For the past week, we've had the privilege of attending a straw bale workshop run by Andrew Morrison at The Healing Co-op in Middletown, Rhode Island. We've come away from the experience feeling changed and blessed. The hands-on lessons Andrew gave were incredibly valuable, and they've definitely helped to prepare us for our house-building project this construction season.

…but the strawbaling itself turned out to be the least important part of the week. What stands out most are the friendships we made, the heartfelt home-building plans everyone shared, the inspiring synchronistic stories that were told, the delicious feasts we ate, and the songs we sang around the campfire. These memories will last a lifetime.

Rather than attempting to document all the gifts our thirty fellow participants bestowed upon us, we offer this video of our week-long, life-changing, life-affirming workshop. We hope it captures some of the magic that filled the experience.

To each and every one of our new strawbale family members: we love you and miss you already! You're always welcome on our homestead in Vermont.