"Choose your love ~ Love your choice"

Calves to be branded

Summer brings on a whole new list of "to do's" at our house.  While we enjoy the new season, warm weather and the chance to be outside more, we also remember why we like winter to come back around as well.  Spring sprung and we branded the cows again, seriously one of our favorite times of the year.  This year we recruited the help of my cousin from Cali, it was super fun to have him experience all the cows and dirt, ropes and shots, branding irons and dry ice.  

Now that the FUN part is over we move on the other "farm livin'" items.  Watering, cutting, baling, fixing, raking, fixing, spending, fixing, driving, fixing, watering, fixing, did I mention fixing?  It seems to never end! We are running (co running some) over 200 acres this year, the hubs is working overtime at his job most weeks and I'm still keeping my "plate spinning" acts at full capacity.  The other day Hank and I met up in the garage (he was going to change water, I had come from changing another field) I smiled and said "is it winter yet?" he looked at me a little confused and asked "why?" I replied, "Cause I need a NAP!"  Yes this time of year it seems the peaceful slumbers of winter and hunkering down by the fire are missed dearly.  We are a lot like bears, we work and work all summer then hunker down for the winter.  There is still work in winter but much less.  I don't think I have fed my family dinner before 8pm (most days between 9 and 10pm) this summer!  My kitchen floor is a disaster and I swear I sweep 5 times a day.  There is more laundry to do, fuel to buy, sheep to walk, weeds to pull, flowers to water, lawn to mow.  Then we top it off with all the regular things we do and it seems like it's never going to end.  I was thinking about all of the "to do's" and feeling pretty overwhelmed.  The kids still have their activities to do like baseball and swimming lessons to add to the list.  We have jobs and church and checking cows on the mountain as well.  But....as I run Buckwheat to baseball and watch his batting get better and better and his love for the game improve, listen to Jo play the star spangled banner on the piano, watching Peanut count down the days until swim lessons, changing water with Bud (who by the way will be a licensed DRIVER soon!), chatting with Sue on the phone, picking up Hank at 1am from a field he's baling, and washing the dishes by hand cause the dishwasher gave it's last wash months ago....I can't help but think of the quote by President Monson, "Choose your love ~ Love your choice!"  

Bud, waiting for the cows

the lovely shot giver and the new chute closer (oh, and the alley pusher)

roping cows

Jo and the boss in the new Kubota 

I love EVERY busy, chaotic, nap needing, so hungry we could eat a horse at 10pm, filled day!  This is what WE CHOSE!  Our family chose to live this life, we chose each-other, we chose to work HARD and hardly play....(except it is our play).  We are addicted to our jobs for sure, but we don't' regret it, we don't hold a grudge, we thrive when we are working hard and getting in late.  Not only do I LOVE my choice in the man I chose to be my eternal companion, and the family we chose to have, I love the choice in what we decided to make of our life.  There is nothing as truly AMAZING as changing water at dusk with your almost 16 year old son and talking, laughing, watching the sun set.  The wheel lines on the horizon, the gorgeous valley we live in and the BEST family I could have imagined by my side.  I chose this, I love this!  It's not always easy, and often times we are so tired we can't see straight.  There are times when more things break than we care to name, and times when we've spent so much money on fuel, seed and farm stuff we aren't sure if it's worth it....But in the end it's our Happily Ever After, it's the Ying to our Yang, it's the best life we could imagine!  So as you rush around in the life you've made, remember the choice is yours....Choose your choice and love it...it's better that way!