We did it!

Well...after years of talking and dreaming about it, we finally sold our home and moved to the country! My handsome husband and I bought a 7.5 acre lot in Northern California and moved our family on to a piece of land that I fell in love with the first time I saw it. For years I have wanted to have a garden, raise our own animals, and have enough land that our three sons could run on without the fear of speeding cars passing by, nosy neighbors intruding on personal space, and the like. God blessed us with a plot of land to call our own, and it's my intention to keep my own diary of our life here...the good, bad, and ridiculously funny.  I'll start sharing some of the past month's stories in my next post, but I'll answer the standing question first.

Why the name "Dancing in the Minefields", right?  Most people I know have a saying, a song, or or a phrase that sticks with them throughout life. Perhaps it's something that a grandparent always said, or a slice of wisdom their mom offered that always seems to come to mind when they need it. Maybe a warning from an old college professor, or a scripture verse from a childhood pastor.  "Dancing in the Minefields" is a song by Andrew Peterson that came to me quite by accident, but immediately stuck with me. I've heard the song a thousand times and never tire of it. I never tire of the lyrics and never fast forward it when it comes on my playlist. It reminds me of my husband who I still adore as much today as when we met 23 years ago. Our life together has seen it's fair share of ups and downs. We've weathered some heavy storms, and have enjoyed the blessings of God as well. I am grateful for each day with him, I'm grateful for my beautiful children, and thankful for the chance to live out a dream we've shared for so long. Our world might look to some like it's unraveling at the seams, and perhaps it is. But, with God's grace sustaining us each day, I will dance through the minefields of life with this man I love so much and a family that is my everything. 

I was nineteen, you were twenty-one
The year we got engaged
Everyone said we were much too young
But we did it anyway

We bought our rings for forty each
From a pawn shop down the road
We said our vows and took the leap
Now fifteen years ago

We went dancing in the minefields
We went sailing in the storm
And it was harder than we dreamed
But I believe that's what the promise is for

"I do" are the two most famous last words
The beginning of the end
But to lose your life for another I've heard
Is a good place to begin

'Cause the only way to find your life
Is to lay your own life down
And I believe it's an easy price
For the life that we have found

And we're dancing in the minefields
We're sailing in the storm
This is harder than we dreamed
But I believe that's what the promise is for

So when I lose my way, find me
When I loose love's chains, bind me
At the end of all my faith, till the end of all my days
When I forget my name, remind me

'Cause we bear the light of the Son of Man
So there's nothing left to fear
So I'll walk with you in the shadow lands
Till the shadows disappear

'Cause he promised not to leave us
And his promises are true
So in the face of all this chaos, baby,
I can dance with you

And we're dancing in the minefields
We're sailing in the storm
This is harder than we dreamed
But I believe that's what the promise is for...