Have you ever gone on vacation and thought, “I wish I could live here full-time?” We have. In 2009, military life brought us to the Pacific Northwest. After living in a desert location for so long, we reveled in the beauty and lushness of northwestern Washington. The trees fill you with awe and wonder, and when all you’ve seen for five years are various shades of brown, the green backdrop leaves you in a state of wonderment.

We visited the Olympic National Forest and small towns like Forks early on. I mean, hey, I did like Twilight (don’t hate), so it was a top priority. Not only was the Pacific Ocean, a mix of wild sea, stones, and evergreens, exceptionally beautiful, we also loved the small town feel.

We also visited Mt. Rainier National Park – travelling from I-5, you go through more small towns like Yelm, Eatonville, and Ashford before reaching the gateway to Paradise. Really, the name is Paradise, it isn’t just how I describe it! If you aren’t sure you think the name is appropriate, go to Mt Rainier – Paradise and decide for yourself.

Anyhow, Mt Rainier National Park is different from the Olympics but has its own majesty to enjoy. Add to that the thrill of seeing a real volcano and you can’t beat it. I still remember my nephews asking me, “A real volcano?!” Yes, indeed. Each time we vacationed at Mt Rainier National Park, either my husband or myself would comment about how amazing it would be to live in one of the small towns just outside the park. The drive always filled us with peace and contentment, and then a little excitement each time we would see a herd of elk in one of the permanent resident’s fields. But the question of “how amazing it would be to live here” was always solemnly answered with “maybe when we retire”. A future dream, a long time down the road. I mean, we haven’t hit 40 yet, but we’re close!

As it would happen, we moved away from Washington to the Midwest for a few years. It was good to experience something different and we were closer to family for a while. But there was always a call to go “home”. As soon as we landed in Illinois, we started planning retirement back in Washington. Then it happened – we got word that my husband’s previous job in Washington was open again and that he was welcome to go back to it. After about 15 minutes of talking it over (yup, that’s about how long it took), we decided to go home.

It wasn’t going to be easy. We had two homes to sell in Illinois, a slow market compared to the Pacific Northwest, and housing prices in Washington have sky-rocketed since we left in 2015. We put our house up for sale, moved our belongings into storage in Washington, and proceeded to live in our 28ft RV for 8 months. Two people, a 60lb dog, and two cats in a 28ft RV after living in 2600+ sq ft of brick and mortar house. It was a challenge, but it was worth it to be able to go back. After a few months, we lost the renter for our second home and then had two mortgages to pay and the rent on a house we finally moved into when we couldn’t handle wintering in the RV anymore.

We thought our dream of living on a mini farm was over. Our houses in Illinois wouldn’t sell and home prices here were creeping upward and upward each month in Washington. One home finally went under contract and we decided to look at the market again. We checked out a few places and almost decided to settle down in Shelton, WA. Small towns just have such an appeal to us, we can’t stay away from them. But in Shelton, we were looking at older homes (pre-1950s) that were in the heart of town with hardly any yard let alone “min-farm” size. We talked about the positives of downtown living: walking to the pubs, maybe even walking to work (for me), close neighbors for a sense of community. We aren’t antisocial people, we like having neighbors, but we also like to have breathing room and not annoy people with our random hobbies. Pat blacksmiths (ping, ping, ping), and I do fiber arts and want to raise fiber animals (bah, bah, bah), neither of those are good ideas with neighbors right on top of you.

Just before we settled for a simpler life and leaving some of our dreams behind, we came across a home for sale. In Ashford. Right on the highway leading into Mt. Rainier National Park. Right where we Oooo and Aahh at the towering trees and roaming elk herds. It was our dream stepping out of our imaginations and waving frantically at us! The downsides – it’s a total rehab project and an hour drive to work for Pat. But we go there and see the retirement dream materializing right in front of us and 20+ years ahead of time! There’s acreage for livestock or wildlife sanctuary, a studio for fiber arts, a barn and overhang perfect for blacksmithing, and plenty of road frontage for a future tourist shop to sell our (and other artisans) goods to the roughly 2 million visitors that pass by each summer to gaze at the frightening beauty of Mt. Rainier.

My plan with this blog is to take you along our journey of a rehab project, what we learn, and, hopefully, move you into reading about our dreams become reality in this little piece of Paradise.