Change is inevitable “they” say, and as an Army family, we’re experts at dealing with change. We pack up our entire lives; people, pets, belongings, careers, at a moment’s notice and move across the country or to the other side of the world, often without knowing where we’ll live when we get there, if we’ll make new friends and sometimes even the native language. There’s a popular meme that says military children will say goodbye to more significant people by the time they’re 18 than the average person will in his or her entire lifetime. Whether or not these experiences make us better people, I don’t know, but I do know that we roll with the punches better than most, and we learn to adapt to whatever the Army throws at us.

Now, as the government draws down the Army, more changes are on the horizon for many Army families. There comes a time when you start to question whether or not your family will be able to rely on the promises made to your Soldier, almost two decades ago, at the end of his or her service. You explore your options and start to dream and plan for the future. You think about your childhood, the life you want for your children and how to set everyone up for success. And sometimes, those dreams become reality.

When my father-in-law passed away in January and we returned to the States for the services, I suppose we were looking for a sliver. A sliver of hope that would prevent us from being apart from our families any longer, especially during times as trying as the ones with which we were then presented. We had discussed what we might do “after the Army,” but it seemed so far away that it was more of a dream than a reality. However, circumstances such as those make you question your own mortality and future. So we began researching and considering. And we found a solution that was part timber, part tillable property. It had been in CRP for five years already, so it was ideal for establishing an organic farm. We toured it…twice within two weeks. We headed back to Korea, made an offer and we were outbid. And although we were disappointed, we weren’t discouraged. We simply took a break from researching. Then we found it. THE. PERFECT. PROPERTY. The first place had set the bar pretty high, but this one more than met it. However, since we were back in Korea, we couldn’t see it firsthand. Naturally, we did the next rational thing. We sent my mom and dad to check it out. They provided feedback, and we ran with it.

It’s been six months since we started looking and only two since we started considering this property, but these 43 acres are officially our blank canvas for painting our next chapter. We have a million ideas of what we’ll do with the property, at least 14 months before we leave Korea and only God knows how long before we truly go from boots to barns.