pack things by room and label the boxes, then unpacking at your next destination is SO EASY. 

-Use plastic wrap
We learned this trick by moving overseas. In the airport, they had a giant plastic wrap machine that would wrap peoples luggage for extra safety and protection. So we adopted that technique, especially for things like mattresses. We buy the giant bulk plastic wrap on amazon and wrap the mattress, couches, throw blankets over other furniture and then wrap them too.

-Use trash bags for items on hangers
Instead of taking our clothing off of hangers and packing them in boxes, we just put a hole in a heavy duty trash bag, and then stuff a bunch of hangers through the hole. Then we tape the hangers around the top of the bag. This allows you to keep your things on hangers, and they are also protected this way.

The benefits of moving often (yes we are moving again)

It is no secret that I LOVE to move! Maybe it stems from growing up as a missionary kid where we traveled and moved all the time OR, maybe I just hate commitment. (Though, that's another post altogether!) Either way, I am lucky to be married to Andy because he enjoys moving just as much as I do. We will see where Hazel falls on the moving spectrum...

So, why move after we put a whole years worth of work into renovating our current house?? Ha, why not? Andy and I have a pretty decent track record of moving every two years. We just so happen to hit the two year mark for our current house this June, so we figured it was time to move on. I have been dying to get back to the neighborhood where I grew up (old town, right next to downtown) and this move is going to take us there. We bought one big old house that is actually a duplex. No, it does not need any work. Yes, we will be landlords. The plan is to live in one half of the house and rent the other half. It should be interesting, but we are excited for a new adventure. This time, it is an adventure in being landlords! We are also excited to be spending LESS time working on a house and MORE time outside, downtown, and just enjoying life in general.

But really, there are huge benefits to moving often. The more I move, the more I enjoy it and realize how good it is. I feel like moving houses (or apartments) cleanses my head, my soul, my life. Yes, I may be weird, but I do believe there is something to it! When we move, it forces us to reevaluate everything. In order to pack our things we (Andy and I) first have to go through everything that we own and figure out what is worth making the move, and what isn't. I learned this the hard way when we moved across the US to California and took everything without evaluating first. Now, I know to sort through everything we have accumulated and keep only the useful important things, while getting rid of the rest. This allows us to move with a clean slate.

I have written posts before about living a minimalist lifestyle, but I often forget to take my own advice. It isn't until we move that I remember my minimalist desires. So with each move, I am able to think minimal again. I can see all of our things and decide which bring me joy, which do I use often, and then discard the rest. There is no sense in keeping things that I do not use. With each move, there is a large purge, and with each purge I get a sense of lightness and freedom from "stuff". It is fantastic! Almost addictive for me. Thus the moving every two years, I guess.

Adjustment Period...

Well...here we are all moved back to Virginia, done with summer trips, living in our house again, and settling into life like we never left. It is a good feeling. We are living where we want to be living, enjoying time with our good friends, and Andy is starting his dream business. So that leaves me... What am I up to and how am I feeling?

(Happy to be enjoying the Virginia mountains with friends.)

Let me tell you, for the most part I am immensely happy to be back in Virginia. Yesterday around 5pm the sky got very dark and foreboding, then the thunder starting rolling in the distance. I wondered to myself if we were going to get a big storm, then in my California mindset I told myself not to be silly, that it would probably only be a few sprinkles of rain. To my most happy, wonderful, pleasant surprise, the sky opened up and it poured. I mean POURED! I almost ran outside and did a rain dance, but instead I contented myself with enjoying the storm from the open front door. It was magnificent! Gosh, I love a good rain storm.

(Excited about the rain storm.)

Aside from summer rain storms, I feel like I am in an adjustment period. A period of good days and bad days. Moving back to Virginia without a business to run or a job in the works has been frustrating. Andy was able to jump right into things with his business partners, while I am left sitting at home applying for jobs. One can only sit and apply for jobs for so long before one's butt gets tired and bored...if you catch my drift.

(Keeping busy with projects.)

There is some good and some bad in the adjustment period. I am trying not to let myself get stressed and frustrated about not having a job. I really want to find the right job and I am realizing that it will take time. I need to be patient. The upside of everything and the most important thing is that Andy and I are where we want to be and all of our good friends are nearby. For that I am incredibly glad! So bring on the rain storms, the friend gatherings, and the projects. I'll keep myself content while I look for the right job...lets just hope it doesn't take too long.

West to East

Here is a quick look at our moving road trip from the West (California) to the East (Virginia) via Instagram. Stay tuned for more stories and pictures to come.

