spring travels and bucket lists...

The sun hasn't thought about being awake.  The boys are waiting for Daddy to come downstairs so we can go on their morning walk.  And me... I'm as jumpy and excited as a mouse in a cheese factory full of traps!

Today we are going to Mansfield, Missouri.  A small spot on the map.  And the final home of one of my all time real/fictional hero's.  We will be staying half a mile away from Rocky Ridge Farm.  Now... if you are not a Little House fan, and no I don't mean the television show (which I enjoyed), then that will have no meaning for you.  But if you are... how cool is that?!

The new museum has just opened, I will actually get to see Pa's fiddle, a common thread through out their travels.

As a kid, I really related to Laura and her family.  Following Pa's wanderlust and always looking for a brighter tomorrow.  As a military brat it really wasn't Dad's wanderlust, but we sure traveled at the request of Uncle Sam.  Roots were always shallow and meant to be pulled up quickly.

I also feel like I got a lot of my "toughness", determination, and maybe even my desire to often march to my own drummer from Laura.

Her stories were factional... based entirely on her life, with a whole lot of fiction thrown in so people didn't get bored.  I would love to read her actual diaries, I bet there was nothing boring about them.

I also feel that I probably got my desire to learn to be as self-sufficient as possible from those stories.  I cherished the stories of quilting bees and home made gifts.  Making their own supplies and getting by with what they had.

I think there is a lot of those pioneer stories in who I am as a person.  I don't think I have Pa's wanderlust, and I know that I will never go out hunting for my dinner (we will just be vegetarians) although I don't mind fishing at all.

Hubs and I were needing a small vacation, some time to step away.  And boy are we stepping away. Ironically I will be a short walk from the home of one of my favorite writers and I will not even be able to write. Not that I am any where near the skill of any published writer - I do enjoy entertaining myself.  I use a chrome book, need the internet for that to work. So I will entertain myself with picture taking and scribbling notes.

For me this journey is multi-layered.  My country girl heart is going to be in heaven.  We are going to be staying in cabins near a fishing pond.  There are walking trails, a cave to explore (although that will probably be skipped because Hubs is a bit anti-cave), there is peace and quiet.  Groves to be explored.  A chance to reconnect with nature and disconnect with modern life. I need it.  I have my knitting project ready to go, my new cookbooks and a blank note book for planning, and of course my copy of Prairie Girl: The life of Laura Ingalls Wilder.  Hubs is packing the playing cards as we will undoubtedly spend hours playing rummy and laughing.

We chose the site we are going based on the ability to take the boys.  It's far enough to be gone, but close enough to return quickly if need be.  We had toyed with several other ideas for this weekend.  Different things we wanted to do, places to go etc.  Other folks had key roles in why we didn't follow those paths.  It happens.  Honestly, this feels like the universe was pushing us to were we are going. Both of us are excited.

I am looking forward to the next few days.  I can't wait to be on what I consider to be pretty darn hallowed ground.  And hopefully we will be able to go to Baker Creek also.  It's where I buy my seeds for gardening from.  If not, it will be okay, just to be gone is going to be exciting.

Well, I've chattered and squealed in excitement too long.  I need to go pack and get everything together for a few days in paradise!  Hope everyone else has a wonderful weekend... talk to you Sunday!

And honestly the pictures have nothing to do with anything... they are just the beauty of early spring, that made me happy!