*Busy Beavers*

Well, hello there. I have missed writing on here. I actually have a moment to breathe and decided that I should make a trip to the ranch to use the internet on my computer, not my phone, so I could actually do things like: check my mail, reply to e-mails, do some online shopping, catch up on people's blogs and yes... add to my long forgotten blog, instead of just jumping on my phone and getting frustrated with the slow internet and touch screen and eventually giving up. This last month has been so busy for us, between branding calves, shipping pairs, moving into new pastures, taking care of the dogs, and the cats(NEW KITTENS!), trying and failing to keep my house in order, my baby sister's wedding(it was GORGEOUS), doctors appointments, grocery shopping, working between 30-40 hours a week at the station(my new home away from home), and trying to squeeze in some "us" time... Well, there's been no time for anything else! I played with the idea of not blogging anymore, because I feel bad and like I'm missing out on so many things to write about when I don't have time to go somewhere with internet and after I'm done paying bills, reading other's blogs and returning e-mails I don't feel like writing anymore. But, I decided that it is my #1 way to keep my family in touch with our comings and goings and my blog has been such a good outlet and support when this crazy kind of life gets the better of me. And, it still is my diary, a little bit of me I can pass on. So.... with that all said and done here are a few pictures of what has been going on lately:

The Graduate at his "embarrassing" dinner :) Wearing his graduation present (the hat). He's such a hunk... WOW

We had one... only one... beautiful, semi-warm day on Sunday so we decided to get the kittens out and let them play in the grass for the first time. They are about 3 weeks old now and all the eyes are open!

Don't mind how nasty/drunk I look. Or my legs... Just don't look at me all together. The kittens... The kittens are cute...

 My favorite... He was the fighter who almost didn't make it

Then we decided to take a trip to the lake and play on the beach for a few hours. It was the perfect idea! It was absolutely breathtaking (Cheesy wording? So what, that's the best way to describe it!) The dogs had a blast... well, Coatsy did for .5 seconds and then froze his little tush off :) I love how the snow is still on the mountains but the weather was just right.

 There wasn't another person around. We had the beach all to ourselves

 I had to put this picture on here... I am just in love with his tiny, shrimpy legs! Too cute

 Okay... AND this one. Look at those ears! 

 And of course Doc, our handsome Hagen look-a-like. He was so concerned because Joey was wading in the deep water without him

 Dolly, the pregnant(Yes... pregnant. No comment), prissy girl who could care less what "Dad" was up to. Love this picture of her with her tongue out

 3 of my loves. Joey getting some much needed sun :) I have no room to talk though I guess haha

 Me at my "other" home, the station. I wanted to show off how long my hair is getting!

*Did You Hear??*

I have a couple awesome announcements!

Are you ready?..... 

{1} I am a working woman :)

Okay, so I have had this job for about a month now but I never wrote about it (that I can recall). It's super easy and only about 20 hours a week. But, it keeps me busy and it's so fun. It's at a little service station called Dee's right on the lake. So it will start getting super busy this summer! I am excited, I have been wanting something to keep me more busy!

{2} MY BUG IS GETTING MARRIED!

My little sissy Christi is getting married to her Jr. High sweetheart Brett. I am so excited for them both! They decided to spring for an end of May wedding! Wow, so umm... like not even 3 weeks! So cute that they don't want to wait though :) Joey & I waited just over 4 months and that was long enough! Crazy? Maybe. 

My baby sister is getting married................ I'm old.

(Sorry Bugs, I know you don't like this picture but I think it's cute!)

And last but certainly not least:

{3} My brilliant Husband is a College Graduate!!! 

I am beyond proud of him! (and possibly, slightly jealous) He graduated with his Bachelors Degree with a Major in Agricultural Business & a Minor in Animal Science. He is so smart and I am so lucky to have such a hard working soul mate for all of forever. Congratulations Baby. I love you!

We are having a graduation dinner for him with family & friends, who ever wants to come. 

May 20th @ 6:30

If you would like to try and make it please e-mail, call or text me and I will tell you where and get your name on the list! And sadly, even though we are no longer college students we are still poor :) So it is a "pay for your own meal" deal, but if you aren't able to we can definitely work something out, we would really just love to have you there to help me embarrass Joey more by putting him in the spot light! This is a big deal to me, I am so proud and excited to my boy!

Also, I have the cutest announcements for his graduation. He was too busy and wasn't able to walk so I am just doing "announcements" and not invitations. If you want one just shoot me an e-mail!

