*Branding 2011*

I have been a horrible blogger lately. This month has been crazy. Just busy busy busy. I am not complaining but, I do need to write some, if anything, just so I have some journal entries of this fun month.

This week has been jam packed with work, doctors appointments, craft get-togethers, and lots of cleaning. I was coming to terms with the fact that I wouldn't be able to make it to our winter range to help brand 1/2 of our herd. I was able to make it the last two years but I had to work when they first headed down and then I had no way to get there the last couple of days. I got a text from Joey's cousin Bri asking me if I would be able to go down with her for Friday and Saturday because they needed some hands. I was excited to actually get to go. (I did miss my good friend's baby shower and I am so sorry! I promise I have your presents and will get together with you soon!!!)

I was able to grab my camera for a few minutes to take some quick, sloppy pictures right before it started raining and when we were "slowing" down. So... enjoy :)

*SPRING TIME*

It's May in TWO days and this morning I woke up to snow outside...

I want it to be warm so I can go for long walks...

So Joe & I can go camping...

So I can go to the beach(yes it's a lake, but there is sand) with friends...

So we can take the horses up to Johnnys and ride overlooking the lake...

So we can BBQ outside...

So I can take the dogs to the park...

So my truck won't be covered in red mud...

So I can wear flip flops...

So the cows can start eating grass before we run out of hay...

So we can quit spending an arm & a leg trying to heat our house...

So it can JUST BE SPRING!

*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

*Classifieds, "Spring" & Baby-Sitting*

"The Westons" April 2010

Joe & I were thinking the other day that THREE trucks is one too many for just the two of us... A little unnecessary really. It almost looks like we have a lot of money and are just showing off :) Well... We really don't. Therefore "Little Blue" is now up for sale! I spent a whole couple of days (when not at work) cleaning him inside, out and in between. He actually cleans up quite well (and yes we do refer to him as a "he". In fact he is the "old pimp" and our other trucks are his women "Black Betty" & "Betty White"). Anywho, he is being featured on KSL Classifieds online, posters all throughout town and has pretty little For Sale signs on him. Please cross your fingers for us that he gets sold... ASAP.

We recently celebrated spring with short sleeves, St. Paty's Day, a spring clean and even a spring bonus (from my job, not Joe's because his job is freakin' ridiculous and penny pushers needless to say. This is a bitter subject for me if you couldn't tell haha)... The very next day pretty much this (above) ends our celebration... I measured 6 inches of snow and that was in the middle of it's downpour. Could very possibly have been more. Luckily, I am training some boys at work to take over my job so I just had to tell them what to do and didn't have to leave the building in to the blizzard once!

ETHAN got to come hang out with his Uncle Joey & Aunt Jency thursday night while his parents were out. We had a blast. It took him only a minute to warm up to me again... and about 30 minutes to warm up to Joe and the cat haha.

The boys were buds the rest of the night though. Played the banjo together, ate rice cereal and grape juice, played ball, took turns "walking" around, terrorized the cat, clapping, talking... You name it!

Opi wasn't too hot about the idea of someone else crawling around her territory.

After all the toys were taken out and put back, one bottle of milk, one bottle of grape juice, one pee-pee diaper, one massive poopy diaper, one outfit change, one episode of Grey's Anatomy, 3 stories, one Banjo recital and one crying fit later he had to leave us :( Until next time Eth. We love you!