Day 325

For three hundred and twenty-four days, I've enjoyed sharing our story about deciding to purchase and restore a twenty-acre hobby farm. The entries have hopefully been both entertaining and informative. Today, I write about something different, yet connected.

Just a few weeks ago, I lost my father. Today, I officially say goodbye.

One of the motivators for the purchase of our farm was to create a place where our family could create memories that would last a lifetime. Twenty acres is more land than I ever thought I would live on. I grew up on a postage stamp lot in Wauwatosa. My wife grew up on a large lot in Grafton. Our home in Menomonee Falls was a mix of the two. Our yard was more than I was used to but very tiny from my wife's perspective. When we decided to move, we wanted more land. But I wasn't expecting twenty acres to be in our future.

Despite it being more than we thought we would ever purchase, our farm has been a great place for our family. I know we’re only in the early stages of a wonderful and exhilarating future. 

When my father decided to get married, he too got more than he bargained for. Because of my mom’s previous marriage, he was able to start his family with two adopted daughters before having two more kids of his own. Still, he worked hard to make his larger than expected family a successful one. Over the years, he was blessed with many grandchildren and great grandchildren.

I could write so many more things about Pop, but none would do justice to what a great man he is. With this farm adventure, I hope to create an environment where he would be proud. Pop loved hearing our farm updates and always wondered what we would be doing next. I am downright depressed that I won't be able to share any more updates with him. Yet I know he is looking down from up above on our progress.

Until we meet again, I can only hope to work as hard as he did to create the best family environment for my wife and kids.