Jencyjojo_88@hotmail.com 

(This is the face I'm sure I will be getting for making "such a big" deal over his graduation! haha)

*Tuesday Confessional/Day 10 Of Me: Home/Something You Miss*

Day 10: Something You miss

My mom always has music playing in the living room at their house. She has done that since I can remember. It is always happy, relaxing, comforting music such as the soundtracks from “The Holiday”, “The Parent Trap” (the newer version with Dennis Quaid) and “Sense and Sensibility”. One of the CD’s she has been playing for a long time is Kenny G’s Greatest Hits. If you haven’t heard of him, he is only the best saxophone artist ever. I love his music.

I recently added a bunch of his songs onto my ITunes and tonight I was listening to music and one of his songs came on which is a song that’s on the CD my mom has. I caught myself missing home a lot. And I was thinking about how ironic it is that I was never really a “home body” up until recently. As soon as I turned 18 I was out of the house, years before that I would always be wishing I were 18 so I could move out and “live on my own”, and for a few years after that I would hardly ever go back, I was “too busy” making things work on my own, almost like I was “proving” that I could do it. I spent my days doing what I wanted and not having to check in with anyone or ask permission, moving here and there, working 2-3 jobs, living on Hamburger Helper and Mac & Cheese, going out on week-nights. I was always busy and constantly with someone but, I felt lonely and something was missing. Then 2 years later I moved back home. My Mom became one of my best friends, I couldn’t get enough attention from my Dad, and I was back with people who really did love me, back in a peaceful place where I was safe. I didn’t want to leave, but something still felt like it was missing. So, I left that home I finely had come to cherish. I moved the farthest away I had ever been from home, but somehow, even though it was further away then where I previously had lived, I still felt closer to home then I had ever been before (make sense?). Maybe, it was because I knew I could go back home if I wanted and I realized I really didn’t have to prove anything. I had lived my “trial and error” life and finely found out that kind of life wasn’t necessary, it was now time to live the life I was meant to be living, with the people that were supposed to be a part of that life. Through the next month I went back home frequently, more than I had in a years time when I lived just a town away from there. It almost felt like I was “making up” for the time I had missed being “far away” from home, living on “my own”. Between my travels back and forth from home, school and starting my “new” life I met Joey. I found what was “missing”. I couldn’t wait for him to meet my parents and for him to feel my “renewed” admiration for them; I couldn’t wait to bring him home.

Over the last couple of years he and I have been making our own home. It has been kind of challenging. I had just barely become a part of my parents home again and was now having to make a home somewhere else. I have been taking as many opportunities as I can to go visit my parent’s home, trying to get Joey to spare some time from the ranch to go with me. It’s just so far away, and I miss it and them. I cried during the whole Kenny G song. I finally got something back that I had been needing and had to give some of it away not long after. I know it needed to be done and I know I need to be making my own home. But, it’s just hard. I miss that home right now. I love Joey, but it’s hard for him to understand sometimes I think. I know he spent 2 years down south on a LDS church mission, he missed home like crazy, but he knew he’d be coming back. In a way I can’t go back. I can go back as a visitor but not as a dweller. Therefore, I visit a lot haha. Am I just being a whining brat? Probably. I wish I could go back and stay closer to home for as long as possible but still somehow have everything still turn out the way it has. I know that it impossible on so many levels so now all I can do is blog about how I feel and count my blessings.

I am thankful that I even had that time at home that I had been missing out on. I am thankful my relationships with my parents are so strong now. I am thankful I went through those years alone, as hard and painful as they were, I needed to in order to appreciate what was right in front of me but so far away. I am thankful for my parents, how they always had their doors, arms, and hearts opened towards me even when I wasn’t looking, and for their countless prayers they said and say on my behalf. I am thankful for my husband, for his patience as I try and get used to my new life and new home and try, but sometimes fail at appreciating it, and also for his unconditional love towards me no matter what. I am thankful for my Father in heaven, I know he has a plan for me; I know he loves me and knows what is best for me. I am thankful for my family. I know that home is where the heart is, therefore my parent’s home is, in a way, still my home, but Joey also has my heart so my home is here as well. I am thankful for that.

30 Day Challenge:

Day 1: Introduce, recent picture of yourself, 15 interesting facts

Day 2: Meaning behind your blog name

Day 3: Your first love

Day 4: Your parents

Day 5: A song to match your mood

Day 6: A picture of something that makes you happy

Day 7: Favorite movies

Day 8: A place you've traveled to

Day 9: A favorite picture of your best friend

Day 10: Something you miss 

Day 11: Something you're afraid of

Day 12: Your last 5 Facebook statues

Day 13: Favorite tv shows

Day 14: A picture of you last year - how have you changed?

