An Urban Farmer in the Making

Day 4 - December 4, 2012
Prompt from Think Kit by SmallBox: What was the wisest decision you made this year?

We have had a lot of wonderful things happen to us this year.  Obviously, becoming parents to another little one being at the top of that list!  However, the decision to have another baby was made last year.  So, as far as conscious decisions I have made this year, nothing immediately jumped out at me when I read this prompt yesterday.  I decided I should just let it marinate for a bit.  And then today, this happened...

This, my friends, is my current place of employment.  A dear friend of mine, Annie Grinstead, has set out on a new journey in life, and she asked me to join her.  She is an amazingly talented event planner, who I used to work with, and in April she started her awesome new company Positive Energy.

She has a great office, but since I am nursing my little guy, she has graciously agreed that, on Wednesday mornings, my crew comes to her house and her daughter's nanny plays with my kiddos while we work in the next room.  I do her bookkeeping, and we chat about life, events, and our babies.  To say that it is an ideal situation for me would be an understatement.

But here's the thing...it gets even better.  Not only has Annie given me the opportunity to make a little income for my family, in a job I really enjoy, for a company and person who I couldn't have more respect and excitement for, but...she has allowed my little gal the opportunity to experience a little slice of life on a farm.

The Grinstead abode is not only a home where is I go to work.  It is also a full on pig farm, and today Ramona, Miles, and I got to go in the farrowing house with a mama and her 11 three day old piglets, or "babies," as Ramona has been referring to them.

Ramona actually got to get into the pen with these pigs, and she loved it so much!!!  Annie and I have been friends for years, and I love every pig adventure I have had with her...including when I was peed on by a little guy a couple of years ago, but today was something that I have never experienced before in my whole life.  It was the first time that I, as a mom, felt with every being of my body, thank God my baby is getting to experience this.

Now this probably means that I am not grateful enough for other things in my life, or it may just be the start of this feeling since now Ramona is at an age where she can start appreciating the things we do, but I felt so blessed that I was able to provide her with this moment.

She said her goodbye only after I promised that we would come see the pigs again next week, and she has been making oink sounds and talking about the mama and babies all evening.

As for me...I couldn't be more thankful that when my friend asked if I would take her leap with her, my decision was "yes."