This is the breathtaking view of Pike's Peak from the northwest side, and for those of you that have never laid eyes on the mountains, I encourage you to make the journey.  It's hard not to instantly fall in love with the natural surroundings of the entire region, anchored by the massive rocks that tower into the clear blue skies--skies that expand as far as you can see with vibrant, yellow aspens sprinkled down the hillsides.  It is amazing, and every fall we get to see it like clock-work.   

I hope to share a little of our past, as much of our present as I can capture, and some of our dreams for the future.  We come from somewhat of a typical mid-western upbringing, lives of convenience, and Crisco.  We want to show people that simpler and happier lives can be lived.  We hope to change people's ideas about what can or can't be done, what can and should be challenged regarding our current "social norms", and show some other people a path that's less traveled by.  You know that book in Beetlejuice called "The Handbook for the Recently Deceased"? Well, I hope to promote this blog as "The Handbook for the Recently Living".

Leaving our home and our nearly our entire lives as we knew them in rural IL didn't come without complication.  It took some time and a little adjusting, but both my wife and I agree that coming to Colorado was the best thing we've done for ourselves and our family.  Moving here was an eye opening experience.  After a few years and some big shifts in our levels of consciousness regarding food, natural resources, carbon footprints, (the list goes on), we're trying to figure out how to live an affordable, sustainable and enriched life.  We make our home on the west side of Colorado Springs near Bancroft Park in the heart of Old Colorado City.  We love it here, if you couldn't tell, and for whatever amount of time we're able to stay, we want to make the most of living.

-Jeff