You're in for a treat...

Well we all know it is time for an update! 

Not really sure where to start; I think I need to do this blog in order to really understand how much Casey and I have achieved in the last year and last month of our lives. As always, things are changing but when aren't they? Well hopefully soon; we want to settle in and have this baby! 

So over the last year in the zoomed out picture:

-Casey got out of military

-We tried buying a house in Texas but it wasn't meant to be

-We bought 10 off-grid acres in Flagstaff, AZ

-We then decided to live in a (converted) bus

-We bought and Casey converted said^^ bus

-We got pigs and lambs

-Casey build a shower house

-We learned how to hook up solar, pump/haul water, have hot water, hand wash everything, cloth diaper with out electricity, live in a bus during the winter with a small heater

-Casey attended NAU for his doctorate program: did not like it

-We took teaching jobs: was not for us

Fast forward to this last month! 

-Sold land and bus (closed this Tuesday) 

-Sold pigs and lambs (just picked up yesterday & next Monday)

-Sold trailer

-Bought new Jeep Patriot and started fixing up Wrangler (new tires yesterday!)

-Secured housing in Midwest

-Currently packed and just need to load car and hit the road next week! 

Oh wait are you all wondering where in the Midwest? How did we decide this? What is our plan! 

Never fear I have a moment of time to tell you!

MINNEAPOLIS

Casey and I knew we were ready for a change as stated in my the last blog post we knew that Flagstaff was not for us. During my last trip home I was really homesick for seasons, green trees, water and family (not sure about winter but nonetheless) and Casey was on board with getting us closer to the East coast which is our ultimate goal.

So after visiting my step-sister and exploring the urban gardens and city life I was really missing San Diego and the conveniences we had there yet fighting with the idea of being sustainable and achieving a slower life for our family. In the end, Casey and I felt that making the move back to a house and the city pre-Roman was right for us so the planning began. 

I showed the land to my previous boss but nothing came about so I listed it on Craigslist and somehow a mother from Memphis TN saw it and immediately started emailing me about it for her son. Within 48 hours he came to look at the land and not even hours later they placed an all cash offer. We closed this Tuesday and walked away with enough to help make the move possible. Thankfully Rhonda and Stan were able to come assist us with cleaning up the bus and land, purging (how much can you have when moving from a bus?? more than we thought we had) and prepping everything for a move.

During that time we had put in our three week notice at the school (worked up until fall break) and I started hunting for houses not an apartment in a certain area in Minneapolis. 

We decided on south Minneapolis because it is home to amazing shops, food, parks/lakes, mature trees, young families and over all safe walkable areas. The first house we had interest in fell through but another quickly became available; my step-sister went and viewed it! She had a few concerns that the owners reassured would be taken care before move in. So we recently committed to renting it; a little 2 bedroom bungalow + extra finished attic room, fenced yard, hardwood floors, Midwest character in our preferred south Minneapolis neighborhood. 

  Lastly, I needed to sell the animals and trailer. Which was a job in itself but ended up working out perfectly. Rhonda and Stan were in need of a bigger better trailer so they quickly took that off our hands. Betty bought the lambs back since they were her bottle fed  babies. The male pigs were sold to a wonderful couple in central Arizona who have lots of fenced grazing areas and horses! The female pigs are going down to Phoenix to hopefully produce some wonderful piglet litters! 

OHHH I almost forgot! We secured two amazing midwives to help me achieve my dream of having a home birth so send your good vibes this way that the baby will not be early like Jack and that we are able to have a healthy full-term baby boy! 

Things are falling together and we are sad to close this chapter but excited for many more adventures and all we have learned. 

I was blessed to have the BBQ while in Wisconsin but due to the move will not be having a baby shower so if anyone feels compelled to help us with the few things we need for this upcoming Winter feel free to check out our registry and stay tuned for this adventure! 

Registry

Hope you all have a great Halloween!

They say pregnancy brain is a thing...

I'm not really convinced that this pregnancy has made me forget things but more likely that it has made me ponder things until I'm blue in the face. One of the biggest questions I have been tossing around is 

P.s. Try to stick with me I feel like this blog post has been a long time coming and I have so much to pour out! I'll get back to this picture soon! 

Casey and I as you all know have lived in our bus for just shy of a year yet aren't "content" with the area. I love the bus, I love the changes the bus has brought to our family, I loved watching my husband build things and seeing us learn new things. Things I never thought we would know how to do; solar, composting toilet, pallet walls, water pumps and living without electric and refrigeration for over six months. Things have not been easy but have been well worth the time nonetheless! We are ready for a new adventure as many would say but were just looking for a place that is more on our level and mindset. 

Okay lets start with why we want to move and are feeling discontent in our current area; over all it is nearly impossible to grow things on our land for instance our neighbor has been giving it a go for over thirty years and has a stunning flower garden with amazing trees but hardly grows any food to be sustainable. Did I mention that she uses 1000 gallons of water for the garden multiple times a week? You do recall that we haul and pump water from a local well right??? This is just so labor intensive and costly in the end that I just couldn't bring myself to start. Haha I also forgot the Jack rabbits eat literally everything so you need to create something shy of a jail to protest your growth! 

