Our One Year Anniversary

Meant to write this post last week, but, well... you know...
Thursday, 16 February marked our one year anniversary in New Zealand. One whole year! Twelve months!! I can't even believe it.
It was a very rough year for me. VERY rough. I'm very hopeful for this upcoming year. I've gotten my lovely Joe and have met some really great and horsey new friends.
Billy is still LOVING it here! I've never seen him happier. So much less stress. More family time. So much more help around the house and with the kids. And he even has hobbies.
The kids seem to be doing very well too. Nani and Graham still comment on missing the States, oddly, as they are the youngest but they seem quite happy. And Graham and Will are doing really great with homeschool. Both seem to enjoy it and neither comment on missing school. Bry is great. So active and trying new things. She has even started playing cricket! And Mikaylie is doing well in school. She doesn't like it too much but I'm hoping this year will be more enjoyable for her. She is currently trying out to be the goal keeper for the high school's soccer team. She has even started running before school to get conditioned!
I still miss the farm a great deal. I do love the convenience of living in town but I miss our farm life; the privacy, the space, the quiet. I frequently search the ads and websites for small farms (called lifestyle blocks).  I found one a couple days ago that looked perfect for us on 7 acres. I went to see it yesterday and am anxious for Billy and the kids to check it out. I like our current house better but the one on the property would suit us. The house needs some Barb touches and lots of paint but it's only 5 years old and well built. There is an additional studio and even a 2 bedroom bach (a small "holiday house") we could rent out or use for guests (feel free to give us a reason to have it!!!). The propriety has lots of horsey features; a sand arena, a round pen, tack room and three large paddocks for grazing. It has mountain, ocean and countryside views which are stunning, though it is further from the coast than we are now.
On the negative side: The farm in not walking distance to anything. Now the we can walk or cycle to the coastal walkway, the kids can walk to the dairy for goodies or to neighborhood friends' houses and Nani walks to school. If we moved to the farm we'd have to drive the kids to play with friends. The girls could take the bus to school but they'd have less freedom to socialize independently. Also, Billy would be about 15 minutes from the hospital, though in the States, that was his best commute time! He couldn't just pop home for lunch and he couldn't take his bike or walk. The drive, however, is a gorgeous coastal drive, a nearly straight shot to the hospital with nearly zero traffic.
Nani and the boys say, "Let's move!" Nani will miss her friends in town but we would bring her for play dates. And one of my new friends who has a daughter that Nani loves lives 3 minutes up the road. The road though, while not terribly busy, is not one I'd let her bike down, as the cars drive it WAY too fast. The house, however, is set a good distance from the road and it's noise.
Charlie, our farm dog, would love it! And neither dog would be as yappy on the more secluded farm. Charlie might even have a job rounding sheep!
I quite love it! Private, veggie gardens, fruit and nut trees, VERY horse friendly and beautiful views. I can't wait for Billy to see it. I'm praying oh, so vigilantly that God will make His will VERY clear. Like if it's a "no", it will sell before Billy even sees it!