Apparently, I grew up on a homestead between the ages of 10 and 18 but never realized it then. Little did we know those homesteading skills I learned in my youth would be invaluable later in our lives. I have always had a self-sufficient mindset, but it was not until about seven years ago in studying God’s Word, observing the political landscape, and surveying global economic tides, that our family decided to leave our careers and “retire” to a quiet place where we could raise food for our family, de-stress, and create our own self-sufficient lifestyle. We felt deep down that we were missing our children growing up. We both had budding careers and were “moving up” the ladder, but we were paying for somebody else to raise our children, clean our house, and mow our lawn. Why? What is the point? It was much more important for us to forgo financial and career gains for family and freedom. The result is this wonderful adventure we are on now.