*Leaps And Bounds*

Doc aka: Dockers

Our sweet sweet baby boy. He's doing so much better. Not quite there, still on the mend, but still doing great. Still very shy and questionable towards strangers. But isn't he just adorable?! 

*Random*

I want twins... Is that weird? Especially since I haven't even had a baby before...

*Momma's Girl*

 She's our little Momma's Girl

*Ranch Life 101: Guidelines For Women*

 Thanks to Dustin Eastman for e-mailing me this thinking I'd "enjoy" it haha.  Thanks Spew!

Ranch Life 101: guidelines for women:

1. Always load your horse last in the trailer so it is the first one unloaded. By the time he's got his horse unloaded, you will have your cinch pulled and be mounted up ready to go - lessening the chance of him riding off without you with your horse trying to follow while you are still trying to get your foot in the stirrup.

2. Never - and I repeat never - ever believe the phrase "We'll be right back," when he has asked you to help him do something out on the ranch. The echoing words, "this will only take a little while" have filtered through generations of ranch wives and still today should invoke sincere distrust in the woman who hears them.

3. Always know there is NO romantic intention when he pleadingly asks you to take a ride in the pickup with him around the ranch while he checks waters and looks at cattle. What that sweet request really means is he wants someone to open the gates.

4. He will always expect you to quickly be able to find one stray in a four-section brush-covered pasture, but he will never be able to find the mayonnaise jar in four-square feet of refrigerator.

5. Count every head of everything you see - cattle especially, but sometimes horses, deer, quail or whatever moves. Count it in the gate, out the gate or on the horizon. The first time you don't count is when he will have expected that you did. That blank eyelash-batting look you give him when he asks "How many?" will not be acceptable.

6. Know that you will never be able to ride a horse or drive a pickup to suit him. Given the choice of jobs, choose throwing the feed off the back of the pickup. If he is on the back and you are driving, the opportunity for constant criticism of speed, ability and your eyesight will be utilized to the full extent. "How in the *@*# could you NOT see that hole?"

7. Never let yourself be on foot in the alley when he is sorting cattle horseback. When he has shoved 20 head of running, bucking, kicking yearlings at you and then hollers "Hold 'em, hold 'em" at the top of his lungs, don't think that you really can do it without loss of life or limb . Contrary to what he will lead you to believe, walking back to the house is always an option that has been used throughout time.

8. Don't expect him to correctly close the snap-on tops on the plastic refrigerator containers, but know he will expect you to always close every gate. His reasoning, the cows will get out; the food will not.

9. Always praise him when he helps in the kitchen - the very same way he does when you help with the ranch work - or not.

10. Know that when you step out of the house you move from the "wife" department to "hired hand" status. Although the word "hired" indicates there will be a paycheck that you will never see, rest assured you will have job security. The price is just right. And most of the time you will be "the best help he has" even if it is because you are the ONLY help he has.

Gotta love being the Rancher's wife :)

*Me... Like To Exercise?? What??*

The weirdest thing has happened... I actually love like to exercise! How crazy is that?! I have a confession and an apology to make though. I used to make fun or simply scratch my head and not understand why some of the people I know or know of would absolutely love to hit the gym, or run 10 miles a day {shudder}. Now, I'm not saying that I am an amazing, consistant exerciser but, I have come to like it and I now understand how some people can become enthralled with giving thier bodies lots and lots of exercise. It feels GREAT afterwards... well besides the first 3 days when I thought I was going to die. My routine is:

Monday:

 20 mins of Strength, Cardio & Ab work-outs (Or in other words, I put in my 30 Day Shred DVD with Jillian Michaels from The Biggest Loser that I love)

Tueday: 

10 min of weights, 10 min of Ab work-outs

Wednesday:

30 Day Shred

Thursday:

1 hour walk and/or 30 minutes running on thred mill

Friday:

30 Day Shred

Saturday:

Just making sure I am staying active... no being lazy

Top this work out schedule with occasional trips to the gym where I totally work my body over, healthy, complete nutritious meals and no Pop... I have been feeling GREAT. My day starts out just right with a work-out and a healthy, filling meal and that leaves the rest of the day open to perfection. Since I have started doing this I haven't had any "break downs", no "pity me" moments or days, I have been feeling uber happy AND healthy. And best of all I am keeping busy. If I feel like going and helping out on the ranch, or taking the dogs for long walks, or doing anything active... I DO it and I don't get tired like I used to.

