When I was probably eight years old, my friend Amber had chickens. Growing up we had lots of garden space and goats as well, but never chickens. This seemed odd to eight year old me. Why not have free eggs and cute baby chicks running around? I had long given up on my campaign for a horse, but chickens – that seemed reasonable. So I approached my parents with my plans to forego the lemonade stand and instead to raise chickens and sell the eggs.

They shot down my dreams so fast.

Later, I tried to pull off the “It’ll be a 4-H project” thing. That didn’t work either. So I tucked my dream away and told myself that when I was a grown up – my chicken dreams would come true.

Fast forward to marriage. I just assumed that Josh would be up for chickens. He’s up for anything. We moved into our current house and I was ready! Guess what?

Josh shot my dreams down too.

It was looking like chickens were a long lost dream. I started petitioning our fantastic neighbors, Klint and Kyle. I mean, they play country music. Chickens in your yard can ONLY add to your country cred, right? I thought that THEY could get the chickens and I could help out. They wouldn’t be in my yard, but they’d be my chickens, you know?

But it’s hard when you’re the only one breathing life into a dying dream.

Enter, Casey and Savannah. These friends of ours will be renting out our house when we leave for our adventure. Casey and Savannah were feeling the chicken vibe as a big middle finger to Monsanto and The Man. Casey, though, has two labs who probably couldn’t be trusted with chickens. So I mentioned my little idea about putting them in Klint and Kyle’s yard. And let me tell you, those girls not only breathed life back into my dream on it’s last gasps of life – they rushed to the scene and performed CPR and busted out those weird electric paddle things and before I knew it, we were on a farm in Bethpage, Tn chilling with goats…

And dogs…

 

And getting ourselves 6 amazing chickens! Meet the Joyce Lane Hens…

The only part of the dream that wasn’t great was having to ride next to a dog crate full of chickens and their excrement.

We even built them this adorable chicken coop out of an old shed.

 

Yeah, I know I’m leaving Nashville in a few weeks. But, the chickens will hopefully be kicking it when I return. Plus I think I’ll have access to chickens in Haiti too, so I’ll live. Thanks to Klint and Kyle for providing the yard and muscle. And Casey and Savannah for getting this up and going. And Grace (their new third roomie) for also promising to care for the Joyce Lane Hens.

So here’s my word of advice. When you have a dying dream, surround yourselves with people who will fight for it. No matter how silly it may seem.