Next would come the complete lack of green stuff and lakes! I mean I know right...I'm in Arizona I should have expected this. I guess I didn't calculate how much it would really affect me. Casey is much better off in this aspect since he grow up just south of here. It would be dumb of me not to mention the fact that Flagstaff has a major identity crisis or so I think so! 

The community doesn't want the college kids they think their town is a tourist place. The college kids are from everywhere spending money in places such as bars and Target which is great I guess if your still into partying and meeting people in that mindset. Oh and nearly dying everytime you get on the road cause no one knows how to drive or where they are! Yet the city lacks any sort of concept of fixing Route 66 which has pretty much become the slum and instead they invest in huge hotels and chain stores. It is weird. Not really walkable unless your in the small downtown area and overall there is just such a disconnect of people who actually live there. I haven't met a single person (non co-worker related) in Flagstaff besides my immediate neighbors (Candy that includes you) which is really odd but don't get me wrong I haven't tried that hard. 

Anyway, to end that rant we know were not meant to live our lives here. 

I will chalk this up to being a great experience, helping us find who we are and want to be as a couple and a family. Does this next move fall under the category of discontent or wanting adventure? This has been the big question. Does it really matter maybe not but do I wonder if we will feel this way again and want something more, something different. Possibly. We need to find that place, the one you just know is home. 

I have been asked about our plans many times over the last few weeks during my travels and this is what I know.

We will be in Arizona until the school year finishes during that time we will continue to explore the endless options we have ahead of ourselves. We will pay off debt and prepare for yet another move with a toddler and this time adding a baby. We will keep looking for a place that has green grass (the type you mow), trees that tower over homes and streets, water in abundance or at least enough to swim/fish/kayak in, we will look for a place that has a family friendly community, progressive in their thinking on parenting, full of life and ideas in general. A true sense of community.

Another question that has been asked many times is if we have we figured out how much land we want or if we will move back to the city? 

I must admit during my travels some city exploring was done; whether it was a simple walk to a restaurant while checking out local urban gardens or a full on city tour in the car with many stops it took me back to a thought Casey and I have thrown around many times...

Of course we want to achieve a some what sustainable life but does that mean we need cows, goats, pigs etc. or would a decent size yard with backyard chickens, vertical gardening and local farmers market make the cut? I really do miss some of the conveniences I once had in San Diego such as walking to dinner or just to grab a craft beer, exploring new stores even to just window shop, meeting a friend for coffee and chasing Jack around the park. I miss that community that I had with my close friends many of which know the struggle that has been in place over the last month or so making the choice of selling the bus and setting roots in an unknown spot come Spring. 

When we made the choice to try to buy a home in Texas our wish list was quite long:

Two stories, acreage, 1500sq ft+, close to Texas state, fenced yard for dogs, character in a home (which I'm telling you wasn't easy in the area we were looking) and just the idea that Jack would be safe to run around outside and I would be safe to walk down the road. I'm positive there was more but I can't remember. Of course the idea of living in a bus and off-grid was a different mindset but still we thought we had found most of those needs at our land but we missed or overlooked some key components when things fell through with the house; mainly the idea of green space and the how different how lives would be from the city. 

Coming back full circle okay lets just admit I'm not going to get there in this post but half way back to my first picture! 

"Are we always discontent or just craving adventure?" 

As I was driving down the freeway on my 5,000 mile adventure(round trip) I remember thinking many things but all were set off by the simplest of them all the smell of fresh cut grass. This amazing scent happened to appear on the West side of Oklahoma state; it was wild things were getting greener! I saw people mowing, trees swaying in the wind and farmers watering corn taller than myself, hay fields abundant with freshly cut hay and ponds everywhere it was a start of what i'd been craving! As I made my way up to the midwest I passed through one of my favorite cities at night (Minneapolis)which I later stopped at on my way home to explore more as I have done over the years but I remember getting out at red box and breathing in the crisp air (Skye you know we did this last time at the gas station too hahaha) as I pulled into Rhinelander my home town I had finally thought after 5+ years of living away that it was BEAUTIFUL! The trees that had once just lined the roads now towered them, the rivers and lakes were so full (fuller than I had remembered since being a child) and rain was falling for days, a few trees were starting to change color and I remember thinking "I miss the seasons..not really winter but just the changes and what comes with them; flowers, birds, wildlife, swimming, fishing, hunting, chores  the list could go on forever!". It was really this weird thing being home and having that mindset of the Northwoods actually being special something to cherish and when speaking to a good friend who was home during the same time she commented on the exact same thing and she too said "Is it because I have found myself? Is it because were older and have families?" I don't know why such the change maybe because we live in the South/Southwest were beauty is something so different then what we grew up with. Anyway it was refreshing but made me wonder the same questions I had been for months.

I have yet to reach an answer to them; whether we need a lot of land or whether these feelings are discontent or adventure but either way they will work themselves out and come to light over the next year or so I'm sure. 

