Adapting To Farm Life: 5 Month Recap
Over the weekend, we celebrated 5 months on the farm. We may have celebrated too much, as we went to 4 new restaurants – but that is par for our course.
While our date nights have not slowed down (a decision we are very conscious to maintain) so many aspects of our life have altered, many of which we never imagined.
Oh, Guacamole, Where Art Thou? Our kitchen paraphernalia still resides in a storage unit 20 minutes away, which means that while my mother is queen of the kitchen, our dinners have been provided and she’s cooking for the 5 of us. Guacamole has taken quite a backseat, and honestly it hasn’t been too hard – my mom is a phenomenal cook. However, I can’t wait to bust out our molcajete and I’ll make Scott will make guacamole to our heart’s content. He’s an expert avocado man.
Working from Home – If someone had warned me about the discipline that is required to work from home, I might not have done it. However, Scott is brilliant at working from home. After 5 months, the boy still rises at 7:00, makes coffee and lets out Ivan, watches the news, showers, irons a shirt, and gets fully dressed (often in a blazer, too) before heading in to promptly start work at 9:00. I’m still in bed.
We’re Keeping Our Clothes On – Remember when I talked about coming home and shedding clothes? Yeah. No walking around without clothes. As Scott found out, his future mother-in-law is usually around and it could make for an awkward moment. While we’re on the topic – privacy here is a tough one. You never know who is home and where everyone is in the house, so the moment we buy the house, the door will be locked and unless you call ahead – we’re not home. For awhile, that is.
Scott’s Ideal Decor – The space off of the dining room which has been used as Scott’s office has gotten a little taste of its new occupant. Slowly but surely, Scott is making himself at home in there, and he has chosen to decorate with his favorite hobbies:
Barn Chores – This has been a huge blessing, much more so than a burden. However, at least an hour of my day is now dedicated to the horses and goats – feeding and letting out in the morning, cleaning stalls, checking water mid-day, putting in at night. On nights of single digit temps, the last thing I want to do is bundle up to break ice out of buckets, but I love that they depend on me. So I work to be worthy of the responsibility. And Scott looks adorable in the barn. So there’s that.
Drive Time – When we lived in the apartment in Old Town, we had a gym on site and we could walk out our door in the evening to give Ivan his nightly stroll around town. However, we refuse to eliminate those family walks, and now we drive into Medina every night to keep our routine. It’s not far, but all the trips into town to hit the gym and to walk Ivan add up, and we find ourselves in the car far more now than in Virginia.
Make New Friends, But Keep the Old – The best thing about our move home has been meeting so many new people. We are given a great gift with this blog, as we are able to connect with people on social media everywhere we go. We have had lovely dates with couples and we’ve met so many great people that inspire us daily. If I had only one piece of advice for someone who is moving, GET OUT OF THE HOUSE. Meet people. Connect. Make a point to set up drinks or dinner and make it happen. Friends make all the difference in feeling like you finally belong somewhere. And hey pals in DC – we miss you dearly.
5 months here have flown, and though I always miss the sights and smells of my former city, the farm has a firm hold on my heart. Cheers to the next 5 months – and hopefully, finally being able to call this house officially ours.