Welcome to the new blog! So nice to see you here! This is where I'll be posting photos and updates about my tiny house progress, and someday soon I'll write about what it's like to actually live in one.
I'll keep my other blog, The Girl with All the Answers, going too, but since tiny houses have pretty much taken over my life, I didn't want them to also take over my blog. I probably won't mention my books much here or all the personal stuff I tend to overshare in other places. This spot will be exclusively about my new house and the life I plan to live in it.
If you're currently thinking, "That's great and all, but I don't even know what a tiny house is." Start here with some tiny house FAQs. Or read this old post from my other blog.
If you have more questions after that, please comment here or ask me on Facebook. I am more than happy to talk about all this. And after spending nearly five years researching and planning, I know quite a bit about tiny houses. I've kept mum on them for awhile, which I explained in this post. But now that I've admitted to the world that I'm doing this, I'm having a blast talking to people in real life and online about tiny housing. (Seriously, my eyes light up and everything.)
Anyway, for my first post here and in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, I wanted to share with you a little fairytale I wrote myself about dreams I have had. I don't know if my dreams will ever change the world the way that Dr. King's did, but I think it's important to have dreams and to know that there are things worth fighting for.
Once upon a time there was a girl who had some crazy dreams. She dreamed about working in publishing, even though she knew that lots of people want to work in publishing and that it would be really hard to find a job reading books all day and trying to make them better. But she kept on dreaming and learning and becoming a better reader and writer and editor. She made good friends who helped her along the way. And as fate would have it, she found a publishing job. It wasn't in the big, bright city of New York like she had thought it would be, but it was a good job and she was happy doing it.
I'll keep my other blog, The Girl with All the Answers, going too, but since tiny houses have pretty much taken over my life, I didn't want them to also take over my blog. I probably won't mention my books much here or all the personal stuff I tend to overshare in other places. This spot will be exclusively about my new house and the life I plan to live in it.
If you're currently thinking, "That's great and all, but I don't even know what a tiny house is." Start here with some tiny house FAQs. Or read this old post from my other blog.
If you have more questions after that, please comment here or ask me on Facebook. I am more than happy to talk about all this. And after spending nearly five years researching and planning, I know quite a bit about tiny houses. I've kept mum on them for awhile, which I explained in this post. But now that I've admitted to the world that I'm doing this, I'm having a blast talking to people in real life and online about tiny housing. (Seriously, my eyes light up and everything.)
Anyway, for my first post here and in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, I wanted to share with you a little fairytale I wrote myself about dreams I have had. I don't know if my dreams will ever change the world the way that Dr. King's did, but I think it's important to have dreams and to know that there are things worth fighting for.
Once upon a time there was a girl who had some crazy dreams. She dreamed about working in publishing, even though she knew that lots of people want to work in publishing and that it would be really hard to find a job reading books all day and trying to make them better. But she kept on dreaming and learning and becoming a better reader and writer and editor. She made good friends who helped her along the way. And as fate would have it, she found a publishing job. It wasn't in the big, bright city of New York like she had thought it would be, but it was a good job and she was happy doing it.
Then the girl dreamed another dream. She dreamed of owning a house of her own. She wanted an old house to fix up and make beautiful again. And she wanted to fill it with good people and fun and at least one cat. The girl knew she was awfully young to own a place like that. She didn't have much money, but she had her dreams. This time the girl's parents decided to help. Together the girl and her parents found a perfect house. It was just the right size for some friends to live in together. They bought it! The girl got to work right away, making the old house more beautiful. She painted the walls bright colors. She planted pumpkins. And she found friends to live in the house with her. She even got a cat! The girl was happy. Then she started dreaming again.
This time she dreamed about writing a book herself. She wasn't sure if she could do it, but she was sure she had to try. So (almost) every morning she woke up very early and wrote and wrote and wrote before she went to work. Her first book wasn't all that good and it was hard for her to keep going, but she told herself it was only for fun and that maybe she could fix it all later. She worked really hard on her books, and then a funny thing happened. They started to get better. So she kept going. She used all the things she'd learned in publishing to create a book she felt great about. And when it was ready, she gave it to some friends to read. They thought it was a good book too. So the girl asked if it could be published. She was scared that her book still wasn't right. But the publisher said it was! When her book came out in print, the girl was so happy! She couldn't believe that other people were reading and enjoying her book. And she knew she would keep writing.
