About

ABOUT ME


- "Most folks are as happy as they make up their mind to be." - Abraham Lincoln




What's to say about me? I've always found it very hard to write about myself. After all, most everyone is concerned about the way they're being perceived by others. One of my main concerns growing up, was what other people thought of me, and it would also dictate the way I acted. Even in my early twenties I still did things I didn't want to do, simply because I thought I had to in order to belong. I also didn't do a lot of things I wanted to do for the same reason. I acted in a way that simply wasn't me because I wanted to impress someone, who mostly didn't even mean much to me anyway. It's usually the people you don't really know or care about that talk about you and really, who cares what they think? Stupid really, to act the way you think people want you to act in order to feel accepted or loved. But I think everyone does this at some point in their life.

We all just want to belong. We're social creatures after all and nobody likes to be alone. I was born and raised in an area of Germany that consists of a bunch of little towns (so if I ever write something that's just plain silly or doesn't make sense at all, I will blame it either on the language barrier or the lack of sleep). I'm talking about the kind of towns where everybody knows everyone's business, and there were a lot of people, who made it their mission to judge others. Don't get me wrong, I love my home town and the people living there. I love coming home after being away for a while and feel like people care and are genuinely happy to see me. I like the feeling of belonging to a close-knit community, where some people are more like family than neighbors. But we all know the kind of gossip that comes with living in a small town like that, and it can get quite annoying at times. I've always acted like I didn't care when people were talking and I didn't. At least not to the point where I was sitting at home, crying about what this person said or that person did. But lets be honest. Deep down, you always kinda care.

I think I've changed a lot since I became a mother. I try not to care too much about other people's opinions anymore, and I generally try to do what is best for ME and MY family now, no matter what others tell me. Don't get me wrong, I will still listen to advice and opinions of any kind, because:
  • Well meant advice can be helpful
  • I don't know everything and
  • I generally find people and their views interesting.
But in the end, I WILL do what best suits me and the ones I love. And this is really what I am about nowadays. I'm trying to be a loving, caring, understanding, and supportive partner to my better half, and I'm trying to be the best mother I can be for my children.

I used to be out socializing, hanging out with friends, working, traveling, and partying all the time, and you would usually always find me where the action was. Now, I've got these two little humans I'm responsible for, who are totally dependent on me, and it's scary and really time consuming. It's a 24/7 job and when I do get a break, I'm happy to just sit down, put my feet up and read a book or watch TV. Usually not for too long since I tend to fall asleep before I can really get into the story. Do I feel like I'm losing my mind sometimes? That would be a big fat YES! I feel like I'm in serious need of some good old ADULT conversation. I count to ten in my head a lot and do deep breathing exercises on a regular basis. I desperately try not to swear a lot, but DARN it it's hard. I knew I was failing in that department and still had a loooong way to go, when my son Noah (who had just turned two at the time) spilled a glass of OJ and instantly gave me a heartfelt 'dammit' which is terrible, I know. All you can do though, is try your best and that goes for anything in life.

I do catch myself sometimes, just sitting somewhere, thinking about how easy and relaxing my life used to be before I had children and only had myself to look after. But I wouldn't trade my kids for the world. They ARE everything to me. They ARE my life now and I love them so much, it scares me most days. What do I want my life to look like? What do I want for my children? Simple, really. Let me break it down for you.