Day 15: Scripture verse

Day 16: Current Project

Day 17: Something you're looking forward to

Day 18: Favorite place(s) to eat

Day 19: Goals

Day 20: Nicknames

Day 21: Favorite Picture of yourself ALL TIME Why?

Day 22: What's in your purse?

Day 23: A letter to someone

Day 24: Something you've learned

Day 25: Put your iPod on shuffle, first 10 songs

Day 26: Dream vacation

Day 27: Original Photo of the city you live in

Day 28: Something that stresses you out

Day 29: 3 Wishes

Day 30: a picture of yourself this day and 5 good things that happened since you started the challenge

*Day 9 Of Me*

Day 9: A favorite picture of your best friend:

I have a few best friends and a favorite picture of each one...

My wonderful Momma

 My gorgeous little sissy (And my big sissy, but I can't find a picture of her and I {frown})

 My bestest cousin Amber (I'm on the right. I love this picture, unfortunately on here it's a picture of a picture of a picture haha)

Another picture of us hahaha

And of course my best best friend. Jojo

30 Day Challenge 

Day 1: Introduce, recent picture of yourself, 15 interesting facts

Day 2: Meaning behind your blog name

Day 3: Your first love

Day 4: Your parents

Day 5: A song to match your mood

Day 6: A picture of something that makes you happy

Day 7: Favorite movies

Day 8: A place you've traveled to

Day 9: A favorite picture of your best friend

Day 10: Something you miss 

Day 11: Something you're afraid of

Day 12: Your last 5 Facebook statues

Day 13: Favorite tv shows

Day 14: A picture of you last year - how have you changed?

Day 15: Scripture verse

Day 16: Current Project

Day 17: Something you're looking forward to

Day 18: Favorite place(s) to eat

Day 19: Goals

Day 20: Nicknames

Day 21: Favorite Picture of yourself ALL TIME Why?

Day 22: What's in your purse?

Day 23: A letter to someone

Day 24: Something you've learned

Day 25: Put your iPod on shuffle, first 10 songs

Day 26: Dream vacation

Day 27: Original Photo of the city you live in

Day 28: Something that stresses you out

Day 29: 3 Wishes

Day 30: a picture of yourself this day and 5 good things that happened since you started the challenge

*Day 6 Of Me*

Day 6: A picture of something that makes you happy:

Taken with my IPhone before I left for my parents house last week. Joey & Doc :) :) I have so many pictures I could choose for this post. But, this one I put as the wall paper on my phone and every time I use it I see this picture and I smile really big!

30 Day Challenge 

Day 1: Introduce, recent picture of yourself, 15 interesting facts

Day 2: Meaning behind your blog name

Day 3: Your first love

Day 4: Your parents

Day 5: A song to match your mood

Day 6: A picture of something that makes you happy

Day 7: Favorite movies

Day 8: A place you've traveled to

Day 9: A favorite picture of your best friend

Day 10: Something you miss 

Day 11: Something you're afraid of

Day 12: Your last 5 Facebook statues

Day 13: Favorite tv shows

Day 14: A picture of you last year - how have you changed?

Day 15: Scripture verse

Day 16: Current Project

Day 17: Something you're looking forward to

Day 18: Favorite place(s) to eat

Day 19: Goals

Day 20: Nicknames

Day 21: Favorite Picture of yourself ALL TIME Why?

Day 22: What's in your purse?

Day 23: A letter to someone

Day 24: Something you've learned

Day 25: Put your iPod on shuffle, first 10 songs

Day 26: Dream vacation

Day 27: Original Photo of the city you live in

Day 28: Something that stresses you out

Day 29: 3 Wishes

Day 30: a picture of yourself this day and 5 good things that happened since you started the challenge

*Yet Another Comparison To Cows*

Joey:

"Cows are like woman who live together, they all cycle at the same time".

Thank you for the comparison husband.

