by Alicia Dowell

Most girls play house and dream about starting a family. This was never my plan. I dreamed of becoming a history teacher. My life was all mapped out, including backup plan. Or I thought I had it all set.

However, my plans went out the window one night while I was in college. The phrase love at first sight usually is for movies or romance novels but let me tell you, it is real. For me, it was like closing one window and opening a door.

See my little family started at a party. Wait! It is not what you think. I went to a party  with my sister along with most of my college friends were going to as well. Of course, I arrived late (It happens when you have night classes.) and by the time I got to the party it was in full swing. When I walked in, I looked around to see the guy my sister had told me about. He was an old friend of her boyfriend. My sister nudged me and that is when I saw him. Remember that love at first sight feeling? Yeah at that moment all my plans were out the window and the door to my future flung wide open.

It took Jeremy a couple of more weeks to realize we both were going to start a life together. Life for us was busy for the next couple of years with me graduating college and then a wedding for us. Just as we were getting used to the idea of being married our plans went right out the same window again.

Instead, we found out our party of two was going to be a group of three. Our little family grew and has continued to grow over the years. Our family is now grown to three humans, one dog, three-yard rabbits (another story for another time) and forty some odd chickens.

My idea of family sure has changed in the last ten years and I wouldn’t change our family for any plans.

Born and raised in Arkansas, Alicia Dowell loves her home state. She grew up on her family farm in Southwest Arkansas. She was taught a deep love of caring for animals, growing a garden, and the slower way of life. Alicia married her college sweetheart and welcomed her daughter a year later. She can still be found in Southwest Arkansas on their one-acre farm or on Instagram which fuels her photography habit.