This Land is Our Land

So last week we did a thing. We made an investment in a piece of property in Southwest Wisconsin, which happens to be right on a trout stream.

See, it sounds wise and smart when I phrase it like that, right?

Our last vacation was a bit rough, which prompted Dave to think about other options for us to enjoy the outdoors as a family. He wanted to find land where we can build a Teddy-proof cabin, make memories as a family and spend time enjoying the outdoors fishing, hiking and riding around on some cool UTV/ATV because that's Teddy's jam. So he started looking for land in the fly fishing mecca of Wisconsin because where else would you buy land?
 

We're blessed to call this ours.

We closed on our land last week and had a fantastically memorable first night there. Teddy stole our beer that we shared to celebrate the land and took a swig before we could stop him. AJ swallowed his tooth eating chex mix. (Honestly, I didn't even know he had a lose tooth prior to that.) We couldn't quite set up our tent because we didn't have the tent poles in the bag. On the bright side, we have a spare tent now, and Dave and AJ got to fish while Teddy and I went tent shopping.

Our first family meal included penny hot dogs and champagne.

We set up our picnic table and benches that we built in the week between Disney and closing on our land, along with our screen tent and new tent. Dave caught more trout in two hours than I can remember him catching in a long time. The boys were excited to run and drive around our land (as we took the Tahoe around to create some trails. We were mesmerized by the fire flies when we stepped outside our tent at night, and I was equally awed when I stepped outside again in the morning to realize this slice of paradise is ours.

This is one of my favorite recent pics of me and the boys.

It will take time to build the cabin that is Teddy proof. But the memories we'll make as we discover the treasures of the land and the nearby communities don't need a cabin to happen. We've already started by discovering the Amish bakery with amazing donuts that's just a couple miles away. And Dave's cousin happens to be our neighbor, so we have someone to help us safely forage and to inspire AJ to the world of fly fishing.

This is going to be fun, folks.