Boring Ranch

Brent accepted a job promotion in February but that promotion meant we would have to relocate.  It was a very difficult decision for Brent and I to make but we knew in the long run that Brent couldn't pass up an opportunity like this to move up in such a large company.

At first we planned on moving to Victoria, Texas, which is where Brent's new office is.  The problem with Victoria is that the schools aren't very good.  They are pretty close to what we ran away from in California.  So after a lot of talking Brent told me that we needed to find the city or town with the best schools for the kids even if it meant he had to commute a little in to work and even if it meant I would have to go from a city girl to a country bumpkin.

I hopped on the Internet and searched all the school districts within an hour of Brent's job and settled on two towns.  Then I contacted a billion Realtors looking for a house to rent.  With the Eagle Ford Shale here in South Texas it has become impossible to find places to live.  I looked for two months but found ZERO places to rent.  I was really starting to panic.  Then about 3 weeks ago I received an email from a realtor in Shiner, Texas.  He told me he had something that he thought would work for our family.  Brent and I took a Saturday two weeks ago and drove the 2 hours to Shiner to check the property out.  I was so afraid the house would be a dump but we were getting desperate and thought we would have to take the first thing that became available.

Our realtor took us out to the property which is about 3 miles from "downtown" Shiner.  We turn off the main road on to this little dirt road and wind around on it for a good while.  The whole time I am thinking, "What in the world are we doing?"  We then turn on to the property, cross a cattle guard, and a 1/4 mile up sits a big 1940's farmhouse.

The house sits on 60 acres of land.  About 58 of those acres is being leased out to a cattle rancher so there are cows wandering around.  In the middle of those 60 acres sits the house in a fenced in area.  That fenced in area and the house plus several sheds and a barn is what is for rent.  The owners are architects and have completely remodeled the house and added on to it.  Most of the interior doors and hardware are original and the floors are original.  It is 4 bedrooms and 2 3/4 baths.  Upstairs is a finished out attic with one of the bedrooms, a loft, and the 3/4 bath.  The kitchen is totally modern with stainless steel appliances.  When Brent and I saw the house, especially the inside we were amazed.  I have always wanted wanted to live in an old house like this one.  Brent and I told the realtor we would love to rent the property.  The size of the house and the layout really suits our family perfect.  Upstairs will be Seth's bachelor pad.  The school bus will pick all four kids up at the end of the driveway.  K-6 and 7-12 are all on the same campus and the school(s) are brand new.  The academics are AMAZING and so is their sports program.

This last Saturday we went back out to Shiner and took the kids, my parents, and my baby sister Grace to see the house.  Seth was thrilled to see his bachelor pad and the girls picked out which rooms will be theirs.  Kirstine and Larissa will share a room.  All of the kids were excited about moving but Kirstine.  She is a city girl through and through.  She wore a summer dress and wedge sandals out to hike around in 60 acres.

Now a little about the town.  Shiner is a VERY small town - it is known for Shiner Beer.  The population is 2069.  There is one stoplight.  There is no grocery store, only a small market.  There is no Wal-Mart and no fast food restaurants.  There are two total restaurants in town and one donut shop.  However Shiner is centrally located.  It is 90 minutes to San Antonio, 90 minutes to Austin, and 2 hours to Houston.

Because of this very remote living we will have a complete lifestyle change.  We are going to take this year... or more to experience a whole new way of life.  I think it will be a great experience for the kids and myself to live a different way.  I keep telling myself that if I am miserable the most I have to stick it out for is a year, however I am confident that after some adjustments I will be quite happy there.

Brent and Seth are going to build a chicken coop and we will raise chickens for eggs.  I'm even thinking about getting two Pygmy goats.  We are going to plant a vegetable and herb garden.  My sister Tahnee and my dad say we should get a cow to put out on the land and raise it for beef... not sure about that one yet.

Here are some pictures of the house and property I took this past Saturday.  It really is beautiful.

Outside of the home.

The family room.  You can't tell in the photo but the view from the windows is gorgeous.

Looking down the driveway to the dirt road.

Cows!!!

Yes that is an old outhouse.  

View from the dirt road looking up to the property.