Family Farm Friday #69: Expenses

"Some folks just don't get it. They think owning cattle makes no sense. It takes too much time, too much equipment, not to mention the expense. But the fondest memories of my life-they might sound funny-were made possible by Mom and Dad, 'cause they spent the time and spent the money. You see, the most important lessons helping values grow so strong, come from loving cattle and passing that tradition on."

I distinctly remember being in the 11th grade and standing in the hall in the Corbett building getting ready to go in and give my speech at the State FFA public speaking contest. Mr. Franklin was drilling me with last minute questions and he asked something about why people keep farming. He didn't like my answer, and said, "Tiffany, why do you really think your parents have the ranch? It's because of you and Little Brother--they have it for the way of life and the ability to spend time together as a family." That man always knew more than me.

My Dad always knows more than me too. I remember one night in high school we were all over at the show barn working with the show animals. As I recall, it had been a particularly rough night---everyone was tired, sheep were not showing well, pigs weighed too much, I'm sure Little Brother was swinging a rope when he shouldn't have been. Somehow, the conversation turned to all the time that we spent at the show barn. My Dad said, "When you kids look back, you may remember all the fights we've had, how dumb you think your parents are, how much work we've done here at this barn, but the main thing is that you will remember that your mom and I were HERE with you kids."
When my friend Pharmer Girl shared the picture below on her blog last week, I knew right away that I had to blog about it. I could not agree more, particularly with the line, "the fondest memories of my life were made possible by Mom and Dad 'cause they spent the time and spent the money."

It's expensive to have a farm. Land, livestock, seed, fuel, equipment, medicines, feed (especially when it does not rain).....that all adds up. Usually to more than the income column. And it's not just expensive monetarially, but time-wise as well. My parents never went on "date nights." They never went on fancy vacations. They weren't members of the country club. They invested their time--themselves--in our farm, and in doing so, in our family. If you ask me, that's the best expense that one can incur.
And the investments made and benefits that I recieved go beyond just parents.

It's grandmas. I can't tell you the hours that Little Brother, Gran and I spent driving around checking cows. Both of us kids learned to drive in that old tan Datsun and little blue Ranger, which Gran didn't need, but I suspect kept just for those driving lessons. We learned to peel an apple without breaking the skin, where the best windmill water was located, and how to watch for snakes curled up next to the fence post when you open a gate. We learned, because she invested.
And it's neighbors as well. People who made you homeade bread at Christmas, who bought any random item that we were selling as fundraisers, who showed up with enchillada casseroles when bad news cam, who helped you find rocks for your science homework, who always complained, "Well I wish y'all wouldn't run off so soon" even when you had been at their house for two hours and eaten your weight in Aunt Jean candies and cherry cheesecake. It's ag teachers and the "show family." The people who would shear the finewool sheep, bring snacks to the show box, and spend weeks driving all over creation to find the lamb to win the banner--and then smack you on the back with tears in his eyes when it worked out as planned. The expenses these people--parents, grandmas, neighbors, ag teachers, family friends--incurred and the time that they spent mean more to me than they will ever know.

It's probably true that you can't put a price on fond memories. But I have a sneaking suspicion that if you could, it might look a lot like those farm leger books that we keep in the file cabinet.

Confessions #1

"I'm selfish, impatient and a little insecure. I make mistakes, I am out of control and at times hard to handle. But if you can't handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don't deserve me at my best.” ~Marilyn Monroe

Today I'm linking up with E Myself and I for Midweek Confessions and with Leslie for Friday Confessions! So....I confess:

* I laughed about this thing for at least an hour this week.

Oh, so true! Maybe instead of letters to Mr. Right, I'll do a letter to Mr. Wrong next week. That could be fun.

* I'm two weeks behind on Amazing Race episodes. Don't tell me what happened! I know that it's a long shot that Bopper and Mark are still in the game after getting a speed bump, but I love them and I've got my fingers crossed that they win!

* No Justice came out with a new song and I had no idea. My friend posted the lyrics on facebook yesterday and I had to ask her what it was from. I'm a bad fan. Unacceptable. I have got to move back to Oklahoma to be in the know on this stuff! The new single is called Shot in the Dark and I love it. Favorite line: "Your cowgirl boots look too damn heavy for a guy like me to sweep you off your feet."