 
LOVE - Because everyone craves love and I have no problem calling you a liar, if you're telling me you don't.
- "Overcome the devil with a thing called love." - Bob Marley
SHELTER - Whether it is a house, an apartment, a camper van, a trailer, or a bus. The only thing that matters is being comfortable and happy, wherever you live.
- "Home is where the heart is." -  Gaius Plinius Secundus
TIME -  And this is the big one. Making time to spend as a family. We're struggling with this, since Adrian is always working to make ends meet, and we don't spend nearly enough time together as we want and should. Because the children are growing up and fast at that, and we know we won't get that time back.
- "You may delay, but time will not." - Benjamin Franklin
BEING FINANCIALLY STABLE - I don't want to be rich and have more money than I can spend, but I won't deny that there is a certain sense of security about knowing, there are savings in my bank account. It's also nice to know, there is a paycheck coming in each month. Part of why we bought a house, rather than rent, was because we knew it would be an investment. I'd like to be comfortable and not worry about how to feed my children every day and yet not work all day, every day, to make more money than I need, in order to buy things I don't need.
- "I believe that through knowledge and discipline, financial peace is possible for all of us." - 
Dave Ramsey
PASSION - I want to do what I'm passionate about, and I want my partner and my children to do what they are passionate about.
- "There is no passion to be found playing small - in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living." - Nelson Mandela
TRAVEL - Both, my partner and I love traveling and want to see as much of this beautiful planet as we possibly can, and I also want my children to see this wonderful world we get to live in. I think it opens your horizon, makes you generally more tolerant towards other people and cultures, and let's be honest, who doesn't love to see and experience beautiful, new places.
- "The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page." -  Augustine of Hippo
MAINTAINING A POSITIVE ATTITUDE - I'm struggling with this one the most and will probably always have to work on myself. It's tough to always be positive when things don't go the way you've planned, and you're always stressed out about something. But I do believe wholeheartedly that you need to think positive in order for good things to happen. I also believe in Karma and think you should treat people the way you want to be treated. And I most certainly believe that if you don't hurt anyone with your actions or are being disrespectful or offend, you should be able to do whatever you want.
- "The only disability in life is a bad attitude." - Scott Hamilton
DREAM - Everyone should have dreams. Things they want to achieve during their lifetime. I believe it's crucial to have goals and dreams, and I believe you shouldn't settle for second best, just because your afraid of disappointment or of not succeeding. Don't let fear hold you back. I still have to work on that because I tend to over-think and worry a lot. But I will get there. Eventually.
- "The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams." - Eleanor Roosevelt

 
I just want to be happy, and I want my children to be happy. I want a life full of laughter, and joy, and amazing memories. I don't want to have a 9 - 5 job I hate going to everyday, simply because I think this is what people do. I don't want a cookie cutter life. I want my children to grow up to be caring, kind, respectful people. I want them to feel like they can DO anything and BE anything they set their minds to. I want them to dream BIG! I want them to WANT things!


WHAT THIS BLOG IS ABOUT




This blog is not about just one thing in particular. It's about quite a lot of things. Mainly, it is about making a lifestyle choice but being torn as to which one to make. As you can see, the name of this blog is a little confusing because the words homesteading and Gypsies couldn't be more different. I'll get to that shortly. This blog is also about turning our little piece of property into a homestead and eventually, live as self-sufficient as possible. It's about setting goals and do everything you can do to achieve them, no matter how hard it is or how many obstacles are being thrown your way. And lastly, this blog is about the struggles of parenthood and about our life as a young family. It is about our passion for traveling and the journey we're taking to get to where we want to be.

1. Homesteading
Adrian and I have always loved the idea of living a self-sufficient life and after moving around A LOT since 2007, we kind of got tired and needed a place to settle down for a while. So we bought this house. Or this cabin. I wouldn't quite call it a house. Yet.
We kind of crave the feeling of having a home base. A place we can return to and live, whenever we want to. And we like the idea of keeping the cost of living to a minimum. So far we've had a Well put in, bought some chickens and planted our first garden this year. Granted, there is still a lot that needs to be done and a lot, that needs to be learned in order to be more self-sufficient. But Rome wasn't built in one day, either.

I would love to learn how to can and preserve things or how to store food in a root cellar. We'd eventually like to get solar panels and maybe even more livestock and even though, our first attempt at growing our own veggies was surprisingly successful, we still need to learn a whole lot more in that department. It's important to us that our children learn and know, where their food is coming from. So many children nowadays just seem totally disconnected from that whole process and nature itself. We'd like to get back to that simpler life and show our children how it used to be.

