The Crazy Ones

May God Bless You...



Stand by....

“The key to immortality is first living a life worth remembering.”  ~Bruce Lee

I know I keep doing this.....but I have zero time to blog about the absolute AMAZINGNESS that was my weekend.  Duty calls at work in the form of a big project due on Wednesday.  But after that, oh do I have stories to tell y'all!!  Here's a sneak peak so I can keep your interest until later in the week!

Family Farm Friday #75: 25 Things...

"This is a place where grandmothers hold babies on their laps under the stars and whisper in their ears that the lights in the sky are holes in the floor of heaven. This is a place where the song 'Jesus Loves Me' has rocked generations to sleep, and heaven is not a concept, but a destination." ~Rick Bragg

Earlier this week, I read a great article called 25 Things I Want My Ranch Kid To Know.  It was too good not to share!  Having grown up on a ranch myself, I think back to learning these lessons and could not be more grateful for the childhood I had!  With that, here's the list!

1. You have chores, because we love you.
They seem tedious, but they are the building blocks for your future. Responsibility, accountability, and basic life skills begin with sweeping the floor, scrubbing the toilet, and feeding pets and livestock. We love you, we want you to find success in life. Success comes from preparation, so we give you chores.

2. Boredom is a choice.
Don’t let me hear you say you are bored. Boredom is a choice, when your backyard is the whole outdoors, there are chores to be done, and books to be read. If you can’t entertain yourself with a stick and a bucket full of calf nuts, we’re doing something wrong.

3. There is magic in watching the sunrise.
Early mornings are hard, we don’t rise as early and as easily as Dad. Do it anyway. The beauty you will witness with the awakening of the world is worth sleepy eyes and cold fingers.

4. A pet is more than a companion.
You’re cats, dogs, calves, and ponies are more than friends and playmates. They are lessons in empathy, responsibility, love, and letting go.

5. Grow your own food.
Our world is increasingly rife with poor food choices, the easiest response to unhealthy options is to grow your own food. I don’t care it’s a single tomato plant or a garden large enough to feed 10 families, cultivate an appreciation for fresh, whole food.

6. Be open to learning.
In horsemanship and life, you will never know it all, never assume that you do. A humble open, attitude towards learning will lead to new skills and experiences.

7. Dress appropriately for the occasion.
A cowboy’s uniform, hat, long-sleeved shirt, jeans, and boots, evolved out of necessity. Protect yourself from the sun, wind and weather with the proper clothing. I nag and question your clothing choices, because you are precious to me.

8. There is a time and a place for bad language.
Sometimes you just need to cuss; spew anger and frustration in one grand verbal barrage. Smash your thumb with your shoeing hammer/fencing pliers, massive runback at the gate, ringy heifer won’t take her calf? Yes. At the dinner table, the classroom, in front of your grandmother? No.

9. Feed your help.
Neighbors, friends, or hired men? It doesn’t matter, sometimes the best way to show your gratitude for a long day of hard work is a lovingly prepared hot meal and cold drink.

10. Don’t judge, but if you do, judge them by their abilities, attitudes, actions not appearances.
Buckaroo or cowboy, flat or taco, slick or rubber? In some circles these comparisons can lead to heated debates, more often than not based strongly in personal opinion, rather than rooted in truth. This is true outside of the ranching world, as well. Words have power to create divisiveness, do not use them to speak against yourself or gossip about others.

11. Stewardship.
Dad and I choose to be responsible for landscapes and livestock, this lifestyle defines who we are. Sometimes that means ballgames are trumped by pasture rotations and dinner time is delayed by cesarean sections, it does not mean we love you any less. I hope you approach the world with a sense of respect and connectedness.

12. Fake it till you make it.
You don’t have to be confident in everything you do, but taking a deep breath and acting like you are helps you get through it. This can be applied in the arena, the sorting alley, to horses or people, and life as a whole. Stand up straight and look the challenge in the eye, as you gain experience confidence will catch up with you.

13. That said, don’t mistake arrogance for confidence.
No one likes a swaggering braggart, even if he is a competent swaggering braggart. There is honor in being unheralded, if you enjoy your work.

