better late then never...
I'm Craig... I go by the handle "nanodec" on a few other forums... I'm 29 living with my fiance' in the Burlington are of Vermont.
I'm originally from CA, moved here in '86. Have a BOL (mom's house) located on 10 acres in the northeast part of the state. Since I was a kid, I've always been able to enjoy the woods so I couldn't imagine living anywhere else!
I got my rude-awakening (like many) on 9/11. That was a surreal day for me since I didn't know wtf was going to happen in the coming days. I remember driving home (after we closed work) and hearing on the radio just as I pulled into my driveway of where I was living that the pentagon had gotten hit... at that moment I thought it was WWIII. I went inside and packed up a rudimentary BOB, loaded my shotgun and headed to my mom's house... in route I called my sis to get her ass up north (she was two hrs away)... that was the start.
After things started to unhinge with economic situation we had last year and watching Katrina on TV and online, I began reading up on concealed carry firearms to get some ideas of what I wanted (VT doesn't require a permit!!) and on one forum or another came across a link for the podcast (can't remember which one).
It opened my eyes to prepping and what it really meant. Becoming more self-reliant and not needing or requiring help from .gov to help get us through things. Self-reliance always has made sense to me. My parents grew up during the depression, so I fully understood and knew what they went through during those times just to survive (which I'm thankful for).
So fast forward to today... started a garden (first in many years since I was a kid) and it's doing pretty good... taking baby steps to make myself more self-reliant for food and providing for myself and my family. My fiance' isn't really on-board but she understands that I believe in it and accepts it and me. (I just hope there doesn't come a day when those preps will REALLY be needed.)
I'd love to meet up with local Vermont preppers to shoot the breeze over a couple of cold ones and exchange ideas on different skill & prep topics...
Lastly, from the short time I've been on here, and through the AWESOME people on here, I've learned so much that countless thanks are in order.. I only hope I'll have the chance to meet some of the great folks on here someday!
That's it for me...