Welcome to the Happy Burrow Homestead – The Start of a Beginner’s Homestead Journey
The Early Years
We both grew up in the suburbs and neither one of us ever thought we would end up in the country starting a homestead. When we met, we were both living in the D.C. area. After getting married, we lived in different places all over the country from different coasts, urban areas, suburbs, even islands, and rural communities. We were blessed to experience so much diversity and figure out what we really wanted.
The Last Few Years
Now we have 4 beautiful kiddos (and two in heaven). Life looks a lot different than it did just a few years ago. Not long ago, we were adventuring through the Pacific Northwest but we were already beginning the search for our dream property. We knew we wanted some land but the perfect place was still far off and felt like an illusion.
The Search
We made the token list of “must-haves” and “pros and cons” and we started watching the market…for years. When the listing finally showed up that had everything we wanted from location, acreage, outbuildings, home size, etc we were living in the PNW with an upcoming deployment. Chris was going to be leaving for over 6 months and retiring upon his return. The catch? The property was in the Midwest and we would have to move ourselves with 4 kids and a dog during a world-wide crisis.
The Leap
We did it! We bought our dream home and property tucked away in a little midwestern town. The long journey from the Pacific Northwest has finally happened. Now it’s time for us to settle in! Join us on our journey as we jump into homesteading!
Our WHY
We have long desired to depend less on the grocery store and to know where our food comes from and to raise and grow it ourselves. Our kids. We are already homeschoolers but we want to give them more…more space to run and learn and to give them opportunities that we have always wanted for them. Our goal is to give them healthier food options and a healthier lifestyle. No matter your location, this can all be done wherever you find yourself, but we wanted more space to do it.
What Now?
Now we dive in! We hope to share our experiences and the lessons we learn along the way. We hope to inspire other homesteaders right where they are or for those making a jump as we did. Come along with us! Here we go! A guide to a beginner’s homestead starts now!