2000, there was the let-down of the Y2K hype. The running joke at the time was "He who has the most toilet paper rules the neighborhood." While I didn't fall for the scare tactics of the time by going out and buying a generator, there was the concern about whether or not the computer would work. Seems strange now. Laughable even. Who knew then that we were going to have three children and become homesteaders?
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2001, people became concerned about their computers again, but after the previous year, I ignored it. After all, 01-01-01 means nuclear warheads would be reset, right? Movies were made about the New Millennium and about the 01-01-01 bit. While that did not happen, something far more real and far more tragic happened.
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2002 brought our son. While not worldly event, after years of trying and failing or trying and miscarrying, we had a beautiful baby boy. I became a stay-at-home mom. It is where I belong.
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2003 brought about many changes in how we see things and a change in the church we attend. Finding our church home has helped us to find out more about what God wants for us in our lives and learning how we can better serve Him.
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2004, while a quiet year, was not without its own adventure. We discovered I was pregnant with Bethany and began researching our birthing options. We found ourselves, while still living in the city, wanting a more natural lifestyle. Not just in how we eat, but in how we live.
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2005 announces the arrival of Bethany. Being a homebirth, Husband was the one who "caught" her. We also bought a home. The one we now live in. The move here was the big outward mark that people saw of what was going on in us. A desire to get away from the city and to live in the country.
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2006 cemented our natural life with the arrival of chickens, then goats, then another homebirth. Namely Hannah. Even though I nearly died after giving birth, I would do a repeat homebirth in a moment. Hannah also had RSV right after being born. Those that know me in real life were able to witness our natural lifestyle and our "crunchiness" by witnessing not just the fat that I homebirthed again or that I was breastfeeding a newborn, but that I was still breastfeeding Bethany. Oh, and I was insane enough to have both girls in cloth diapers.
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2007 was another quiet year in terms of major events happening. We continued to go to church and remain active. Our flock and herd grew. We found a local homeschool group that I enjoy. While not as active as some of the moms in it, it serves our purpose.
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2008 brought about a broken elbow (mine) and a continuation of our life as "conservative, fundamental, Christian homesteaders." I had been dubbed as "The skirt wearing, breastfeeding, baby wearing, homebirthing, homeschooling, homesteading mom" in the homeschool group. I also became known as a "gun nut" when they found out that yes, we live in the country, are farmers, and have a couple of guns in the house. *gasp!* What am I going to shoot the coyotes with when they attack the animals? A spitball?
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2009. This year. This year brought a lot of heart-ache. My MIL died. My pastor died. The feed store lady died. My next door neighbor whom the children called "Grandpa" died. A LOT of people died. A lot of animals died. Charlie had whooping cough. Both girls had pneumonia. A tornado hit our home. The insurance company, due to negligence, caused black mold to grow. We were lied to by contractors. Lousy work was done. We had to evacuate our home. We had to move back to the city for several months and drive back and forth every day to milk and feed the animals.
In the middle of all of this, we were trying to keep our soap business going and trying to keep positive for the children. We did not know from one day to the next what would happen or what would be found on a trip back to the house to feed, water, and milk. Another dead animal? More shoddy workmanship? Our home had gone from being referred to as "Home" and became "The House." This was the year that really tested us in our faith in God and His guidance for us and our staying power for continuing in the lifestyle we had chosen.
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2010. I don't know what this next year will bring. While I am not normally one who makes a huge deal out of the new year, I am thankful to close the book on 2009. The turn of the clock won't change anything, but a clean slate is always a good feeling. As I look ahead, my desires have not changed. I still have a desire to serve God, be a wife, and be a mother and each day I pray that I am able to do a little better than I did the previous day.
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