A Beautiful Surprise and a Creation of Our Own

I'm realizing that birthday's really aren't really exciting the older that you get because you reach an age where you don't want to get any older than you already are.  I'm reaching that age because in a few short years I will be 30 and in some ways I'm beginning to wonder where my 20's went.  But as much as I don't want to grow any older, it was so nice to receive cards, phone calls, and birthday wishes on facebook from many friends and family.  And I also received something extra special from someone extra special to me...my Mom.  She contacted our pastor's wife to find out if there was any florists close to our tiny, blink-and-you've-missed-it town and lo and behold, we actually do.  When the doorbell rang and the beautiful bouquet below was delivered to me, surprise was not only my reaction but also Jamie's.  I thought maybe they were from him, but he commented that if they are then he needs to have a talk with himself and find out where he can get more.  So, almost 2,000 miles away, Mudder Smucker was able to pull off a big and beautiful surprise and make my day extra special.  Thanks, Mom!  I'm so blessed to have such a wonderful, thoughtful Mom such as yourself.  And since she ordered them without even seeing or knowing what they would look like, here is a preview of them for you as well, Mom.  You did a great job!

Aren't they beautiful?  I thought so.  Jamie also took me to the city for a little trip away since there isn't really much to speak of close by...we don't even have a decent restaurant for quite a few miles and I was in the mood for something good.  One goal I had was to find a Christmas wreath for my front door.  Although we won't be home over the month of December I still wanted our house to look somewhat festive for the holidays and so enjoy decorating for Christmas.  So we made a stop at the Hobby Lobby...a wonderful store that tops AC Moore and the like.  (I'm thrilled to hear they will be putting one in PA so Mom and I can shop there together.)  After much looking for the perfect door ornament I just couldn't decide on one I felt was worth paying the high price for, so we bought our own undecorated wreath for way less than half the price (and everything we bought was 50% off) of the other ones and found some wonderful embellishments to make our own.  The following are a few pictures of the finished product and I must say I think it looks way better than the over-priced floofy wreaths in the store.  I especially like the "D" that really personalized it.  I am really looking forward to transforming my Mom's house for Christmas...oh, we are gonna have so much fun together, Mom!  A very Merry Christmas to all my blog followers.  I'm hoping to pick-up the blogging again once we get back after the New Year.

(Please disregard the grungy door my wreath hangs upon...we have a few remodeling tasks that lie ahead of us, but we are having so much fun doing them...pictures of the house to follow in a later blog.)

Trials, Transitions, and Trust

I think after the last few weeks of truly living out these three words, they have become three of my least favorite.  My silence has partly been due to computer problems again, but mostly because life has been heavy for us lately.  I told myself I would never use this blog as a sob session and I don't plan to start now.  Instead I'd rather be an inspiration and an encouragement to others.  I don't know that I have anything inspiring to share from the last several months, but I hope this may be encouraging to some.

It's difficult to sit here and encourage others to trust God, to say that He will carry you through whatever storm you may be experiencing...difficult because I wasn't such a great example of this myself many times throughout the last few months.  It's easy to trust when everything seems right, but it's a different story when life seems to be changing from minute to minute.  In the past two weeks, my life has literally changed from minute to minute at times and thank heaven for our family and friends who have graciously supported us and religiously prayed for us.  I'm still not sure what lesson God has wanted me to learn throughout all of this, but I do know that in His time He will show me and I will some day understand why.

The transition part of my life seems to be never-ending lately and just as we transitioned to moving to Montana six months ago, we find ourselves transitioning and moving once again.  Jamie and I both felt that the Lord was leading us somewhere else.  We weren't sure where, but we looked into several opportunities and finally, through many tears and disappointments, He has lead us to another ranch.  Things have slowly...and I do mean very slowly...fallen into place for us.  My prayer is that we are finally starting to see some real light at the end of this tunnel.  It's been difficult to be so far away from my family and friends through all of this.  I never imagined how a simple hug can change your day and boy, do I ever miss the hugs!  But I do know that through the difficult times God has always been there and as much as I've wanted to be angry at God and stomp my feet, I still knew in my heart that my God was standing there beside, ever faithful.

I came across this song a few years ago when Jamie and I first learned of our infertility and it has brought my great comfort through tough times.  I'm reminded of the love God has for me and how sometimes He allows difficult times to happen to improve on the person that I am.  I hope and pray that I will walk away from this experience as a better person, not a bitter person.  It may take some time, but maybe someday my experiences will help others in ways I never dreamed possible.

