I am 28. Of course I still need birthday candles.

My birthday may have been Saturday, on which my dad cooked out for me and Mom made me apple pie, but that is certainly no reason to cease all celebration. So....I drug it out until last night, on which my sister made some of my favorite grub and I got to hang with some of the cutest cuties I know.

Yep, cute cowboys are one of God's greatest gifts to women. And I got to blow my candles

 out with these two cowpokes.

Since my own is off doing whatever manly men do in the mountains with nothing but a tent, bow, and freeze-dried food. Hmmm, warm bed and apple pie? Yeah, I think I'll just stick around here.

We also made some spooky ghosts and pumpkins out of haybales.

And our puppies partied so hard they tuckered themselves out.

Laughter + Family = Happiness

These are my Momma's Zenias in her garden. She gives me great props.

Geeeeez, it's been forever since I did one of these. I need to take time to sit my little booty down and write more. Afterall, I love to write (and it's not like I don't sit on my booty anyway) but still, sometimes I guess I don't want to sit and move my fingers at the same time. It's just exhausting.

But golly molly, a lot has happened since I last wrote. Katie and I BOTH got a dog. And we are NOT dog people. I mean if they smell good, don't shed, don't jump on me, and are well mannered, then ok, I will deal with a dog, but otherwise, I would rather not. Katie is the same. However, I got Moxie while in Canton (suprise hunny!) and I love her and miss her anytime I'm away from the house. She's so good though (so far). I actually did tell Brandon about her before I got home, just not before I baught her. I figured he could get over it.

Moxie is a boxer, Katie's dog, Partner, is a miniature Australian Shepherd from the Long boys. Yes, those 'oh so cute and sweet Long boys'. Seems they raise sweet and cute dogs too.

Ryder has agreed to babysit Moxie for me while I am at work next week and Brandon's elk hunting in Colorado. I am sure they will go on many great adventures.

As for the rest of our Canton trip, we had an 8 month pregnant lady, two little boys, and seven extremely creative and motivated women. So yes, it was exhausting and absolutely wonderful. We had a blast! (minus Jen's incredibly swollen feet the next day) But she was a good sport, as always. Mainly it was fun to just hang out with family. Laugh, hug, visit, and laugh some more. Just can't ever get enough of that.

We've taken some pics along the way, too. Katie's gotten to do some fun kiddos and I got to do the precious Petty family this past weekend (more of those pics to come). Coupled with babies coming in the pastures, farm tours, book signings, the farmer's market, and we've been some busy bees...... and loving it. We have a wedding in November, December and January, the fairs are starting up so we'll get to see some good steers and great friends, and before we blink twice the holidays will be here. But don't worry, I promise to write another blog before then.



Moxie

Riggs, Moxie & Aubrey

Riggs & Partner..... feeding buddies.



I'm not compaining, I'm just say'n....................

My husband came back from a week of ‘meetings’ at some ranch in northern New Mexico, followed by a few days of scoping out hunting spots in the cool mountains of Colorado. He brought me back a shirt.

He was so super excited about my ‘surprise’ and how it was my favorite color (green) and had that hunting resort logo on it. I played along and made a big deal out of it. It was a nice shirt.

What I did not play along with, was the taste of freeze dried ice cream sandwiches. Brandon went on and on about how they tasted just like a regular ice cream sandwich. Well, they don’t. They are gross, and do not let any male convince you otherwise. Not everything that comes from Cabella’s is wonderful, and certainly not freeze dried ice cream sandwiches. I don’t even know what possessed him to buy one. I guess he was trying them out to maybe take hunting in Colorado. He would’ve been better off with a can of Vienne sausages.

The ice cream sandwich is just one of the many things he came home with in Cabella bags. And I don’t know how I can stress enough that I don’t think it makes a flying fish difference if arrows have two pink and one yellow fin or two yellow and one pink fin. However, this was debated upon for at least fifteen minutes in his head before he finally went with two green and one yellow. I’m sure it will make all the difference in the world.

