Ranch Wife 101 guidelines

I found these today when I was cleaning out my email. I could not resist posting them. They are so true, as I have been blessed with a cowboy in my life. They would have been great to have before hand, so I would know what to expect! Do not get me wrong, I would not trade my husband for anything, I am blessed with a great Christian man. Another one I would like to add to the list is: ALWAYS saddle your horse first, if you saddle his first, he may expect you to saddle in 5 seconds, or ride off and leave you there and then expect you to catch up in record time! Having said that I would not trade my life as a cowboy's wife! It has been a blessing to be around God's beautiful creatures and raising our children in the country! YEEHAW!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you God for my Cowboy!!!

The first idea was to create a list of rules for cowboys written by
cowgirls, things that would bridge the understanding gap. But
historical reaction by cowboys for advice given by their wifely partners made me
realize the futility in the effort.

Moving from that fleeting moment of "saving the world," I decided to
help a small part of it by suggesting some basic advice to those
considering matrimony to a cowboy. While this is by no means a
complete guide, recognizing the following situations will save years of
misunderstanding.

Ranch wife 101 guidelines:

1. Always load your horse last in the trailer so it is the first one
unloaded. By the time he's got his horse unloaded, you will have your
cinch pulled and be mounted up ready to go - lessening the chance of
him riding off without you with your horse trying to follow while you are
still trying to get your foot in the stirrup.

2. Never - and I repeat never - ever believe the phrase "We'll be
right back," when he has asked you to help him do something out on the
ranch. The echoing words, "this will only take a little while" have filtered
through generations of ranch wives and still today should invoke sincere
distrust in the woman who hears them.

3. Always know there is NO romantic intention when he pleadingly asks
you to take a ride in the pickup with him around the ranch while he
checks waters and looks at cattle. What that sweet request really
means is he wants someone to open the gates.

4. He will always expect you to quickly be able to find one stray in a
four-section brush-covered pasture, but he will never be able to find
the mayonnaise jar in four-square feet of refrigerator.

5. Count every head of everything you see - cattle especially, but
sometimes horses, deer, quail or whatever moves. Count it in the gate,
out the gate or on the horizon. The first time you don't count is when
he will have expected that you did. That blank eyelash-batting look
you give him when he asks "How many?" will not be acceptable.

6. Know that you will never be able to ride a horse or drive a pickup
to suit him. Given the choice of jobs, choose throwing the feed off the
back of the pickup. If he is on the back and you are driving, the
opportunity for constant criticism of speed, ability and your eyesight
will be utilized to the full extent. "How in the *@*# could you NOT
see that hole?"

7. Never let yourself be on foot in the alley when he is sorting
cattle horseback. When he has shoved 20 head of running, bucking, kicking
yearlings at you and then hollers "Hold 'em, hold 'em" at the top of
his lungs, don't think that you really can do it without loss of life or
limb . Contrary to what he will lead you to believe, walking back to
the house is always an option that has been used throughout time.

8. Don 't expect him to correctly close the snap-on tops on the plastic
refrigerator containers, but know he will expect you to always close
every gate. His reasoning, the cows will get out; the food will not.

9. Always praise him when he helps in the kitchen - the very same way
he does when you help with the ranch work - or not.

10. Know that when you step out of the house you move from the "wife"
department to "hired hand" status. Although the word "hired" indicates
there will be a paycheck that you will never see, rest assured you
will have job security. The price is just right. And most of the time you
will be "the best help he has" even if it is because you are the ONLY help he has.Rules

CBCC Men's Ranch Rodeo 5/19/07

This is a picture from another rodeo, since I forgot my camera last Saturday!!

Our church held there annual Men's Ranch Rodeo this past Saturday in Grand Saline. My husbands team won 3rd place!!! Way to go guys!! As we were leaving that afternoon, my girlfriend from Dallas called and said they were in the area and wanted to come by and visit. What a great surprise, so her and her son came to the rodeo. We had a great visit and Michael played with Savannah and rode our horses! It was such a nice surprise and a great blessing for the day. We have not seen each other since Thanksgiving. I consider her my sister, as our parents lived next to each other for years and we were raised together. Several people at the rodeo asked if we were sisters! We do look alike! Well, we had a great day and enjoyed the rodeo together. I wished I had not forgotten my camera, as my husbands team put on a show in the wild cow milking. The cow was not at all happy about getting milked. I think everyone lost there hats and several flipped over!! I am proud of all the guys and there 3rd place win!! Thank you God for such great memories!

