Just Jump! Welcome to the 174th Metamorphosis Monday!

Greetings!  Hope you had a wonderful weekend!  I'm excited today to introduce you to KariAnne who blogs at the beautiful blog, Thistlewood Farms.  A while back KariAnne and her family went through a big metamorphosis and her story is inspiring, as well as beautiful.  Enjoy!

Hello, Between Naps On the Porch readers!  I am so excited to be visiting here today.  My name is KariAnne and I blog over at Thistlewood Farms.

And I want to introduce you to my porch.  And my little hopes and dreams.  Have you ever had a dream?  Something that you thought was unattainable, out-of-reach, pie-in-the-sky.  A dream that you put away on a shelf and took out only when life was at its most overwhelming. A dream that you never thought in your wildest imaginings would ever come true. And when life twists and turns as it must and you are tossed and tumbled….emerging a little rough around the edges….that dream is all you have to sustain you.

But sometimes….when you least expect it. When you have given up all hope. Your dream somehow becomes reality. Dreams are funny like that.

This is the story of our dream.

You see….we lived in the hustle bustle world of a big city with all the lights and fanfare that a big city has to offer. There were restaurants and shops and movies and plays and museums and malls and lots and lots and lots of stuff. And everywhere you looked, there were people pushing and shoving and climbing to the top, arms overflowing with all their stuff.

And my husband was on the fast-track in a tall skyscraper in the middle of that very very big city with all of its fast-paced allure and overwhelming responsibilities. And although we were happy with our four children in our hustle bustle house with our hustle bustle lifestyle….we were so busy.

Maybe too busy.  Too busy for each other.  Too busy for our family.  But amidst all of that busy….was a dream. A dream of a place where life was simpler. A place where our children could run and breathe and grow without all of the constraints of an overwhelmingly fast-paced lifestyle.
A place where the all of the busy and the hustle and bustle and the noise and the clamor could end in a screeching stand-still.  A place where you could see the stars.

But the merry-go-round was spinning faster and faster.  Life was becoming one giant blur, sailing by at lightning fast speed.  And we felt like we spent all of our time and energy just trying to keep up.





Then one day in church, the pastor preached a sermon entitled, “Just Jump.” He spoke of listening to your heart and the Lord and if you felt like there was an insurmountable dream….you shouldn’t be afraid….you should jump.

And we heard his words and they spoke to the very center of our hearts.





And we wanted to jump as far and as fast as we could.  But we were afraid.  We were so scared.  We couldn’t just jump off the merry-go-round.  Or could we?




The doubts were swirling around and around in our heads.  But there it was…..a still small voice saying…..

…..“jump.”

Not “jump” in all caps, but “jump” in tiny, small, timid, little letters.

And so we did……jump, that is.

We jumped from the hustle and bustle and busy to a still, quiet, beautiful countryside with acres and acres of land to run and play and….breathe.

It has been five years since that first jump and our family continues to grow and thrive. The move has had its challenges and blessings. Sometimes I miss the hustle and bustle. I miss the convenience of a drive-thru diet coke. And sometimes it’s a little hard when everyone knows your name (and all your business).

Truthfully, sometimes I miss the busy.  And then I walk outside on a crisp, clear, April night….take a deep breath….and I see the stars.

PS If you would like to follow along on our journey, please stop by and visit my porch at Thistlewood Farms.

thistlewood farm
the journey of making a house into a home

KariAnne, thank you so much for sharing this beautiful story!  Change is sometimes scary and yet often, so rewarding.

Looking forward to all the beautiful Before and Afters linked for this Metamorphosis Monday!

Receive BNOTP updates right in your Inbox:
To receive the latest posts, as well as updates about upcoming blog parties, subscribe To BNOTP posts via an RSS Reader. Or, have BNOTP delivered right to your Inbox. You'll find links to subscribe via RSS and e-mail on the top ride sidebar of the BNOTP home page, OR click HERE to subscribe via RSS Reader and HERE to subscribe via e-mail.

Reading this post via e-mail or RSS feed?
*If you are reading this via email or RSS feed, to view all the Before and Afters linked for Metamorphosis Monday, click HERE.


Metamorphosis Monday:
If you are participating in Metamorphosis Monday you will need to link up the "permalink" to your MM post and not your general blog address. To get your permalink, click on your post name, then just copy and paste the address that shows up in the address bar at the top of your blog, into the "url" box for InLinkz.

In order to link up, you'll need to include a link in your MM post back to the party.

If you'd like to include the MM button in your post, just copy and paste the Met Monday button to your computer and unload it as you do your other photos to your post.

PLEASE DO NOT type in all caps...it spreads the links waaaay out. Thanks!

Let's try something fun today! Please visit the person who linked before you and after you...that way everyone will get some visits. Hope you'll visit more, of course.


Welcome! Thanks for coming to the party!