I love that he has his hobbies and gets so wrapped up in them. My dining room has somehow turned into an archery shop, but whatever. We usually eat on the couch in front of the TV anyway. We tried that whole eating at the dining room table thing a couple times when we were first married, but I think it’s more cut out for more than two people. Conversation can be exhausting.

I’ve decided to just wait until after his bow hunting trip in September to try organizing his hunting gear so it’s a little less out in the open. I know, though, that it will only then turn into Texas whitetail and mule deer season.  So I guess I’m really looking at setting my hopes for getting the Christmas stuff out and putting the hunting stuff up. Until then, my house will be the one with archery targets in the front yard. You can’t miss it.

This picture and the one above is from Rusty's field in Meadow.

I think Brandon has daydreams about them now.

The Help....

My definition of a great movie is one that makes you laugh, cry, feel sad, feel happy, and leaves you walking away with a good, warm feeling in your heart. The Help is just that kind of movie. I wish I would’ve read the book, but of course, I didn’t. I’m sure it is even more amazing. Thankfully, though, for people like me who do not read as much as I should, they make good movies like this.

It was refreshing to flee the completely ridiculous and obnoxious reality shows that now consume television and enter into a screen of true reality. Although it was based decades ago, it hits home on the life lessons that ring true to this day, and everyday from now on. Where the main characters are not rich brats famous for their false looks and immaturity, but rather hard-working women with common sense and hearts of gold.  

It tells of friendship, family and the importance of the truth, all that seem to be easily looked over by common day television, and unfortunately, many common day people. The main thing, however, is that this movie leaves you wanting to be good. Good to your momma, good to your friends, good to your waiter at Chili’s, good to the lady checking you out at Wal-Mart, just plain good in general. So go see it! It’ll do ya good.

What do you call that stuff? Rain?

This is Brandon's pride and joy. You may notice that even after our engagement and

wedding photos, this remains his Facebook profile pic. I try not to take it personal. 

You know when you are at the casino and you hear those bells ding, ding, dinging, and lights flashing and you cut your eyes over and think “Dang it, I knew I should’ve sat down at that machine instead of this piece of junk.” And you smile and clap like you are happy for that person when deep down inside you just wish it was you. Well, I was finally that center of envy.

I’m usually the one that sits with shaking hands as I feed $20 into a machine thinking of how many gallons of milk and boxes of fruity pebbles it could buy and choking back tears as I watch the number under ‘credits’ dwindle down to big fat 0. While my dad, on the other hand, laughs and jokes as he places green chips on the blackjack table like they were Monopoly money.

But, like I said, I finally hit a lick, and I scrame and bounced up and down in my seat, and it felt good. Real good.

Most of all though, we got to see RAIN. Like the real wet kind that falls out of the sky and actually covers the entire ground. Riggin didn’t know what to think of it. Pretty much the closest thing to that he’s ever seen has come out of a water sprinkler. And it smelt SO good. Couple that with 50 degree nights and it will make a person quit their good job and become a car-hop at Sonic just to live in Ruidoso, and don’t think it hasn’t crossed my mind.

But we did come back home, watching the temperature reading in the car go up number by number until it finally reached 104 and we realized we were home sweet home. I picked a tub full of squash hurried and started laundry because Brandon’s leaving this morning for a full week of meetings at some nice ranch in Raton, New Mexico, then on up to scope out hunting areas in Colorado. I know, he sucks.

So here I was ironing at 9 last night, thinking to myself how I should start a Facebook fan page titled “I hate ironing my husband’s fishing shirts,” when I see Brandon walk into the kitchen with all his backpacking hunting gear on. It reminded me of Ryder, when he gets in cowboy or pirate mode and must dress in full character. He walked back down the hall, then back outside, I have no clue, I guess he was just breaking it in. I didn’t even ask. Kinda like when I drove up the other day and there was a camping tent fully set up in our front yard. Or when the Fedex man kept showing up at my door last week with packages from places like Outdoor Outlet. Apparently Elk hunting requires more accessories than senior prom, so like I said, I’ve quit asking.

Cutie, Patuties........

