Rain, rain go away...

Well the big day is upon me. Monday, September 21st is day one. Where will I be on the big day, thirty years in the making?? On the beach in Naples, Florida. Yep! I "earned" a trip at work, and so I am headed to Naples for a four day free trip (a mixture of business and pleasure). My body will be there, but my heart will be in the hollow. I am nervous, excited, and giddy....then I look outside. It seems monsoon season has come to Arkansas. I believe we are on day four of it raining cats and dogs 24/7. I just shake my head as I look out the window because of course it is raining. Rain has been my nemesis since day one. This is the perfect beginning for this project :)

The funny thing about rain is that all of my "best" days have been rainy ones. So while it seems crazy to be happy about rain...I am not really that upset because in some odd way...I am taking it as a good sign. I guess that is just the Pollyanna in me. That said, while Monday is D-Day on the calendar...the rain might delay the start until mid-week.

I have plenty of other things to worry about than silly old rain. Like how do I pay the crew from 2 1/2 hours away? How am I going to get copies of their invoices/statements so I can know how much to make the check out for? How am I going to do any of that those weeks I am traveling...for instance when I am in Panama for 10 days? These are the things that keep me up at night.

On another great note, I have tweaked the drawings and added more space to the second floor. This has caused a slight increase in price (very slight) especially when you see what I am gaining in square footage. At this rate, I may be doing the painting on my own to offset the additional costs, but it will be so worth it. I am thrilled with the contractor I have chosen. I hope he is as thrilled with me :) I have warned him that he has a novice on his hand. We'll see how he feels at the end.

So the dream is continuing...it is really going to happen. I am going to build my dream on my own land in the woods that I love. This dream will not be fulfilled by me alone. I think the phrase "it takes a village" has been over used in the last decade, but let me be clear. God has opened so many doors and placed so many people in my life over the last 30 years to bring me to this moment. Approximately 30 years ago a little girl dreamed of a place in a little town where she remembered being happy. She wrote down a dream on a list of things she wanted to do before she died. That little girl hung on to that list, and even added to it as the years went by. The day I closed on this land, I checked another item off of that list of dreams. Monday the checkmark begins on another. I have been laughed at, scoffed at, put down, and generally told I cannot do what I have been trying to do. Naive as I can be sometimes, I am continuously amazed by how some people want to dampen others' dreams. I hope I never, ever do that to anyone. Everyone has the right to pursue their dreams...however crazy, silly, or even stupid they might be. A dream gives you hope, a purpose, and even a reason to put one foot in front of the other and go another day. I hope that in sharing a little bit about my dream and the process to make it come true...it inspires someone, anyone to pursue their own insane "what if" in their life.

So here is to another rainy day in Arkansas...

Thank you God for the reminder that you are in control AND your timing not mine...and it only took three days of worrying for me to remember that nothing but good things happen for me on rainy days....so bring on the rain!!

My first day on the land I would end up buying. Giddy...literally giddy!

Well, this is my first blog, first post...a true first edition :) I am writing this for two reasons - one for posterity and two for all of the friends and family curious about my latest adventure. This adventure involves buying land back home and building on it...some days I pinch myself because I feel so lucky...others I wonder if I have COMPLETELY LOST MY MIND! :)

I don't know how often I will make posts, but I do hope to write at least a little progress report weekly with photos once the building begins later this month. I am bound to make a ton of mistakes as I go through this process. I did a restoration project several years ago, but construction from the ground up is completely new to me. Maybe I can share my mistakes and failures with friends and family so that people can learn from my experiences...maybe that is too ambitious :) I just want to document this adventure...I only wish I had started this when it began a year and a half ago because it has already been a crazy ride :)

Well, this is a good first effort...we'll see how this goes :)