A year ago this past Autumn we began to visit this Village, falling more in love with it every day, just wishing that we could have a life here. It took awhile for us to realize that our dreams weren't just magically going to come true. We had to make them happen. We had to voice our dream, put it out there into the world and then start taking steps to make it come true. And guess what! It worked. We started telling everyone that we wanted to move to the Village. We called our Realtor. We prepared. We researched. Most importantly, we leaped feet first into this new life having faith that our dream would come true. And come true it has.
Don't get me wrong. There have been sacrifices galore but there have been even more rewards. Then around the first of January I started to get a little cocky. I started saying that we were going to be moving into a house on April 22nd. I had a very specific reason for picking that day. I figured if we bought a house in April we would only have an overlap of rent and mortgage for 1 month. Also, our anniversary is April 29th so clearly I didn't want to be moving that weekend. They all laughed, but you know what? I didn't care, because I knew that the only reason we were even here was because I had a dream, I put my dream out there and I took steps to make it come true. Would any of you like to guess what date we are moving into our new house?
My family was a little shocked when they realized this dream was also coming true. I mean, come on, it seems almost ridiculous that it would. Almost every step along the way we have had to overcome obstacles, some very large, to get to this point. I never want to loose faith or this feeling of knowing that I have the power to shape my destiny.
I really wanted to share this with you so that if you are coasting through life like I was, not really happy or living what you feel is your authentic life, that you will see that you do not have to sit around powerless and waiting. You can do something to change it. It may seem overwhelming or impossible, but little steps add up to big changes. I'd love to hear what you are dreaming for yourself.
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I dedicate this post to Kim at Daisy Cottage. Not only was she the person that introduced me to blogging and encouraged me to start my own, she was the person that showed me that this dream could be achieved and encouraged me the whole way. Love you Kim!
beautiful post about the possibility of achieving your dream. so happy for you, that you are!
ReplyDeletexo
~molly
I feel the same way Jen! We were a very very poor family working hard day in and day out just to make ends meet but we knew we wanted something better for our kids, better schools, better opportunity. We came from NOTHING and have had to bust our butts to get here to Zionsville. Now I am still dreaming of working our way to owning our home, but I don't doubt for a second it will happen one day. For us though it has been all about the schools and less about the town itself.
ReplyDeleteGood for you for dreaming and holding on to that dream all the way! You're inspiration to those of us still working to get there.
So glad you are realizing your dream, it's amazing isn't it when a dream becomes a reality! I did a post about this today too! Looks like lots of us are making our impossible dreams come true! Congratulations!
ReplyDeleteKat :)
thank you for this, it is just what i needed to hear today. it's so encouraging to know that happiness and dreams can be found and made to come true with a little time and a lot of effort.
ReplyDeleteJen - this is so cool and the exact date!
ReplyDeleteMy dream is to sell my house and it has been online since Sept but not with a realtor yet. I am planning to list it in mid March since the winter is not at all good to sell here.
I have lived here since 2002 and now my daughter is in college and I am on my own. I want to sell the house and then I would be debt free and I would like to go round the world on a year long trip or so... I love to travel and I want to go now, when there are no ties and I would not want to leave grandkids!
so, that's my dream - just puttin it out there.
Sometimes, though do you think there is another plan for you besides what your dream is and you just have to wait to see it play out? I wonder.
Cheryl in cold Ontario, Canada
After almost 30 years of marriage my husband recently died at age 51. I will soon be 50 and my greatest desire is to finally go to college.
ReplyDeleteOur 4 children have all graduated from college and moved on to their lives. Are very successful in their chosen fields.
However I see no way financially that I can do this...on paper. But in my heart I KNOW it is the right thing to do. Thank you for your words of encouragement today. This is exactly what I needed to hear.
This is all so true...they are words sometimes hard to live by but hopefully this is all the encouragement I need to go forward with a few dreams I have. Why can't we just pick up and find a cute little cottage by the sea!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for your inspiring words!
I hope all your dreams come true ~
Jen,
ReplyDeleteIt has been fun "watching" your dreams become a reality. I am a believer - our dreams of moving home are coming true too, despite once believing it was not possible.
