Troy's & Laura's Haven
Welcome to our web site and thank you for visiting! In April 2015, we started our dream life and the adventure continues almost daily.
Before we met and after, Troy and I were both campers. For both of us, some of our fondest memories of camping trips with family and/or friends. On one trip a number of years ago, we realized how completely relaxed and at peace we were. It occurred to us that maybe a worthy life-goal would be to actually live our lives so we'd always feel that way. Well, as much as possible, anyhow!
The next six years were spent preparing our home for sale and deciding what we wanted our home to be - and where! The most difficult decision really turned out to the be the latter. There was so much to consider. We both wanted to be near our Moms so we needed to at least be within southern Alberta. We like water and trees so ideally wanted to be near them. Oh, and it had to be affordable! A reality that we recognize is that Troy and I are aging and want to save as much money as possible for our retirement. Right, so another element to consider is access to health care. Of course no-one wants to need it but good to have if we do.
There were a lot of highs and lows, let me tell you. Once we decided we were moving, I started to let go of our home. And started packing up the things I didn't think we'd need to have around. Turns out we really didn't 'need' these things but over the couple of years they've been packed, I realized how much I've missed my kitchen toys in particular. At one time, we believed we'd found a decent property so went forward with an offer and started planning the home we'd need to put there. The deal fell through. Then we found the property on which we now live. That meant selling our home in Calgary. There's nothing so fun and exciting as selling your house, is there? HA!! Ah well, it all worked out in the end.
In April 2015 we took possession of the property. We had planned where we'd spend our money and what we'd get done. We purchased bare land. That means there was nothing on it - no house, no road, no water, no power. We knew that going in and had decided that living our dream was worth the challenges. So with no place to call our own that we could live in, we stayed with my Mom and her husband. They have been so incredibly supportive in every conceivable way.
While staying with Mom & Kerry, Troy heard about a contractor who'd done work for the boss of his friend. The contractor met us out on the property and we talked about our vision. Our vision was pretty much the 'let's get it done quick but well.' Then Troy walked the property with him and he gave us some ideas. Our plans went completely askew but oh my goodness it's been worth it! Instead of putting our home in an existing clearing which would have been fine, the contractor suggested putting in a ring road and settling the home down the hill a bit in the trees. We love it. I can hear wind whipping the trees around violently but in our home it's just sound, the wind is up overhead so we get a breeze.
I wrote 'our home'. That went a little sideways, too. We are currently living in an old ATCO trailer. The plan was to buy a cabin package and the ATCO trailer. The latter would be the office (we're both self-employed). Our beautiful road used up the money for the cabin so we've been staying in the office until we can save money for the package or an alternative. On the positive side, we had figured that we don't need much space. The house in Calgary was 1,800 sq' including the finished basement. The trailer is 720 sq'. Thank goodness it turns out we were right about not needing much space! Of course, as a friend pointed out, we can step outside onto our 45 acres if we want some space.
So now we live here on what has truly turned out to be the property of our dreams. We have wonderful neighbours and live near a small town community that has been very welcoming. As we explore the area, we have found 3 lakes that are each less than 10 minutes away. One of them is at a provincial camp-ground with a lovely sandy beach and for Troy, fishing!
This year we will be getting more work done on the home front but this is also a business enterprise for us. Current plans include building a green-house and raised beds; developing a goat herd; getting some chickens and rabbits; and just for fun and protection, a donkey.
Naturally, we've had some challenges in switching lifestyles. I plan on blogging about outhouse management in the very near future... I'll let that statement speak for itself re challenges -LOL! All-in-all, we are so happy out here that the challenges seem negligible. We are both getting more relaxed every day and I find myself laughing more and more, too.
Stay tuned and please come back periodically for visits and check out my blog!
~Laura & Troy
Before we met and after, Troy and I were both campers. For both of us, some of our fondest memories of camping trips with family and/or friends. On one trip a number of years ago, we realized how completely relaxed and at peace we were. It occurred to us that maybe a worthy life-goal would be to actually live our lives so we'd always feel that way. Well, as much as possible, anyhow!
The next six years were spent preparing our home for sale and deciding what we wanted our home to be - and where! The most difficult decision really turned out to the be the latter. There was so much to consider. We both wanted to be near our Moms so we needed to at least be within southern Alberta. We like water and trees so ideally wanted to be near them. Oh, and it had to be affordable! A reality that we recognize is that Troy and I are aging and want to save as much money as possible for our retirement. Right, so another element to consider is access to health care. Of course no-one wants to need it but good to have if we do.
There were a lot of highs and lows, let me tell you. Once we decided we were moving, I started to let go of our home. And started packing up the things I didn't think we'd need to have around. Turns out we really didn't 'need' these things but over the couple of years they've been packed, I realized how much I've missed my kitchen toys in particular. At one time, we believed we'd found a decent property so went forward with an offer and started planning the home we'd need to put there. The deal fell through. Then we found the property on which we now live. That meant selling our home in Calgary. There's nothing so fun and exciting as selling your house, is there? HA!! Ah well, it all worked out in the end.
In April 2015 we took possession of the property. We had planned where we'd spend our money and what we'd get done. We purchased bare land. That means there was nothing on it - no house, no road, no water, no power. We knew that going in and had decided that living our dream was worth the challenges. So with no place to call our own that we could live in, we stayed with my Mom and her husband. They have been so incredibly supportive in every conceivable way.
While staying with Mom & Kerry, Troy heard about a contractor who'd done work for the boss of his friend. The contractor met us out on the property and we talked about our vision. Our vision was pretty much the 'let's get it done quick but well.' Then Troy walked the property with him and he gave us some ideas. Our plans went completely askew but oh my goodness it's been worth it! Instead of putting our home in an existing clearing which would have been fine, the contractor suggested putting in a ring road and settling the home down the hill a bit in the trees. We love it. I can hear wind whipping the trees around violently but in our home it's just sound, the wind is up overhead so we get a breeze.
I wrote 'our home'. That went a little sideways, too. We are currently living in an old ATCO trailer. The plan was to buy a cabin package and the ATCO trailer. The latter would be the office (we're both self-employed). Our beautiful road used up the money for the cabin so we've been staying in the office until we can save money for the package or an alternative. On the positive side, we had figured that we don't need much space. The house in Calgary was 1,800 sq' including the finished basement. The trailer is 720 sq'. Thank goodness it turns out we were right about not needing much space! Of course, as a friend pointed out, we can step outside onto our 45 acres if we want some space.
So now we live here on what has truly turned out to be the property of our dreams. We have wonderful neighbours and live near a small town community that has been very welcoming. As we explore the area, we have found 3 lakes that are each less than 10 minutes away. One of them is at a provincial camp-ground with a lovely sandy beach and for Troy, fishing!
This year we will be getting more work done on the home front but this is also a business enterprise for us. Current plans include building a green-house and raised beds; developing a goat herd; getting some chickens and rabbits; and just for fun and protection, a donkey.
Naturally, we've had some challenges in switching lifestyles. I plan on blogging about outhouse management in the very near future... I'll let that statement speak for itself re challenges -LOL! All-in-all, we are so happy out here that the challenges seem negligible. We are both getting more relaxed every day and I find myself laughing more and more, too.
Stay tuned and please come back periodically for visits and check out my blog!
~Laura & Troy
