The Woman

She may not seem like much at first glance. A passerby might think she was shy or stand offish. A friend would know better, but a sister knows it best.

She keeps to herself mostly, sharing her radiant smile with those she trusts and loves most. She does not use words in a flippant manner, but speaks carefully, weighing each thought before actually speaking it.

She isn't the life of the party and doesn't 'entertain the crowd'. This doesn't mean she's boring. Far from it! Inside the depths of her quiet soul contains a vast knowledge of her surroundings. She sits, quietly, observing those around her. She picks up on the slightest thing, things most people wouldn't even think twice about.

Though she is quiet it doesn't mean she is passionless. No, indeed, a deep and burning passion flares brightly in her chest, but only those close to her have the honor to hear her deepest thoughts. Like a treasure trove she does not let just anyone in. Those that think they know her may be assuming wrong for there is always some other hidden gem they have yet to discover.

She continually surprises those around her with these little jewels.

So, she may sit quietly at first, observing and thinking, processing every little thing that comes her way, but once you have gained the trust of this wise soul, you will see the most beautiful thing.

A smile that warms the soul. A compassionate heart that aches, yearns, and loves more deeply than most. A wit unmatched, a quiet wisdom, a bit of sarcasm.

In the dark of night, when true hearts come forth and the sharing of sorrows and secrets commence, her wise self gently encourages and guides those who need it and are willing to listen.


So deep is the cavern of her soul, so magical this treasure of hers that one could get lost just trying to understand it all.

Who can fully understand the workings of this amazing creature. Not I, even though I be the closest thing to her. I feel as though I have barely chipped away at the smallest of diamond rocks in this vast personality.

I sit back and admire, though, wishing I could be more like her. To be as wise and as understanding, for sometimes she can understand me better than I know myself. Perhaps, just perhaps, by more observation on my side, I will come to pick up some ways on how to be more like her. She is one of my heroes. She is my sister.

Many know so little and yet think they know so much. But there is not another person I know who is so caring, so passionate, so loving, so perceptive, so tender, so amazing. Her life has touched so many in so many important ways, sometimes without them actually knowing what she has done. So quiet is she in her helping of others. Yet even complete strangers feel as if they can simply open up and tell her their tale.

Yes, she is my sister. She is an amazing woman. A mysterious woman. I am lucky to be so close that I'm able to glimpse her beautiful soul. For once you get to know a little bit of her, you find yourself wishing you could find out more and wishing you could spend more time around her. Just being around her is wonderful.


So don't pass by the woman who sits quietly, observing those around her with a glint in her eye and slight curve to her lip. The best treasure is worth searching for and taking the time to find.


A tribute to my amazing sister on her birthday. I love you so much, sis!! This little thingy doesn't really do you justice. You're an amazing person and I'm so blessed to call you sister. I honestly don't know what I would do without you by my side. Don't ever forget what an amazing and beautiful person you are. Love you!!!

*All photography credit goes to Mosey Photography

 

Just Your Typical Day on the Ranch ~#4

Hey y'all! Another Typical Day on the Ranch post!

Yesterday afternoon my brothers and I were charged with a task: To run all the cows through the chute, get hair samples, put patches on them, and give them their dose of bug medicine.

No problemo. The cows are really quite gentle and work fairly easily. So when Dad gave us this task Sunday night, we were ready to go. The plan was to get up early and get started right away to get it done. We had two set of corrals that we were working cows: headquarters and 'up top' corrals. Thankfully, the guys had gathered all the cows that night, so we didn't need to worry about that in the morning (that seems to be the hardest part sometimes). Deciding we would work the house first, then come in for lunch, and head up top, we went to bed, figuring we'd want a good rest before the next day.

The day started out slightly later than we had hoped (as one of us, ahem, wasn't able to get to sleep until about 2am)... However, we decided we wouldn't let that stop us. Dad had headed into work already, and mom was getting ready to leave for her day in town to do some things. Josh fixed us egg burritos while I went over the plans again to make sure everything looked right. So far so good. I was rather excited about getting the hair samples. =)

As we were about to head out, a friend who leases some pasture with us came by to pick up some of his cows. So Josh and Mr. S went up top to get his cows while Caleb and I prepped everything for working the cows at headquarters. After making several runs back the house then out to the corrals, we finally had everything (not that there was a whole lot but we just kept forgetting things...) Josh got back right as we were about to start. Glad to see our third cowpoke, we met him half way to see how his morning had gone so far. He brought us bad tidings. The cows had either knocked open a gate, or one of them didn't closed properly and they were now scattered in two pastures.

