Tuesday, January 15, 2008

What a year this will be!

If all goes as planned, by the end of 2008 we will have sold our house, moved to a 25-30 acre farm, bought a pony ride business, started a horse boarding business, and built a house. In the midst of all that, we will have found the right college for Ashley and gotten her started there, plus planned Holly and Patrick's wedding to take place around New Year's 2009. Will it all happen? God only knows at this point, but we are working toward all those goals. The pony business was offered to us around Thanksgiving, and we found and fell in love with the farm right after New Year's. We've come to agreements on the prices of both, and we spent all of yesterday visiting bankers about the loans. Today I visited the property with the inspector who checked out the tiny (but brand-new) house and horse barn (also brand-new). A couple of important things for the seller to fix, but we think he'll agree to them.

This will be a fantastic move for our family. For years we've discussed and prayed about what type of business we could run as a family. With Julie's limitations, it will be nearly impossible for her to be independent. Holly's chronic Lyme disease is keeping her from getting a job to support herself. Patrick is very happy to be able to quit his warehouse job and come work for us. He has experience working at equestrian facilities, which is a plus for us. And Ashley will be able to earn money during the summers and weekends working with the pony ride business. Of course, Larry's job is going to help support all this in the beginning, so he will continue to work and travel, but when he's home his focus will be on helping us improve the businesses.

I'm so thankful my health is improving, otherwise this all would not be possible. And now as we start 2008, let the fun begin!