We also like the idea of knowing, that the animals who gift us with their product and we may end up eating one day, are living a cruelty free life for as long as they are with us. I know I sound like a real Hippie, (and that's not a bad thing in any case) but that's just how we are.We want to rely as little as possible on society and if it's as easy as planting some seed and water and weed a garden, in order to harvest beautiful, healthy and organic fruit and vegetables that don't really cost a thing, why pay a lot of money in the supermarket for produce, that has most likely been doused in pesticides? Why buy eggs from chickens, that have been treated cruelly all their life to produce them, if it's just as easy to keep some on your property. Keeping chickens is not a lot of work and is actually kind of fun, especially for the kids. Noah is getting so excited about going to see how many eggs he'll find in the laying boxes each morning and it is again showing him, where his food is coming from. So that's our reasoning for wanting to live on a homestead. The feeling of belonging somewhere. Of owning your own land and home. The satisfaction of supplying our family with food we grew and made ourselves. Living a simple lifestyle and keeping the cost to a minimum.

- "Simple life and peaceful minds are very close friends." - Mehmet Murat Ildan

2. Gypsying (I looked this one up and yes, it is a real word)
Even though we love the little piece of paradise we've bought and think, we've made the right decision of moving to a small town in Northern Ontario, because life is just much slower and more relaxing up here than in the city, there's a big part of us, that really misses the traveling life and craves to be back on the road. Adrian and I met on a one year backpacking trip through Australia in 2007. We met about 4 month into it and traveled together for the remaining 8. I was terrified just thinking about being away from friends and family for this long. I didn't know what was going to happen, or if I was going to make it for the full year and I was close to backing out. But I got on that plane and I did it and to this day, I firmly believe it was the best thing I've ever done. I don't regret a single thing.

Not only did I meet the love of my life and the father of my children, but I also discovered my passion for travel and if you ask me, there is nothing quite like it. Discovering new, beautiful places. Meeting wonderful, amazing people from all over the globe. Making friends for life, every day an adventure and not knowing what tomorrow will bring. God, I love it. Granted, we went through some really tough times. We were young and dumb and ran out of money and couldn't even feed ourselves properly for a couple of weeks. We lived on instant Asian noodle soup cups and PB&J sandwiches for what felt like forever, until I finally had a little meltdown and ended up calling my parents, sobbing and begging them to wire some money. Which they did right away, bless their hearts. We ended up getting work on various farms, picking fruit and it was hard. I've never worked like that in my life. You're working long hours, doing physical labor, while you're roasting alive under the hot, Australian sun. And I don't even want to talk about the cockroaches, biting ants and humongous spiders you have to face, while you're fighting your way through the thick branches of fruit trees, scratching the heck out of your forearms in the process.

But despite all of that. Despite living hand to mouth and only owning what you can carry on your back and despite all the struggles. We have never been happier than during that year. I was depressed for month after I got back home. I moved to Canada to be with Adrian and after sorting out my visa issues and the whole long and annoying process of becoming a permanent resident, we immediately started working to save up for our next trip. And then we conceived Noah, while traveling through New Zealand and we decided, it would probably be best to go home and settle down. But we never stopped thinking about that life and about how happy we used to be. We're constantly itching to go and get that feeling of freedom back. It's a thrill to not know, what each day holds and what kind of places you'll get to see, or which kind of people you get to meet. It's so much more fun than going to work every day, or being home with the children on your own just so we can make enough money, for the million bills we have to pay in order to keep the house, the cars, the cell phones and so on and so on.

So, here's the crux of the matter. The question that's been torturing us for years now. What to do? Stay, built a homestead and give our children a sense of stability? Let them grow up in one place, form friendships and be safe? Have a stable job situation and a paycheck coming in every month? Or sell everything, or rent it out, buy a bus and go live our dream and show our children the world and the life we love so much? Even though it might mean more uncertainty and occasional struggles. If it would just be us, I'm sure we'd be in a Bus right now, having a blast God knows where. But we have two children now and every decision you're making, you're not only making for yourself anymore. Every decision you're making impacts their lives and you want to do right by them. Everything just seems so much riskier and scarier now.

