Although I appreciate what I am about to say puts me in the “you sound old” bracket, I’m excited. My seeds have arrived!!!!  It’s almost gardening time!

My package from Greta’s Organic Gardens has arrived and it’s time to get down to gardening business! Why Organic? So I know they are not GMO

A few years back my husband and I moved into the house we currently own ( I say currently as we intend to move one last time and really change our lives forever – details to follow).  At that time we thought this would be the house we stay in forever and so we renovated, landscaped and worked our butts off to make this our own little space ( I proudly boast I insulated the house etc. as we really did do this together for our family). One huge change for us was that we started to grow our own food. We created what we coin our “WOP” garden (my husband is Italian ha ha) with a rustic style chicken coup fence and started to see what we could produce. The first year was a disaster. We did manage to grow a few zucchini’s and cucumbers, but the rest, yeeesh. Two more  years of moderate success followed.

Last year, a HUGE improvement.  We successfully grew; carrots, swiss chard, green onions, spinach, lettuce,  beets, 2 different types of cucumbers, zucchini, hot peppers, field peppers, six spices, strawberries and three varieties of tomatoes.

Early in the summer of 2011..this is half of our garden.

This year – we’re expanding. There’s something incredible about watching your kids get excited to eat the food they grew and cared for.

So what’s on the menu this year? We’re attempting: leeks, beets, Habanero peppers,  hot Portuguese peppers,  broccoli, carrots, 2 types of cucumbers, 3 types of tomatoes, six spices, watermelon, cantaloupe, lettuce, butternut squash and last but not least, strawberries.  I can’t wait to walk out and pick out what we want for dinner.  Awesome.

We feel very fortunate to live in Mississauga, Ontario and have the space to do this.  We live in an older style pocket of homes that are small yet situated on large lots.  The trees are mature and the neighborhood is very friendly and warm.  So why leave then?

Life is meant to be more than this for us,  we feel it.

My husband and I have decided that this is the year we finish off the last of the few details of our house and we sell what was once our “dream home” and we create our   “forever home”.

We’re moving out of the “big city” and heading lakeside in a smaller but somewhat “big” city.  We have the ability to offer our kids a very different life.  We want to seize that opportunity while they are young and before things like high school and not knowing anyone become an issue. They need to lay their roots and establish their lives.

I’m so fortunate my job allows me this flexibility – I’m virtual. As long as I can log in – I’m not fired.

Part of this dream is to grow most of our food year round. We are looking to buy several acres of land, build a bungalow (with a gym room for Mom!!), a separate  workshop for my hubby ( he is a cabinet-maker/custom wood worker), a bunk-house for guests that doubles as my office for facilitating and create a much more relaxed life for ourselves. No traffic,  no commutes to work….just us in a great community living a life we’ve talked about many times (mostly over vino  -  more so as more bottles are emptied ha ha) making the most of this life we have been given.

I will share with you this…

This past November I said goodbye to not just my uncle, but one of my closest friends. He was 43. He died of cancer. He was extremely fit, ate only clean foods, worked out daily. He had a huge laugh, many friends and dreams he talked about all the time. At 41 he was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. I watched him struggle with the thought of leaving this life so early and without having attempted to live some of the dreams he spoke of.  He had managed to pay off his mortgage and had his savings for those dreams he dreamed of – in other words he worked hard in the hopes of tomorrow.

My uncle / friend: Dave Hurley

In the end his lesson to me was don’t wait.  Don’t talk about tomorrow when you have the gift of today.  Don’t make a list of things you dream about and leave them on a shelf – go for them. There is a way to make everything happen if you are willing to work for it, go for it and seize the moment.

He is a huge part of why I am pushing myself to be the best me. The healthiest me, the most balanced me, the adventurous me…..

If you could change your life and pursue a dream, what would it be?