Meet the Cast Monday #35: Little Cowboy

So today y'all are going to get to get to enjoy my youngest member of Meet the Cast Mondays. You've seen lots of pictures of the Little Cowboy, and read about a great little lesson from him. I'm here to tell you, I think this is the funniest kid that I have ever met in my life. You literally never know what is going to come out of his mouth next. He's something else. Word on the street is that he's excited about his mom's engagement to my brother all because that means he gets an Aunt Tiff. Hard to argue with that logic.

So here we go....Meet Little Cowboy!

What do you want to be when you grow up?
A carpenter because I want to work on the base. {He had never said anything about to to me or even to his mom before...like I said...out of nowhere. I was sure his answer would be something about farming or roping.}
Tell us what happened to Mike (his imaginary friend).
He went to find the bad guys and then he came back.

Tell us what happened to Curly (another imaginary friend).
The good Curly got married and died {LOL...love this!} but the bad Curly is still here and he let all my dang horses out! {I have no idea?}
Have you had to shoot any bad guys lately?
Yes. 10 of them and I shot them because they were bad.

Do you wear cologne? Does it smell good?
Yes, and it smells so so so good, like I mean. {You should hear him say this in real life. You'll seriously about fall out of your chair.}
If you could go anywhere on a trip, where would you go?
I would go to Alaska, to hunt a grizzly bear so I will have something to eat while I’m on my trip. {He's practical. I like that.}

Do you have a girlfriend?
No. Because all my dang girlfriends are getting married! Rana and Callie are getting married so I can’t have them as my girldfriends anymore. {Apparently he got really mad while answering htis question and they had to take a break afterwards. Before these two--who are like 23 years old or so--got engaged, his answer was always that he had 8 girlfriends. But these dang engagements are apparently really hurting his game.}
How do you pick your girlfriends?
If I meet ‘em and they’re pretty and my moomoos {his mom} says it’s ok then I have to ask them to be my girlfriend. {Why isn't it this simple with boys my age?? Oh, and I'll save this for the day that comes when he decides he doesn't need moomoos approval!}

Who is your best friend?
PT and Little Brother. {Here are the three amigos in their Christmas card photo.}What is your favorite toy?
Woody and my two holster belt and my rifle gun and my reins.

Photos of the Week: Week 41

Happy Sunday to everyone! I spent the day sleeping in and then going to church, doing a few things around the house, watching some Friends episodes (no comments on this, Word Up Bro!) and now I'm headed out for a nice evening run. In the next month or so, I'm only going to be home one weekend, so I soaked up the down time. Hope you all had a great weekend as well. With that, here are this week's photos. As always, I love hearing which are your favorites! :)

Theme: Burnt Orange (Project 64)

Ironic this was the theme the weekend that my OSU Cowboys beat the burnt orange boys of Texas...we're 6-0 baby! The game wasn't pretty, but we got the W and I guess that's what matters. Anyway, back to hte picture. I was driving down the street and saw this great little bin full of pumpkins in front of a store, so I pulled in and got this shot. Love that you can see the corn stalks in the background. to see the other entries, check out Project 64.

Theme: Anything (Wild Ginger)

After doing fall themes theme twice last week with hot air balloon pictures, I wanted to mix it up. Lucky for me, the trees around my house have turned this beautiful, bright shade of yellow! I absolutely love it when the leaves start to change. Yay for fall! To see the other entries, check out LEM on Wednesday!

Theme: Organic (Quotography)

I basically had no idea what to do for this theme. The only photos that I could think of were those that I took at the organic winery that we visited on our trip to Napa. So although the quote doesn't have to do with organic farming, the grapes are from an organic farm, so I figured I'd go with that. To see the other entries, check out My Perspective!

Theme: Show Off Your Shot

On Saturday night, I went to another high school football game with College Roomie and McCain's parents. I liked this shot of the field and the lights.....I'm calling it Friday Night Lights, even though it was on Saturday. Nothing like football games in the fall if you ask me! To see the other entries this week, check out And then she snapped on Wednesday!

Theme: Black and White

I know, I know...you guys are probably sick to death of balloon pictures. But I took so many that I liked, I have to keep using them for themes. Bear with me here! This wa sa shot of mass assention---love the ballons and the beautiful clouds in the sky!

Theme: Something Sweet

This week I'm participating on "A Photo Challenge." I was trying to go back through pictures to find a good fit for this theme, and then I came across this little guy and knew it was perfect. There is just nothing cuter than brand new baby farm animals! To see the other entires, visit Allie's blog!

