Small town livin. // Into the woods

Small towns.

Where do I begin ...every place has its pros and cons, of course. Well, this is probably the number one topic of conversation right after the flooded comments of ''wow talk about culture shock!''  I answer the frequently asked questioned ''where are you from?'' Home Sweet Home. 

Los Angeles (with a big o smile from ear to ear).. good ol Southern California, 

Ok so time for my honest seat are you ready?....small towns use to creep me out, there I said it! "use to" <---- did you catch that hahahha No really though they did. I'm from a huge city full of people of ALL walks of life. I was born in a concrete jungle full of noise and chaos. Colorful, bright, urban, where anything goes. Anything and everything is right there in your distance. I always thought I would raise my family there. I never desired to leave California, but It's one of those testimonies to my life that God really does know me better than I know myself. 

He broke the misconception. I love small town livin. Don't get me wrong I'll always always have city life in my heart. I'm so thankful that I was raised in So Cal. the ocean at my fingertips and sunkissed skin all summer (all 12 months basically) but now my heart lies in 2 places. You've read my cons about being a million miles away from my family (a little exaggerated) but it sure does feel like it. Especially on Holidays, but I survive and I'm not alone! Then we carry on and take a stroll into town and after saying hi to 7 people I'm reminded of my pros.

1.I love the community it produces.I was raised in the city so church community is all I knew, but I have shed a tear over how beautiful community can be especially this past year for me. I have learned so much about humanity and a lifestyle of people I would have never known. Of course this is just my journey. I'm sure it hasn't been that beautiful for everyone here. You make it what you want and I had a really rough 1st year. I came back from a visit home with the burning desire to be all in. I can't even explain how freeing that was for me. I love these people, my neighbors, my friends, my church family, the high schoolers, my grocery clerk! 

2. My children can play wherever they want! they can walk far away from our home and we know exactly where they are and who there with.  (sorry mom!) 

3. It's a completely different lifestyle than what we were raised around so therefore we have learned soooooooooo much! 

4. People really care here. My grocery clerk cares and normally has good advice to go with it.

5. Football season is magical (and I don't even like football all that much) but theres just something about small town pride.

6. The cost of living is simple and affordable

7. Theres no such thing as traffic

8.You can walk anywhere! and because everything is so close Michael sometimes comes home for lunch : )

9. Because we live so far from everything we're forced to be creative. If we have something in mind it normally involves making it or building it, and painting it. Those have been the best projects though to know the labor you put into something and see its use rather than just buying it and tossing it out in a year is priceless.

10.The garage sales here are a drug to a thrift store junkie! Saturdays in the summer we get our coin jar and hit up every sale. Last year I got some sweet vintage suitcases for $1 each what!!!!

11. We've been force to plan and budget. We drive out about every 2 weeks to Cosco and do our shopping and we have to have a list because you can't forget a thing. So therefore we actually sit and talk about our finances, meal plan, and a grocery list together.

12. Sometimes we do have to shop locally and it's ok because supporting your local ma and pa stores are kind of fun. The local nursery has been my favorite business by far. They're the sweetest!

Those are all my pros for small town livin and I'm sure more will grow with every year. I'm thankful we still live near the ocean it makes up for all the sunshine we don't get but it just makes me appreciate those visits home even more.
Happy Weekend friends
-Jenny B

DOESN'T EVERYONE KISS THEIR CHICKEN ? 

Our community garden getting ready for summer/spring planting.

2nd beach, La Push Washington 2014

I rarely show you inside our home.

The wood stove

Let me give you some background on our first experience with ''the wood stove'' 

Our first time visiting Forks Washington with some intention of moving up here we stayed at this  couples house while they were visiting there family in California..ironic huh? Well as the story goes this very mountain looking man tells us to follow him to where the house is located. Mind you it was very late at night and pitch black because we're in the forest and by the time we got to the house we felt VERY deep in the forest especially for some ol city kids who are not that into camping. He gives us all the details and save the detailed instructions of the wood stove for the very last. Our eyes were heavy with traveling and our brains full of all this unfamiliar information that seemed useless to us (at the moment) long story short we didn't put wood in the wood stove at all that night  why you ask 1.What the heck is a wood stove??? 2. How do you open it? 3. Wheres the electric heater? 4. Forget all that lets go to bed, lock the door ,and sleep with one eye open because we had no idea where we were or where the next house was!!!!

that my friends was our very first experience with ''the wood stove'' and my o my have we come so far hahahahah 

p.s. the detailed version in person is way better!

I appreciate my husband splitting the wood and making kindles for us to have a nice warm, comfortable night even after a long day of work. By the way the first time I seen anyone do this was a 4 month pregnant young lady!! (who is now one of my good friends) These ladies are hardcore and this series is obviously for my city friends : )

Stay warm -Jenny B