1. Grow our family of animals to be 20 chickens and 50 rabbits without purchasing any new chicks or kits at the store. (Kit is short for kitten, the term for a baby rabbit–cute attack!)
– So…we’re up to 24 chickens and have cuddled 32 kits. Al snuck quite a few chickens into our life when Murdoch’s had a 3 for 1 sale after an especially cold spring. One Sunday, we walked out with 18 chicks and 2 Khaki Campbell ducks. I thought this number was insane until I met someone whose husband had bought out Murdoch’s whole chicken operation during a 2 for 1 sale and came home to over 100 chicks. That woman is a saint and I have a lot of gratitude for our “manageable” chicken operation. Oh, Al also saved one injured pigeon who now lives in the chicken coup and thinks he’s a chicken too.
2. Host our 1st annual 4th of July celebration. Complete with a BBQ, bunting, and fireworks.
– After the trials and tribulations of scheduling anything when you’re in the military, which sounded like this: Are you at training that weekend? I wonder if I’ll go accelerated for OCS. Will anyone even be home during the 4th of July? We’re now one week out and WE’RE HAVING A PARTY! Our first soiree will be close friends and family and we can’t wait to share photos of the festivities in a few weeks! *Spoiler alert! I’m teaching my sisters how to make cheese that week!
3. Build new homes for the chicks and rabbits so they no longer have to cohabitate.
– This spring, Al and I purchased our first set of shipping containers. They are 10′ x 10′ and this beautiful, bright blue color and rustic like any good DIY purchase should be. We’ll be transforming them into a posh house for the animals over the summer. That project should be finished by August so we’ll keep you posted on the progress. We may also make one of them into a tiny house…a tiny, TINY house. Oh to own a 5,000 sqft building and live in a 200 sqft shipping container, that irony will be unbeatable.
4. Purchase the neighboring property to expand our homestead.
– We have a contract from our cowboy neighbor to buy enough land to get us a 5 acre plot and cut some county red tape. As any small business owner can contest though, getting the start-up capital we need without sharing our investment is tricky, so we’re working on funding this endeavor.
5. Stay active and prioritize our fitness by hiking, running, and working out.
– The military makes this easier for both of us. We have to pass regular physical fitness tests. So, we’re working out and taking advantage of the beauty of Montana by hiking our way through the nearby wilderness.
6. Pay off Primrose Station.
– Nailed it. Deed in hand. February 2014.
7. Expand our garden.
– We planted out a slew of tomato plants, peppers, cucumbers, herbs, and flowers. We harvested our first batch of strawberries last week and are now enjoying them in some gluten-free muffins. More to come on the production levels, but we went from seed to start and that’s progress from last year!
8. Plant 50 fruit and nut trees and berry bushes.
– Al bought me a few Quaking Aspen trees because I love the look of the bark and we planted twelve more fruit trees (peaches, cherries, and pear), so we’re up to 25 trees in the last two years. Our raspberries survived the winter and our apple trees from last year are growing apples! Nature is so cool.
9. Construct a working bathroom.
– Umm…six more months to work on this project.
10. Get Primrose Station on the National Historic Register.
– Yep. Nailed that too! Thanks Jon Axline for all of your research and diligence!
primrosestation.com 
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