Family Farm Friday #64: A Grape Lesson

"Grapes are the most noble and challenging of fruits." ~Malcolm Dunn, Head Gardener to the 7th Viscount Powerscourt

I've managed to get behind on some of my posts from the summer, including this one that I've been planning for a while. You might remember that back in August I went to Napa for a little wine tasting tour with my girls (and our fantastic new friends from Dubai who we met on the bus!)
Well, because once you're an ag girl, you're always an ag girl, I enjoyed the opportunity to learn a little bit about a totally different kind of agriculture....grapes! (Just a reminder in case you forgot, we raise cattle, sheep, alfalfa, wheat and sorghum.....nothing close to grapes!)
In addition to enjoying a variety of samples on our tour, we also got to tour a couple of vineyards and a wine making area. Loud Oklahoma Girl and I put our ag degrees to work and along with a very nice older man from Texas (who we learned worked for Farm Bureau....further evidence that I was right last week when I said I feel like I should be falling for a Texas boy) asked a few questions about the grape growing and wine making process.
First off, we talked to a farmer at an organic vineyard in Napa. He talked about the stringent regulations that they have to meet, and about how careful they have to be to ensure that their crops are protected. He told a story about a farmer in the area whose neighbor did not use organic production methods and somehow his herbicide spray ended up getting into the organic field, causing a big disaster for the organic farmer. This is a total different way of farming than what I'm used to, so it was interesting to hear their take on it.
Second, we learned about harvesting at the Sebastiani winery in Sonoma. All of the grapes there are harvested by hand, not by machine. I guess I had pictured something like a grape combine (it's because I'm a wheat girl!) that apparently doesn't exist.
Then we learned a little about the wine-making process. You know all the oak barrels that you see around a winery? They actually do hold wine while it ages. And the type of wine that you put into a particular barrel is really important because the type of wood will impact the flavor of the wine. So, for example, you don't put some some sweet white wine into a barrel made of a very strong flavored wood. Instead, that's where the red wine goes.
My favorite bit of grape-growing info? If you ever go to Napa (and you should!) you'll see beautiful rose bushes everywhere. They are at all of the vineyards. I thought it was just for looks and tourism. Turns out, the rose bushes serve as a "canary in a mine" for wineries. Just like mines used to use canaries to tell them if the air was bad, vineyards use the roses to tell them if any diseases or pests are going to infect the grapes. Apparently any type of disease or pest will first attak the rose bushes. So if the farmers see problems with the roses, they can quickly take action to protect the grapes. Pretty darn genius, right?

Agriculture is such a diverse industry that it's amazing to learn how things are done in other parts of the country. And if you're ever somewhere that you have the opportunity to ask questions...trust me when I tell you....farmers LOVE to talk about their operations. So ask away! Stay tuned next week for a quick chat about the tobacco farming I saw in Tennessee!

Letters to Mr. Right: Letter #2

"She ain't right...but she's just right for me." ~Lee Brice, She Ain't Right

Dear Mr. Right,

I think that you should probably know what you're in for.

I will have times where I don't sleep for a few days. When I'll probably keep you awake with my tossing and turning or my organizing once I realize that tossing and turning will not solve the problem. And I will squeeze the toothpaste from the middle of the tube. Every. Single. Time. I'll embarass you watching college football games in public because I'll scream at the tv like a crazy person. And I'll always be cold, even when it's hot outside. I'll shed all over the bathroom floor. I will leave my heels out and you'll step on them and probably yell. And sometimes, I'm going to want to just eat Wheat Thins for dinner. Oh, and when I get on the phone with one of my girl friends, you can bet on me being busy for a minimum of an hour. It's just a fact.

But I'm really going to love you. And hopefully that will make up for all the other stuff.

Waiting for that day,

Me

Still Have A Shot At Average

"It's a helluva start, being able to recognize what makes you happy." ~Lucille Ball

I loved growing up in a small town. I talk about that a lot on this blog. I honestly don't think there is a better place to raise kids. So with that disclaimer, let's get to today's blog.

Let me tell y'all something about being from a small town. If you're not married by the time you're like 20, people start to look at you funny. By the time you're 24, they are talking behind your back. By the time you're 26, they're willing to say rude things to your face. I turn 28 next month. I'm scared to see what comes next. I fear they might buy me a habit or a bunch of cats.
And then, just like that, yesterday this blog came along and gave me hope. (Sidenote: the majority of that blog was about average costs of weddings---which did NOT give me hope---completely insane if you ask me!)

The average age that a woman in the US gets married is....drumroll please.....29. Hallelujah--music to my ears--I still have a shot at average! Ya hear that, small town? I'm not destined to be an old spinster forever! (At least not for another 2 years anyway!)

Now, for those of you who found your husband at 20, more power to you. I'm jealous that you get to spend more time with him than I will with mine.

