Behind the Homestead

Once upon a time, I never would have imagined that I would be living in the midwest. Nevermind on five acres a decent distance from any sort of town.

In fact, I always pictured myself living in a high rise in a big city.

But the truth of the matter is, after downsizing and living in our school bus conversion/tiny house on wheels, things seemed a lot simpler and quieter out in the middle of nowhere.

Nowadays, Sally the Blue Bus sits on our homestead, waiting for a revival as a guest house. And roaming the farm, you'll find us, the Roots & Dreams Family:

	Kenna Soapmaker, Business Coach, Chicken Whisperer, Expert Planner, and Wrangler of All Farm Beings
	Brian Builder of All The Things, Trusted Chauffeur, Loving Father, and Fiend for Ridiculously Spicy Food
	Elysia Perpetual Reader, Chef in Training, "The Oldest," Wannabe Seamstress, and Constant Desirer of Goats and Horses
	Addisyn Master Lego Builder Extraordinaire, Secondary Chicken Whisperer, Animal Friend, Passionate Stargazer, and Inspiring Artist
	Ivy Nonstop Storyteller, Minnie Mouse's Biggest Fan, Rainbow & Unicorn Obsessed, All Around Goofball, And Quibbler of Horse Acquisition
	Rowyn Chicken Runner Awayer, Masterful Performance Arts Dancer, Chief Mayhem Officer, and Lover of Shopping at "The Stores"

So, how'd we end up in Northwest Missouri?

Before the homestead, before the bus, there was the two of us. A couple who lived paycheck to paycheck, working jobs we hated, never seeing each other, while trying to raise our darling kidlets.

We made the big leap to deciding that I would start my own business and become a stay at home mom. If you're already scraping by, why not make it worthwhile?

Soon enough, my business was pulling in more income than his job. So, we made the next big leap: he quit his job and became a stay at home dad. And to make it work? We were going to pay off all of our debt, convert a school bus into a tiny home, and live as frugally as possible so we could keep going.

And we did it through tons of support from family and friends (though, not all were so supportive!)

Despite tiny house life appearing to be magic and unicorns and rainbows, it really isn't for everyone. In fact, we found that two out of our tribe of six family members really couldn't dig it. And that's when we started to look for our little slice of rural living.

Here we are.