We are now officially 1/2 way through calving. Things are gonna start moving fast now. Wish us luck :)

*Day 5 Of Me: Part 2*

Day 5: A song to match your mood:

"Breathe" by Ryan Star

Today has been somewhat troubling. I arrived home yesterday to warning signs on the roads for "high water flooding", I unloaded my truck just as soon as it started raining, started cooking a yummy dinner of oriental marinaded tuna steaks and mashed potatoes. Joey got home and we had dinner by candlelight and everything was awesome. I was so glad to be home (still am)! At about 11PM the electricity went out so I grabbed a big down comforter and we all got ready to cuddle in bed. Before we did that though we looked outside and realized why the electricity went out... Super wet, heavy snow. Instantly our hearts sank, our poor cows and calves. We went to bed with fingers crossed and prayers sent that no calves were born in the night. 

Apparently, yesterday, one of our cows that hadn't yet had her calf had gotten on her back in the field full of cold, wet, melting snow. She drowned. So, first thing this morning Joey had to go to the ranch to check and see if anything was born in the nasty weather and to move all the cows into a different field, out of the growing water levels of the lower fields. I had been excited to spend the morning and afternoon with Joey, cooking a big breakfast and watch our church's General Conference together. Instead I woke up alone, next to a cat throwing up on my bed, and as I got up to get paper towels, I nearly stepped on a huge, bloody, half-eaten mouse. After cleaning up the chewed up mouse throw up and the dead animal, I made myself a morning drink(I have to drink this certain drink because, while in Idaho, I went to our family doctor because I was having problems and we found out I have a Hiatal Hernia. I won't get into that right now though) and sat down to watch the first session of conference by myself, I looked up just in time to see Coatsy, sick with the runs, squirting(sorry, graphic) diarrhea all over the living room carpet I had just cleaned a couple weeks ago. I called Joey to see when the heck he was coming home, he commenced telling me about his morning. While they were moving the cows out of the field, a calf ventured off, bee-lining to the half frozen swamp. Trying to turn around and get back to the herd, he kept breaking through the ice and was making no progress. Joey had to jump off his horse and wade through the freezing swamp to grab the calf and carry him back. He then had to strip down to nothing in order to not freeze on the way back to the house. And a calf was also just barely born in the wet, so far so good though. 

After I calmed down and realized that it isn't as bad as I made it out to be, I got to thinking about how these certain "issues" happened, almost ironically, right when I got home, right when I was having a hard time with my hernia, right when I was wanting to spend the day with Joey, right when we were about to watch our General Conference, right when we thought we were out of the clear weather-wise during calving, right when things were starting to "look up". The exact things that "push my buttons" happened, the exact things that really upset Joey happened. It's almost like someone was trying to make us unhappy, right when we were finally de-stressed and happy again. We snapped at each other, Joey said some choice words, I hung up on him, I had a cloud over my head while trying to listen to the words of the leaders from our church, on a day that was supposed to be relaxing and peaceful. After calming down and thinking over all of this I said a little prayer and went to check on my husband. We hugged and said sorry. We vowed to not let these things knock us down and that we need to lean on each other and help each other and lean on our Heavenly Father. He's always there for us, he knows what we are going through and he wants us to be happy. We are here on this earth to be tested and tried, to learn how to push through those trials and be happy, grateful, humble, prayerful and faithful. I am going to make sure to breathe, relax, love my life, realize just how blessed I am, stay close to God, and I will be okay.

"Breathe, just breathe. Take the world off your shoulders and put it on me. Breathe, just breathe. Let the life that you lead be all that you need."

p.s. Listen to this song. It's so good. He opened for Bon Jovi and I'm in love :)

30 Day Challenge 

Day 1: Introduce, recent picture of yourself, 15 interesting facts

Day 2: Meaning behind your blog name

Day 3: Your first love

Day 4: Your parents

Day 5: A song to match your mood

Day 6: A picture of something that makes you happy

Day 7: Favorite movies

Day 8: A place you've traveled to

Day 9: A favorite picture of your best friend

Day 10: Something you miss 

Day 11: Something you're afraid of

Day 12: Your last 5 Facebook statues

Day 13: Favorite tv shows

Day 14: A picture of you last year - how have you changed?

Day 15: Scripture verse

Day 16: Current Project

Day 17: Something you're looking forward to

Day 18: Favorite place(s) to eat

Day 19: Goals

Day 20: Nicknames

Day 21: Favorite Picture of yourself ALL TIME Why?

Day 22: What's in your purse?

Day 23: A letter to someone

Day 24: Something you've learned

Day 25: Put your iPod on shuffle, first 10 songs

Day 26: Dream vacation

Day 27: Original Photo of the city you live in

Day 28: Something that stresses you out

Day 29: 3 Wishes

Day 30: a picture of yourself this day and 5 good things that happened since you started the challenge