Pause for great big sigh.

We decided the boys would go ahead and go regather the cows before the spread out much further and I would wait down at the house. They left and I decided that, instead of wasting time, I'd go start working the cows on my own. There wasn't a whole lot to do per cow, so I figured it would be fairly easy. Slow, but easy. I headed out, intent on my mission and getting at least a couple handfuls of cows done before the boys got back.

Lesson learned.

When I got out to the corral, I realized that the cows needed to be pushed from a holding pen into the alley so I could push them into the chute. May not seem like a big deal, but when you're trying to push a bunch of bovine, you need at least two people else they just run past you in all directions. I attempted to push them from behind, but that ended rather quickly when I realized I was fighting a losing battle. So, racking my brain for ideas, I finally came up with a brilliant idea that, amazingly, worked quite well. I then began the process of gathering them into the chute (much easier now that I was in a narrower alley!).

I had done three cows by the time the boys got back. Not quite the handfuls I wanted, but hey, it was a start. Once they got there, we all jumped in and got to the task at hand. Josh dosed them, Caleb put on patches, and I collected hair samples.

I will go into a bit of detail on how we did the samples.. It was really cool. I simply had to grab their tail, take a section of the longer hair at the tip, and pull upwards, against the 'grain' of the hair. This pulled the hair, roots and all, out in neat form. I then placed the roots in a clear sticky pad. These will be sent into a lab for testing so that we make sure the cows don't have any illnesses or some other genetic defect that will affect their calves.

As we were working cows, we enjoyed joking around with each other, laughing about 'inside jokes' (none of which needed explaining because we were all on the 'inside'), and liking how smoothly things were going... Guess we thought that too soon. Before we knew it, a heifer had decided she didn't want to go forward and had succeeded in turning herself completely around inside the little alley leading up to the chute. Lovely. Thankfully, though, we didn't need her to go head first, since none of the things we were doing required her head to be caught. However, it's always a little scary when they are in the process of turning around as they can get stuck... Not to mention that you simple stand there looking at her helplessly, knowing you can't do anything to stop her. Getting near only makes her more frantic. So we backed off, silently praying she wouldn't get stuck. She didn't and must have had an interesting time going through the line backward.

Another cow later on almost broke her leg in an escape attempt by trying to jump up and out of the chute. Brilliant idea, cow. What was I saying about our cows being quite gentle? ;-)

Other than those little incidents here and there, everything really did go smoothly. A couple times, when reaching to get the tail for samples, my hand met with 'wet stuff'... *sigh*. All I could imagine was Adrian Monk doing that... (if you've ever seen "Monk", you know what I'm talking about).
But then, I suppose that's why I live on a ranch. It didn't bother me too much (or maybe it's because of living on a ranch that it doesn't bother me... hmm...) You just have to keep going. No stopping to 'get it off! get it off!'... =) Yup, bonafide country right thar. =)  Anyway, back to my story...

So, we finished the cows at the house and went inside for lunch at about 2:30. Finished eating and checking a few things for mom, then got ready to head back out. We took all our gear with us, drove up to the top corrals (takes about 5-10 mins to get up there). As we went to gather the cows, poor Caleb walked right into a metal pole/bar that is sticking out horizontal to the ground. It is part of a fence, but we haven't finished building that fence yet, so it sticks out... he's not the only one that has done that. Poor guy. He really hit it hard. After he recovered a bit, though, we joked about him 'walking into a bar' and tried to put on shocked faces... Yeah, that helped a little. He's such a trooper, though, and got right back to work.

