In 2015 my husband Travis and I, along with our three little girls made the move to live and farm full time in Saskatchewan.

I had loved living in Calgary - I always felt it was a happy medium between the Vancouver City Scene (that I knew and loved) and country life (which I longed for after a long week of traffic and trying to juggle 5 lives at once).

I have been lucky enough to experience both worlds and I can't say that I prefer the one over the other :) Calgary was definitely a great balance between the two - I felt as though I were living the simplistic life you'd find out in the country with the convenience of the Big City. I love being able to get a dash or two of the City every once in a while - it was ideal. The sun in Calgary always seemed to shine and the cold and snow never seemed to last for longer than a couple of days, you always had the prospect of warmer weather to look forward to!

I was surrounded by wonderful, longtime friends, the Church we attended was full of energy and I loved our incredible Bible Study group. Every once in a while when the monotony of housewife/momlife got to me, I could wrangle my support system sisters and go for a workout or glass of wine, a good chat with a great friend who knew me was as good as a holiday. Lest I forget.... the options when choosing which restaurant to go to - for a foodie like me, the possibilities were endless and we rarely went to the same place twice. Date nights consisted of dining at the newest trendy little restaurants in the City. And being a fitness enthusiast, you could pick and choose a workout class or dance or stretch or spin, whatever you felt like occupying your time with - you could do it!

Ladies, be sure to cherish those friendships and moments! Those friends who truly "get" you, friends who don't have to question your every word or move - you'll feel the void when it's not so easy to get together anymore, I know I did!

So from the wonderful diverse selection that Vancouver and Calgary offer, we made our move to small-town Saskatchewan. To be exact, the same small-town my husband had grown up in. It's a beautiful, quaint small town with lovely people. Everything comes to a halt over weekends and there's maybe one or two, smaller, restaurants to choose from if you're not into cooking that night. This did take some time to get used to - but I chose to see the silver lining and I greatly appreciated the simplicity and slower pace of life that had now become our everyday.

It wasn't long till I remembered why I left the small town I grew up in soon after graduating. I knew next to no one upon arriving in small town Saskatchewan, but you know what they say - the nice part about living in a small town , is that when you don't know what you're doing, someone else does :) And this was the honest truth - people were telling me my life story before I even met them!

I find small towns wonderful, but at the same time it's hard to bear - ever heard of "small-town mentality"? That was part of the reason why I left my small town I grew up on Vancouver Island BC very soon all those memories came flooding back. For years since high school I had been in and around cities, I had travelled quite a bit and to be honest, I had forgotten what it was like in a small town or maybe I had just assumed that what I was feeling back then was a "high school mentality" and that one day, some day, when I'm all grown up - things will be different. Either way, it was a "culture" shock and I found it difficult to find my place in the big, crazy, wonderful thing we call life! It took me a while to settle in to our new life on the prairies, to re-adjust to these familiar yet new ways and all the while missing my family, friends and support network terribly.

I had no time to wallow in my self pity, between caring for and homeschooling our three littles (all pretty much on my own), helping them adjust to the move and cooking for 15 - 20 people on the farm, delivering meals(30 mins to an hour away) with three tired girls in the backseat (all under 5 at that time I should add) , and did I mention I had, literally 2 feet of counter space and no dishwasher in our new house. I was kept incredibly busy! Looking back - it was pure insanity. At that time, I would only see my husband on a Saturday evening and Sundays were spent with his family, so we had very little time together - a lot of stress and a lot of grace! Not exactly what I'd describe as the "honeymoon phase" or ideal early relationship phase! But we survived, all five of us - we learned a lot and most importantly we grew alongside each other.

(Above is our first home in small town Saskatchewan , and voila! My 2 feet of counter space LOL. The delicious, home made meals I delivered to the guys in the field and last but not least - pizza in the field for Dad's Birthday!)

My friends back home had a hard time understanding the farm life - "you haven't seen him for how long?!?!" I'd often hear them ask. "Tell him to pack his own lunch and dinner!" I'd hear as they protect and defend me LOL! Girlfriends are fiercely loyal :) And most times, it was difficult for me/us too. Finding what works for US, rather than going through the motions based on expectations of those around us, how things have always been done in the past and trying to keep up with what others expected was normal and healthy - it was crucial that we find our own rhythm. Unsolicited advice: DO WHAT WORKS FOR YOU!

LIterally… Every. Single. Sunday :) ZZZZZZZ…….

For four years, the guys commuted up to an hour and half each way to get to the fields, the girls and I delivered meals every night during seeding and harvest and I can tell you that it was fun for no one. But you do what you've got to do, and I'm happy to report that we moved onto our new farm 2 years ago.

Our farm has never been the typical smaller family run farm, where everyone chipped in and all the wives helped or took turns with meals. Thankfully we had a bit of help in our beginning years, but for the most part I was responsible for meals, parts pickup, moving trucks, picking up and running around. I remember telling my husband that he wasn't allowed to hire any more single men - they needed to come with a plus one, even if she just kept me company or kept an eye on the kids for an hour.

Today - our farm is a farm of families and we have many incredible wives who have lessened my burden (an answer to prayer!)

With love,

Amy <3

instagram: @theheidehomestead

twitter: @oneorganicfarm

Our (challenging) move to the Prairies: Part I

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