This edition of 5 Questions is brought to you by Erica, a beautiful young mother of three sweet kids. She blogs about their family’s adventures at www.thecowboyandcook.com. After a move for her husband’s new job, she found light in her family and new friends.
She describes her personal dawn as embracing “mothering with a positive, learning soul…In a new ‘temporary’ home, it’s tough to keep a positive attitude, especially [one] that keeps the munchkins in the right mindset that a house is a ‘thing’ and completely unimportant to our lives. It does not define us. Our family and love between us, is what matters.”
Why did you pursue this course?
We changed our course in life pretty suddenly. Our house sold quickly, and we had to move south. I packed up our entire house, nearly by myself as Dominic was driving 70 miles (one-way) to the new feedyard every day.
Who encouraged and motivated you?
I think the person that kept me going was probably Dominic (my hubby). His positive attitude and God-fearing mindset kept me from going down those dark trails that you can be easily directed to. It was a struggle to move from our beautiful home in Grinnell to a single-wide trailer house on someone else’s land. He was so stressed with his new job but always took the time to ensure me (and still does) that a temporary situation can only make a person grow. Even though he is SO busy with the feedyard, he continues to be my strength, even when he’s not present terribly often.
What was an obstacle that you are proud of overcoming?
I think the most proud [moment] was in the beginning – when school was starting with new people, new teachers, new classmates, and I chose to speak to people first. I allowed myself to be vulnerable to meeting new people and make myself known, instead of the chatting across the school about “who’s that.” Mostly for my munchkins, I wanted them to feel welcomed because I was talking to the people around us.
When did you realize that you were on the right path?
When I found myself with a couple of really good friends, that I wouldn’t have met except through coaching volleyball prior to our move and another feedyard owner’s wife, I felt myself overcome with love and acceptance.
Where did you find inspiration and ideas?
I kept blogging – & looking at blogs of others to keep my attitude positive. Especially with our living situation.
Thanks for sharing your story Erica!
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