On the Move

I have some big news, but haven't been able to figure out how to share it! I decided today that it's time I just delve right in. If anyone has any questions, please feel free to ask away. It may help me decide what subject to write about next. The news is... my family is on the move again. This time instead of it being across a state or across the country we're going to move to Nicaragua. It's a small country in Central America - north of Costa Rica and south of Honduras.


I guess the first logical question to such news would be, "Why?" Well, farming in the northern U.S. isn't easy. The growing season is short and the area we're in currently has horrible soil. It's expensive to raise animals when you have to buy hay from other farmers. In Nicaragua there is a year round growing season. Not only will we be able to grow plenty of food for our animals, but we'll be able to grow food for ourselves (a lifelong dream of ours). Still, you might ask, "Why not just move to California or another warmer state?" That one is easy. California is simply unaffordable (plus we're not fond of the laws down there). The U.S. is not a cheap place to live. It's hard for a family to be able to buy land and actually own it without a ton of debt hanging over them. The last thing we want is to be in debt. In Nicaragua the wages are terrible, but living off of U.S. wages in Nicaragua is ideal. Even if you were just an off site telemarketer you could live like a king/queen down there. As most of you know, Brad has off site computer work, so that will work perfectly with our plan.

Nicaragua is a poor country. You can easily find a 3 bedroom home for $300/month. The problem is, as I mentioned before, the wages are terrible. A doctor only makes about $100 a month, which can't even pay the rent in many areas. Extended family often live together to make ends meet. Petty thieves are everywhere.

The weather sounds wonderful. Whatever warm temperature you like, you can pick an area of Nicaragua that has that year round. Right now that sounds heavenly. The cold winds are already blowing and we've had multiple snow storms here. Farming can be difficult in such a cold climate. In the "spring", when Brad is out of town for work, and I have to get up and go milk goats in the freezing wind I sit there and wonder what we were thinking when we got into farming here of all places. I'm not kidding myself, I'm sure there will be problems in Nicaragua, too. They will be different ones from here, but there will be some. For example, instead of the cold winds when I go out to milk the goat, maybe I just won't find our goat at all. Maybe our neighbor will have stolen our goat the night before since they were hungry and wanted some milk. If that's the case, and we end up losing a bunch of livestock to thieves, we'll probably come back.

Our first trip down there will be a 4-6 month long one. Our goal will be to decide whether we truly like it enough to live there, to learn Spanish better, to figure out what area we would like to live in, to meet locals in that area, etc. It should be a wonderful learning experience no matter what our final decision is. We won't take more than a few suitcases for that first trip. After that, assuming we still want to live there, we'll ship over a container of our things.

Well, my children are asking for lunch now, so I had better sign off. I'll try to write more tomorrow about this venture. Remember, I love questions! :)

Swine Flu

I have never once gotten a flu shot and never plan to. I would far rather get the flu than to be 1 in a million who can't walk from getting the vaccine:


Elizabeth and I have had the swine flu this week as did my sister, Mariah (she was tested for it at the hospital). It's no fun, but it's not worth the hype. Maybe it was the fresh garlic I ate the day I knew I was coming down with the sickness that helped me from getting worse, but I didn't even throw up. I had a fever that got up to 104.2, chills, aches, headaches, loose stool, a somewhat bad cough, and pain in my lungs. It was a pain to feel that way and I basically stayed in bed the first 3 days, but I still say this is getting overly dramatized in the news. Fear and worry are not good for your immune system. Thousands die from the flu each year and we don't hear this kind of hype. I'm not sure why the swine flu is getting this kind of attention.

Here are a few things I think everyone should know before they decide whether to get the swine flu vaccine or not:

1. The vaccine contains squalene (MF59) which has not been tested for causing cancer.
2. The vaccine contains thimerosal, a known culprit in causing autism and neurological deficits.
3. The vaccine curiously contains nonoxynol-9 used in spermicides.
4. The vaccine will likely cause (and spread) the flu.
5. No neurological testing will be done to ensure the vaccine is safe from harmful neurological side effects.
6. Monitoring for safety will last 13 months, well beyond the flu season.

Here's a great article to read on the subject of the swine flu vaccine.

Take care and stay well!

An Elizabeth Moment

Me and Mine

I nearly didn't post this picture at all, because I had just crawled out of bed when I took this photo, but Robbie looks so cute in it I just couldn't resist! I gave Robbie a haircut recently and since several people asked for a picture of him, I thought I better get to it! So, here's the cute little guy with his new 1 inch buzz cut.

Here's Elizabeth napping today. Isn't she sweet? It's hard to believe she's nearly 3 months old already! I love how her little arm is stretched out above her head... so trusting, comfortable, relaxed, sweet. It's hard not to resist kissing that little cheek, don't you agree? :)

Brad

I saw on another blog a cute idea of making a list of the things you like about your spouse and decided to make my own. Here are just some of the things I appreciate/like about Brad:

He takes care of all of the outdoor chores when he is home (that's a big job that includes feeding the oxen, sheep, goats, and chickens).
He randomly brings me a bouquet of roses.
He takes care of all the repairs and maintenance on our vehicles.
He's really strong.
He does most of the laundry ever since my pregnancy with Elizabeth.
He takes the kids on errands with him when I need a little quiet time alone or lets me run my errands alone.
He helps with the dishes.
He keeps the children quiet enough for me to sleep in most mornings
He does most of the grocery shopping (especially since my pregnancy when I was on partial bed rest).
He can write computer code (talk about a foreign language!).
He always tells me I'm pretty even when I'm sick or am 9 months pregnant.
He takes the garbage down to the end of the driveway for pick up (we have a really long driveway).
He keeps our computers working well (updates software, keeps viruses off, etc.)
He completely handles our finances.
He is supportive of my hobbies.
He reads a lot.
He comforts me when I need to be comforted.
He is a thorough researcher.
He's really good with cattle.
He has good taste in jewelry (for me, of course!)
He makes great popcorn from scratch nearly every night for our movie time together.
He values healthy eating.
He has always been supportive of breastfeeding and homeschooling.
He's a good problem solver.
He can learn to fix just about anything.
He's very supportive of home birth.
He has a green thumb (not literally, of course).
He's a wonderful provider.
He's a good protector.
He's really tall.
He likes me.
He has a good, deep man voice (that my not sound like much, but I really miss it when he is away!)
And last, but definitely not least he loves me!