We had moved 3000 miles away to what felt like a brand new undiscovered land bringing with us a few animals and all our hopes and dreams. Leaving behind family and friends was the hardest part but when we sat out on our porch looking out on our property it filled us with joy. The green rolling hills and all the trees starting to change color as it was October and fall was already upon us. We knew we had much to get done before winter set in and we were really not sure what to expect.

We first worked on readying the barn so the goats would be warm enough and have an outside space as we didn't want them to feel like we brought them all this way only to be stuck inside a barn. Our new property had no fencing at all so we quickly put up a little outside area and in a week we let Boots in with the ladies so that come spring we would be blessed with some baby goats.

We only wanted Soap Shack Farms to be down a couple of weeks but it took us longer then expected to get our shed completed. We hired some great local guys to do the roof and drywall and then we took on the rest of the project and James installed the water line and electric and laid the flooring while I took care of painting and helped him where I could. We finished the Soap Shack right before the cold and wet weather kicked in. We also installed a fire place in our farm house and started to prepare for winter.

We were able to buy some electric netting for the goats and had them moved out to pasture during the day. We had a few fall storms roll by but for the most part it was stunning weather welcoming us into Kentucky. We took some days off and explored the area and went hiking a few times. With all the beauty everywhere you look this really felt like Gods country and we could not be happier with our move.

It started to get chilly in November but the true test of winter would hit in December. Christmas week to be exact when we got our first snow but also an arctic storm. Growing up in Northern Calif we had winters but it rarely snowed and we never experienced an arctic storm. So temperatures dropped and got down to -2 degrees and decided to stay cold for nearly a week. Our goats were up at the barn and its a little trek uphill and generally isn't a problem except when the ground is covered in ice and snow. Jax insisted on traveling up to the barn with us and he was the only one who seemed to think this snow stuff was fun. We had to carry water up and break ice three times a day. The goats at first seemed to cold and would shiver and they worried me and gave me this accusing look. Why did you bring us here? We are going to freeze to death. It was a rough week but we survived it and so did all the animals.

After that freezing week the rest of the winter didn't seem bad at all. We had some cold nights where it got down in the 20's but we were used to that back in Northern California. We found some great wood suppliers and got the barn all stocked up and patiently waited for spring to arrive. All the animals adjusted to the weather and loved getting out to pasture when the weather was favorable. We did have a couple more light snow storms but the snow melted pretty quickly and no extreme temperature drops.

We stayed busy making soap and keeping Soap Shack Farms going. We love it here in Kentucky and everyone has been super kind and welcoming. I can't say we dont miss our family and friends but having our own little growing farm is a dream come true.