Welcome!


Each of us is experiencing a profound personal journey, and the stories we have to tell are beautiful and sad and awe-inspiring and scary. This blog is my story, and I'm excited to share it.


What this blog is about:

- The struggles of a northern country girl living in a fast-paced southern city.
- Homesteading research and planning, like deciding what food to grow and what animals to raise in the cold north.
- Art and creative projects I'm working on.
- My life goals including those related to art, writing, and homesteading.
- Nature and natural science, such as information on species I find interesting both in northern Minnesota and southern California.
- The journey that will lead my boyfriend and I out of the heat and into the snow.

Please read my first blog entry where I explain how I got where I am, where I'm going, and what this blog has to do with it: The Beginning

I would be honored if you joined me. Simply sign up your email address just below and to the right of this text - it's 100% free. By subscribing you become part of my motivational team, even if you never say a word. I need you!

Saturday, April 18, 2015

It's over! Thank you all! The adventure continues...

My Indiegogo campaign ended yesterday at 66%! That's over $1600 raised! I'm grateful and humbled beyond words. I feel blessed to know such awesome people!



The end of my campaign coincided with my mom's doctor appointments showing her cancer has shrunk, and she will be able to begin radiation therapy soon! Happy day! 

That takes away much of the pressure to get home immediately, though I still think moving back north this summer is a good idea. I have a little more time to plan it well and raise some more funds in any case. I will have a lot of stuff for sale soon!

My plan right now is to find a place to live and try to get a job waiting for me in Grand Marais. I really enjoyed housekeeping and am considering doing that again alongside my current writing position.

My next order of business is taking care of my current backlog of art (both 2D and costumes) and start working on my book! I have a lot of short essays and tidbits written down, but I haven't put any solid chapters together yet. I'm still working on organizing the layout and deciding what to include. I'm excited about the whole process!

Once the book and my art backlog are complete (aiming for August), I will be tackling the art perks from the campaign. I should be able to get everything done by December.

I'm also planning on updating this blog a lot more often. Thanks for following along!

Monday, April 13, 2015

The final push


This is the final week of my Indiegogo campaign, and I'm excited to report that as of writing this I've made just over 50% of my goal! I think that's really amazing and "thank you" just doesn't seem to cut it anymore. I'm truly grateful for all your donations and help in spreading the word. 

http://tinyurl.com/backtothenorthwoods

I don't think I'll reach my goal, but that's okay. Any amount will help. As soon as the funds arrive I will be sending at least $200 home to my folks right away.

The end of my campaign this Friday coincides with the day my mom gets tested to see if her cancer has shrunk enough to receive radiation. I sure hope so.

Your donations will allow me to fly home, ship my things and cover initial expenses. Things are going to be difficult for a while, but I will be where I need to be, and we'll make it work. 

If you know anyone who might be interested in custom animal artwork or can simply offer a helping hand, please pass them the link to my campaign. It's a small gesture that means so much to me.

Thank you all so much!

Sunday, April 12, 2015

Struggle

I feel like I'm constantly swimming against the rapids, but I'm not a fish so I'm flailing a lot. Sometimes I get sucked under, sometimes I find a rock to cling to for a while and I feel like I'm going to be okay, and sometimes I almost make it to shore before being swept away again.

I'm not on shore yet. I'm still clinging to a rock, but it's a chance to catch my breath.

The help you've offered me in regard to my Indiegogo campaign has been amazing. Thank you so much! There's less than a week left, and I'm hopeful I'll make at least 50% of my goal. I probably won't be able to afford a car, but it will certainly help me move and help my folks, even if I can get back just to cook meals, clean, and offer moral support. http://tinyurl.com/backtothenorthwoods

My mom is hanging in there and doing the best she can. I haven't been able to talk to her on the phone as much as I'd like because she lost her voice from the chemo. It's so hard being away when she's having a difficult time. I'm torn as to whether or not to send money home now or save it for the move.

I'm still struggling a little, especially with letting my writing work pile up. I'm feeling better overall and it's not quite as overwhelming as it was, but my bad habits are bothering me. Next week I'm going to erase the etch-a-sketch and really buckle down. I can't let this keep happening or I won't accomplish anything else I need to do. Once my Indiegogo has ended it will be easier to focus on other things. 

I also recently discovered my snakes have mites. I caught them early (thankfully), but they're a huge pain in the ass to get rid of. I said a lot of expletives before ordering two different non-toxic mite killers. I have to clean and change out bedding in every cage and soak/treat each snake as well as thoroughly clean everything around the cage areas two or three times over the next month. The last time I dealt with snake mites I had one snake. Counting babies, I currently have 18.

I finally got myself to the doctor, got back on Celexa, and got blood work done. I found out I'm completely healthy, which was a huge relief. Even my blood pressure is back to normal. Not only that, some of my other minor medical issues have resolved on their own. Maybe it was stress? Did I physically worry myself sick? Totally possible.

Things haven't been all bad here, just stressful. I've got some interesting things coming up that at least serve as distractions from the depressing stuff. Jordan and I are trying to do some fun, cheap things around L.A. the next couple months while we can.

Monday we're going to a Squarepusher concert which should be interesting, and seeing as he's one of Jordan's favorite artists and he does very few shows, we "splurged" for it (it wasn't that expensive).

Then I happened to I check my Groupon email and was thrilled to see Avenue Q showing soon and super cheap, so I had to snag tickets for that. I've wanted to see the show for YEARS and this was likely my last and only opportunity. That's coming up on the 18th.

Last weekend Jordan and I visited the awesome historic Mt. Wilson observatory, and that was amazing. So much history there, and the drive and view were simply breathtaking. I'll have to do a blog post about it.

The last big thing we're planning before I move back is going to be a camping trip to Sequoia. So looking forward to that! It's an amazing place.


So there you have it. I'm hanging onto this rock as tightly as I can until the current slows. Someday I'll make it to shore, just to be tossed back in again. But that's life, eh?