14. Low-stress is best. . .
. . .for you and for livestock. Don’t let it defeat your spirit and energy. Don’t let it impact your livestock health.

15. The only dumb question is the unasked question.
Where is the gate? Which calf? Can you help me? Ask questions, no one will think less of you. Clear communication helps prevent misunderstandings.

16. Always do your best.
There are days when your best is better than others, recognize that. Avoid self-judgement, abuse, and regret and enjoy the process.

17. “There comes a time when you’re gonna get bucked and you’re gonna need to know what to do so you don’t get stepped on.“ -Betsy Swain, 1875
Do not let fear of pain or disappointment stand in the way of new experiences. What I regret most in my life are opportunities missed out of fear. Pain and disappointment are a part of living, learn to take them in stride and keep moving forward.

18. Be polite and kind.
Enough said.

19. But, don’t be a pushover.
Stand up for yourself.

20. Develop a sense of place.
Wherever you may live, learn the names of plants, rocks, and animals, visit old homesteads (or neighborhoods) and educate yourself about Indigenous cultures. In doing so, you gain roots, a sense of belonging that will lend you stability in all that you do.

21. Break a sweat everyday.
Pound a steel post or take a jog, whatever you do, break a sweat daily. Your mind and body will thank you for it.

22. Be present.
If you are mindful of the moment, it is easier to catch a mistake before it happens, redirect a broncy horse before wreck, and have better relationships. It might surprise you, what you observe and what you achieve when you are fully in the moment.

23. Unplug.
Go to cow camp. Leave the computer screen, TV, and cell phones behind. Watch the chipmunks and rock dogs, read a book, or share a conversation with your family.

24. Sometimes the hard decisions are the right ones.
We cannot rationalize suffering and pain to animals. Sometimes the best decision is the hardest one to make, know when to let them go.

25. You do not have to maintain this lifestyle, but please appreciate it.
I don’t expect you to grow up and follow in our footsteps, the long hours and low pay aren’t for everyone. Carry these early horseback mornings in your heart.

I've Been MIA...Photo Explaination

"I still find each day too short for all the thoughts I want to think, all the walks I want to take, all the books I want to read, and all the friends I want to see." ~John Burroughs

As crazy busy, exhausting, and stressful as it is, I just really love my life!  Trust me....the blogs that I'll have next week recapping all of this craziness will be worth the wait.  Hope y'all are having a beautiful week!

Friday Book Club (August and September)

Well, sometimes you win and sometimes you lose on a year-long goal.  This month, I lost....didn't get my 2 books a month read in August and September.  I'm still confident that I can knock out 24 books this year...hopefully!  Anyway, the three books I did read were great.  Here's the scoop, linking up for Book Club Friday!

A Lucky Child by Thomas Buergenthal

 I'm apparently on a World War II kick lately (remember Every Man Dies Alone?) with my reading.  Well this time it was A Lucky Child and I can't recommend this book high enough.  I couldn't put it down.  What's most amazing about it is that it's a true story.  You see Auschwitz and Sachenhausen and the horror of the Holocaust through the eyes of a 9 year old child.  His description of what he saw and experienced is heartwrenching.  You see the horror of the Nazi regime as it faced this child who was put through hell merely because his family was Jewish.  In the camps he was separated from his family.  He lost his grandparents, father, and many friends.  He was separated from his mother for years, before she finally found him in a Polish orphanage.  He watched his adopted siblings be hauled away and killed.  He heard the screams from the Auschwitz crematoriums.  He participated in the Auschwitz death march.  He saw people beaten, shot and hung before his eyes.  His story is unbelievable, except that it really happened.  There is no way that he should have survived these camps, but he did and he has spent his life working for international human rights.  He believes that doing so is his duty after seeing, and experiencing, what he did.

"It remains a part of me and seves as a reminder, not so much of my past, but of the obligation I deem incumbent on me, as a witness and survivor of Auschwitz, to fight the ideologies of hate and of racial and religious superiority that have for centuries caused so much suffering to mankind."

"It took a long time for me to realize that one cannot hope to protect mankind from crimes such as those that were visited upon us unless one sturggles to break the cycle of hatred and violence that invariably leads to ever more suffering by innocent human beings."

