The Beginning

    It is September 21st, 2013.  We have decided to start this blog to record our family journey from our current life in Clermont, Florida, to a yet to be determined homestead in Tennessee or maybe in Kentucky.  Stevie is 5 years old and Hannah is 3 years old, both are full of themselves and piss and vinegar.  They are a true blessing to us, we love them dearly. 
    I retired a couple of weeks ago from the Lake County Sheriffs Office.  I believe the actual date was August 7th 2013.  Me and Kat are really psyched about the move to Tennessee.  We already have a 19 acre piece of land in Rutledge, Tennessee, but have decided to find a larger piece of land further east in the area of Elizabethton or Johnson City.  As mentioned before, we are also considering land in Kentucky.
    We have been packing our butts off for the last month.  We having been doing, garage sales, moving sales, selling things on Craigslist.com, giving things away to charities.  We are down to a few folding tables, chairs and a bunch of boxes.  It has been quite liberating to rid ourselves of stuff. We purchased a 20' trailer to haul all of our stuff in.  If it doesn't fit, it is not going.  In addition, we have stored an equal amount of stuff at David's house in his barn.  We will pick up a little each time we come back to visit. 
    We have been trying to get mom to move in with us or in with someone else.  She is not in the best shape in the world and not able to do many of the tasks that needs to be done to live alone.  She thinks that she is able to and will not listen to any advice or offers from other family members.  We wish her well in her quest to stay independent.  More to follow.
   We have been living in an old house built in 1923 as a family for the past five and a half years, Steve has lived here for 14 years. It seems that the house is constantly in a state of disrepair but it is in a beautiful location inside the Crooked River Preserve. We have many wonderful memories here including our wedding under the big oak tree down by the river. Stevie and Hannah were both raised here. This was their first home and that makes it special.
   Now that we have set the stage for where we are now, here is our family vision. We want to move on to a healthier, simpler life. Kat and I are a product of past few generations that have been getting farther and farther away from the natural way of life. We are completely dependent on industrialized food sources and fossil fuels. The chemicals in our food, water and environment are detrimental to our health. It is very difficult to find (and afford) real food that has not been laced with chemicals or genetically altered. That is why we want to find a place in the country where we can grow our own organic fruits and vegetables, raise or hunt our own meat and learn to live in harmony with nature.
   We also want to get away from the crime and moral decay associated with densely populated areas. We want to live in a community where neighbors know and look out for each other and share similar values.
   This is our quest, our journey .... let's get going, let's kick this mule.