We had done about 5 cows when Josh realized he was out of the meds he was giving the cows and had forgotten to grab the new container from the barn. So, we paused operation and headed back down. Worked out fairly well, actually, as the boys wanted to grab some protein bars from the house (don't know why they were hungry, though. It's not as if they were working really hard....). =)

On our way up, I had taken off my jacket, as it was getting a little warm. When I hopped out, I guess I knocked over my water cup and later, then it got a little windy and I needed my jacket, I realized it was soaked and wouldn't do a whole lot of good for keeping me warm. =P So my new routine of getting hair samples went from 'get them and stand in the open while I'm putting them in their sticker' to 'get the hair as fast as you can, rush back and hop in the truck to stay warm while you now put the hair in the sticker'. =)

During all this, we did have a couple times that some cows got out and we had to chase them around the pasture a bit... or sometimes we'd actually analyze the situation to see how we could outsmart the cows to get them back in. Usually that worked better.. lol!

And so, after a day that we had hoped would be a morning/part of the afternoon project, we finally got home at 8pm. However, dad was really sweet and went and got us Taco Bell so we didn't have to cook anything. =)

So that, my friends, is just another typical day on the ranch. Do your days look similar to this? (I've found most people's do, whether they live on a ranch or not).=D

Sincerely,
Your Ranching Friend Out in the Middle of Nowhere

P.S. Keep an eye out! I'm planning on doing a blog post of our recent trip to Montana (pics included!)

One Score and Three Years Ago....

A beautiful little girl was born. This little girl grew and grew until she became a lovely young woman. I am honored to call aforesaid young woman my very best friend. She has been with me through thick and thin, taught me how to color properly, and has been my confidant for all manner of things.

She is my sister. Rebecca Lynn, a wonderful and beautiful person, inside and out. I honestly don't know what I would do without her. She really has always been there for me. We've laughed together, cried together, and shared one another's burdens.

Rebecca, you are one amazing sister to me. I honestly don't know how you dealt with me through all those 'tough years', but you bore it as no other sister would. You have no idea (or perhaps you do) of how much I love you. I don't know what I do without you, literally. I'd be lost without my 'chatting partner' who visits with me throughout the day. We talk late into the night if need be, and cover so many topics. You've been my encourager in so many areas, cheering me on as I do whatever I'm doing. You are such a beautiful woman and I am truly blessed to have you as my sister. Happy Birthday, and I love you!!!!!!!! =D

Love,
Your sis

P.S. It's rather difficult to find pictures of the birthday girl as she is usually the one behind the camera! ;-)

Happy Birthday, Caleb!!

13 years ago today, a miracle happened. The miracle of my baby brother being born. Most of you don't know his story, so I figured that it would be fitting to share it on his birthday.

(Celebrating his 6th birthday- I think- at the CO zoo)

Mom and Dad first found out about what a difficult pregnancy it was going to be with Caleb when they went in to check up. The baby had O positive blood and Mom had A negative... not a good combination. In fact, such a bad one that Mom's body viewed Caleb as a threat and was doing everything possible to get rid of him. His is a rare case, too. So rare, in fact, that everyone knew about it and if they ever saw mom they knew exactly who she was. I believe the statistics for something like this is 1 out of 10. (don't quote me on that, though.)

11 weeks before Caleb's due date, mom went in for another check up. These were frequent as they needed to give blood to Caleb often. My "Aunt" Marie was the one who donated blood for Caleb (thus why we call her 'Aunt'). :-) She was so sweet to everyone involved in this ordeal and didn't mind donating one bit.

I should explain how Caleb received blood infusions, for those that don't know. The doctor has to take an extremely long needle and try to hit the vein in the umbilical cord. There is also an artery (possibly more than one, but I don't know those details) on the cord, but you have to avoid hitting that. Dad said the procedure looked like he was trying to stab a spaghetti noodle in a bowl full of water with a tiny needle (I tried that once... trust me, it's hard!).

Well, on this particular check up/blood infusion, the Dr., ended up hitting the artery and not the vein on the umbilical cord. Mom and Dad watched as his heart beat sped up suddenly, then just stopped. Having had 3 other children who were emergency C-Sections, Dad knew he needed to get out of the way. He kissed mom on the forehead, told her he loved her, and ran out the door. Praying for the safety of his wife and child were next on his list.

(Manning the gate while working cows)

Mom didn't know what was going on. The nurses seemed to suddenly jump into action as they prepared to get the baby out. A call went through the hospital to get certain nurses into the operating room. They gave mom the 'knock out medicine' and began preparing for yet another emergency C-Section.

