Dreams Spoken Among the Trees

Our wedding felt like something out of a fairytale.

Surrounded by the ancient redwoods of Northern California, we exchanged our vows under towering trees that had stood for centuries. Moss draped the forest floor, ferns and giant clover seemed to blanket the entirety of the forest floor. It was peaceful, beautiful, and the perfect place to begin our life together.

Instead of a traditional honeymoon, we packed up and went on a car camping / road trip.

We flew into Medford, Oregon, explored Crescent City, wandered just across the Oregon border, and slowly worked our way down California’s rugged coastline. Eventually, we turned inland near Eureka and made our way to Weaverville, where we picked up our backpacking permit for the Trinity Alps Wilderness.

It was there, surrounded by those peaks, quiet trails, and our friendly deer neighbors. Maybe it was the solitude, maybe it was that we opted to sleep on the ground, but our dreams seemed to come together.

As we hiked, we talked about the kind of life we wanted to build, not just for the next few years, but for the rest of our lives.

We both longed for something simple and intentional. A life centered around healthy living, home-cooked meals, time spent outdoors, and staying active in God’s creation. We imagined having a little piece of land back home where we could build a small homestead, grow a garden, and create a peaceful place to put down roots.

At the time, that felt like the direction we were heading.

Mason had owned his home for five years and had built equity, while the housing market had continued to rise. We decided to invest our own sweat equity into fixing up the house so we could eventually sell it and take the next step toward that dream.

We were excited and hopeful. We had not a clue that this little dream of ours would be taken in and made into something so adventurous and grand.

“Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.” ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭19‬:‭21‬ ‭ESV