But....and I've got a letter to Mr. Right planned about this in a couple of weeks, so I won't go too deep into this....let me just say that I would have had NO idea who I was or what I wanted when I was 20. Thinking back to the guys I would have wanted to to marry between the ages of 18-22 makes me shudder. (Note: I thought about putting pictures here, but decided better of that idea.) :)

I think some of us are slower than others at figuring out life and ourselves and what we're looking for. I've always known I was one of the slow people. But today, I learned that instead of being one of the slowest people, I've still got a shot at being perfectly average. Oh happy day!

Now we just need Mr. Right to show up and for me to purchase a billboard in the next 2 years and 21 days and this average thing will be in the bag for me!

Too Much Fun....What's That Mean?

"Too much fun, what's that mean? It's like too much money, there's no such thing." ~Daryle Singletary

Apparently for this girl it means that she does NOT want to get out of bed to go to work when the real world starts back and the weekend ends. Here's a little run down of the weekend...

First off, when I got home from work on Friday at 5:00 I zonked out on the couch and slept until 8:00 like some old lady. I woke up and thought for sure it was midnight. Not the best start to a crazy fun weekend....although it may have been the saving grace come Sunday!

On Saturday morning, College Roomie and I headed out to watch the high school football team that McCain coaches. I also met his parents for the first time....both are psychologists....and I think I managed to play it off well enough that they didn't think I was crazy and tell McCain he had to dump College Roomie due to her taste in friends. Phew! Back to the game. There is nothing like sitting in the bleachers on a cool, crisp fall day and watch football. I. Love. Fall. The field is beautiful and you can see the mountains in the background dusted with snow. You heard me...SNOW! Made for some beautiful pictures though. Sadly, the team lost.....we won't go into details.

Then I spent Saturday afternoon parked on the couch watching college football. My Pokes put up 70 (no, that's not a typo) on KU this weekend to move to 5-0. Love my cowboys! The perfect fall weekend continued.

Then on Saturday evening I headed out to see my friend Joseth's band play. He's yet another example of friendships that you make when you're like 12 years old in 4-H and FFA lasting years. I met up with one of my showing friends from back home and a couple of her pharmacy school friends and convinced College Roomie and McCain to come along as well. It was a lot of fun getting to catch up with Joseth and watch him be the super star for the night. Back when we were kids, he hadn't even learned to play the guitar, and now he's this rock star that everyone is cheering for.
And he even pulled off free shots, playing my favorite song (which he does not usually play), and a shout out from the stage. I'm a fan. You can bet I'll be at every show he does here from now on with that treatment!
I also learned, based on the fact that I had a headache before we even left the bar that lasted for about 24 hours afterwards that I can mark "rock star" off of the potential life callings I may have missed. I'll leave that one to Joseth---he seems to have it under control.
And after getting about 4 hours of sleep, I crawled out of my warm, comfy bed at 5:30 in the morning to head to the Balloon Fiesta with one of my fello OSU alums who was in town. I hadn't been to the Fiesta before (maybe I went when I was a really little kid and just don't remember) and I have to say it was pretty darn impressive. There were people and balloons everywhere. And really yummy breakfast burritos full of green chile. Of course.
In case you missed it, I posted my best photos from the Fiesta on Sunday....just click here.
And that, folks, was my weekend. I think I'm still trying to get caught up on sleep. I'm not sure when I turned old, but apparently I'm there. But I'll take too much fun over being well-rested any time!

Meet The Cast Monday #34: Top Gun

Today you guys get to meet one of my favorite people from law school (and one of the smartest people I know) If I ever get in trouble, I want this guy sitting at my table in court! Top Gun and I were trial partners, which means basically that you spend like insane amounts of time together talking about a pretend murder that took place in a pretend kitchen. And, if you're Top Gun and I, it all culminates in a very real almost-fist fight with the other side on the steps of the courthouse. No lie. Ask me about it sometime.

Anyway, Top Gun is a Navy pilot who married Mrs. Top Gun (also a law school class mate) and lives in DC (where he invites his friends to fun things like steeplechases!). They just had an adorable baby boy and are pretty much the cutest people that you'll ever meet.

With that, Meet Top Gun.

What is your favorite law school memory?

Hanging out in the basement of the library (the dungeon) during our first year studying with the gang, and ping-pong with Mrs. Top Gun and Lucero. {Notice he did not mention the fist fight.....}

How long have you been flying for the Navy?

Nearly 16 years. Crazy they've let me do that so long.

What is your dream job?

Grounds keeper Wrigley field. {I had never thought about listing groundskeeper as a dream job, but I may change my answer from "Being the next Erin Andrews" to the groundskeeper at Boone Pickens Stadium!}

Best piece of advice you’ve ever gotten.

Listen.

Tell us how you and Mrs. Top Gun met.