* I have not seen The Hunger Games. I have not read the book. I realize I may be the only person in America who can say this. College Roomie and Blonde Oklahoma Girl told me the basic plot, and I have to admit I have no desire to read/see it. To each her own, right?

* Last night, I ate a meal that did not include meat. I know, I know. What kind of ranch girl am I? BFF--if you read this blog, please do not call and yell at me! I was in a hurry and just did not have time to cook any meat to go with it. Instead, I ate whole wheat rotini pasta, grated zucchini and summer squash drizzled in olive oil and covered in parmesean cheese, avocado, oregano and red pepper flakes (which I pretty much add to everything). It was super good, really fast, and healthy!

* I know we have not had a new Family Farm Friday blog in a while....sorry about that! BUT, stay tuned for tomorrow. I've got one planned for ya, and I think you'll like it.

* I take back my position that I do not read non-fiction books. I blame "The Help." If y'all have not read this book yet, you need to get off the computer and go buy it right now. It was phenominal! I am a slow reader and I knocked out all 530 pages in two weeks. I couldn't put it down.

* I fell off the wagon. The My Fitness Pal wagon, that is. I started at the first of January but fell off the wagon a couple of weeks ago. I blame traveling for work, green beer, and pancakes at the Bongo Room. (So worth it!) But I'm back on track now and I'm loving it. I feel so much better when I eat healthy and exercise. Shocking, I know.

* I periodically stalk my friends' pinterest pages. Here are a few of my favorite pins that they have done lately!

Just Dance

"The only things that I regret are the things we didn't do..." ~ Bombshel, 19 and Crazy

You guys were introduced to Tiny Dancer on Monday. (Perhaps we'll convince him to do a Meet the Cast blog?) He earned his blog name because when a group of us were standing in the front of O'Brien's Pub on St. Patrick's Day listening to the band, some crazy girl who we didn't know came up to him and just started dancing.

At that point, Tiny Dancer had a choice. Would he worry about how he looked or what other people might think and stand there like a statue? Or would he let loose and dance with the crazy girl in a bar full of people? Given his nickname, I think you know the answer.

And I love that seeing one small action by another person can serve as a great reminder in my own life. Forget what everyone else thinks, forget what you're scared of, forget all the reasons you shouldn't.....just dance!

Life is too short and time is too precious not to have fun.

So dance with the crazy girl on St. Patrick's Day. Tell the boy how you feel. Buy the plane ticket to Europe. Eat the fru-fru pancakes. Sing karaoke in front of people you'll never see again. Jump out of the airplane. Pick up that guitar and go after your dream job. Rush the field. Call in sick and spend the day in your pjs. Get off your bathroom floor and change your life. Take the chance and move across the country. Give her the ring. Sign up for the half marathon. Buy the ticket to the football game. Snap the picture of the naked guy as you run by. Find your passion.
Stop worrying about everything else. Just dance.

Getting Used To It

"If having money keeps people walking along the sidewalk with their heads turned away from their fellow man, clinging to control of their lives and their wealth, than I would rather be penniless on the streets my entire life." ~Carmen

Last week, ND Friend wrote what may be the most touching blog post I have ever read. She went to downtown Chicago to interact with the less fortunate in order to write on one of the practices of Lent, almsgiving. In doing so, she met Carmen, who uttered the quote above. What was the most strinking thing about this quote was that the person of whom Carmen speaks was me. I became that person one day back in 2008.

You won't be surprised to learn that we didn't have homeless people in Logan, New Mexico. So when I moved to San Francisco, that was something completely new and different to me. It was a side of San Francisco I did not expect or understand. One so different from my own experience there.

When I first arrived, I remember thinking I would never get used to seeing homelessness. By the end of the summer, I knew I would never forget feeling the day I realized that I had done just that...gotten used to it.

At the beginning of the summer, I spoke to every person on the street who spoke to me. If I had change, I gave it to them. If I did not, I apologized. But I spoke. I saw them. I interacted with them. Acknolwedged that they were here. On the same earth as me, people like me, possessing a voice and a soul like me.

