Welcome!

As I stated before, my name is Ashlee. I am a mama to two boys and have lived and worked my entire life in the agriculture industry. Agriculture is a very important aspect to me and should be to others as well. We often take advantage of just heading to the grocery store and picking up anything we need and want in one single place. The downside to all of this is we do not actually know where our food comes from or how long it took to get to us.

One of the things I’m going to talk about in this blog is learning how to do things yourself. Whether that be a garden or wanting to start your own farm. I want all of you to grow with me as I take this world by storm, and I will be learning some myself.

A little bit more about me. I am from Ohio, born and raised. I grew up on a Jersey dairy farm. Yes, Jerseys are the really cute small dairy cows, often mistaken to be part deer (insert eye rolling emoji). We had the dairy until I was in high school and decided –like so many others—that the cost was not worth the profit and unfortunately, on a spring day while I was at school all the cows were loaded and hauled away. I still remember walking down to the newly empty barn when I got home, and sobbing. Those of you who have a connection with an animal knows what it feels like to lose one. Often in the dairy industry, our cows are with us for many years and were raised on the farm, therefore they are handled regularly and are very docile towards us. We now raise beef cows and although still a farm, a dairy farm and a beef farm are very different.

Once I graduated, I was offered an opportunity to move to Texas—one of the best decisions I have ever made in my life. I lived outside Houston, where I attended University of Houston, let me just tell you for a small-town girl, it was a major culture shock. After studying geology for a while, yes, I loved the rocks. I decided it wasn’t the best fit for me and I ended up changing majors and universities. I ended up at Sam Houston State University studying animal science, wildlife management, and agribusiness. Sam felt like home away from home and quickly I fit in and was enjoying the small class sizes and getting to know my professors. I spent some time working on a white-tailed deer breeding facility, with one of my professors, which brought back some of those old Jersey memories.

Although I loved Texas, eventually, I knew it would be time to come back to my roots. My family was growing, and I knew I wanted to be close to them. Afterall, I had a new nephew to spoil.

Finally, I was back at home- a place I knew well, missed, and was happy to be back.

Then things changed…

I entered into a relationship where I thought the world revolved around us. I was full of love and compassion, and I knew I wanted to spend my life with this person. We were only a few months in when the red fags started happening. I was bullied by him, forced to give up myself for him. I changed my entire life for him. He wiggled his way into my brain and brought out the worst in me, causing me to lose focus of my goals and give up the things I loved most—family, friends, hobbies, even laughter. For three years I endured the torture I lived in. The manipulation I felt on a daily basis that my mind convinced myself, it was normal. This is how all relationships run. “Maybe I am the crazy one”. “Maybe I am the problem”. These thoughts and so many more were constantly going through my head. Then it happened, the first time he actually hit me. It was out of anger, but it wasn’t your traditional hit a person in a physically abusive relationship would have received and I by no means take it lightly. It was a strike across my rear, and he tried to laugh it off like it had been a joke, but I knew deep down it was out of anger.

Although, the relationship was controlled by a narcissist and I endured so much pain, I received two of the best blessings of my life, my boys. If I had to do it all again, I would, just to get the same outcome.

When I realized they deserved better, I finally had had enough and I told myself he would never hurt them the way I was hurt and I was strong enough to get away and now the three of us are living our lives, pain free, without worry.

I do not write any of this for sympathy, I write this in hopes that someone reading this will have the courage t get up and walk away. You deserve it.

As I continue to share more things with all of you, I hope you to, will help encourage others to get out of their comfort zone. I hope all of you will start to appreciate the simpler things in life. I hope all of you will want to do things to make you’re lives healthier, not just physically, but mentally.

Keep up with me and I promise you will learn all about the things I love and watch as we grow together.