(Loading the moving truck in Oakland, CA)

(Hot temperatures in Nevada.)

(Las Vegas, Nevada for the evening.)

(Window Rock, Arizona)

(Outside of Dallas, TX at Andy's parents' house.)

(New Orleans, Louisiana)

 (Bored in Georgia)

(North Carolina...almost home!)

(Unloading the truck in Harrisonburg, VA, HOME!)

Packed up and Moving out!

Well folks, we are officially on the road! We have been anticipating this move for the last few weeks, but it came upon us really fast. We actually had Airbnb'ers staying with us until the second to last day, yikes! I emailed the girl who would be with us to let her know that our apartment was going to be crazy because we were moving. (I emailed her a month in advance.) I gave her the option to cancel with us and find another place...or to stay with us for a very discounted rate. I really hoped she would stay somewhere else, but she chose the discounted rate. So...we packed around her. I'm so glad that is over!

(This is everything we own, plus a bed, couch, and kitchen table.)

When Andy and I moved to California it was right over Christmas and not only did we drive through a huge winter storm, but we had very limited time to make the drive. We drove our own Budget moving truck and because we had stopped in Indiana to have Christmas with Andy's family, we had no more free time for our cross-country trip. We had to get to CA in 3-days, so it was straight driving for us. We were both bummed about driving in winter conditions and not being able to stop at random places along the way. This time we decided to do it differently. We planned a 10-day trip across the country to stop and see some friends, do some camping, check out some curiosities (like Roswell, NM), and have a few days with Andy's parents. This time we also have a moving truck that is taking our stuff for us. All we have to do is drive our car and make sure we are in VA to meet the moving truck on the other end. We are pretty excited!

(Our planned trip itinerary.)

So, our California life is packed up and on the road. Our car is all loaded with camping supplies, dog stuff, and a cooler full of cheese and fruit. We've got our road-trip music mixes made, and our travel caps (cowboy hats) on. Wild South West, here we come! Then it's home to Virginia!

(The way Andy packs vs. the way I pack.)

Leaving the Bay Area...

"The time has come," the Walrus said,
"To talk of many things:
Of shoes--and ships--and sealing-wax--
Of cabbages--and kings--
And why the sea is boiling hot--
And whether pigs have wings."

-Lewis Carroll

And the time has come for us to leave the Bay Area. (Yes, the poem above is completely random, I just like it.) Leave the Bay you say? Why yes, Virginia is our home and we have made the decision to move back.

The decision to move back to Virginia has been a difficult decision that we have mulled over many a night. I wrote this post a while back about constantly comparing California to Virginia, and about how our decision was made from the desire for adventure. And let me just say, it has been one awesome adventure!

Our move and adventure to California was inevitable. It was the thing we had waited years for, so we had to do it. It was our opportunity to try something new, live in a different place, be different people, and experience new things. Through moving here and doing all of those things we slowly began to realize that it was not for us. Our life here in California has never felt permanent. When the future was brought up we could never envision ourselves here, and when talk of having kids started we most definitely could not imagine it happening in California.

We gave it our best shot, but somehow the core of our being cannot let go of Virginia. Neither Andy or I had a childhood in Virginia, we both moved there when we were 12 years old. From that point on though, Virginia shaped who we were through middle school, high school, and then college. Those green rolling mountains of the Shenandoah Valley molded us into the people we are today. It wasn't until we left that, that we discovered how important it is to us.

Yes we are young, and yes we will still have many adventures, but at this point in our late 20s we just want to be in a familiar place surrounded by our good friends. California has taught us the importance of home, community, family, and friendship. These above all else are the important things in our lives and we don't want to waste another minute away from them.

So...California- it has been grand, but Virginia awaits us!

(*We start the long drive back at the end of the month, so blog posts will be spotty for the next few weeks.)

California vs. Virginia

This post has been formulating in my head over the last two months, but I haven't been able to put it down in words. Last night I lay in bed wide awake writing the post in my mind. It was a great post, well thought out and nicely written. I was awake, but too tired to actually get out of bed and write the post down in my computer. So here is my next morning attempt at putting my thoughts down as words.

People always say don't compare it's not good. Even Andy says it. I know that comparing is not good, but it happens anyway. It happens and I let it happen, so whatever! Since moving out to California it is in constant comparison to Virginia. Not saying that either is better, but there is always something here to remind me of Virginia...or even DC, which inevitably makes me homesick and I start to compare.