I am not sure when that changed. Maybe after realizing that no one else who I ever walked with did the same. Maybe after getting into a routine and finding myself busy with legal memos and Starbuck's runs, and weekend boat cruises. Maybe when I realized I couldn't carry enough change for everyone I encountered. Maybe I became lazy. Maybe because I questioned their motives.

Regardless of the reason, it happened. One day in July, I walked by an African-American woman sitting on the street corner at New Montgomery and Market with a cup and a sign asking for help. She asked if I could spare some change. And I ignored her. I did not look her direction, did not speak back. I walked on, as if she did not exist. As if she and I were different. As though I were better or she were unimportant. Or worse, non-existent.A few minutes later, when I got into the elevator of the 26 story building to go to my fancy office, wearing my new suit, thinking about where would have our expensive lunch, I realized what I had done. That I had gotten used to it. And that it was not okay.

Who was I to dismiss another human being? Who was I to walk by without acknowleding someone's existence? When I left the office that day, I walked back by the street corner. She was gone. As was my opportunity to apologize. To redeem myself. To prove that I was not used to it, and that I never would be again.

I've wondered since that day what happened to the woman from the corner. I wish that I could find her, listen to her speak, look her in the eye, tell her how sorry I am, and thank her for teaching me such a lesson.

Does she remember me walking by as though she did not exist? Sadly, she probably did not....because for her, it was probably a common occurrance. She probably watched hundreds of people a day walk by and act as though she did not exist. I could have changed that for her. I could have made a small difference for her, at basically no cost to myself. And I didn't. I walked right on by.

Society...people...I...failed her. That is something that I will never forget. Something I will forever regret. And because of it, homeless is something I will never get used to again.

St. Patrick's Day in Chicago: Everyone's Irish!

"If you're enough lucky to be Irish, you're lucky enough!" ~Irish Saying

At long last....it's here! The St. Paddy's Day Chicago-style recap! Prepare for picture overload!

As y'all know, I headed to Chicago last weekend to celebrate St. Paddy's Day in style! I have had seeing the green river on my bucket list for quite some time, but I have to admit I did not realize how awesome the St. Patrick's Day experience would be!They say that on St. Patrick's Day that everyone is Irish....and I'm here to tell you....it was true! From reading all of the fun sayings on green shirts, to getting to spend three days was one of my favorite people--ND Friend, to all the chaos in the streets, to pubs ordering 1,300 pounds of corn beef for the day, to meeting a new friend--Tiny Dancer, to now having a love for Irish music, to gaining like 10 pounds...the weekend was a total and complete success!Friday

When ND Friend picked me up, we went straight from the airport to Bongo Room for some of these babies. Below you see pretzel pancakes covered in white chocoalte and caramel and you see pumpkin pancakes crusted in graham crackers with chocolate chunks baked in covered in vanilla bean sauce and cinnamon. Heaven on a plate, folks.
After that, we took a stroll all along Millenium Park and the Magnificant Mile, did a little shopping, and enjoyed the city. Then we headed to pick up our race packets, got pedicures (and caught up on all of our trashy celeb magazines), had dinner at an amazing pizza place, and headed out to meet some of ND Friend's friends to watch the Notre Dame v. Xavier game at an Irish pub. Not a bad way to kick off the weekend of fun!
Saturday

And then, the big day was upon us. We got up bright and early and headed for downtown to check out the river dyeing. This was, after all, the bucket list item that got me to Chicago for St. Patrick's Day. And it was awesome. People everywhere on the streets decked out in green, pubs overflowing even at 9 am, bagpipers all over the place. Got an A in my book.
The river dyeing was amazing. We had a front row seat to all the fun (despite the police officer who kept trying to tell us to exit the bridge.....my rationale for staying...they can't arrest us all!) Check it out!

We then headed for the parade (with a quick stop at The Bean...what trip to Chicago is complete without that picture).

While there we met some crazy college kid. He's included on the blog because of two funny lines. First, he walks up in his short shorts and crazy outfit and turns to a group of three middle aged woman and says, "This is base camp, right here, with the hot moms!" Later, he told a girl standing next to us, "Listen, you're all freckly and kind of pasty white and usually I might make fun of you becasue I'm tanner than you are, but not today. Today is your day to shine. Today we celebrate you. It's your day." We then discussed my issue of instantly liking the crazy, fun, life of the party guy and how I have to stop that. Ha!