I recommend a good work out to ANYONE, there are so many variations when it comes to work outs. Just pick one thats right for you. If you think you can handle 20 minutes a day start off with The 30 Day Shred, it has 3 levels, when you can do the whole DVD with ease start on something like the P90X workouts. Or if you prefer going to a gym to get your exercise in than get a trainer and GO. Or if you like to run, hike, power walk, go do it now. It's worth it.

*Makes Me Think Of...*

I was listening to the radio and Third Eye Blind was on...

When I hear Third Eye Blind I think of...

Their song "Jumper". I then think of...

The movie "Yes Man"(hilarious, totally recommend it). Which makes me think of...

Joey & I's very first "date" where he took me out to ice cream and to the theaters to see that movie.  And then I think of...

How I couldn't stop glancing over and sometimes even staring at him so I could watch his facial expressions throughout the movie, and I loved his laugh, and how he would look over at me and blush slightly during the embarrassing parts, and how much I wanted to hold his hand even though it was our first date and I was totally expecting us to "just be friends" because I was trying to be anti-boy at that time(haha... yeah it didn't last), and how I kept thinking how flipping hot he was! And finally I think of...

How every time we go see a movie in theaters now I still sneak glances up at his face to watch his expressions, but now I get to hold his hand whenever I want.

*Tuesday Confessional: Addicted*

I'm addicted... "To what?" you ask... these

Ever since Joey bought this flavor in sunflower seeds on our honeymoon trip I have been obsessed.  He is so sick of them because this is the only flavor I will buy them in.  I will literally go through one of these "Big Bags" in 2 days or less. I love chewing on them everywhere, especially on long car rides(they keep me from getting car sick... so far).

If you haven't had them, try them :)

P.s. Try not to chew them in public because whether you have a "spit bottle" to spit the shells in or you're just spitting them on the ground... it is rather grodie :)

*My Knight In Shining Armor*

This morning on our drive over to the ranch we were listening to an old cd when the song "Glory Of Love" by Peter Cetera comes on and I turn to Joey and say "This is the kind of song any woman would want her man to feel like when it comes to her!"... {He changes the song}... "American Made" by The Oakridge Boys starts playing, {Joe smiles} Me: "Yeah yeah, this is more like the song for me from you".

I guess that's what I get marrying a 100% American Cowboy

*January Thaw*

We are now in the middle of our "January Thaw" as people around here call it.  It's glorious!  I can see the roads(most of them) through the snow.  I have been walking around outside in just a sweater on {gasp}.  And I have been burning up indoors.  Last night we slept with the heater off and the fan on high.  Wow.  I think I might cry... a happy cry :)  But, I'm told it doesn't last too long so I'm enjoying it!  Hopefully I'll be prepared this time for the sudden... frozenness... And I'll be able to say "Bring it on".

*The Ranchers Wife Who Doesn't Love Beef*

My dad-in-law Monty is out of town shipping calves so Joey decided he wanted to invite his mom over for dinner.  I'm excited, I'm making really yummy pork chops w/ apples and onions (Cudos to our friends Jed & Cami for being our guinea pigs the first time I made these)! As I was deciding what to make for dinner I realized how much I love pork & chicken. I would take either of them over beef any day. I also realized how funny it is for a cattle rancher's wife to prefer pig and chicken over beef.  I like beef, don't get me wrong. It good for you, full of nutrients and I'm not against it in the least, I just prefer the taste of a good pork chop or the fun, tasty things you can do with a chicken breast.

Here's a delish and fast way to cook a chicken breast:

- Take a large chicken breast and make a "butterfly" cut(like picture). It's where you cut the breast lengthwise to where it's still connected just slightly

- Put the breast inside down on a skillet with some olive oil(or vegetable oil) and cook for a couple minutes

- Remove and cut a *(star shape) on both insides the of the breast(the side you just barely cooked)

- Fill the star's with your favorite salsa and fold the breast so it looks like it did before you made the butterfly cut

- Place back on the skillet and cook both sides the rest of the way through

- Before you remove the cooked chicken place a thick slice of sharp cheddar cheese on top of the breast and let it melt

- Serve with Fiesta rice and Mexican style beans

*Future Cowboy*

Ethan's been hanging out with Uncle Joey too much ;)

*Our "Fur" Babies*

I was looking in my post drafts and realized I never ended up publishing this post where it tells about our new addition to our family and about Dolly being house trained.  If you don't wanna read it, it just tells about how we acquired Doc.  So for awhile there, before we lost Bo, we had THREE puppies running around.  Yes, I know, us and our dogs.

For those of you who knew about Doc and why we ended up getting him back (if not, read the post), I am happy to say he is doing better.  He is still shy and unsure of strangers, but he is great with Joe & I.  He is an awesome dog once you earn his trust.  And he is so much like his momma (my dog Hagen we had to have put down).