I love hangin' with dreamers cause I know I have become one!
xo~Jill
So excited for you guys! I'm so happy to get to see you so, so happy. I can't wait for our back porch knitting circle too =)
ReplyDeleteJen, A very inspirational post. I so much agree with you. You have to dream it and dreams can come true as long as you take the actions toward it. Life is what you make it to be.
ReplyDeleteOh what a lovely post and I am so happy for you and your family. Congratulations. Have a wonderful week. Terri
ReplyDeleteThank you for this! You are such an encouragement to everyone who reads your blog.
ReplyDeleteI loved reading about your dream and that it really did come true! I agree with you that you have to make them come true as they don't just fall in your lap.. God helps those who help themselves. take care,Maryann
ReplyDeleteLovely and uplifting post...
ReplyDeleteI want to Thank u for this post....It actually made me cry because i have been thinking so much lately about my dream.
ReplyDeleteI dont want to b a materialistic person.....my family means everything to me. I m going through a divorce and at 41..starting over for the 2nd time is exciting and scary at the same time.
I have been doing daycare for 10 yrs so i m very limited on where i can live to keep my clients...but i would give ANYTHING..to have a TINY house with a bit of property for chickens..my horse..a few goats and even pigs. I want to have a garden and a driveway filled with roses. I can tell u EXACTLY how this looks..in my mind. I want to make homemade soaps and sell antiques from a shabby pink barn with a chandelier. I kid u not...THIS IS MY ULTIMATE DREAM. I m so SCARED to fail and i m putting two kids through college. I dont know exactly where to start....my sole income is my daycare....but honestly i m unfulfilled.
Thank u...for showing us..dreams can come true...and thank u for baring with my looong rant.....<3 Sheri
Love this post and you are so right! Eight years ago living in Dallas, born and raised... but hubby was from Northern Indiana.....we loved the town he grew up in and started thinking we wanted to live up here.....all the kids where gone and on their own. Hubby was our rock and decided we were going to make our dreams come true! He retired early at the age of 48 and left his job of 25yrs with Southwest Airlines and we jumped in with both feet, never looked back and here we are 7years later, actually living on a farm a little south of where he grew up and loving life! Who would of thunk....me a Dallas city girl would end up living on a farm and spending my days with chickens, goats, dogs and cats....straw in my hair and chicken poop on my shoes and loving every minute of it! You can make your dreams come true if you believe in them!
ReplyDeleteI believe Jen....I believe in the laws of attraction. I believe that thoughts become things, so choose the good ones....and you are proving it...I am thrilled over the moon for you!
ReplyDeleteHugs,
Penny
Jen, thank you for reminding me that dreams do come true if you put your heart into them. I love your story, I love your dream and that you were determined enough to make it real! I look forward to visiting your blog and enjoying your new cottage nest!
ReplyDeleteJulie
ps... to Sheri, I think you will make your dream come true too .)
Congrats! I know you are so happy. Kim told me to come over for a visit, so here I am! Your post is inspirational. Good luck with your move!
ReplyDeleteI've had several major instances of putting my dream out there and having it come true. I know first hand that this works.
ReplyDeleteI also have to remind myself of that when I get bogged down with worry and develop a 'defeated' attitude. Believe me, it is a lesson you have to keep on learning, but it is so worth it!
Blessings to you, Jen.
Claudia
Somewhere along the line I lost track of you Jen. I was just over at Kim's and read about your news. I am so happy for you and hope to see more of your dream.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if our dreams come true, in our elder years. J and I have thought about this very idea often and quite a bit over the past year.
All the best!
You are so right. There is power in words. Putting it out there or writing it down on paper. Then, just sit back and watch God work. Faith, baby, every time!
ReplyDeleteThank you. You must have been inspired! That's just what I needed to read today. I'm the same way: I know what I want and I know when I want it, now it's just getting there.
ReplyDeleteWhat an inspiring post. Just shows what hard work and goals can do. Congratulations, and....Keep following you dreams.
