Through the Glass

We've been packing all week long to prepare for our move back east and I think our poor dogs have no idea what to think with all the moving we've done in the last year.  Our routine has so drastically changed that I'm hoping moving isn't going to become our new normal cause I hate moving with a passion!  Regardless of how much our routine or "normal" has changed, the dogs personalities remain the same and we still find ourselves chuckling at them numerous times throughout the day because they just have their own quirks that make them, well them.  At our townhouse in PA we had a sliding glass door in our living room and when Jamie would leave in the morning Bruiser would often run from the front door, where he said good bye to Jamie, to the back door, loudly part the blinds and press his nose up against the glass...his entire rear end wagging the whole time.  I used to love to look over as I drove away and sure enough, the blinds would part and there was Bruiser watching me go.

This week he had the to urge to look out the glass again as Jamie worked in the front yard to make boxes for some of our things.  Jamie had just walked outside and Bruiser ran over to the sofa, jumped up and started pawing at the curtain to get a better view and that has become Bruiser's permanent spot while Jamie works outside.  I walked in and out of the room all afternoon and there he stayed.  Crazy dog!

The following 2 were taken one morning when Jamie was leaving for work.  I had pulled back the curtain at the door and Bruiser jumped up to check it out too.  I'm not sure how he stays up there because the ledge around the window isn't much of a ledge.  That's my watch dog...always on the look-out.

And I thought I'd share a few of our puppies that are growing like weeds!  They finally opened their eyes about a week ago and they don't just sleep all the time any more.  They are finally walking, as disjointed as it may be, and some have teeth coming through.  They won't be fitting in that box Jamie built for very long.  They've already attempted to use feeding time and their mommy as a way to escape.  I never thought I'd be moving back east with 6 little puppies in tow, but I think we will manage.

This one just happened to be finishing a yawn when I decided to snap a picture of her cute mug and what a mug it turned out to be!  I had a good laugh when I looked back through my pictures.

This Little Light of Mine

We made this video to send home for Valentine's Day for my nieces and nephew...soon to be nephews!...since we didn't have much time to make cards or send gifts this year. Plus we want to be able to give them some love in person and since we will be back in PA soon, we thought maybe something more personal would be better anyway. My mom was unable to post this to her blog, so I'm posting it for her. Remember to keep your light always shining for Him!

Love Letters

We aren't one of those couples to go crazy over Valentines Day.  I remember a friend saying a long time ago that she didn't want to recieve something from her husband on a day that he is "supposed" to get her something but she'd rather get something from him on a day he isn't supposed to get her something.  I always thought that was a good way of looking at Valentines Day.  So I've kind of taken it as my motto and Jamie has yet to disappoint me.  I'd much rather have him surprise me with flowers and a date night on a night when acts of love are not expected.

My friend made that statement a few years before I met Jamie and I think it made it into my "love letters" that year. My love letters consist of 2 journals and a few cards that I started in 1998. One summer after a bible camp I got the idea to start writing letters to my future husband. I wanted a way to connect with that person, whoever he was, and a way to share a part of my life with him that he hadn't been a part of.

At the time I think I was 15 and I had absolutely no idea when or if I would ever meet the "man of my dreams", but I continued to write.

This wasn't a diary, it wasn't something I wrote in every day. Some years only consist of a few entries, but I wrote them with love.

Every now and then I would find a really cute card and would pick it up and add it my collection of letters.  I wanted to mix things up a bit.

I finished each letter with a small heart in the left-hand corner.

OK, corny as it may be, I wrote this with love for Jamie...this was, of course, after I knew who I would marry.

I added a few small "lovey" embellishments whenever I would find them...I said a few, this wasn't a scrapbook.

The first letter and the last letter.  I started writing August 6, 1998 and I wrote the last letter the night before our wedding, September 17, 2004...that's a total of 6 years!  I gave all the letters to Jamie as a wedding gift the night of our wedding.

And there you have it, consider yourself lucky...the only other person who has seen these letters is Jamie.  I am so blessed to call Jamie my husband!  He completes me and is my better half.  I will ALWAYS love you, Huney!!

Feeding Time on the Ranch

One recent cold and snowy Sunday, I decided to get up early with Jamie and go with him to work to see what "feeding the girls" actually entails. Little did I know that that particular Sunday would not just be frigid, but Holy Cow...bitter cold!!! So dressed in several layers and walking as if I had left a do-di in my pants, we headed out to the ranch. Once there we had to leave the nice warm pick-up to get into the, cold....VERY cold, feed truck. Driving to the hay yard turned out to be more difficult than usual due to not just blowing, but driving, snow in front of us. Visibility was at times zero. It was beautiful in a way and also rather spooky.

I asked Jamie if I could get out and take some pictures while he loaded up the hay...little did I know just how cold it really was until I had to stand in the wind for a few minutes! Moving on, the feed pick-up has a hydro-bed which has arms that extend back and then "grab" each bale of hay. Jamie controls the arms with levers inside the truck...I need to find a way to do that with my camera so I don't freeze the next time.

The arms have teeth on the end that "grab" the bale and it's then lifted onto the truck.

Another bale is added and we are off to feed some cows. (Wait, wait for me!!! I'm freezing out here!!!)

Before we go into the pasture, we first need to stop, apply our "emergency brake" and open the gate. Jamie found this rock on one of his first days there. He has it down to an art...he drives up to it slowly until the tires hit it perfectly and there she stays. He is quite proud of his rock brake.

Then comes the hard part...finding the cows. Can you spot them in the trees? I'm sure on a day when visibility is not limited, this isn't quite so difficult. Typically in this weather they stay huddled in groups since it's warmer and they can be found somewhere out of the wind.

We didn't have to go far and once the word got around that food was here, well they came on their own. Check out that formation!

Once again the hydro-bed comes in handy. With the push or pull of lever a bale of hay is lowered to the ground, the bale stays attached to the arms and as you drive away the bale unravels. Neato, especially in temperatures below zero! Unfortunately I wasn't able to capture this process for you...who knew that frozen cow piles could be so slippery. One slip and some snow covered jeans later and I decided to abort that mission. You'll just have to use your imagination.

Here are "the girls" enjoying their meal. "Eat up, buttercups!"

We passed this windmill several times on our way to and from the hay yard...sometimes we could see it, sometimes not.

And now it's time to close the gate and go home. You got the short and condensed version of feeding. What you didn't see where the 10 or so trips to and from the hay yard...you see it takes much more than just 2 hay bales to feed all those cows and then we had the other group to feed. But what a fun morning together! Jamie enjoyed having me along and showing me his routine and I enjoyed watching him work.

And there is always time for the blue eyed snow snake to goof off in front of the camera. Love your outfit, man...that is sex-y!

Tiny New Additions

Almost 2 weeks ago, Bryn delivered her first litter of puppies and what an excitement it was! We decided that we would breed our 2 dogs one time only and what a joy these little additions have become. I happened to be home by myself that Thursday morning and let me tell you, I don't get nervous delivering human babies, but I sure was nervous about this! I frantically called my sister-in-law, Lacey, and being the dog expert she is, calmed me down and told me what to do when Bryn quickly delivered her first puppy. The rest of the puppies didn't follow so quickly behind...we started at 11am and she had the last puppy after 6pm that night...an exhausting day all around. She is a natural at being mommy to six little puppies (5 females and 1 male) and we like to sit next to her box and just watch them...we often laugh about a their tongues peeping out of their mouths as they sleep. It's facinating how mother nature kicks in and they just seem to know what to do and where to go. It's also amazing to see how much they've grown since that day. We have even see a few open their eyes for the first time! So here is a look at Bryn's little babies.