Maybe it's our own darn fault she left; we moved to a farm. This past summer on the farm has convinced our younger daughter Cadence that she really does want to be a farmer. Today, she arrived in Venezuela, where she will be attending the Simon' Bolivar United World College to study sustainable agriculture. Besides being a school, it is a working farm that students operate while they learn about everything from planting crops to raising cattle to keeping bees to making cheese to repairing tractors.

We are all going to miss Cadence so much! (Eyes tear up.) She moved home last winter, excited to help us launch our little dream farm, and with her enthusiasm and hard work we have accomplished far more than I ever imagined we could in one year. Rog and I thought we would go slow with this farm and dabble with a garden and a few laying hens...but no! Cadence is pretty much responsible for us raising 200 meat chickens, 9 turkeys, three cows, and of course her three beloved geese. She taught herself and us how to slaughter the chickens. She is an awesome baker and created beautiful and tasty breads and pastries for the Farmers Market each week. She eagerly tackled ambitious projects like turning the granary into a cabin. And she kept us smiling with her good humor.

Cadence, have a wonderful year in Venezuela!