"I doubt that we would have been able to preserve our sanity had we remained consumed by hatred for the rest of our lives.  Many of our relatives and friends in America never understood what we meant when we tried to explain that, while it was important not to forget what happened to us in hte Holocaust, it was equally important not to hold hte descendants of hte perpetrators responsible for what was done to us, lest the cycle of hate and violence never end."

"This sense of obligation had its source in the belief, which grew stronger as the years passed, that those of us who survived the Holocaust owe it to those who perished in it to try to improve, each in our own way, the lives of others."



Morrie:  In His Own Words by Morrie Schwartz

You guys probably remember how much I loved Tuesdays with Morrie.  Well this book is a collection of little thoughts by Morrie himself.  He talks about living and dying and provides great advice on how to do both.  In the book, Morrie told the story of a young man, whose father died of ALS.  The young man told Morrie that his father had not talked much of his disease or fellings, but that by reading Morrie's story, he felt like he was hearing some of his father's secret thoughts.  I guess the reason I enjoyed this book (along with Tuesdays with Morrie and The Luckiest Man) is pretty much the same thing.  While I spent a lot of time with Mr. Franklin while he was going through ALS, we did not talk about his disease and I've often wondered how he felt or what he thought.  I think that Morrie's story gave me some insight that I needed to have.

"Be grateful you have been given the time to learn how to die."

"Maybe the distance between life and death isn't as great as you think."

I Was Told There'd Be Cake by Sloane Crosley

This book was given to me by my friend Nomad because he said the author reminded him of me.  I can tell you that I'm not even close to as clever as Sloane Crosley.  Holy cow.  This book is hilarious.  It's sort of a collection of essays and stories from her life.  I think that if I ever make my dream of writing a book come true, I might set it up like this.  There are stories about boyfriends giving her plastic ponies (yes, I have one too!), her being a Jewish girl playing the Virgin Mary at a church camp paegent, being a bridesmaid to someone she hardly ever spoke to, dating woes, her crazy family.  This book is an easy read and really, really funny.  Here is my favorite quote:

"Weddings are like the triathalon of female friendship:  the Shower, the Bachelorette Party, and the Main Event.  It's the Iron Woman and most people never make it through.  They fall off their bikes or choke on ocean water."



Birthday Letter to BFF

"A friend is someone who lets you have total freedom to be yourself." ~Jim Morrison

Today is my best friend's birthday.

The same best friend I met when I was 10 years old.

Who is hilarious and brilliant and gives the best bear hugs. Who taught me to golf (sort of), to make decisions, and to drink Seven and Seven. The boy who named my couch Snuggles, who did his laundry in my apartment throughout college, and who yelled at me for wrecking my truck because it scared him.  The person who shows up with Oreo ice cream and two spoons on bad days, never misses sending me Valentine's Day flowers, and who asked me to be  a groomsman (I've deemed myself a groomsma'am) in his wedding. The one who talks me off the ledge, encourages me to go after what I want, and is always up for my next crazy plan.

 

I can only hope for all of you that you have a friendship like this in your life.

Dear BFF,

Thank you for being you. And for letting me be me. I never have to worry about what you think about me, because I know that no matter what you think, you're on my side. You might tell me that I'm an idiot or try to convince me to change my mind, but in the end, you're Pro-Tiff....and I can't tell you how much that means to me. No matter what is going wrong, you make it better.  Most of my best memories have you in them.  I couldn't have asked for a better best friend. You make my life more fun, more interesting, more exciting....just more.

I sure do love you, buddy!

What I'm Loving Wednesday

"I am one person.  This is one day."  ~My current mantra

Truth be told?  I'm not loving a lot this week.  Work is about to kill me---no, really.  I'm so stressed out that my poor hair has started falling out in chunks and I can't sleep.  Not good things.  But, because you know I'm a believer in not being a baby about stuff, I have been preaching this quote to myself all week:

Good reminder.  I should probably tatoo it on my hand so I'd see it all the time.  So, in an effort to improve my attitude, I'm going to link up with Jamie and share some of the things I am loving this week.

