Homestead

     I have been dreaming about our future house for months now.  I've kept myself awake at nights and have been so absorbed in thought during the day just fantasizing about what this place will be like.  Mike and I really love Oregon, and I am ready to permanently settle down in a house we will raise our family in and stay for the rest of our lives.  I'm still trying to convince Mike to settle down for good, since he likes the prospect of moving around and experiencing new places.  But we both agree that this is the best place we've lived so far, and personally, I can see us here long-term.
   
     I can't believe we've been here for over a year now.  At the present time, we are renting a house and our lease recently ended so now we have a month-to-month contract.  This is nice because, when we do find the perfect house, we'll be able to make the transition right away.  But at the same time, we don't feel like we are in a huge rush to make a decision.  Our next move is something we definitely need to take time to consider, particularly if it will be the place we end up forever.

     Mike and I have been seriously looking at properties for the past few months.  There is so much to think about.  Obviously, price is a factor.  But we also don't want a place that requires a lot of "fixing up."  Mike's work hours don't accommodate for a house that needs a ton of remodeling.  Probably one of the most important thing for us right now is land.  I have been envisioning a place with big trees for the kids to climb, and Mike has been romancing the idea of a pond or creek. We would love a place with plenty of space for growing a garden and raising animals.  Aside from a regular garden, I also want to build a greenhouse and have fruit trees and berries.  We want to have room for a chicken coop, and housing for various other animals.  We especially need enough open space for the kids to play and explore and for our future dog to run around.  I can't wait to get a dog!
     
     It's important for us to teach our kids how to grow food and take care of animals and be self-sufficient.  We want them to learn how to work.  We can't invest our lives in running a big farm, because that would be completely unmanageable for us at the moment.  But I can imagine us undertaking a small scale farming project to start and then someday building up to more grandiose ideas as we gain further experience and know-how.  I grew up in a small town surrounded by farms, but never actually worked on a farm myself.  However, I have family members who have shared bits of wisdom from their own farming background, and so I think it's a feasible ambition.
   
      There are other things to consider besides land.  For instance, we can't be too far out in the country that Mike has an insane commute to his office and back.  We also don't want to be a ridiculous distance from our beloved downtown Portland, where all the excitement, fun shops and delicious restaurants reside.  Right now we live in the suburbs.  Nothing great about that except for the location.  You see, we are only an hour away from the beach and an hour away from the mountains and the gorge and I don't want to sacrifice being further away from those things that I have grown to love so much since moving here.  So the question is, does the perfect house for us exist?  Does it meet all of our  requirements?  Probably not.  So now we have to brainstorm and figure out what things we're willing to give up, if we have to, and what things are an absolute priority.  Not easy to do for the girl who wants EVERYTHING.  :)