The Plot: 

A mom drags her family along for the ride as she pursues her dream of a simpler, healthier and more fulfilling life. 

Cast of Characters: 

• The Inspired Wife: Mother of two. Full of optimism and ideas. Always harbored a dream of having a hobby farm. (Didn’t realize homestead was a more accurate description of her vision.) Left her hometown in Minnesota on a lark after college. Thought she would only stay in NYC for her 3-month internship with famous designer. One opportunity led to another and 3 years later she left NYC for her dream job in Boston. She built a career in innovation consulting — facing really big questions, like how does this financial services company stay relevant in the future? She travelled the world. She got to use both her analytical skills and her creativity to contribute to corporate strategy. Overall, she found a lot of satisfaction and fulfillment in her work. However, after having 2 kids this professional life didn’t fit so well anymore. Always optimistic, she trusted that there was more than one way to live a fulfilling life. Now she spends most of her waking hours with her two little boys. She has to answer really tough questions, like why did God give me this mouth if he didn’t want me to use it right now? 

• Urban Husband a.k.a. The Reluctant Farmer: Extremely practical and slightly cynical. Can sense a potential problem from a mile away. Never dreamed of living on any kind of farm at all. He’s a bit of a renaissance man when it comes to the digital realm. He does digital product design for his own clients. Dogmatically independent, he can’t imagine working for a boss. He likes to remind people that salary is slavery. In many ways he couldn’t be more different than his wife, but nevertheless they love each other dearly and have a very good relationship.

• Mr. P: With the confidence of a seasoned veteran, this boy at 3 seems to think he pretty much knows it all. He makes his presence constantly known, and with his readiness to discuss all minutae, it can be hard to get a word in edgewise at times.

• Dubs: The second boy at 1 seems to be a much more laid back, happy-go-lucky version of his brother. His sunny personality is enjoyed by all.

The Setting:

After living the urban life on the East Coast for over a decade, the family has decided to return to their roots in Minnesota. (The pull of the grandparents is real.) The Inspired Wife has somehow convinced Urban Husband to buy a farm. Not a hobby farm, but a farm farm. The place is probably larger than necessary (~80 acres) and definitely needs some work (old barn with hole in the roof, dated house.) It’s a nice piece of land though and they see potential. They hope they haven’t bit off more than they can chew, but they put their trust in the Lord and move forward.

Act 1:

The inspired wife shares an announcement with her friends and family.