Birthday Update

Today is my birthday and I couldn’t ask for anything more than what is here right now. We are at the beginning of a grand adventure… and I am old enough to ask for my birthday cake after breakfast.

Things are speeding up on the ranch; we are down to seven days until the poults (turkeys) show up and eight days until the chicks show up. Yesterday Shae and I purchased recycled lumber for the brooder from our neighbor Jim (he lives 20 miles from us). We were expecting that we’d have to drive to Santa Cruz to rent a truck from the Home Depot for $80 + gas. However, for $20, a half dozen eggs, and some fresh baked orange muffins, Jim was nice enough to close up his shop for a bit and deliver the wood for us. Construction begins tomorrow; so barring any typing finger injuries, you can expect some very proud progress reports from me soon.

On Monday we went into Redwood City to get some official business done with the county. The ranch is now officially registered and we are legally operating as Early Bird Ranch. However, far more importantly, Shae and I picked up a marriage license (Here she is on the right already waiting for me at the end of the aisle!).

I promise your invitation did not get lost in the mail! We are living on beans and rice and right now to make sure the farm has a good chance to succeed and the simple truth is that we can’t afford or take the time to plan a wedding. We will likely take a day in the next two weeks to get the official marriage carried out by the county, but the reception (watch for the invitations) will be sometime in Spring or Summer of 2011.

I was seriously worried that our financial position would push the marriage back a year, but luckily I was able to give Shae some pretty speech about economics and insurance rates and convince her to marry me as soon as possible. The fact is I’ve been trying to get her to marry me since I met her, so the sooner the better!