Calving season has begun, and oddly enough it seems as if a lot of our friends are ‘calving’ as well. Either way, cattle or kiddos, it is a season of long days, longer nights, and lots of cuteness. Kinda like the cutie above. Miss Braxie Sloan, little baby to proud parents Marti Kay and Bryan Albus. Pretty stink’n adorable, huh.

So whether it’s cute white-faced Herefords, brockle-faced crosses, or dark headed baby girls, you better believe our camera’s are about to get a work out.  

 

These two are of Riggs, in his tiny days.

Annie, get your gun..........

I was sitting on the back end of my car, hatch up, reading a Mary Englebriet Christmas book (weird, I know, but wishfully thinking about when the weather will cool off). I had two neon green poster boards taped to each side of my car screaming “Fresh Veggies”, and thinking to myself ‘at least I’ll get a good tan’.

I sold some squash to some guy going from Lamesa to Pecos and then had to go back to Odessa. We chatted about how hot and ugly it is. He thanked me and went on his way. Same thing with a man who had been working in Rankin and was headed up north of Lamesa. I sold a couple bucks worth and was starting to get hot which marks my ‘closing time’. Then Sherriff drove up and asked if I had my pistol with me.   

The first thought I had was “Dang it, Brandon is going to give me the ‘I told you so’ lecture.”

I have this problem of being too trusting. I really don’t think of it as a problem at all, but apparently it is. According to the Sherriff and Brandon anyway, who both requested I be packing when selling my veggies. I suppose I live in this little world where everyone is nice and polite and raised by mommas and daddies that made them say please and thank you. Guess it isn’t so much that way anymore. Kinda sad.

I know when I was growing up no one locked their house and most certainly not their cars when they were at their house. Heck we never even took the keys out when we pulled up to someone’s front door. Now there are more water and oil trucks passing by our place than farm trucks, and you can pretty much multiply the traffic by 50 to what it was 10 years ago and get a rough current estimate.

So I guess I need to be a little more careful than carefree while I’m getting my tan and selling my squash. I’m still going to go about life thinking most everyone’s good hearted. Otherwise I think it would be pretty depressing. I’ll just take my blinders down a bit. However, I still don’t know about a pistol, but I’m a pretty dang good shot with a .22.

Now I’m going to tell a story about someone that is usually trustworthy, but she did set off security alarms and get pulled over by the cops the other night. My sister, who in high school none of this would’ve been too surprising but at 30 and two kids it is a little more out of the ordinary, got caught headed out of Brownfield after escaping from a farm chemical company’s parking lot.

Ok, so maybe it was a little more innocent than that sounded, but it still makes for a good story.

Rusty told Katie to pick up some chemical while she was in Brownfield getting groceries or something like that. Well, I don’t remember why but she didn’t get it that day but she told Rusty she was going back that night so he called the chemical company and they said they’d just leave it by the door out back and she could come by and get it whenever she could that night. See, some things are still done the old school way around small towns.

So Katie went to a River Sista party, which is altogether another story in itself, and around midnight on her way home she stopped to get Rusty’s chemical. She pulled up out back, went to the door and no chemical. However, she did manage to set off the alarm system which kicked on every light on the yard and blare out enough to wake up half of Terry County.  Guess the chemical company dropped their blinders some too.

Katie jumped in her car and called Rusty, who was way more concerned about her not getting the chemical than tripping the security system. She asked what she needed to do and he told her to just come home, they knew she was coming and was supposed to leave the chemical so it’s their problem.

After debating it, she headed back to Day Ranch, only to see flashing red and blue lights in her rear view mirror. After getting questioned about knowing anything about the disruptance of the security system, she explained what happened and was allowed to go home. But I’m pretty sure she’s still on the Brownfield Police ‘watch list’.

Give it up and Roll with it

This really isn’t written for anyone yet at the same time everyone. I am as guilty as can be about wanting to plan out every detail of my life, only to realize that I have no control over most of it which then drives me bananas. I am positive that I provide great comedic entertainment for God.

