What's Next?

Some of you have asked me what comes next, and although I haven't made any hard and fast plans, I thought I'd let you know what I've been thinking.

I loved writing A Carpetbagger's Tale. It was a wonderful way to put my journey into words and also share it with my friends and family (and strangers!). In many ways, it's my most prized souvenir: not only is it a record of each day, but it is also an accomplishment. I've wanted to be a writer for as long as I can remember, but I never wrote. I had a lot of excuses, but mostly, I was just scared that I wouldn't be able to do it and I wouldn't be any good at it. With A Carpetbagger's Tale, I proved to myself that I can write, and now, I'm less afraid to keep to writing. For me, that's a huge accomplishment.

That said, I can't help but feel that A Carpetbagger's Tale ended when my travels ended and I came home. When I think about the next stage of my life, it lies on the opposite end of the spectrum from A Carpetbagger's Tale. Whereas the last two and a half years of my life (actually, the last six and a half years of my life) have been characterized by movement, exploring foreign places, and living among strangers in strange lands, the next decade promises to be dramatically different. I've moved back to the part of the country where I grew up; my husband and I have bought a farm with the parents, and we're trying to revive a way of life that my grandparents knew. I hope the next decade is characterized by roots, exploring a regional and ancestral legacy, and living among family and friends.

I think there will be a lot to write about, and I'd feel honored to share my stories of renovation, gardening, and learning the old home crafts with you, but I also suspect that I've tired out the day-by-day update. I don't regret the consistency and detail with which I wrote A Carpetbagger's Tale, but I also recognize my own (and possibly your) boredom with that format by the end of the six months.

Right now, I'm thinking that I will rename this blog with a title more fitting the next stage. Of course, the web address will remain the same, and I will also keep all the old posts. In the future, I expect to update the blog with weekly or bi-weekly posts, and this time around, I expect to include things like recipes, instructions on how to do odd jobs around the farm (I'll teach you as I learn them myself), and pictures of our improvements. As always, if you have more requests, I'll try my best and post those too.

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As for the end of A Carpetbaggers Tale... I've finished out the day-by-day diary, but there's still more to say. As you may have gathered, the transition from travels back home were rather abrupt and somewhat confused by my time in the hospital. Within the next couple of weeks, I expect to post a couple more entries on highlights, lowlights, summaries, and that sort of thing. Also, I've been promising photos for ages, and I suppose I should make good on that as well :)

Thanks again, and Happy Holidays!