In law school (the forum). She was friends with my study bud (Bree--who basically got me through my first year). Found out that Mrs. Top Gun was from Chi-town, and only had one question: Cubs or Sox? {You can guess from the dream job above that there was a right answer to that question!}
What is something about life that you know how that you did not know when you were 18?

How important we are to our parents.

Best trip you’ve ever taken?

This is a tough one for me because I'm not much of a traveler. However, there are a couple trips that are very memorable for me: going to the farm in Iowa when I was little, our wedding in Chicago, and golf in Las Cruces with Mrs. Top Gun and my folks. {Let's sidenote and chat about this wedding briefly.....take a look at these pictures below and tell me this doesn't make you want to marry a Navy guy just to get this kind of wedding pictures? Back up girls---if Top Gun has any single Navy friends, I've already got first dibs.}

What is one (or more) item(s) on your bucket list?

Well, I always wanted a family. If that happens as planned, I think I'd like to be a teacher. {Since Baby Top Gun, who made his appearance quite early but is clearly quite the little fighter, has made this goal come true....I suppose now it's on to the teaching thing!}

Photos of the Week: Week 40

Okay, seriously, can you guys believe we've been at this photo thing for 40 weeks? Time flies, huh? Well several of the photos this week give you a little taste of part of my weekend at the Balloon Fiesta. You'll hear more about that on Tuesday. For today, just enjoy the photos.

Theme: Autumn (Quotography)

I realize that for most of you guys, when you think of autumn, you don't think of hot air balloons. But when you live in New Mexico, the two go right together. Starting in about September, you'll start seeing balloons in the sky every morning. And during the balloon fiesta, there are literally hundreds of them in the sky. It's amazing! To see the other entires, go to My Perspective.

Theme: Autumn

Well since I already explained this above, I don't have much to add. I shot this picture from the balloon fiesta field this morning about 7:00. Amazing. Check out the other entries at LEM.

Theme: Colors

Well I was in the right place for this theme! I really liked this shot of the balloons taking off from the field. So many beautiful colors in the fall sky!

Theme: Show Off Your Shot

I am seriously in love with this picture. I didn't realize it until I got home and got it on my computer, but I think it turned out awesome. Hot air balloons are crazy things, no? See the other shots at And Then She Snapped.

Theme: Brick Red (Project 64)

Everyone sick of balloon pictures? Well here is a red barn from Tennessee for y'all. You know how much I love old red barns, and this barnwood looks like the perfect shade of brick red to me! To see the other brick red photos, click here.

Theme: Reflection

Dug back into the archive just a bit for this photo as well. I shot this at the river just down the road from our house over Memorial Day as the sun was going down. I love the reflection of the sun on the water.

The Mundane

"My life is not a to do list." ~Unknown

I don't know about y'all, but sometimes, I get really caught up in the mundane part of life. The laundry. Dishes. Bills. Lists. The projects at work that seem like they have to be done by Friday at 5. It's easy to focus on the exciting part of life when you're on a trip or having a fun adventure or crossing a bucket list item off. But the majority of our lives are not spent doing those things. The majority is just every day life. And we have to try and overcome the mundane and find the exciting in that too.

Sometimes, like this week, I need to step back and look at the bigger picture. Because.....this is it, baby. This is life. It's a moment I'll never get back. Tomorrow is a day that will only happen once. In 50 years, I will not care at all if I got my laundry done tonight or if the dishes sit in the sink an extra day. Hell, I won't care about that in 5 days! Sometimes, I just need to be reminded of that. Thankfully, Sarah posted a great quote yesterday that was great and I wanted to share with you guys in case you find yourself in the same boat as me.

If I had my life to live over, I'd try to make more mistakes next time. I would relax. I would limber up. I'd be sillier than I have been on this trip. I know of a very few things I would take seriously. I would be less hygenic. I would take more chances. I would take more trips. I would climb more mountains, swim more rivers and watch more sunsets. I would burn more gasoline and eat more ice cream and less beans. I would have actual troubles and fewer imaginary ones.

You see, I'm one of those people who lives sensibly and sanely hour after hour, day after day. Oh, I've had my moments. And if I had my life to live over, I'd have more of them. In fact...I'd have nothing else. Just moments one after anoher instead of living so many years ahead each day.

I've been one of those people who never goes anywhere without a theremometer, hot water bottle, rain coat & parachute. If I had my life to live over, I'd go places and do things and travel lighter than I have. If I had my life to live over I would start barefoot earlier in the spring and stay that way later in the fall. I would play hooky more. I wouldn't make good such good grades, except by accident. I'd ride more merry-go-rounds. I'd pick more daisies.

~Nadine Stair, age 85

We don't get to live life over.....but we get to live life now. And hopefully if we do a good enough job at it the first time, we'll have everything covered.