ReplyDeleteCheers,
Lisa x
It is true. We loved the town my sister lives in - we actually helped her find her home and helped her acquire it. We loved a house there but it was too big and too much. I have always wanted a smaller house to grow old in and when this store went up for sale I somehow had the feeling it was it. It is going to be a hard 2.5-3 years as we work on it while waiting for our teen to graduate..then the two younger kids, hubby and myself will put this big house up for sale and move onto our little house. Until then we will have a blast renovating her so she is all "US".
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to watch your journey as it unfolds and thanks for letting us share with you.
tammy
Jen ~ what a beautiful post ~ it really hits me in the heart. I just started a blog and guess who was the catalyst? Kim of course..I too has aspirations and now I will remain positive..we are downsizing and we have our eye on a wonderful farm house not far from here, but we need to sell our home. We'll do it ~ God willing. Thank you for your inspiration. I am definitely going to follow you~;-)
ReplyDeleteSuch a nice post, a beautiful house, and a lovely tribute to Kim who was one of the first bloggers I read!
ReplyDeleteI'm a believer--- it is the old
ReplyDelete"name it and claim it" theory- that is God given! Way to go! 4/22/11...LOVE those numbers! Hugs- Diana
hi jen,
ReplyDeletei believe every word of this post and totally agree. you have to figure out that dream, make it known and make it happen. i'm so happy for you.
i just read kim's post about you. another example of the true magic of the blogging community: the warm support, the unyielding encouragement. it's all amazing.
rooting for you all the way, kiddo! any of that bundt cake left? :)
xo
elyse
What a timely post...I was just going to email you and ask you where you got the nerve to actually follow your dream. My dream is to retire from work and be home full time. I know I have three serious years of budgeting to get to that point but if I don't start doing something about it now, it may as well be 30 years. God does indeed want to bless us but he's not a cosmic Santa...we have to do our part, too. Thanks for the extra umph to follow through. I've been following your journey and you are an inspiration. btw...Kim hooked me on blogging, too.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the inspiring post. I've achieved some of my dreams, but there are plenty more to realize. I want to publish a book, own a little cottage at the beach,and do some extensive travel. In addition to this wonderful post; I'd suggest a look at the blog called the Art of Non Conformity...http://chrisguillebeau.com/3x5/. And a note to TheGlue; I went back to school at 46; it was a miracle. If you want details just e-mail me via my blog.
ReplyDeletecongratulations on fufilling your dream. I hope living there is everything you want it to be.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations! And, thanks for the reminder to follow our dreams!!
ReplyDeletecongratulations, Jen! It is so beautiful and I know how happy you will be there- yay!!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful Home!! Good Choice!!! Thank you for your remarks about our dreams... so funny.. When I discovered Blogging in general and cottage blogging... It was Daisy Cottage and Kim that I first went to!! She said some of the same things about dreams!!!! Very Encouraging, Terri
ReplyDeleteso, so true. it's so easy to sit back and say "i want this" or "i wish that," but without actually saying "i'm GOING to do this and/or have that" and then putting in the work, it's never going to happen. you have to tell the universe which direction you want to go, otherwise it will never steer you there. i'm so excited to see your dream coming true, and i hope it is everything you've wished and hoped for!
ReplyDeleteLove hearing another dream has come true!! Visiting you from Kim's and am so glad I did!!
ReplyDeleteAh, so lovely, jen. I am so happy dorm you!
ReplyDeleteHugs,
Suz
love this post! i am a total believer in this dreaming, postitive thinking thing. It really works and I don't think a lot of people believe in it, but it works! So happy you dreams are coming true!
ReplyDeleteI came to your blog today from Kim's blog. I am a firm believer in the art of Attraction. Happy it worked for you on your new home.
ReplyDeleteJan
Hallo, I enjoyed this post so much. I'm living a dream, too. And I chose it, too. Me and my fiancè left northern Italy to live in central Italy: we bought a country house to be restored and are near to finish it. We want to open a b&b. The work is huge, money going out endlessly but we still believe in this new life. We left our relatives and friends.. and I'm angry when I see someone envying me. It is useless to envy people, being not enough brave to try changing life.. if you want you can see some progress in my craft blog (the word nest is in my blog, too :-))).