OUR TRIP TO DULUTH, GA!!!

JORDAN FAMILY ON TOP OF STONE MOUNTAIN
AUNT KRIS AND HADASSAH, BARNABAS, JEREMIAH AND SAVANNAH!

Well, we are back from our trip! We had a great time in Georgia with my sister and her family, they have six beautiful children. Ranging from 8 years old to newborn. They are Nehemiah, Mordecai, Hadassah, Deborah, Barnabas and Jeremiah. So with me, Savannah and Pa Pa it was a house full!! We went to Stone Mountain park and did the cable car ride to the top of the mountain. That was very neat, it is only 10% above the ground the rest is underground. From the top of the mountain the view was break taking. Pa Pa was very nervous the whole time we were up there with the kids! We saw a 4-D film while we were there, it was awesome! We also did the steamboat ride while we were there. The kids really enjoyed the day, as I did. We got to go see Nehemiah and Mordecai play baseball. They both did very well and I was glad we were there for that. Good job boys!!! Most of the time we stayed at the house visiting and catching up with each other. Savannah also got to fly for the first time. She did great! She loved looking out the window and she said the clouds looked like cotton candy! It was a great time and I am blessed to have been able to go. Of course it did make me miss my sister even more. But God blessed me with this trip and I will cherish it!!! I can say I am very proud of my sister and her husband and there family. Thank you for the gift of memory and the chance to play "I remember" with my sister and her family. Thank you Chris, Jennifer and kids for opening your home to us, thanks Dad for asking us to go and thanks to my wonderful husband who took care of everything will I was gone!

WE MADE IT TO DULUTH, GA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

MY SISTER AND ME AND JEREMIAH
HADASSAH, SAVANNAH, DEBORAH, NEHEMIAH AND MORDECAI
ME AND BABY JEREMIAH!!! He is so sweet!!

We made it to Duluth, Ga!!! We left Frankston, Tx at 6 a.m. on Tuesday morning and arrived in Duluth, Ga at 8 p.m. It was a good trip, we made good time and Savannah was a real trooper!! I could feel all the prayers, thanks a million. When we pulled into my sister's driveway, the whole family was waiting on the front porch!! We got settled in and the girls were so excited, it took a while to get them to sleep. With all the kids asleep, me and my sister sat up and visited till 12:30! It was so great! This morning I went to the doctor's with my sister and Jeremiah for her 6 week checkup. All is well, praise the Lord!!! We left the other 6 kids at home with Chris and Pa Pa. While we were gone Chris was called out on a pastoral emergency and left Pa Pa there with all 6 kids! We called to check in, and he had 3 of them in time out! Anyway, we are having a great time in GA. And we are looking forward to the next couple of days of fun and fellowship. This trip is definitely a blessing for us, as we have not seen each other in almost 4 years! Here are a few pics so far and I will post more when I get back. Good bye from Duluth, Ga and God Bless!!!

NEWEST ADDITION TO THE FAMILY

Well the newest addition to the family is our Betta fish "Sally." I am learning alot about Betta fish! My mother in law asked Savannah what she wanted for her birthday and she did not even hesitate and said a fish. Of course Granny said okay and off to the pet store we went. I was not looking forward to the trip as I figured we would be there for hours picking the perfect fish! But Savannah went right in and looked at them and picked one! I could not believe it. She got a female Betta fish and named her "Sally" as soon as the clerk handed the fish to her. I was nervous about getting the tank ready and not killing the poor little fish. But all is well and we have had her since the first of April. I have never had a fish and I am surprised that they do have personalities. She follows you around the tank and watches everything! So Savannah is excited about the new fish and I am as well. I have even caught myself talking with to her! They are defiantly relaxing to watch. We are blessed with another one of God's sweet little creatures!