I'm afraid there is no Jake Paul in these woods...

My wife and I falling in love with Bowman was great and all, yet the reality is there are two other humans living with us that definitely have their own opinions and thoughts, our teenage kids! No doubt about it that my wife and I were very stoked at all that was happening around this new adventure. What set out as a simple mission to get something that would forever be ours, quickly became this life altering journey that suddenly meant more than just owning some land. By opening two shops in the Bowman square we were now going to play a vital part in bringing the square back to its former glory. We were more than up to the challenge, yet we knew that how much the kids liked or didn't like this idea was going to play a major role into how this all worked itself out.

It was our son that had the most interest in coming out to see the country. He by his own words has always considered himself more of the country living type, while my daughter is more of the be comfortable and watch YouTube on the couch kind of person. I believe it was our third trip out to Bowman that we took our son on, and he ate it up. The spell hit him just as quickly and before it was time to leave he was ready to stay. He has never been scared away by hard work and he has always loved country music. So to him this was just getting him to where he should have been the whole time anyway. My daughter was not quite as excited to travel out into rural America as her brother. However, after he got back and talked it up I believe her curiosity got the best of her.  What they both didn't realize is that out in the country cell phone reception can be spotty at best. So the plan to just go sit on Shady Acres and watch videos, was not going to be the reality the kids would find in Bowman.

I was wrong, I was completely wrong. Neither one of the kids complained once about the cell service and my daughter was hit by the Bowman spell just as quickly as the rest of us. She was ready to be home schooled and moved out there as soon as possible. She spent the day helping her mother set up her shop, she walked the dogs around, and she absolutely loved it. Once the sun was starting to set over the square we knew it was time to set up camp and head out to our property. In coming out here I tried to prep the kids as much as possible about the work that would have to happen in order to make our land usable. Again expecting push back and there was none. They not only were happy to help, they were eager to do so. It truly is an amazing thing to see, and I was in awe that they took to this life so well. I would say the one area we all need to work on is getting some what used to bugs!

None of us care for insects at all, and when it comes to spiders all of us except mother turn into giant babies. I don't mind hard physical work at times, I don't mind getting dirty and smelling like campfire, yet when it comes to bugs I am not the best at handling them. So there will be an adjustment period, yet I believe we will be country-fied before we even know it. One of my favorite parts of this whole trip was how well the kids worked together, helped clear land, and for hours didn't even think about their phones. We started our fort project using wood from the property and making square lashing knots to hold our structure. (pictured above) Both kids had fun using the hatchet and really enjoyed being a part of the process of clearing the land. Having the thought process that this was also THEIR land, and they could pick the spot where one day they would have their own house. These are the memories that our family will cherish forever.