Here's where we get to see God's amazing hand in all of this (of course, we know He was protecting Caleb the entire time he was in the womb, but here is where His hand was most visible). There had to be two of these particular surgeons present at the operation for these rare pregnancies/babies like Caleb. Well, it just 'so happened' that the first one (which was the one that mom and dad had most contact with) was already there, of course, but the second, who usually resided in another state, also 'happened' to be there at the hospital. So they were able to do surgery on Mom right away without waiting. It also just so "happened" that one nurse was walking down the hall on her way to help out when another nurse came up and asked, "Hey, where are you headed?" The first nurse explained that she was on her way to the "RH" baby (as he was known in the hospital). The second nurse decided she'd join her friend and they headed up to the operating room.

The surgeons had Caleb out in 8 minutes. The two nurses who came in did CPR on him (one holding him, the other doing the CPR) as they ran him down to the NICU. If they had gotten Caleb out in 10 minutes, he would have had severe brain damage. If it has been 12, Caleb would have died.

Caleb was in the hospital for 56 days on oxygen tubes, feeding tubes, and everything else imaginable. We weren't allowed to hold him until after he came home. I remember the first time I even got to see him (which was several days after they got him out). I was so excited, and nervous. Would I like him? What would he look like? Was he a nice baby? Well, in the words of my brother, Josh (who got to see him first, I might add), "He's kind of fuzzy. He looks like a kitten with no tail." Well, after first glance, I knew that my new baby brother had stolen my heart. I just couldn't wait until the time that I got to hold him.

Now, I look at him as he is getting ready for his special birthday with Dad and Mom. 13 is the big number in our household, because it's considered the 'hood' year (ya know, woman'hood', man'hood'.) I look at him and I see a young man who has grown up so much. A young man who has matured in the last year to such a degree as to astonish me exceedingly. Well, perhaps not astonish, but it has certainly been a joy to watch. He is such a wonderful brother and friend to me. He's extremely tender and caring and always has a hug for me whenever I need (or seem to need) one. He's very forgiving of all of his sister's faults and has an awesome sense of humor and great wit.



I love you tons and tons, Caleb!!! I don't know what I would do without you and I praise the Lord that He protected you and gave you to us. :-)


(I promise to come back and post pictures from their evening and his birthday morning at a later time). :-)

You Really Want to Know What I'm Like?

Some of my readers really don't know who I am.  So, I'm giving you an opportunity to see what I really am like.  Don't worry, it won't freak you out or anything. In fact, you'll probably just get a good laugh. And you really won't know exactly what I'm like after reading this, but at least you'll get a glimpse of the crazy person that I am. ;-)

Go Here to read all about it!  (That is my sister's blog)

I hope you enjoy!
In Him,
Sarah

Thoroughly Blessed

I think I am one of the most blessed people in the world.  God has given me mercy SO many times.  He sent His only Son to save a sinner like me who deserved nothing but eternity in hell.
  He has blessed me with an AMAZING family.  I really don't know what I would do without them.
As I brought some presents I had just wrapped to put under the tree, Caleb spotted one for him.  He started teasing me, trying to get me to tell him what it was.  He tried shaking it, lifting it so see how much it weighed, etc. Just like a typical little boy. :-)
   Any how, I told him that I "hope you like it."  He looked at me and said, quite solemnly, "Of course I'll like it because you gave it to me."
  My heart was filled with joy.  He is such a sweet boy.  Really. One of the best things that happens around Christmastime is how he deals with all the gifts.  Often times, the little guys can lose focus of why we are celebrating Christmas with all those gifts under the tree.  Caleb, however, is more excited about what he got YOU than what you are giving HIM.  It is truly a joy to see that selfless joy and happiness in him.  His gifts are really special, too.  Typically it will be little things, like a picture, or an origami piece that he did all by himself, or some other little creation of his. And you know what?  I think those are the best gifts.  They come from the heart with love poured into each gift. His enthusiasm as we open his gift is really sweet to behold.
  
I have my other amazing family members that I just have to tell about.  First of all, my Daddy drove the icky weather this morning to get into town for a job interview.  I know he probably would have preferred to stay home and get some much needed tasks done on the ranch, but he went in town instead.  He is such an amazing provider, and the best midnight talker around! He's always willing to stay up until midnight to help me sort through my problems. :-)

Then I have my beautiful, selfless, beautiful, caring, beautiful, sweetest, and most wonderful Mama in the world! (did I mention that she's beautiful?) When going through some tough times in my walk with the Lord, she was right there praying for me.  She has been my best friend for as long as I can remember.  She was the one I always told my secrets to, the one who was there to offer advice when something happened, and the one who was always willing to listen to my problems, even if she's already in bed and ready to go to sleep.

