When i was little, I dreamed of having a great, big, old house with a library, office, ten bedrooms, a game room, an indoor pool... You get the idea. As i got older, and had children, the dream expanded to include a maid. Today, my dream is different from that dream. My dream is to own a small farm, or a farmette as some call it. We were able to live on a few acres for about a year and a half. It was amazing. We had sheep, rabbits, chickens, ducks, and a goose. i loved watching my boys run around in the great outdoors. My oldest son would go sit with our sheep. He has a way of speaking and moving with animals. Our sheep will walk right up to people. She hates to stay behind her fence, but when she escaped, she tried to walk into the house with us. He would call the chickens, and they would all come running. He would walk around with a baby rabbit on his shoulder. They would just sit there. My youngest son has a way with animals when they are not feeling at their best. Have you ever picked fleas off of a cat's belly. He excels at things like that. And, while he also loved being around the animals, what he really loved to do was go explore the woods by our house. He would spend hours every day outside just being a child. I think that's something that too few children get to do-to just play outside. Whenever any of our friends came over with their kids, they would love to see and touch the farm animals. i loved to see their faces light up when they recognized the animals, or found an egg. i miss my garden. Last year my husband lost his job. That garden provided us with fresh zucchini, cucumbers, kale, lettuce, tomatoes, and pumpkins. We had fresh green food all summer long. Have you ever tasted a dinosaur egg cucumber? Their skin is this sheer white color, just like you'd imagine it would be. The kids all wanted to know if it really was a dinosaur egg. And, because of the name, they wanted to eat one. They were so sweet and hardy. i wish i had one to eat right now! But, even more than eating the delicious, fresh from the garden food, i miss working in my garden. I love the feel of dirt between my toes. I simply don't have the words for what it feels like to look at a garden full of food, and to know that my hard work helped to create it. So, my dream is to provide that lifestyle for my children. A place where we can raise healthy food for our family, and, God willing, share that with others. i would LOVE to be able to bring foster children into a home and allow them to feel that connection to the world. i know what it did for my boys. i would love to share that with children, especially with those who could get lost in the craziness of this world. i wish i could better describe this dream in my heart, maybe i'll figure it out as we go. i know that i can't reach this dream on my own. If this every comes true, it will be with the help of awesome supportive family and friends. While life can be hard i keep telling myself, with God, all things are possible.