Flash Forward Friday -

Have I told you that I love Fridays? I really do. Even when I didn’t work a regular nine to five job, I’ve always felt like Fridays were a little more free, a little more friendly, and a lot more fun.

Flash Forward Friday is a little thing I am going to try and keep up on. I’m going to check in with where I currently am in life and flash forward to where I hope to be in the future. Remember, this is Hometown Hope after all. It’s where all of my hopes, dreams and wishes live in blog form.

Where am I now?

I’m on the farm. My heart lives there with my family, with the animals, with the sounds and the smells and the sights. Right now, I love where I live. Like I have said many times before, the farm is exactly where I need to be at the moment. It’s my safe place.

How could you not feel safe here?

Look at the adorable baby cow all by himself in the pasture; he looks like a giant wooly teddy bear that you could just go up to and hug.

The arena— yes, it looks a little scary at night with just that lone light over the top shining down through the dust and spider webs. But really, it is a peaceful place to look over and think. Somehow it reminds me to not let myself think in circles, to break out of the arena of my mind and to keep running farther into the future so I can learn more about myself.

Then there is Rosie, the Australian Shepherd. She’s the alarm system for the barn. Absolutely nobody can get past her without a fit of barking— not even me. She’s a happy dog just doing her job, though. I appreciate it, too, because living alone isn’t something I’m used to; even if the rest of my family is just a few yards away.

These are the scenes of my life.

But will my life look like this forever? No.

My goal is to own my own home in town, where I will have worked hard for everything I have just as my grandfather worked hard for everything on the farm. My family is an inspiration to me, the place I live was built on the blood, sweat and tears of an older generation— and I feel like I need to live up to that.

I know that with a little hope and a lot of hard work, I can.