- “In these times I don't, in a manner of speaking, know what I want; perhaps I don't want what I know and want what I don't know.” -  Marsilio Ficino

3. What I like to call the If-you-can't-make-up-your-mind-do-both-option
So, Adrian and I have been thinking. I know, scary right? What if there was a way of combining both lifestyles? Why choose, if we could have both? This is the plan we keep coming back to. What if we fixed this place up, sold it and bought a bigger property? And I'm talking much bigger, as in 50 + acres. Or keep this place and buy an additional piece of land. Doesn't really matter in the end. Sometimes it's best, not to over-plan things and just go with the flow. We kind of have this other little dream, of building a bunch of micro cabins. Self sustainable, with a little kitchen, loft and sitting area. Nothing fancy. Just small and cozy with a little fire place. If we would rent those out from Spring to Autumn, we could close down the business during the winter months and travel. Which suits me just fine, since I hate the winter. And I'm going to repeat this and say it again in capital letters, just for good measure and because I can. I HATE THE WINTER!!! I think you understand now just how much I really hate the winter ;-)  Adrian says I should harden up a little and he's got every right to say so, since he's the one working outside in -40 degree weather and I'm glad he's the one that supports this family, because if I'd have to do it, I'm sure we'd all be starving. There's simply no way I could work in those conditions, even if I wanted to. But hey, I didn't grow up here. My German genes simply can't take the cold as well.

I also have this secret little dream of opening up a used bookstore/cafe which you could combine with the cabin thing. Why? Because I LOVE books and before I had children, I even got to read some. And who doesn't like coffee? I know, we got a lot of dreams. But like I said, in my mind, you can never dream big enough. We might not get to realize all of them but we can damn well try.

Here's the problem I have with option number three. Before we can even think of buying a big property, we'd first have to pay off our debt, spend a lot more money towards renovating our current home and safe up a big chunk of money, to make a down payment on the new one, which could take YEARS. Our kids are both small now and don't go to school yet, which in my opinion, is the perfect time to travel full time. By the time we've got our business set up, they'll be in school and that window might have closed. Even though we have talked about homeschooling our children, I'm not so confident of doing it past grade 4, which only gives us so many more years. So, no matter how we put it, there's always a big What if or a But wouldn't it make more sense.

So, in a nutshell, this blog is about us, struggling with making decisions and figuring out what we want and how to make it happen.

- “When in doubt, be ridiculous.” - Sherwood Smith 



MY DEFINITION OF THE WORD "GYPSY"


When I first showed the name of my blog to my father-in-law, he helpfully pointed out, that some people might find the use of the word Gypsy offensive, or see it in a negative light. Now, I'm trying to maintain a positive attitude, remember? And I try not to see everything in a negative light, but I'll bite. Here's to all the nitpickers and doomsayers out there. 

Wikipedia's definition of the word Gypsy: (I will not show everything Wikipedia has to say, but only pick out the relevant parts for this blog.)

- The English term gypsie or gypsy is a common word used to indicate Romani people, Tinkers and Travellers and use of the word "Gipsy" in English is so pervasive, that many Romani organizations use it in their own organizational names. However, according to many Romani people and academics who study them, the word has been tainted by its use as a racial slur and a pejorative connoting illegality and irregularity, and some modern dictionaries recommend avoiding use of the word gypsy either entirely, or as a negative modifier.
The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) states a 'gipsy' is a member of a wandering race (by themselves called Romany), of Indian origin, which first appeared in England about the beginning of the 16th c.
'Gipsies' are defined as persons of nomadic habit of life, whatever their race or origin.
This definition includes such groups as New Age Travellers as well as Irish Travellers and Romany.

My definition of the word Gypsy: 

- Traveller

- "It is impossible to imagine a more complete fusion with nature than that of the Gypsy." - Franz Liszt

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