This leads me to my closing paragraph we have some cities in mind as well as areas in general.

Maine (coastal)

Tennessee (Nashville area)

Kentucky

North Carolina 

 The east coast in general

Oregon (southern can't handle to much gloom)

Minneapolis 

(maybe if I can get my husband to consider a winter)

and many other places that are not listed. If you know someone in or by one of these areas or just someone who truly loves where they are (with a mild winter) please have them COMMENT! We would enjoy any input and insight.

What they like, don't like, favorite areas, food, places/shops, things to do etc!

 If you are reading this via Facebook please share and tag! If you are viewing this via Pinterst please comment. Instagram you know the drill. 

We truly appreciate all the support and knowledge.

The Thompsons- 

Bus and Update!

So if life wasn't crazy enough...

with the acceptance of the teaching jobs, living off grid, commuting, having a two year old and expecting another we have decided to add to the craziness! 

We have made the decision to move this coming Spring! The location is to be determined but hopefully we will know this October when we make our week+ long trek across country. We are looking for something more family orientated, something a little bit more laid back, maybe (hoping) coastal but that is optional. We really do LOVE our bus and the homesteading life we have achieved in the last nine months but we just aren't in love with Flagstaff for many reasons! Hoping this will be the last move for a long time and we plan to possibly rent until we know for sure; it is really crazy thinking that we will be leaving our land, the bus and possibly our animals but we need to do what is best for our family and mentally we are searching for something different. 

Here are some updated pictures of the bus which we are officially listing FOR SALE and if more information is wanted you can email me at: thompsoninspiration@gmail.com

-Bus is drivable (automatic)
-Title is clean
-Detroit diesel engine
-RV toilet can be attached to holding tank (3in plumbing)
-Battery operated lights (double A's)
-Built in storage (bathroom and by bedroom area)
-Queen size bed in "bedroom" area
-Kitchen is made up of vintage pieces (can be removed)
-Other storage is removable as well

Price is negotiable! 

Room for many more customizations! 

Clothing storage

More storage

Back of bus (bedroom door) white storage boxes over wheel wells open

Kitchen (removable) 

Kitchen/living (bathroom door in pic)

View from bathroom

Looking through bathroom door (hanging closet bar)

Closet bar and shelf in bathroom

Huge storage over wheel well in bathroom 

Bathroom storage

Standard RV toilet 

View into bathroom with our laundry storage 

Extra bathroom storage

Shelf by bedroom door

Kitchen 

Clothing storage up close by bedroom 

Kitchen 

Solar, converter, controller, one battery

Door for bedroom (queen size bed fits)

Update: 6/26/15

We’re going to be teaching…

It is official we took teaching/assistant positions at a school district a little less than 1.5 hours south of us. We will be staying in our friends studio building behind their home for three nights a week and home Thursday-Monday morning. I will be assisting in the preschool room with a few blind children and look forward to learning curve that will bring. Casey will be teaching alternative education; helping students with behavioral issues get back on track. He also plans to try to do the Fire Science program on the side (fire fighting) and I will continue with my last seven classes for my BA degree. 

We will be looking for a nanny over the next month and getting ready for the transition into this new job; but nonetheless we are excited for the new adventure and working along side some great people! 

We’re adding another to our family…

 When pregnant with Jack we had it to be a very personal thing but we wanted to extend the news to our friends and family; we are indeed expecting another little this coming January. So far everything is good and Jack seems to be adjusting to the idea well; but we will soon soon. I will be in Wisconsin mid-August and plan to have baby BBQ! 

We are going to be expanding the patio into usable living space, adding a wood stove, more solar, manual washer and hopefully a propane fridge.

We’ve added lambs & female pigs to the farm…

    We will update more on this later with pictures but we did get    two female KuneKune pigs and built quite the pen; the boys and      girls are refusing to be separated even though Casey has tried           diligently to for safety/breeding purposes. They seem to be          doing great together so for now they shall be. The whole    transporting experience was of course insane getting them from        Phoenix in the middle of the night to avoid the instense heat with a horse trailer and the jeep; my husband was literally up almost 48 hours over Father's day to make this happen!So thank you.
We are in the process of moving the dorper lambs over to our place this weekend; we bought three females. I am about to launch         the website with all the information so stay tuned.

      

Miscellaneous Homestead Update

My final blog for the day recaps on a few little projects we've done in the last month or so!

Inside storage solutions!

Inside storage solutions!

Inside storage solutions! 

Last months reading material! 

Inside storage solutions! (New cabinet far left)

Outdoor bath times still a hit! 

He's been working with dad a lot outside and on Bronco!

I can't get enough! 

CHEESE!

Transplanted five trees from another part of the 10 acres

Jack checking out the hammock! 

Which he loves! 

Hooking up controller for solar panel!

We have solar!!

We still need another panel and some better batteries but it's a start and now Casey knows how to hook it up so adding to the system shouldn't be hard. Eventually we plan to get the solar panel on top of the covered patio.

Casey hooking up our solar panel!