ReplyDeleteHugs
Chiara
I could not agree more with you, I think when you throw out in the universe what you want and you do something about it, it does come true. I feel like everything I've achieved so far is came from dreaming of it. I'd love to open up a design store and sell unique furniture and fabric and give design advice and slowly but surely I'm working on it! It's been great fun to watch you achieve your dreams Jen and I'm truly happy for you, funny how this blog world works!!
ReplyDeletethis is such a wonderful, hopeful post--particularly inspiring in such a harsh & unforgiving month. february is the meh month, no matter where you live.
ReplyDeletei do believe that dreams come true. most of mine have, but in different ways and not in the time frame that i had imagined, but so much better than my younger self would have wanted.
married to my college boyfriend & a bizzillion years together, we're still in love, enjoy each other and are best friends;
two smart, beautiful, successful girls--not doing the things i had dreamed of for them, but are even better than those silly dreams;
wanted an imaginative, creative photography business--check--had it for 20 years..loved it, was very successful & have moved on from that;
have a wonderful old house & fabulous gardens--but many miles across the country from family & friends...
everything has seemed to work out, maybe not as i dreamed it, but as it should.
my dream now is to have a blog...but my computer skills are so afflicted that i can't imagine that one ever coming true :)!!
nanne in columbus, indiana
That is so awesome. I am proud of you for going after your dream and am looking forward to April 22nd when it will be finalized. May the LORD bless you in every way
ReplyDeleteI just did a big post on my dreams and this totally hit home with me. I am so happy you have achieved yours because that gives me hope.Thank you for sharing this with us.
ReplyDeleteI must have read this six times so far this morning. I really needed this today. Costing is just what I've been doing. Achieving my dreams.
ReplyDeleteThanks for this.
Nancy
Wow, I have not yet visited your blog but so glad I did. I have been going through so much lately trying to figure out if having a dream is really "reality" or am I just living in a "fantasy world".
ReplyDeleteI was so thrilled to read this post and to know, if I can "see a dream, I can make that dream come true" you are living proof of that very thing.
I thank you for posting this very inspirational post, it was a much needed reality check for me today...
Terry
Congratulations!! I'm so happy your dreams are coming true! We live in a "village in Indiana" too! Email me if you'd like...rachelgoing@gmail.com
ReplyDeletexo rachel
That's right. It's not enough to dream, you've got to dream out loud!
ReplyDeleteKris
I love this entry! We made a move towards our dream when we sold our suburban house in CA and moved to a small, rural town in SC last year. We're still adjusting, and it's not always what we'd hoped for, but it's definitely an adventure. We're still trying to decide if it was the right move, but we're going to enjoy every thing we can while we're here!
ReplyDeletewww.spontaneouslysouthern.com
This is so inspiring! I only recently found your blog, and in perusing through this week, the first post to catch my eye was this one.
ReplyDeleteI just got married in August, and started out with big hopes from pretty much the moment the plane landed after our honeymoon. Those hopes have changed and grown in so many ways in the last six months, but I've got my eye on the prize for the longer term-our very own home with our very own family. There's nothing quite like a woman with a dream...truly a force to be reckoned with! Congrats on achieving this one, and thanks for helping the rest of us feel that it's ok to dream big!
We've done it! We decided last year we'd had enough talking about it and made the leap of faith. It's been crazy and hard and so good. We sold our home last spring and after much...change...moved into our little farm last month.
ReplyDeleteJumping in with both feet, I've already met quite a few new friends, gutted chickens, fed lambs and more. My knitting lessons start tomorrow and I'm expecting a call anytime to go watch goats kid. It's been a lot of work, but I'm loving it.
Love this post and and am so so sooooo happy for you! I believe the same and just said as much to new clients as they looked around my dream farm... It's not always easy to keep the faith, and often God has better plans than my own. I am exactly where I was meant to be purely by dreaming and working and saying my dreams out loud (and to the heavens). I too started at Dear Daisy but my dreams keep taking me away from blogging (and I MISS my blog time n buddies). Thanks for the lift and smile. Happy HOMEmaking!!!!
ReplyDeletehugs,
Leslie