AND, Joey's boy Blue was climbing out of the tractor and caught his leg in the stairs and broke one of the bones in it.  Poor baby, he has a cast and a cone around his neck.  He looks so pathetic, I need to take pictures. I swear, our luck with dogs is, well, basically we have no luck ha.

So now our little family consists of Blue, Doc, Dolly and Opi(Devil cat).  And trust me, I am keeping an eagle eye on each one of them!

*Dolly*Joey*Doc*

*Home*

I'm at my parents house that I still consider home... It's so nice here.  When I come here I feel like I took a step back and can now breath and relax.  It's just what I needed right now.

But...

... now I've decided it's time to make our little ranch house in chilly Randolph my home, our home.  I've just got to try harder and learn to love it, at least the part that it's full of our things, it's full of our love.  I've got everything I'll ever need inside it, playing games with me on the living room floor, getting ready with me in the little bathroom, helping me cook dinners in the cute country kitchen, playing with the dogs out in the front yard, laying next to me in our bed every night... My husband.  And it might not be a dream castle in a beautiful fairyland, but, it's our home.

*Trials*

(Beware: This is a long venting post)

I know I put "Learning to love ranch life" as one of my new year resolutions but seriously, WHO'S idea was it to have a ranch in a place where there is snow for 10 months out of the year and -40 degrees is a norm??  I want to kick that guy in his unmentionables.  And yes, I have no doubt it was a guy.  I am just having the hardest time with the weather here.  I'm from Northern Idaho, I'm used to cold and wet but not face numbing, frigid, pipe freezing, slip-on-ice-you-just-barely-melted-with-salt-and-break-your-back, horrible, nasty weather! 

Okay, with that little vent over and done with, I am sorry but this is another "bad mood" post.  There's only so much I can take before I break down... for a little while at least.  It all started the day after we moved back home to the ranch on Saturday...

Get this... -14 degrees at 4:00 PM while the sun was shining.  Thank heavens for our friends Gabe & Carlie for their help unloading all our stuff, you guys probably saved me from my could have been first break down.

My house was a disaster that day, it's not as bad of a disaster right now but it still is a disaster.

Sunday night we realized our puppy Bo wasn't looking too hot, he wasn't eating, looked way too skinny, wasn't even walking around.  I gave him some dewormer, a blanket and extra food and got ready for bed. He then started throwing up all over the place.  Finally Joe & I got him calmed down and put him to bed in his kennel.  We said a prayer and hoped he'd be better in the morning.

Monday was the big one though, it was the day I decided "It's okay, you can cry".  I woke up to a messy, nasty house, frozen and very dead house plants and an even sicker pup.  Joe made a vet appointment and I jumped in the shower.  As I headed on my 45min drive to the vet in Evanston on our snowy/dirt road I almost hit head on with someone because I couldn't see anything but snow, so I decide to drive on my side of the road, bad idea, I got sucked into the ditch on the side of the road and got stuck.  It took Joe 1/2 an hour to come get me unstuck.  By then I was late for the vet appt and Bo wasn't moving and had started wheezing.  Joey decided to drive me because I was shaking and upset.  30 min later we got to the vet and Bo was slipping away in my arms, I had to hand him to Joey and go stare out the window.  We finally got a vet to look at him, run a test for Parvo, negative, Bo's eyes started glazing over so I had to leave the room, stopped my crying long enough to walk back in the room right as Joey says "...let's put the poor guy out of his misery", I had to leave the room again.  Finally Joey gets back to the truck where I was and told me what the vet said.  Apparently Bo had a kind of digestive infection that basically had starved him, he had no muscle left, they could do an IV drop but he gave him less than a 50/50 chance to live and all in all it would cost us over $500.  Joey signed the papers to have him put down.  Our poor baby, we didn't even know anything was wrong until Sunday night, the vet said we caught it sooner than most people but it still was basically too late.  Joey was so upset, it was heartbreaking.

Since then our house is still a disaster, it's still a freezing death hole outside, today our water quit working and we still don't know why, I found mouse poop ALL over the in the kitchen cabnets and drawers, Joe & I are both still sick, we both have had bad tempers, and I can't seem to stop crying.  I think I might have had it... I don't exactly know what that means but it sounds right.

I promise next time I write it will be about something happy.  Hope y'alls first week of this new year has been a little better than ours

*Tundra- Right Here, Right Now*

Goodmorning ranch

It's a mere -15 degrees and probably dropping

I've forgotten what my face feels like

Oh it's great to be home... {sigh}