1.  This fantastic little thought I found from a friend on facebook.

No joke guys, my dream in life?  Somehow manage to have enough money to quit working, buy some land, a bunch of cows (and sheep) and write a book.  There it is.

2.  This awesome blog about old friends. She is an amazing writer. And as I read this, I couldn't help but think about my Girls from OSU. So grateful to have friends like this in my life!

"That was friendship to a group for girls who needed no explanation, no starting line, no rolling of the dice to indicate who would go first when they finally folded into one another again."

3.  The Amazing Race has returned!  I love me some Amazing Race.  It's on my bucket list to sign up.  I'm still trying to decide on the best partner.  I should maybe do a blog about that---like pros and cons of my options and have you guys vote.  I'll think on that.  I can never tell for sure who I'll like on the first night....I might like the football player and cheerleader from UT (although I couldn't decide for sure since it aired so close in time to the whole UT beating OSU incident) and I definately like the couple where the girl lost her legs.  They seem great.  I do NOT like the twins or the Chipendale's guys.  Both groups drove me nuts.

4.  Certain lyrics from this song.  What are they, you ask?

I've dreamed of a place,

Of white satin and lace,

Black on a tie,

And cake on my face,

Wicker rocking chairs,

Salt and peppered hair,

When that day comes round

Will you still be there?

Sigh.  Amen to that.  The song itself is a little sappy for my tastes, but I do love these two lines.

5.  My mother's comment on my cooking. I called her the other night while I was making a chicken rice casserole recipe she gave me. I was telling her about how I had to substitute some ingredients because I was out of stuff, refusing to use certain spices that she thought I needed, and informing her of the small kitchen fire that I may have started. Her response? "Tiffany, do you have a fire extinguisher in your house for when you cook?" Ha. Classic. (Answer to the question: Yes.)

6.  My weekend plans.  So this weekend I'm headed to Dallas to participate in the Dirty Girl Mud Run with....get this...several of my cousins, Cousin Kevin's accountant, Aunt Evil Kineval and Aunt Delta Dawn.  How darn cool is my family?  I must admit that I am a bit concerned after seeing pictures of people swan diving into mud pits and jumping over fire.  I think someone did not give me full disclosure before I signed up!  But if the crazy aunts can do it, I can't chicken out!

Anyway, after the race I am beyond excited to meet up with my friend The Crazy Canadian and to meet her precious little boy.  I haven't seen her in over 5 years and I can't wait!!  

7.  The Seventh Annual Family Ski Trip has been booked for Christmas.  I have no doubt that the crazy shenanigans will continue.  

8.  I selected a groomsma'am dress.  It's not one I had up on my blog as an option (go figure!) but I really love it.  You can see it here.   Except mine will be chocolate brown.

9.  Remember how my family raised a breed champion lamb at the New Mexico State Fair?  Well, add another one to the list, becuase we had the Champion Shropshire at the Oklahoma-Arkansas State Fair in Ft. Smith last week.  It's been a great year (and hopefully today it'll get better becuase we have several kiddos showing as we speak)!  

 

10.  This fall weather we're having.  If I could press "pause" and make the weather be like this year-round, I would.  Plus, this weather combined with my awesome-sauce new playlist has really improved my running motivation!

The Letter Projects

“Remember, the greatest gift is not found in a store nor under a tree, but in the hearts of true friends."  ~Unknown

I love giving gifts.  Especially ones that are sentimental and fun.  Plus, I'm always beating my head up against a wall trying to come up with cool gifts for the guys in my life.  It's like next to impossible to find good guy gift ideas (or cards for that matter) if you're not giving them to your boyfriend or husband.  So, a girl has to get creative. 

When I saw this idea on Sarah's blog, I knew it would be the perfect gift for Cousin Swiss Mister's big 4-0 birthday present.  The idea is simple--you just gather up letters from the important people in the person's life.  They can be notes or cards or long letters.  They can be funny or sentimental.  They can include pictures or stories or family histories.  Everyone can sort of do their own thing.

So I set out on the letter gathering project.  I got in touch with the family and had them all get working on letters.  Then I contacted our mutual friends.  Then, because I'm totally un-shy and some might say intrusive, I messaged a few of his facebook friends that I've never met, but had heard about before and got them on board.  In the end, we had almost 20 letters all for Cousin Swiss Mister.  So I bundled them all up in a cute bow and mailed them across the world. 

