These kids, amid the squabbles and selfies, helped me realize—we don’t do these things together because we get along all the time. We all get along because we do these things together.

What we didn’t know on that day is that just six months later we would move to these mountains!

You see, what makes this story special is that two years ago when we moved here, we didn’t have the proof that this place would be the picture-perfect community for us to raise our family and call our forever home. We didn’t have the proof, but we had the faith.

Today, we have far less than we once had but still more than we want. We have found ways to easily take stock of what we have and to part with what we no longer need.

When it comes to determining what you want, it’s helpful to know what you don’t want.

When we started to envision the life we wanted to live, and we listed out the things we love doing, none of those things that had been consuming so much of our time even made the list!

For our kids in the stands, it taught them to cheer for that kid, to root for that kid, to support that kid. And more than anything, it taught them that family comes before all else.

During the hardest of times, we talked, we cried, we supported one another, and we figured things out.

I’m grateful that we gave ourselves permission to rediscover our dreams two years ago and the freedom to relentlessly pursue a life that embraced those dreams.

I am thankful for the opportunity to serve our community—to be a part of the place we call home. But I am most grateful just to have this TIME with our kids. Time to visit and time to dream with them.

But now, things are different. We know how to be and how to enjoy.

And once we had a clear image in our minds of what that life would look like, we looked at each other and said, “Why wait? Whose rules are we following, and what are we waiting for?”

The truth is, they grow up. And I hope they grow up to always go after their dreams.

The truth is, our priorities, our values, and living with intention is what truly allows us to put first things first.

The truth was there staring us in the face and it really caused us to question: What do we actually need and what do we need to let go?

Last year, after we took the huge step to unbind our life and made the 1,000-mile move across the country to live out a simpler life in our 117-year-old historic home, I reached out to Sara. Turns out, so many parts of our stories are eerily similar and we have more in common than I ever realized.

That January, Brandon and I replaced our usual nightly conversations of fear and doubt and instead started reading the book together before falling asleep.

We know well enough that the absolute best things in life are free. We are excited to soak in all of the best things that we can!

Of all of the things we have done, nothing comes close to the memories we have made.

I have learned our dreams are always worth it, and they are worth it now.