Introduction Post ~ Ozark Life

I'm @madame-cyntaia. My husband @nomaddreamer and I have recently moved with our kiddos (we have four boys, two are still living at home with us) from the west coast of the USA to a fly-over state in the Ozarks. The cost of living is low, the stress is even lower, and the scenery is beautiful.

_{The Ozarks.}

When we lived on the west coast, @nomaddreamer and I owned a restaurant and worked an average of 13 hours/day, 7 days/week. During the first two years of the pandemic, we had to cut back to only one employee and keep the restaurant running through take-out only and constantly changing, rigorous regulations. We endured angry mask-refusing customers, fear of contracting Covid19, and constant fluctuations to supply and cost. The worst part of all, though, was having to leave our children, 10 and 16 years old when it all started, alone everyday, all day. Schools were closed, and we quarantined our family since we had more exposure to the public than anyone else we knew. We knew something had to change.

Prior to owning the restaurant, @nomaddreamer and I had been making artisan jewelry and faceting gemstones that we mined as a family. We thought the restaurant would provide a steady higher income, and it did, until the pandemic. Once the pandemic hit and it seemed there was no escape from the restaurant financially, we started trying to figure out how we could afford to put ourselves back into the joy of creating and sharing our love of fairly mined North American gemstones. It took us three years, but here we are, getting back to work on creating in our new workshop in our new home.

_{Some forged fine silver earrings, by me, @madame-cyntaia.}

_{A custom faceted (by @nomaddreamer) Oregon sunstone.}

_{Sapphires we mined ourselves in Montana.}

The house we bought was in desperate condition (we bought cheap) and we worked (still are, but the heat right now is making it much more difficult!) to renovate it with some help from our kids. Now, more than ever, I feel like I'm home.

_{Living Room 'Before'}

_{Living Room in progress, our son working.}

_{Still tons more work to do, but it's coming along!}

We've settled into our life next to a giant lake and enjoy daily walks in the woods with our dog Mia, swimming, and having the time to discover new things, like Hive. We had discovered @Splinterlands awhile ago and loved it, but we didn't have the freedom at the time to investigate the surrounding community and ways to delve deeper. Now we're taking part in @actifit, @dcrops, and @risingstar, and I'm excited to learn more about Hive and (though nervous) to start occasionally blogging here about our #ozarklife.

_{Our son was terriefied of the water, now he's loving it.}

Thanks for reading, I'm off for a walk and then to research more about the never-ending opportunities that await us on Hive!