My husband and I just celebrated a milestone: our twentieth wedding anniversary. Twenty years! When did that happen!? How DID a Dane and a Texan end up hitched in New York City and settled in Connecticut? Do you believe in destiny?
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Debbie Bosworth
is a certified farmgirl at heart. She’s happily married to her beach bum Yankee husband of 20 years. She went from career gal to being a creative homeschooling mom for two of her biggest blessings and hasn’t looked back since. Debbie left her lifelong home in the high desert of Northern Nevada 10 years ago and washed up on the shore of America’s hometown, Plymouth, MA, where she and her family are now firmly planted. They spend part of each summer in a tiny, off–grid beach cottage named “The Sea Horse.”
“I found a piece of my farmgirl heart when I discovered MaryJanesFarm. Suddenly, everything I loved just made more sense! I enjoy unwinding at the beach, writing, gardening, and turning yard-sale furniture into ‘Painted Ladies’ I’m passionate about living a creative life and encouraging others to ‘make each day their masterpiece.’”
Rebekah Teal
is a “MaryJane Farmgirl” who lives in a large metropolitan area. She is a lawyer who has worked in both criminal defense and prosecution. She has been a judge, a business woman and a stay-at-home mom. In addition to her law degree, she has a Masters of Theological Studies.
“Mustering up the courage to do the things you dream about,” she says, “is the essence of being a MaryJane Farmgirl.” Learning to live more organically and closer to nature is Rebekah’s current pursuit. She finds strength and encouragement through MaryJane’s writings, life, and products. And MaryJane’s Farmgirl Connection provides her a wealth of knowledge from true-blue farmgirls.
Cathi Belcher
an old-fashioned farmgirl with a pioneer spirit, lives in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. As a “lifelong learner” in the “Live-Free-or-Die” state, she fiercely values self-reliance, independence, freedom, and fresh mountain air. Married to her childhood sweetheart of 40+ years (a few of them “uphill climbs”), she’s had plenty of time to reinvent herself. From museum curator, restaurant owner, homeschool mom/conference speaker, to post-and-beam house builder and entrepreneur, she’s also a multi-media artist, with an obsession for off-grid living and alternative housing. Cathi owns and operates a 32-room mountain lodge. Her specialty has evolved to include “hermit hospitality” at her rustic cabin in the mountains, where she offers weekend workshops of special interest to women.
“Mountains speak to my soul, and farming is an important part of my heritage. I want to pass on my love of these things to others through my writing. Living in the mountains has its own particular challenges, but I delight in turning them into opportunities from which we can all learn and grow.”
Dori Troutman
Dori Troutman is the daughter of second generation cattle ranchers in New Mexico. She grew up working and playing on the ranch that her grandparents homesteaded in 1928. That ranch, with the old adobe home, is still in the family today. Dori and her husband always yearned for a ranch of their own. That dream came true when they retired to the beautiful green rolling hills of Tennessee. Truly a cattleman’s paradise!
Dori loves all things farmgirl and actually has known no other life but that. She loves to cook, craft, garden, and help with any and all things on their cattle farm.
Mary Murray
describes herself as a goat charmer, chicken whisperer, bee maven, and farmers’ market baker renovating an 1864 farmhouse on an Ohio farm. With a degree in Design, Mary says small-town auctions and country road barn sales "always make my heart skip a beat thinking about what I could create or design out of what I’ve seen.”
Rooted in the countryside, she likes simple things and old ways … gardening, preserving the harvest, cooking, baking, and all things home. While you might find her selling baked goods from the farm’s milkhouse, teaching herself to play the fiddle, or sprucing up a vintage camper named Maizy, you will always find her in an apron!
Mary says, “I’m happiest with the simple country pleasures … an old farmhouse, too many animals, a crackling fire, books to read, and the sound of laughter … these make life just perfect.”
Alexandra Wilson
is a budding rural farmgirl living in Palmer, the agricultural seat of Alaska. Alex is a graduate student at Alaska Pacific University pursuing an M.S. in Outdoor and Environmental Education. She lives and works on the university’s 700 acre environmental education center, Spring Creek Farm. When Alex has time outside of school, she loves to rock climb, repurpose found objects, cross-country ski on the hay fields, travel, practice yoga, and cook with new-fangled ingredients.
Alex grew up near the Twin Cities and went to college in Madison, Wisconsin—both places where perfectly painted barns and rolling green farmland are just a short drive away. After college, she taught at a rural middle school in South Korea where she biked past verdant rice paddies and old women selling home-grown produce from sidewalk stoops. She was introduced to MaryJanesFarm after returning, and found in it what she’d been searching for—a group of incredible women living their lives in ways that benefit their families, their communities, and the greater environment. What an amazing group of farmgirls to be a part of!