My wonderful sister.  Wow, there's so much!!!!  For one thing, she just celebrated her 21st birthday!!!  Can you believe it??  (don't worry, there's a birthday post coming up!) I certainly can't.  We've had lots of transitioning in our relationship. Playmates, to young adults, to the best friends in the world.  She's probably one of the few people who can put up with me, and still love me.  Being able to share a room with her is a huge blessing in its self.  For one thing, I tend to be the messier of the pair.. and she's there to remind me, gently, to pick up my side of the room.  I think her organized living style is finally rubbing off on me, though!  Then, she's right there to talk, giggle, and cry long into the night with me.  She's got the wittiest sense of humor.  It doesn't matter how hard I try to say something back to her, she's always got one to top it... and you know what, I don't mind!  Besides, I probably wouldn't be able to get anything said any way because she usually has me doubled over in laughter with the things she says.

Joshua is a pretty great kid.  Ok, maybe not great.... Just kidding! And I don't think I could call him a kid any more.  16 years old sounds more like a young man, and since he acts more like a young man than a kid, I think he is entitled to that title. ;-)  He is SUCH a hard worker.  He would prefer to be out working than inside doing anything else.  He makes me laugh when I'm upset, and loves me for the crazy person that I am. He loves talking to me about guns, fight scenes in movies, and how to fix a car (most of it, I don't typically understand, but I enjoy listening to his enthusiasm on the subjects.).  He is my favorite Joshua in the whole wide world!

Of course, I said a few things about Caleb, but besides his selfless attitude during Christmas, he is one of the funniest guys around.  Somehow, turning 11 made him into this very witty person.  He and Becca could almost compete in a 'witty' competition. He comes pretty close to hers.  He is super creative.  He will bring out his clay creations and totally amaze me.  One time he made all the characters from a Wii game called Mario Kart.  The accuracy and detail totally stunned us.  He's a great artist, loves his chickens, enjoys being outside, and has enough energy to run a steam boat across the Atlantic.

I know I've done these family posts before, but I think it's great to spend time telling about their good qualities.  I mean, let's face it.  Everyone as their 'bad side', and too often we can focus on just that instead of all the wonderful things about them.  So, you will probably be seeing these in the future!

Are you feeling blessed this Christmas season?  If so, how?

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas filled with the Lord's blessings! And, for those who want it, lots of snow!  It has been snowing all day here.  Just that lovely, soft falling, snow.  Looks like a ranch-like winter wonderland!

In Christ's Service,
Sarah

A brother who can stay sane even after his sister has lost it

Not lost it as in anger, but lost it totally in her sanity.  This evening, I was going around the house humming, "Oh Danny Boy". This is really a very pretty song, though a sad one.  I had recently taken an interest in it and had looked up the lyrics, chords, etc. Well, while I was fixing supper, I guess I began humming it.  After about ten minutes, Josh finally stands up from where he was sitting on the couch and said, "Sarah, can you PLEASE stop singing that?!" 
I looked at him innocently.  "Stop singing what?"
He looked at me. "That song."
"You mean, 'Oh Danny Boy'?" I asked, slightly confused.
He looked at me and smiled slightly, "Or at least finish it."
Now it was my turn to look at him suddenly. "Finish it?"
"Yeah, all evening you have been singing just the first part....Hummm, humm.." and he commenced to showing me what I was doing.  Yes, I was only humming the first part of the song and never got any further.  Don't know how it happened, but when Josh started imitating me, I immediately started laughing.  The thought of me walking about the house humming just one part of a song struck me as being rather silly, wouldn't you agree?  We laughed about it for a little while, then I continued doing dinner and Josh continued in his fire making. (don't worry, he was just lighting a fire in the wood stove)

A few minutes later, he jumps up again, "Sarah!...."
"What?"...........

Hope y'all are having a wonderful Christmas season! Keep up the joy in your house and have a couple of good laughs. It's good medicine. ;-)

In Christ's Service,
Sarah