She also knew she would keep dreaming. By this time, her old house had been sold. And the girl knew it was time to tackle her craziest dream yet. For years and years, the girl had been dreaming of a teeny tiny house all her own, so small she could take it with her anywhere. But a real house with a door and windows and a place to write and another place to look up at the stars before she fell asleep. Her tiny little house would teach her to live a simple life, full of happy memories instead of lots of stuff. And hers would be a kind house, one that only took up a small amount of space and other resources. She also knew that her tiny house would mean security and freedom. Instead of having to always worry about the future, her little house would let the girl dream fearlessly for the rest of her long life.
The girl knew this dream would be a hard one to make come true. It would take a lot of money, and lots of people would think she was crazy. They would tell her it was wrong to dream this way—that she should want something else, something more normal. They would tell her that having a tiny house would get in the way of having a family or that she was making a mistake and wasting all her time and money. They would tell her that because she wasn't pretty enough or thin enough or because she wasn't married that she wasn't allowed to be really happy, not yet anyway. They would tell her that her dream was too hard and that it would never come true. And sometimes, which was even worse, the girl would tell herself all those things too.
But mostly she tried to tell herself that she could do it. And she looked at all of her other dreams that had come true and knew that she was right. Deep down she knew that this dream of hers about a tiny little house was no more crazy than all the other dreams that had already come true for her. And so she would know that no matter how long it took or how crazy it seemed, someday soon this dream would come true too.
to be continued . . .
I actually wrote all that up in October and have been saving it ever since, reading over it now and again to remind myself that I can do this. It sort of blows my mind that this is so close to really happening, but I hope you'll join me for this new adventure. I also want to say thank you to everyone who has supported me in my past dreams of writing, owning a home, and working in publishing. Not to get all gushy, but I love you guys.
And speaking of supporting me, if you're as excited about this tiny house thing as I am or even if you're just happy for me and want to help, there is something you can do. I'm currently looking for a place to park my tiny house in or around Salt Lake City or Utah County. I'm hoping to move in this summer or fall but I'd be willing to pay a deposit to hold the spot until then. I don't need much space, just enough for a small RV. It could be in a backyard in the city or on land out in the country. My house will be mostly self-sufficient/off-grid, but it would be great if there were electricity close by in case I need it. If not, I'm also looking into solar options. As far as legalities go, as long as it's legal to park an RV there and you don't think the neighbors will mind, I can work it out. Also, I'm definitely planning to pay rent for the spot, around $250-$400, depending on the location and available utilities.
Please comment here or contact me directly if you have any questions or leads. This could be a great way for someone to earn a little extra income each month (up to $4,800 a year). Think about your family members and friends around Utah. My guess is that there are a lot of people who would be interested in doing this, but they've never known about tiny houses before.
Thanks again for stopping by the new blog! I will definitely keep you all posted as my tiny house dreams unfold!
Till then,
keep dreaming,
Heidi
I actually wrote all that up in October and have been saving it ever since, reading over it now and again to remind myself that I can do this. It sort of blows my mind that this is so close to really happening, but I hope you'll join me for this new adventure. I also want to say thank you to everyone who has supported me in my past dreams of writing, owning a home, and working in publishing. Not to get all gushy, but I love you guys.
And speaking of supporting me, if you're as excited about this tiny house thing as I am or even if you're just happy for me and want to help, there is something you can do. I'm currently looking for a place to park my tiny house in or around Salt Lake City or Utah County. I'm hoping to move in this summer or fall but I'd be willing to pay a deposit to hold the spot until then. I don't need much space, just enough for a small RV. It could be in a backyard in the city or on land out in the country. My house will be mostly self-sufficient/off-grid, but it would be great if there were electricity close by in case I need it. If not, I'm also looking into solar options. As far as legalities go, as long as it's legal to park an RV there and you don't think the neighbors will mind, I can work it out. Also, I'm definitely planning to pay rent for the spot, around $250-$400, depending on the location and available utilities.
Please comment here or contact me directly if you have any questions or leads. This could be a great way for someone to earn a little extra income each month (up to $4,800 a year). Think about your family members and friends around Utah. My guess is that there are a lot of people who would be interested in doing this, but they've never known about tiny houses before.
Thanks again for stopping by the new blog! I will definitely keep you all posted as my tiny house dreams unfold!
Till then,
keep dreaming,
Heidi
