Slowing Down and Working Hard

I used to think we were already doing “slow travel.” For the past couple of years, one month in one place had kind of become our minimum. Very rarely did we stay somewhere for less than that, and if we did, there was usually a reason. Otherwise, one month felt like the sweet spot. It gave us enough time to actually settle in a little, get to know the project, the people, the work, and the rhythm of a place. It gave us enough time to learn new things, make new connections, maybe decide to stay longer, or maybe move on feeling like we had really experienced something.

The kids leaving there mark and building a raised bed for the deck- was a great group project.

Because yes, we want to travel, but we also want to experience the places we go—not just pass through them.

Then, without really planning it, things started shifting a little. We found ourselves heading back to Germany more often so the kids could see their friends and we could see family. And now it feels like that rhythm is evolving again into something slightly different.

Now everyone wants to drive the farm machinery around! Project day: cement!

We’ll be heading back to Germany soon to do a house-/farm sit for friends and see family over Easter, but that will only be for a few weeks. And after reflecting on the past few months, I think I can say with some confidence that when we come out of this season, we’re probably going to slow things down even more.

We’ve been in Austria now for basically a whole season. We’ve been here all winter—about three months, maybe just over that—and it has honestly been really good for us. We have been back here a few times and this time was more like we were beginning to grow tiny little roots. Not in a dramatic, we’re-buying-land-and-never-leaving kind of way. Just in that quiet, meaningful way where you start to feel a little more connected. More familiar. More woven in. We’ve gotten to spend more time with some really amazing people, and that alone has made staying longer feel worth it.

Of course, there has also been a lot of work. You guys know this is the place where we’ve worked the most so far, and in some ways I think we lost ourselves and our personal goals a little while being here. Not in a bad way exactly, but in that very human way where life becomes about doing, building, helping, fixing, planning, and suddenly you realize you haven’t really paused in a while. And while we've learned that -generally speaking- farmers are non stop workaholics (again, a generalization here people!) we just aren't. I think pausing, being bored and connecting as a family sometimes is extremely important.

So as grateful as we are for this season, for growing roots and for the possibility to be here, I think that’s also part of why we’re really looking forward to the upcoming house sit. It feels like a bit of a breath. Where we can digest all that's happened and learn from it in reflection a bit.

Our eldest son has had the opportunity to perfect his Apple Strudel skills!

Still, I’m really glad we stayed for this whole season because I think it taught us something we wouldn’t have learned if we had only stayed a few weeks. We didn’t just “visit” our friends on their farm again—we got to experience a whole winter of it. We got to see what it’s like when the land is quiet, when the days are cold, when the work is repetitive and real, when the animals still need tending and life still needs carrying no matter what the weather is doing. And now, as winter begins to loosen its grip, we’re getting to witness the other side too: the pruning back, the cleaning up, the preparing, the making space for what comes next.

And maybe that’s exactly what we’re doing too.

Maybe our next growth season isn’t about stopping travel, but about slowing it down -even more. Maybe it’s about settling a little more in between, staying long enough to go deeper, creating stronger connections, and building a life that still feels adventurous without constantly needing to be in motion. The funny thing is, I didn’t even realize how much I would like this feeling until we were in it. But now that we’ve had a taste of it, it’s hard to ignore.

There are also some very practical reasons why slowing down more is starting to make sense. Our car, for one, is not exactly improving. We’ve been trying to stay optimistic, but the truth is, long travel days and constant movement are feeling less and less sustainable with the car situation as it is. And yes, that’s a little heartbreaking. We’ve built so much of this lifestyle around mobility and freedom, and there’s a weird grief in realizing that one chapter of “how we do things” might be coming to an end. But we’re also not just going to go out and buy a brand-new car right now.

Our daughter has discovered comics. She reads them every chance she gets. Even while watching the bunnies outside.

And the reason for that is… drumroll please… the green card situation.

We are now officially at the point where, according to the statistics, 80% of the green card cases applied for around our time have already been processed. Which, in theory, should mean that we should be hearing something suuuper soon. Woohoo! Maybe! Hopefully!?

On the other hand—and this is the emotional whiplash part—I also read that while 80% of cases are done by now, the remaining cases can still take another one to two years. One to two years. ONE TO TWO YEARS! I’m sorry, but how is a person supposed to plan a life with a timeline like that?

Honestly, when I read that, it felt like a punch to the stomach. Because there’s this strange tension of feeling like we could hear tomorrow… or we could still be waiting (for what feels like) forever. We’re doing what we can. We’re trying to ask the lovely people at the Nebraska processing center if they need anything else from us, if there’s anything we can do, anything we can send, anything that helps. I've written my local representative. But beyond that, there really isn’t much we can do except wait. And if I’m being fully honest, I’m getting a little sick of waiting. We could also get a reply of: yeah, it's being processed. (AKA with no actual update at all!)

So I think that’s part of this season too. Slowing down. Staying open. Letting new possibilities emerge instead of forcing a rigid plan onto a life that clearly isn’t interested in being pinned down right now. Maybe we’ll still end up in the U.S. soon. Maybe we won’t. Maybe in six months, if we still haven’t heard anything, we’ll pivot completely and do something we haven’t even thought of yet. At this point, that honestly wouldn’t surprise me.

Leaving my mark- had the chance to paint a mural in one of the rooms here!

What I do know is that I want us to keep finding ways to stay true to our values and our needs—and our kids’ values and needs too. I want our life to keep feeling aligned, even if it doesn’t always feel predictable. And right now, alignment looks less like rushing, adventure and exploring new places and more like listening. Less like covering ground and more like growing roots and connecting. Less like trying to control the timeline and more like being willing to let things unfold and align ourselves with wonderful possibilities.

And maybe that’s enough for now.

So that’s where we are. Slowing down, opening doors, feeling into what comes next, and trying to trust that whatever this next chapter is, it’s going to make sense when we get there. Because I truly believe that everything happens for a reason. I can’t wait to find out. And I’m pretty sure you probably can’t either.

I’ll keep you posted.