Here are a few shots from the parade.
After all this, we headed to Lincoln Park where we ate at the best BBQ restauraunt (called Q) and then hit up O'Brien's--a classic Irish Pub (that it took us like an hour and a half in line to get into). Well worth it--we had a few drinks and listened to an awesome Irish band!

That's where our friend earned his blog name....Tiny Dancer for his Irish dancing skills. Apparently Irish boys get girls to throw themselves at them on St. Patrick's Day just by standing in a bar. Who knew? His new "friend" was named Liz and she was quite taken with Tiny Dancer.We finished off the night with a party hosted by ND Friend's running club--complete with sausage bread and mini corn beef sandwiches and Irish Car Bombs (which I did not do---not a chance...Bailey's curdles at the bottom of the glass....not for this girl!) and then a green beer at another Irish Pub complete with a live band.
Sidenote--both bands played "Wagon Wheel" which I do not consider Irish, but totally Red Dirt Music---I think it was fate! Favorite Irish song....Gallaway Girl. For now---but Tiny Dancer has offered to make me a cd, which excites me!

I also must report on our photo scavenger hunt. We started out the day with 5 goal subjects to get photos with. We wound up accomplishing 3/5. Here were our successes! This little game, by the way, will not officially be part of every vacation I ever take.

Sunday

Because I'm a genius, I suggested that we run a race the day after all of the eating like pigs and Irish Pub appearances. I've got to re-evalute this idea.

We started off the morning with Mass at St. Clements--a beautiful Catholic church in Lincoln Park. If you're into churches, you should go see this one! Then we headed out to run the 8K St. Paddy's Day Run. My ultimate goal was to run it at under a 10 minute per mile pace. I've run a 5K at a 9:30 before, but for any longer race, I've always been about 10:30. Official result: 9:59 minutes/mile. Not too bad. And now I can say that I ran a race with a Boston Marathon finisher....although I'm sure she probably felt like she was walking and couldn't wait to get rid of me and get back to her 7 minute pace!
We also had a little altercation with some total (I would use a curseword here if it wasn't Lent and I hadn't said I was going to stop that) girl who got all snippy with me and told me to watch where I ran because I cut her off. And guess what? The professional photographers caught it on tape. I can't copy the darn picture on the blog, but trust me, it's funny.

Now, let me first say this. If you are Kara Goucher or Paula Radcliffe and you have any shot at winning a race, by all means, care about being cut off. But listen honey, if you're running anywhere near me, your shot at winning the race is non-existent and one little ALLEGED cut off is not going to cause you the Olympics. Get over yourself. By the way, for the record, about 200 yards after this picture, ND Friend and I passed her again. And I finished ahead of her. Karma, honey. Karma.

And then, alas, it was time to go home. Before we did, we stopped once again at....you guessed it...Bongo Room. Listen, I don't get to Chicago that often! This time we opted for eggs and only ordered one yummy chocolate drenched pancake. It was a fitting goodbye to an amazing weekend! Until next time, Chicago!

Friday Book Club: March Books

"Goals are dreams with deadlines." ~Diana Scharf Hunt

It's time for Book Club Friday!

How is it that we are nearing the end of the month again? Sheesh! As is my goal, I have finished two books in March. Last month a couple of people commented that I read books that were far more serious or thought-provoking than they did. Well, I'm here to dispel this notion with reports on two totally fun, non-intellectual reads!

Exposed by Claire Lewis

This book was not a book that was on my radar screen....until I won it through a blog giveaway at Always a Blogsmaid! As soon as it arrived in the mail I got started on it and loved it. It is written by a wedding photographer in San Francisco (so you knew I liked her already based on the fact she lives in my favorite city!) and it is seriously full of hilarious stories of weddings that she has shot. From the woman who got her lip waxed and a bad spray tan the day before the wedding, to the officiant who threw up on the bride's dress, to the Elvis impersonator who brought down the house.....this lady has seen it all. It was a super fun, easy read and I'd totally recommend it!

My favorite quote from the book: "I don't want to correct imperfections in Photoshop. I like crooked teeth and big noses, a veil blowing across a bride's face, eyes squinting up because someone is laughing really hard. The flaws are the good stuff."

