From the Beginning

I promised myself before we moved up here that I would start a blog to share our experiences with all the people who cheered us on in our goat dairy dream. When we would tell people we were moving to Ashland, Oregon to make goat cheese, a common response was "You're moving where to do what?!" As farfetched as our idea sounded, Brian and I have always been determined to realize our goals.

Many of you know of the roadblocks Brian and I have encountered in the infancy of our goat dairy journey. After we had debated for months about where we would move to pursue this dream (discussions included Bozeman, MT, Nashville, TN and San Luis Obispo, CA) we settled on Southern Oregon. We started searching for a home and made the five hour drive from the SF Bay Area to the Rogue Valley once a month. Our search began January 2009. After a long search and a deal that fell through, we signed a contract for a foreclosure in North Ashland. Unfortunately for us, there was a problem with the septic tank. We negotiated for two months with the bank before we were able to close on the house. For a six week period, while I was starting my new job as an RN, Brian and I were homeless, alternating between camping and the Motel 6. When we finally got our keys to our new house, we knew the wait was worth it!

The house was built in 1974 and has its share of problems. We have had some expensive adventures with the septic tank and well pump and have enjoyed power outages, yellow jackets and leaky plumbing. We continue to learn what it means to be rural first time home owners. Our key to surviving disasters is to take a deep breath, look around and laugh at the situation!

an