When Andy and I lived in DC and Virginia it was normal, comfortable, it was where we grew up and had spent a lot of our lives. After getting married I always figured we would move somewhere else and start new in a place that neither of us had been before. I thought we would make new friends, form a great group of like minded people, and go on a lot of adventures. That did not happen though. We spent our first three years of marriage in DC and Virginia.

They were great years though. We had lots of close friends surrounding us and we did all sorts of fun things. Yes, the area may have been the same as from our childhood, but our friendships were blossoming and there was always something going on, from parties, to cookouts, to random Easter egg hunts put on by our friends in the center of DC.

Then the job offer from California came. It was everything we had hoped for, only three years late. Our life was good where we were at, but the idea of being in a new place with a new exciting life seemed more important. So Andy took the job, I closed my chocolate business, we said goodbye to dear friends, and we moved out to the Bay Area.

Our first few months here were great. We were more focused on adventuring and seeing the area than anything else. Because of that, friendships were not made and community was not built. We also live in Oakland rather than San Francisco, which makes us feel isolated from everything that is happening. Most of the people we know are in SF, so it is frustrating to be across the Bay, which is close yet far at the same time.

So here we are living our "dream" life in California, yet all we can do is think about Virginia/DC and everything we used to have there. We push forward and try to make California work, but it is a slow almost excruciating process. I am discovering that friendships are not easily made in your late 20s, most people already have their solid friend group at this age. Yes, there are meet-up's to go to, but the actual friends made are far and few between.

California is the great land of sunshine (for that I am thankful), but I find myself missing the Virginia rain. I have never craved a heavy rain storm this much before. California has majestic beaches, wonderful wine, and endless parks of hiking to explore. Virginia though, has rolling green mountains, rivers for rafting, and loads of great friends. So the comparison continues... while we figure out where we fit into the grand scheme of everything...

10 Ways to Become a Minimalist

I recently read somewhere online that people in western Europe own 10'000 things on average. If you think about it, that really isn't very much. (You could also compare it to a developing country in African where some people can count their belongings on ten fingers.) We should all strive to own less. I wrote a post last week about my experience with minimalism and how it has been the best stress reliever that I have discovered yet. Own less, experience life more...that is my new motto!

Here's how you can do it too:

1.  Throw away the half used lotions, shampoos, and soaps that you don't use in your bathroom.
(You can also do this with pens, pencils, dog toys, kids toys...etc.)
2.  Burn your candles, don't save them for special occasions.
3.   Put DVD and CD contents onto a external hard-drive and give away the hard copies.
4.   Limit sentimental things to 1 box.
5.   Stop stocking up on stuff, only buy what you need.
6.   Keep your two best sheet sets, get rid of the rest. (same with towels)
7.   Get rid of old t-shirts, socks, and underwear. (Why do you keep those anyway??)
8.   Limit kitchen items to one set:
(one set of pots: small, medium, large, 1 muffin tin, 1 cookie sheet, 2 mixing bowls. You DON'T need more than that unless you are running a restaurant.)
9.   Cancel cable, sell the TV. (You can watch news/tv online on a computer or ipad.)
10.   Don't keep books, donate or sell them when you are finished reading. Or just get a kindle. (You can also borrow, trade, and/or use the library. I am a huge fan of trading. Nothing brings more joy than trading one good book for another.)

11.   Turn all of your closet hangers around (backwards) and as you use a piece of clothing flip the hanger back to the correct position. This will show you what clothes you do not wear anymore- then get rid of those clothes.

12.   For items you may be questioning: put them in a box, close the box, and put it out of sight (in a closet, basement, or attic) Later, when you find the box just get rid of it, do NOT open it. You can even make a note to yourself on the top of the box before storing it.

Helpful hints:
-Stop thinking you might need something for later. Instead go outside, experience life, explore. You don't need anything for that. (And if you find there is something you need after you've gotten rid of it you can always borrow it or find it again at a thrift store.)
-Tell yourself that you will be just fine without 'said item' that you are debating getting rid of. If you don't use it regularly, then you probably don't need it, and won't miss it.
-The less you own, the less that owns you. You will feel more free!

A Minimalist Lifestyle will help you:

• Become more creative
• Get outside more
• Have a clearer mind
• Consume less
• Focus on what's important
• Save more money
• Live with intention

 Some great articles and resources:

-A great article: Living with Less, A Lot Less
-Great for motivation, especially his facebook page: Becoming Minimalist
-Less on minimalism, more on zen. Still good stuff though: Zen Habits
  

A Minimalist Lifestyle

This picture is of our bedroom. Yes, we have a dresser and a closet, but this is basically it.