And on his birthday, he got to read notes from many of the most important people in his life.  The letters were full of fun memories, family histories, photos, thank yous, and lots more.  Cousin Swiss Mister proclaimed it the best gift he had ever gotten.

And, so, after Cousin Swiss Mister liked it so much, I decided that I'd do the same for a milestone birthday for my dear friend, The Bride.  So just last week a big batch of bundled up letters arrived in her mailbox.  She cried.  I deem that success as well!

I'm not trying to brag on myself, here, but I really don't know if there could be a cooler gift than this.  It's easy and inexpensive, but it means so much to the person who recieves it.  So for those of you hunting fun birthday gifts, here ya go! 

Three tips I'll give you:  (1) Start early and set a deadline two weeks before you ACTUALLY need the letters.  People are slow.  (2)  Be persistant.  I sent like 5 or 6 reminder emails to people in order to keep it on their radar.  (3) Get as many people involved as you can.  You won't know all of the person's friends or family, so get the ones that you do know involved in spreading the word!

What gifts have you all given or received that are your favorite?  I'm always needing new ideas!

Weekend Recap

"Be in love with your life. Every detail of it." ~  Jack Kerouac

Linking up with Miss Sami for a little Weekend Update and a new link up for me...This Weekend I!

"And I'll be 40....Someday!"

Today is October 1.  This means that I'm exactly one month from turning the big 2-9.  ONE month.  30 days.  Holy cow.

The Opposite of  PR

I kicked off the weekend with the Hot Chocolate 5K.  College Roomie and I were not excited about the whole waking up at 6:00 in the morning thing.  We likely had the worst attitudes at the race.  I have not been running, I was not prepared, so I knew that it would not be pretty.  You know I always do three goals for a race:  (1) Not die; (2) Run the whole thing; and (3) Run it in under 33 minutes.  Happy to report that I accomplished all three.  Now, my time?  The opposite of a PR....my slowest 5K time ever (except my birthday race after a weekend of eating/drinking WAY too much two years ago, but since we walked most of that, I don't count it as a run).

But...you know what?  I probably learned as much from that as I would have from a PR.  There is no reason that I should be slacking and only running a mile or two when I work out.  There is no reason for me not to get back in shape and get myself another Half under my belt.  It's time to get serious.  But first, it was time to eat some chocolate. :)

We were pretty good at this part.

Breaking Kevin into the generally inappropriate songs on my playlist

Shopping Spree

College Roomie and I then did a little shopping to celebrate the fall.  I'm loving this awesome mustard color that seems to be all over every store around!  I also found a perfect fall flower bouquet at Trader Joe's.  So I bought it for myself.  Look, sometimes a girl just needs some flowers.

Football Time

Y'all knew that my weekend would involve some football.  McCain coaches a high school team, so College Roomie and I headed to watch their game this weekend.  It was the perfect fall day--cool breeze, beautiful trees, view of the mountains, and some football.  Hello fall!  McCain's team won 47-0 and since he coaches Defense, it was like the perfect game.  Nice work!

Perfect fall day.

Coach McCain headed for his halftime speech.

How cute is her outfit?  Very football coach's wife-ish.
Tami Taylor would approve.

 And then, came the big OSU/Texas game.  I don't want to talk about it, but you know I have a few quick thoughts.  That is why, Quinn Sharp, we don't miss field goals.  You cannot let tee other team be 3/3 on 4th down conversions.  I should never honestly think that I can tackle better than our defense.  Ever.  This "bend but don't break" nonsense is going to have to end. 

It's time to get serious, boys.  It's time.  I know that because I noticed a lot of curse words coming out of my mouth while you were on the field.  Never a good sign. 

And I am pretty sure I'd vote for Joseph Randal for President.  Heisman.  King of England.  You name it.  He's a beast.  Listen kids, any OSU fan knows that it's not always easy bleeding orange.  Apparently it's going to be one of those years.  I don't care if we're 2-2 or 4-0.....I'll still say Go Pokes!