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’.