How to Be a Hepburn in a Hilton World by Jordan Cristy

As soon as I saw the title of this book, I knew I had to buy it. How awesome is that? Seriously? This book was fun and a quick, easy read. It was nothing earth shattering---don't dress trashy, don't talk trashy...generally don't act trashy. Nothing that we ladies should not arleady know. But a little reminder every now and again that you are not the only one trying to be a Hepburn is not a bad thing! Here are my favorite quotes.

"Our culture is in desparate need of real women with brains, beauty, and self-respect--women who aren't afraid to take risks, dream big, and order dessert. If we don't do it, who will?"

"We live in a free country with rights, freedoms and opportunities that women would have killed for a hundred years ago--and instead of voting, getting the CEO spot, going for a doctorate, or volunteering at a women's shelter, many young women today are too busy shaking their badonkadonks in short-lived music video and diligently dedazzling their cell phones with more pink rhinestones."

"So regardless of the guy's current status, bank account, background, or beliefs, if he's interested, he will do the pursuing. There's no need to interfere with the ways of nature!"

"At an infantile stage, we're already thinking about Prince Charming and wondering exactly how he's going to rescue us, what he'll be wearing, and why on earth he's taking so freaking long to get here. When you add it up, that's a lot of wishing and hoping and praying--from the day we start walking to the day we say 'I do.'"

"Great women of history don't put their lives on the line just so that we could dance on tables and text boys all night long, so let's do them proud and start standing up, speaking out, and using our voices for good."

I'll be back at the end of April with two more books to report on. Until then, you can keep up with me on Goodreads. (Add me if you have it!)

What books are y'all reading? Any recommendations?

Friday Lists #2

"Life is what happens when we're busy making other plans."

Hello friends and happy Thursday to ya! I know it's not Friday, but I've been screwed up on dates this week ever since I posted What I'm Loving Wednesday on Tuesday. Whatev.

You'll be happy to know that I am headed back home tonight (yay for sleeping in my own bed!) and hopefully my life will get back to a "normal" schedule next week. I tell you what, it's hard running around all over the country for holiday weekends and work trips. This girl's exhausted! I'm going to remedy this by spending some time in the ol' sheep barn with my Dad this weekend. Should do the trick.


In the meantime, I thought I'd share some of the things on my never ending to-do list and link up with Friday Lists this week. So as not to have a 50 page blog, I'm not going to put everything down! Here's a few of the items staring me in the face every time I open up my planner:

1. Laundry. (I swear, why do I even bother crossing this off? The minute you cross it off, you throw something in the hamper and start all over again. For me, this is a constant on the to do list.)

2. Dishes. (Same story as above. Sheesh.)

3. Find out if I can pay my mortgage on my credit card. (I'm thinking that as much money is that is every month, I could get a heckofalot of frequent flyer points....anyone else do this?)

4. Work on photo book. (Okay...confession time. It's possible that starting back in 2010 I decided to do a digital photo book for each year. And that was great. Except I didn't get around to it in 2011. And now we're almost 1/4 of the way done with 2012 and I've got nothing there either. Time to get serious.)

5. Go to the store. (My list so far consists of: Archer Farms fruit strips--get them at Target--I eat these things like nobody's business; Dove body wash--don't want to be smelly; Clorox wipes--I've got slight germophobe tendancies.)

6. Post bog about St. Patrick's Day in Chicago. (I have so many pictures that I just have not had time to get it up yet...and now there is a lot of pressure for it to be worth this week-long wait. I'll do my best!

7. Make a CD for Tiny Dancer. (Last weekend in Chicago I met a new friend, Tiny Dancer--you'll know why he got his name if I ever accomplish #6, and we agreed that he would burn me a cd of Irish music and I'd burn him a cd of Red Dirt music. It's going to change his life!)

8. Keep reading The Help. (I'm so far behind the pop culture train here that I'll never catch up, but I am loving this book! I already finished my two books for March...you'll read about them tomorrow, but I plan to finish this one in April.)