Brandon is always telling me to quit worrying about stuff, there’s no point in it and you can’t do anything about it anyway. He’s really good about just going with the flow and being in the same mood no matter what. I am not. I want to plan it, if it isn’t just how I want it then I want to fix it, and I usually want it all to be figured out RIGHT NOW.

I’m getting better about this (sometimes) and try to live out Brandon’s advice. I even bought a bracelet that says ‘let it be.’ I try to wear it as much as I can and actually follow it. I know stuff doesn’t always go as planned and how we want it, but usually it all falls into place in a pattern that is even more perfect than we had originally blue-printed out.

Life’s a mess and no matter how much we clean it is like my little old farm house, it will always continuously need dusting. Sometimes you just got to sit on the couch, watch Swamp People, and leave the dusting for another day. Just remember, even though there’s dust, you gotta still be thankful for all the nice things you have to get dusty.

So moral of the metaphors, enjoy life and all the curve balls it throws at ya. I agree, sometimes it sucks. But we wouldn’t appreciate how truly wonderful the wonderful things are if it didn’t.

Love & Marriage..............

Well, we made it. 365 days and we are still happily married. Brandon and I spent the day working outside, doing a little laundry, ate lunch at Rosa’s, and went to Wal-Mart. It was extravagant.

To tell ya the truth, I actually wouldn’t have had it any other way. (Ok, so that’s kinda a lie. I wouldn’t mind being on a Jamaican Beach as I was this time last year). But still, I consider us to be pretty real, and you don’t get any realer than Wal-Mart.

Besides, we did have a pretty great little get-away last weekend and we got to spend our anniversary-eve celebrating the engagement of some great friends with lots of other great friends, and nothing puts you in a more lovable mood than being around ones in love. Plus Brandon got to fit some good calves Saturday, which always puts him in a good mood.

On top of that, our wedding cake (shout out here to Theresa Long, mother of those 'oh so cute!' Long boys, who baked it) was SO good! I sat it out of the freezer Saturday night and ate it for breakfast (and pretty much snacked on it all throughout the day) Sunday. There was a piece left when I left this morning, but I’m guessing it will be long gone by the time I get back home, whenever that will be.

I have an interview with a vegetable farmer in the LBK tomorrow so I’m staying with LuLu tonight, Katie’s taking bridal pics of the lovely Kalli Poole today, girls’ night party at Katie’s house tomorrow, Rusty’s 31^st birthday party (because remember, you never outgrow birthday parties in our family) Wednesday night, taking promotional pics of a bull in Post Thursday, and start our weekend of Glaze Family Reunion with a cookout at Mom & Dad’s Friday night. Whew, so jammed packed week and lots of picture taking opportunities. So keep in touch, there’s surely to be something on here soon to make you smile.

Now then, I would like to share two things with you. One is some bridal pics taken of the beautiful Mrs. Erica Gardner. The other is a short list of things I have learned in my little one year of marriage. I am sure all you more seasoned married ladies out there can expand upon it, and feel free to comment and do so. I’d love to hear what you have to say. I usually vent to my Momma about these things, especially when I was first getting adjusted to taking care of a man, most of which she simply replied, “Well, I hate to tell ya, sweetie, but it doesn’t get much better.”  Great.

1)      No matter where you set the dirty clothes hamper, his dirty clothes will always miss it by at least 6 inches.

2)      Setting his dishes in the sink is considered to him “cleaning up the dishes.”

3)      Although he drives right by a grocery store every day and I do not, it will never cross his mind that HE could stop and get that gallon of milk or Hershey’s syrup he so desperately must have.

4)      No matter how many or how cute of coasters is on the end table of his side of the couch, his cup will never make it on it.

5)      His socks will never be turned right side out when I fold them.

6)      No matter how well I try to disguise them in nifty plastic containers, he will never eat off-brand Rice Crispies. (yes, I am a tight-wad. Ask anyone)

7)      I will always take a jacket or blanket with us on road trips. Yes, it may be 106 outside, but it is 55 in the truck. And he will never get that.

