Meet the Cast Monday #22: Cradle Friend

Today you get to meet my oldest friend....our parents were friends and we have known each other since we were literally in cradles---which explains the name I've given here on the blog. She and I went to different schools, but were great friends and spent a lot of time together when we were growing up. She lives in a small town where she has a great job, a great husband, and a baby boy on the way!

Meet Cradle Friend!

What is your favorite childhood memory?

My favorite childhood memories all have to do with my grandpa:

1) Feeding Cattle with Grandpa and Aunt Jessie, they would always take me with them, Grandpa driving, me in the middle, and Jessie riding shot gun. We always looked for new baby calves, deer, and stray cattle. I learned how to count by counting cows the Jessie and Grandpa, and Grandpa taught me how to drive a standard pickup while feeding cattle. I learned how to have a soft spot for animals, but mostly dogs from Grandpa. I can't remember how grandpa made his special fudge, but I do remember the "Henry's Special" calf bottle, it was a raw egg, powdered calf suckle, and Karo Syrup. {They used to lease some land from us, so when they would come check cows, they would swing by and pick me up to go along---we spent lots of hours in that old white pick up!}

2) Grandpa buying my first horse Frosty, for my 4th birthday. My dad and Grandpa took me and my saddle to Monty Sasser's, they brought this beautiful "old" white horse out, Dad saddled him for me and told me to get on, and I was scared of riding someone elses horse, so Grandpa told me to " Ride him like I stole him" so we trotted around (that is all he would do for me at age 4). We took him home and by the time I was 5 Frosty and I would get grandpa to help me saddle up and I would lope around to Jessie's house, jump off, drop the reins, and go in and visit her for hours, but Frosty would still be standing at the gate looking in the door for me when it was time to ride some more. {Several years later, I ended up with that horse after mine died. Told you guys we had lots of connections!}

What is your favorite memory with me?

I have a couple that kind of run together. My favorite memory with Tiff is every it seems like Christmas, but it might have been Thanksgiving or New Years, after spending some time with my family, I would go to Tiff's house. We would go check the sheep for lambs, it seems like it was really cold, but that is when I found out dealing with sheep and twins is a major headach. I remeber once, Tiff had broken her ankle and had a walking boot on, and we went in the pasture I think to check sheep, and we ended up walking back to the house, I think it had rained and we were soaked, but we did our best to keep her foot dry, but her climbing over the fence with that walking boot, was almost impossible and she fell in the mud. {At that time, I didn't even have a boot--I was trying to walk the mile or so home, in the snow, in a cast! We actually have photo proof below!}

One thing I will never forget about Tiff, she was the only friend I ever spent the night with, growing up. We would lay on the couch, pulled out into a bed, and out the big window in the living room, I would stare out the window at the moon and felt like we were camping in the wild open range.

What is the scariest part of being pregnant?

The whole idea of becoming a parent is scary!

For a long time the actual labor and birth, was what I was scared to death of, but once I became pregnant, it changed. It became the fact that I would be in charge of this child (its not like a puppy), but I have to help this child develope into a good, honest, hard working, person with good morals. I looked at what my husband and I have become, and know that our parents are there to help us, help our child. I use to think that God forgot the instructions that you need when you have a kid, but I realize that he didn't forget, because that is what Grandparents are for.

So now my scariest part of being pregnant is fore seeing how much my life has, and is fixing to change forever. I love my life and the things I do, its not that having this kid is going to prevent me from doing them, but change how I do them.

Tell us about your wedding.

My wedding was amazing. My parents were so much help. At first they didn't like the idea of having at my grandparents place, but once we got started cleaning up the place, it was amazing. About a week before the wedding my grandmother feel and broke her hip, that made it hard on everyone trying to get to Amarillo and still get wedding things done. My mind was made up though, no matter what happened, as long as my husband, the preacher, and I showed up, we would be married, it didn't matter rain or shine, the end goal was we would be married. I think people get so mixed up in what everyone thinks of the wedding they forget the important part is you two becoming one.
When you marry, Marry someone that is your best friend, the friendship is what carries you when the relationship is rocky.

Tell us about your job.

I am a Range Management Specialist for the Cibola National Forest. I work with ranchers that graze on the Forest, helping prevent over grazing, range improvements, and being a buffer between the environmentalist and the ranchers. I started in 2005 as a tech and was in the field horse back, foot, or in a pickup 4 days a week. Then I went back to school to get a range degree and got on the STEP then SCEP programs, then when I graduated I was hired full time. I have 5 years in with the Magdalena Ranger District now, including the time I put in as a student.

Favorite part of growing up in a family that raised cattle?

The best part of growing up in a ranching family is the morals and work ethic I recieved to carry me though life. Family bonding time was fixing fence, windmills, or working cattle. Learning life and death, and hard work doesen't always pay off, but it is worth it in the end. {Love this! Very well said!}

Favorite song?

Much Too Young by Garth Brooks

What is something important you learned from your grandpa?

-life is too short to argue and fight

-there are things said at the barn that don't go to the house {Hilarious---this was a lesson in our family as well!}

-an animals trust is one of the hardest things to gain, once you have lost it (goes for people too)

- "No Fools, No Fun"

-there is always time for family

-patientence and time will get you a lot further, than a temper and rushing. What is one (or more) item(s) on your bucket list?

Go to Yellowstone (that is where we went for the honeymoon)

Own our own Ranch