To the friends and family who have loved, supported, encouraged, prayed, and even cried with us from miles away, our deepest thanks goes out to you!  It may not have felt like much, but to us it meant the world.  May the Lord richly bless you for acts of friendship, kindness and love. 

http://listen.grooveshark.com/#/song/He_Will_Carry_Me/2415555

I Challenge You....

...to a snowball fight!!!!!!!  Any takers?

So the first week of October brought with it our first snowstorm of the season.  Unfortunately we didn't get as much snow as they did in town on Sunday night, but trust me when I say, everything was white!  I also did not enjoy that snow as I had to experience first hand how horrible the gravel roads can be in the winter.  I was exhausted till I got home but I'm proud to say that the truck never slide off the road at any point...and I personally think that's worth bragging about!

Today, though, I am thoroughly enjoying the snow because I know that I don't have anywhere to be until Sunday night.  So this morning when I looked out the window, this is what I saw.  Sorry, the pictures are a little dark...it's really quite bright here right now.  The snow was coming down so heavy that I couldn't see up the road.  That didn't last for very long, but it made for some very pretty scenery.  Anyone who is in the mood for a snowball fight and willing to take Jamie on, I'll brave the roads to come pick you up the airport...I'd love some good company about now.

Cow Work

Harvest has ended for this year but there is still plenty of work here on the ranch.  The ranch hands recently rounded up each group of cows and brought them into the corral.  The cows and calves are seperated once again and the cows are given shots and this year they also received a special ear tag that sends information electronically.  Papa Smurf will be disappointed that I don't know all the specks on the ear tags, but I do know it has GPS capability.  They can tell exactly which cow they need to cut out if there is a problem...I think.  The picture above I think are the calves they seperated from the cows.  They do not like to be seperated.  The picture below are cows that are waiting to be herded down the shoot.

The cows travel down through this shoot...

(Sometimes they need a little persuasion.)

 

(Hmmm, wasn't expecting to see this at the bottom of the shoot.)

...where they are then stopped at the hydraulic shoot and recieve their shots and new ear tag.

The electronic ear tags look like this and are about the size of a quarter.  (OK, give me credit for something here, Papa Smurf)

The cow is then released from the shoot....

...and returns to mingling with her other cow friends.

And sometimes the cows don't cooperate the way they are supposed to.  I'm not sure where they put the ear tag on this one cause there certainly wasn't an ear on that end!

This is a picture of the operation from the back of the shoot.  The walkway allows them to keep the cows moving and also spray the cows with mineral....I think.  (I can't remember all the details Papa Smurf...next time I'll take notes...just for you.)

Well, there you have it, Papa Smurf.  This post is especially for you.  It doesn't come without much agrivation and hard work, but nevertheless, it's dedicated to you.  Hope you enjoy it.  Love ya, PS!

5 Years and Counting!

First, let me apologize for the sad state of this post. When I was trying to edit and place my pictures exactly where I wanted them, I was unable. I just got my computer hooked up after it spent a few days in the repair shop recovering from a nasty virus. It appears as though maybe it still needs a little recoup time. So, the following are a few pictures from 5 years ago...we had such a fun day and it's so fun to think back to the memories of that day. It was exactly the day I had wanted....a few frills, but a lot of fun! Thanks to all those who put in a lot of hard work and love to make our day so enjoyable and for your continued support and love. We appreciate and love you! This picture was taken on the first day that we met. We had been talking on the phone non-stop for weeks before we ever met face to face. I only knew him through the voice on the other end of the phone and a few pictures we had exchanged through letters. His brother had called him one night and left a message for him with my number. He had kept the message on the answering machine for a few years, but eventually someone erased it.

Today Jamie and I celebrate our 5th wedding anniversary and what an interesting 5 years it has been! I can't say that on my wedding day I thought the last 5 years would turn out as they have, but I can say that as much fun as we all had on that day 5 years ago, I wouldn't want to turn the clock back and start it all over again. I've so enjoyed the journey we've gone through together...the struggles that have made us grow...the tears that brought us closer together...the laughter that gave us joy...it's all been an amazing journey! And the best part, I wouldn't have wanted to go through it with anyone else! God gave me a wonderful man 5 years and like a fine wine, he has only gotten better over the years

Jamie, I love you so much more now than I did 5 years ago! You have proven that no matter what difficulties may come our way, that you'll be by my side through it all. You've been my best friend and my lover and I wouldn't want to walk through the next 5 years with anyone else. Thank you for continually loving me, even when I didn't deserve it. Thank you for being different from all the rest. Thank you for the sacrifices you've made for me and for never being afraid to say I'm sorry. I know it hasn't always been easy for us over the past few years, but we've made it. I will ALWAYS love you! Here's to many more years together! ~Babygirl