MIA Today

"I'm in a hurry to get things done...rushing rushing 'til life's no fun..." ~Alabama

This week has been an absolute whirlwind...... after being in Chicago all weekend I headed out to Oklahoma yesterday for work. And I'm going home this weekend and have meetings out of town on Monday. So...I have not had any time to blog. Instead of going radio silent mode, I thought I would share a few of my favorite "must read" blogs with you guys! You'll like them better than me anyway!

• One of my best friends in the world, Blonde Oklahoma Girl, blogs about her life at I Was Born a Red Dirt Girl. She is one of the funniest people I know...you'll love her blog!

• I never miss reading Vintch....this girl has a serious gift and in my opinion is the best writer in blog land.
  



• The Single Woman. You know I use a quote from her at least once a week on my blog. She's a genius! You want to click on her "Weekly Letters" when you go to her blog.
  



• The Crazy Canadian is a self described "enthusiasm expert" and she blogs about Living an Amazing Life. If you need an attitude adjustment, she's your girl!
  



• My friend Pharmer Girl just started out her blog...she's a farm kid like me and she's now in the middle of pharmacy school. Which means that she's brilliant and you'll love her blog!
  



• ND Friend works for Word on Fire.....you can check out their blog (for which she sometimes writes!). Because she is a genius. Period.
  I'll be back soon with my St. Patrick's Day recap....until then, enjoy these lovely ladies!

What I'm Loving Wednesday #19: Photos

"May the saddest day of your future be no worse than the happiest day of your past." ~Irish Saying

My life is crazy this week...so I'm sorry I haven't gotten up the St. Patrick's Day recap blog done yet, and I'm sorry to post this on Tuesday and not Wednesday, but it is what it is. Stick with me. For now, I'm giving you a photographic sneak peak of the weekend.


It's been a LONG time (last year in fact) since I shared any of my photography with you. I just haven't been making time to take good pictures. But, while I was in Chicago last weekend I tried to focus on doing just that. So today, I thought I'd share with you some of the photos that I'm loving from my trip! In addition to linking up with What I'm Loving Wednesday, I'm also going to link these babies up with Wordless Wednesdays!

As always, I'm dying to know which one is your favorite? Comment below!

Photo #1: The Accident

I got this shot totally by accident. We were standing on a bridge and I was aiming the camera downward to try and get a picture of the first green water coming under the bridge. I aimed too far and got the sign on the bridge. I almost deleted it, but decided it was a pretty cool shot. I'm linking this up with Straight Out Of The Camera at Marvelous Mommy.

Photo #2: Waiting Game

I loved this picture the moment I saw the opportunity for the shot. We were all waiting for the water to FINALLY turn green, and I loved this kid in his green hat and his hand on his face. I think it's my favorite shot of the week, so I'm linking it up with Sweet Shot Tuesdays.

Photo #3: The (Green) Bean

If you ever visit Chicago, you have to go see The Bean. It's my favorite piece of contemporary artwork. I thought this was a fun shot of the reflection of everyone's green attire in The Bean and I liked having the reflection of the buildings and the actual buildings themselves.

Photo #4: Flag Twirler

I played with some editing on this photo that I snapped at the St. Paddy's Day parade.

Photo #5: Front Row Seat

Apparently I had a thing for pictures of kids (which will probably get me in trouble one day for snapping shots of random people's kids!) last weekend. I got this shot as the bagpipers marched by at the parade. I'm linking this up with Sweet Violet's photo challenge this week for the theme "comfort" because this kid sitting on dad's shoulders had the most comfortable seat at that parade!

Photo #6: The Sound of Ireland

I also have a thing for bagpipers and really liked this photo again taken at the parade.

Photo #6: Chicago

I got this picture of the marque at the Old Chicago Theater. I love the bright red and the green Shamrock sign on the light pole on the opposite side of the photo. I'm linking this up with Show Off Your Shot!

Photo #7: Green River

This was what put St. Patrick's Day in Chicago on the Bucket List for me. Seeing the river dyed green was an awesome experience! I'm linking this up with The Foreign Domestic for her "green" theme!

Photo #8: Irish Music

One part of the weekend that I really enjoyed and did not anticipate at all was the live Irish music in all of the pubs. This also gave my new friend, Tiny Dancer, his blog name. You'll hear more about that in the recap to come. I snapped this picture at O'Brien's in Lincoln Park.