Since I was a little girl I had always wanted to be a veterinarian. Not only did I enjoy caring for animals, but I enjoyed helping people. I loved taking our family's dogs in for their appointments and observing the steps taken by our long time vet. He even let me come in one summer and watch him perform surgeries.
When I joined the Marines, I always just assumed I would continue with my education after service. But I never really considered how it would essentially "set me back" 4 or more years. By the time I had finished my service all my peers from high school were graduating college. Some were even starting their careers.
When I started school I enrolled in Mesa College in San Diego as a vet tech student. Shortly after I met Garrack. By the end of the spring semester we were engaged and planning our move cross country to Connecticut.
That, of course, put my schooling on hold for a bit so I cold find a school and get to know my surroundings. But by the time I was accepted into Quinnipiac University I found that they no longer offered a vet tech degree. The only other school in the whole state that held accreditation was to far away to commute on a daily basis.
I had to come to a realization that as a 24 year old who was preparing to marry and wanting a family soon, a career as a vet was just not viable. I had to complete my bachelors and then move on to an additional 6 or more years somewhere else. It was time to explore my options.
I still really wanted a career working with large animals in some sort of health profession. While searching online I came across equine massage therapy. Perfect!
Recently we've been talking about the possibility of moving back toward the Colorado area. We miss the big sky and the people in the heartland of the country. We just aren't "coast dwellers". The only downside of that was realizing that we would be moving from an area with lots of highly competitive riding stables to an area with far less of them. The likelihood of being hired by a cattle farm to massage a horse is much less than a show jumping stable.
Back to the drawing board.
It has taken a lot of thought. A lot of moments where I've thought "Maybe... no... not that". Truthfully, I've known what would make me happy for a good year now. I've kept it secret though, afraid of being laughed at or told that I couldn't possibly do it.
This week I couldn't ignore my heart any longer. I finally shared my idea with Garrack. And though I know he would support me in anything I wanted to do, he basically told me, "What took you so longer to figure that out?!"
The Fox & Bear Homestead will no longer be just a hobby or something to help feed my family. It will now also function as a source of income for us.
I am so excited to dedicate myself to this. To join the farming community and provide real food for local families. I've become very passionate about farm to table and food that people can truly trust.
This fall I'll be digging in and planning everything out to have a great first year in 2016. I'll be sharing the journey, of course, on the blog, Facebook, and Instagram (@foxandbearhomestead). It will be trying and a lot of hard work, but I know it's something I will look forward to every day.