Nicole Christensen
Suburban Farmgirl Nicole Christensen calls herself a “vintage enthusiast”. Born and raised in Texas, she has lived most of her life in the picturesque New England suburbs of Connecticut, just a stone’s throw from New York State. An Advanced Master Gardener, she has gardened since childhood, in several states and across numerous planting zones. In addition, she teaches knitting classes, loves to preserve, and raises backyard chickens.
Married over thirty years to her Danish-born sweetheart, Nicole has worked in various fields, been a world-traveler, an entrepreneur and a homemaker, but considers being mom to her now-adult daughter her greatest accomplishment. Loving all things creative, Nicole considers her life’s motto to be “Bloom where you are planted”.
Nicole,
Congratulations on being married for 20 years.
Thanks for sharing your time of meeting each other and the beautiful wedding photo’s.
I would say it was meant to be and God had a hand in all this.
Wishing you and yours many more Blessed years together.
Peggy
Peggy, I agree, what are the chances of us meeting so many times? Thank you so much! -Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole
Hi Nicole!
I just sat down with my coffee and there was your link in my inbox! Congratulations on 20 years of blissful matrimony! I LOVE your story from beginning to end. YES, marry your best friend, and the rest WILL fall into place. I think you compliment each other very well! You are a beautiful couple! My sweet Yankee and I celebrated 21 years in September… We went out for a quick hibachi dinner before we had to pick up our oldest from work.
One of the guests at our table said to us, " Happy Anniversary and congratulations on 21 years. No body’s married anymore."
Keep doing what you’re doing and many more happy years together!
xo Deb ( your beach bloggin’ sis)
Hi Debbie! Thanks so much! Congratulations on your 21st anniversary! Hibachi is so much fun. For our anniversary, we had a nice family lunch out; it was a great day because the day fell on a school holiday and a day off of work for my hubby. Happy Anniversary! Farmgirl hugs to you! -Nicole
Congratulations on such a happy milestone and best wishes to you for many delightful years together.
Thank you, Adrienne! Twenty years seems like it went by so fast! -Nicole
Absolutely! Happy Anniversary, Nicole, love your photos. I married my best friend and we’ve been married 34 years and still very much "best friends".
MaryAnn, thank you! 34 years…how wonderful. Wishing you many more! Hugs, Nicole
You are both even more beautiful than on your wedding day. What a wonderful story of two people meant to be together. Have many more happy years! Next September we celebrate our 40th but the years have passed so quickly it is difficult to believe. MB in TEXAS
Marybeth, thank you!!! (Blushing). Next September you celebrate 40 years! Awesome! Congratulations…I love hearing that. Farmgirl hugs, Nicole
Congratulations Nicole!
What a wonderful story and photo journey! My DH and I just celebrated our 18th Wedding Anniversary, on September 24th and are Blessed with 2 beautiful children.
Isn’t it wonderful to be married to your best friend?
In today’s crazy busy world, there’s nothing like coming home to your best friend at the end of the day, knowing you can always turn to him for love and support!
May you be Blessed with many, many more happy years together.
Hugs,
Laurie
So true, Laurie! Congratulations on your 18th! Farmgirl hugs, Nicole
Congratulations!
I think you hit the nail on the head, marry your best friend and it does all fall into place. But I would add that you also have to have the commitment to continue to be your spouse’s best friend. Even as interests change, goals are attained or released, and even if we may become almost unlovable or deserving of love during times of personal challenges, then the reward of renewed and love multiplied is felt.
A good and successful marriage is a gift from God and I thank Him daily for the 28 years I’ve had with my loving husband!!
May this anniversary be the first of several two-decade increments! Long life and blessing to you both.
Beautifully written, Karen! Thank you for commenting! -Nicole
Happy Anniversary you two! What a wonderful story; a testament to knowing when something is right!
Wishing you many, many more,
Dianne
Thank you, Dianne! -Nicole
Nicole, 20 years -so hard to believe. You were a beautiful bride, my beautiful daughter! I have missed you so much everyday since you live so far away. May you always be happy and glad God blessed you both with Audrey. Love always.
Mother
Hi Nicole! Congratulations! Twenty is a big deal! My sweetie and I celebrated our 25th this year, and you are right- marry your best friend and you will get through anything! Loved your pictures!
Meredith, thank you! Congrats on 25 years to you! -Nicole
Happy anniversary to both of you! I enjoyed reading your post about the wedding.
Thank you! -Nicole
Congratulations on your 20th anniversary! I love the pictures and your story, especially the police escort. (We had a police escort to the hospital when our daughter was born). You’ve had many wonderful adventures and I’m sure there are many more to come. In September we celebrated our 41st anniversary. I don’t really know how that’s possible since we’re both still just kids! He has decided to retire early, so in a few weeks we will start a new adventure of our own. Wishing you many, many more happy years.
Many thanks, Karin! Congratulations on your FORTY-FIRST anniversary! How exciting! Thank you for reading and commenting! -Nicole
Congratulations on your first 20 years!!! I married my best friend 27 years ago and it is a real blessing. May God grant you and your husband many more years!!
Annette, thank you, and the same to you! -Nicole