8)       No matter how much I complain about the expense or grossness, he is still going to chew tobacco. (this one I still have hope for)

9)      When it comes to hunting, many accessories are needed and required.

10)   And last but not least. He is always going to say whatever the heck is on his mind, because well, that’s just Brandon. And I love him.

Let's just GO.....

Do you ever have those times when you are like “I just HAVE to get away”? Well, I do, and last week was one of them. I know Brandon just got back from a week long hiatus and was ready to stay home, but I really didn’t care at all. I knew no matter where we went it would be dry and hot, but once again, I really didn’t care. As long as it wasn’t the sandy bar ditches of Martin County, I was good with it. So we threw a bag in the truck Friday evening and headed to the hill country with no plan whatsoever.

I guess you can say it was for our 1st Anniversary since it looks like our real anniversary this weekend will be spent at a steer show, which isn’t all bad. Brandon told me on the way down that it is tradition for the husband to get the wife paper for their first anniversary. To which he was thinking a Hallmark card and I was thinking cash. We compromised and decided this little trip would be good enough and we’d count the hotel bill as the ‘paper.’

We stayed a night in San Antonio, ate at Salt Grass, went to the zoo (because yes, we are both a little nerdy), went to the Outlets in San Marcos, stayed a night in New Braunfels, shopped in Wimberly, went to Cabela’s in Buda, and mozied on home Sunday. It was pretty great and just what I needed.

The perfect little getaway was followed up by a fun 4^th of July with good steaks and homemade ice cream with our fabulous family at Pop and Gramma’s. It even rained a little, and we all had to go out and soak in the smell. It may've not lasted long but it did our souls good. We visited, laughed (mainly at LuLu), and of course there were plenty of hugs to fill your heart. That's one of my favorite parts of our family. You hug everyone when you get there and hug everyone when you leave. It's not like it's mandatory or anything, it's just what we do. Yeah, our trip away was needed and wonderful, but the best part about getting away is knowing you still have good stuff to come home to.

 Our Fabulous Family

LuLu being silly and holding up Brandon in the food line.

"Hurry up woman I'm Hungry!"

Voted "Best Looking" in our family two years straight.

Me (no makeup, don't judge) and Riggs (before he discovered his love for food)

Uncle (Pain) Wayne getting his exercise.

We Love Lovers!!

My husband is finally home! Or at least that’s what I’m told. I haven’t seen him with my own eyes due to me being gone these past three days, but supposedly he is there. I remember him having blue/green eyes, mega-long eyelashes and blondish-brown hair, so if there’s a guy in my house tonight that resembles this description, I’m going to assume it’s him (however if it is Mark Wahlberg, that will be fine too.)

He’s been gone since last Monday to a work meeting at lake Conroe. A resort on Lake Conroe, mind you. And since he was so close to home, he decided to go on down to his parents for some family time that somehow turned into a two day fishing trip on the coast with two of his best buddies. Funny how things work out.

So he’s staying at a resort, on a lake, where it rains, then fishing on the coast. I am at home, working, where it is 111 degrees and NOT raining. Yeah, I’m definitely getting something new out of this.

Just kidding!! (kind of) Truth is I’m super glad he got to spend time with his compadres and I am pretty freak’n ready to see him. If you see a black streak going down HWY 87 this evening, it will be me. Anyway, I did get a lot done this past week I needed to get my butt in gear and do. And most of all, I got to shoot an amazing wedding with my amazing sister that was full of amazing decorations and amazing people. Seriously, it was fit for a magazine.

The bride did an AMAZING (have I used that word already?) job on every little detail. Her cake was the most beautiful I have seen in person or magazine. Her brooch bouquet beat even the Queen, Miranda Lambert’s, and her bridal portraits she chose rocked!  

Yesterday was a half-kidless-day at Katie and Rusty’s so we slept, went to church, slept, watched part of a movie, and then all the grandparents brought the kids back and, I am only guessing, went back home and slept. Evidently that is something that goes out the window in exchange for children. Note to self. 

One of our fave peeps.

More pics to come!!!!