I have had a few small bouts of living a minimalist lifestyle, like living in a 200 square foot studio apartment in South Korea, but not until this year have I purposely wanted to live that lifestyle. Since getting married, (about 3 years ago) Andy and I have moved apartments or houses roughly 10 times. That means that on average, we have moved about every 4 months for the last 3 years. What can I say, we like to keep things interesting!

After Andy and I eloped for our marriage, we had a wedding party for all of our friends and family to help us celebrate. When we invited people we specifically said 'no gifts', we didn't want to acquire more things. It was a simple start to a marriage with plenty of kitchen utensils and not much else. That was how we liked it though. I mean, what else do you need in life?! With each move that we made, we acquired more "stuff". Building a life with another person quickly adds up to a lot of "stuff".

Society tells us we need a couch to sit on, a TV to watch, fancy serving trays for parties, and a bookshelf full of books. This is all consumerism and marketing at its best. Society has marked holidays, weddings, having babies, and birthdays as times that you should BUY and give. There is less emphasis these days on just enjoying each others company and being together. We are addicted to buying and owning things. With tv, newspapers, magazines, and society norms all telling us to buy and accumulate more, we are not only wasting our money, but our time. "Things" require maintenance. Maintenance takes away from time and enjoying life. The more you have, the more of your time it takes, the less you enjoy and appreciate other people and life itself. However, the less you have, the more you can get out to enjoy life and loved ones. (My soapbox speech of the day.)

Moving to California at the end of December was our 10th (or 11th, I can't remember) time moving since we were married. It was our largest and most stressful move yet. We moved all the way across the country, from Virginia to California...right through a Midwestern snow storm none the less. We also rented the largest moving truck, 16 feet long. As we drove across the country, I stressed about our stuff getting tossed around the back of the moving truck. I stressed about how we were going to unload our moving truck up 3 flights of stairs into our new apartment. I stressed that our apartment wouldn't be large enough (2 bedrooms) to fit our stuff. It was one stress on top of another, all brought on by our "stuff".

Despite my stresses, everything worked out. It was not fun though! We parked our moving truck in the middle of the street all day while just Andy and I moved our belongings up 3 flights of stairs. We ended up hiring some guys to help us and by the end of the day everything was successfully in our apartment. I was so stressed and tired of all the "stuff" we owned, that I just about lost it. I told Andy I was at the end of my rope and that if we didn't get rid of at least half of our stuff I was going to lose it. So we did just that.

Andy and I spent the first week in our new apartment sorting through our stuff. We quickly discovered that the majority of our things were either useless, or duplicates. So out they went! We were able to whittle our things down to half the amount of what we moved with. And...we are still getting rid of things. At the end of each week, we have another bag or box of things to go. With each box that we get rid of I feel lighter, more positive, and more happy. It is wonderful! We are also discovering that the less we own, the more we get out and do things. We have adventures and truly enjoy life because nothing is keeping us at home.

I hate that it took us 3 years of accumulating things and 10 times of moving to discover how wonderful it is to live a minimalist lifestyle. I am happy however, that we have finally reached this point, and we will continue to have even less in the following months. What a sigh or relief. It has been the best stress reducer that I have discovered yet!

In a future post I will give tips on how to become more minimalist.

From VA to CA

Last week was a crazy and busy week. Andy was hired by a California solar company a few months ago and has been working remotely with them until we had a chance to move. The holidays gave us a nice large time gap where Andy wasn't working, so we did the big move! Here is a quick rundown of our move from Virginia to California through Instagram pictures.

Our moving truck all loaded up in Virginia. You can't see our car attached to a toeing hitch on the back, but it's there. Our speed topped out at about a whopping 60mph!

 Our first bout of traffic around Pennsylvania. Holiday traffic was horrible.

 Mr. Buckles did so well, he was a trooper. He worked nicely as a lap warmer too. Andy was also a trooper, though you can't tell in this picture. :)

 Mmm, breakfast on the road!

 Christmas morning. I wasn't too thrilled to be on the road, but I was happy to be making progress.
Yeah, I drink coffee through a straw...I'm cool.

 This was our Christmas dinner on the road. We couldn't find any open restaurants for dinner, not even fast-food! The cookies in the bag are peppernuts...have you had them? They are awesome!

 I made this road sign from the Krispy Kreme box while bored on the drive. It got quite snowy.

 We hit some VERY snowy mountains in both Wyoming and Utah.

 We stopped at the Salt Flats in Utah to throw the ball with Mr. Buckles.

The end, the final destination!! Our apartment in Oakland, California. We were so happy to have arrived safe and still in one piece.