Hello again from the other side, well at least from another state! You might be able to tell but we have a few Life Changes here on the Secret Ranch Wife. One of the biggest being, we moved!
Yes the rumors are true. We packed up and left New Mexico for sunny Colorado. Well cold mostly right now, but it was sunny this summer. We have been here on the Eastern edge of Colorado for around 6 months now and couldn't love it more. Me most of all! I went from the Secret Ranch Wife, to full fledged get down in the dirt/mud, ride my pony, sing my song, cook the meal for later, Ranch wife.
In case you aren't sure, I'm elated! It's always been a dream of mine to get to do what I'm doing right now (and yes that is clearly a picture of me after successfully helping move cattle, obviously ;)).
The Lord always gives us our hearts desires doesn't he!?
I'm sure some of you are wondering a little bit about all that has gone since you last heard from me. Well... a LOT! That happens when someone disappears for a while doesn't it? So let me start off with, I will not be doing an in depth exposé sort of post here. Ain't no body got time for that!(Oh geeze do people even reference that anymore? I may be getting old!)
Moving here to Colorado has certainly come with it's fair share of problems as well as blessings. It was a hard decision to come to but ultimately it was absolutely where God was leading us. And the cowboy and I don't regret it one bit. In April as we made the decision to move, my mom who had been on the waiting list for a liver transplant also made a God led decision. She decided He was calling her home. And we all respected the decision. Though I may have silently prayed she would change her mind the entire time, as I have done throughout my life with her. Especially when she was contemplating my punishment for a childhood error, haha! At the end of April, the cowboy, our girls and I packed up
everything we owned in 2 horse trailers and the biggest Uhaul I had ever seen and trekked north. The next day Mom went home to be with Jesus. It still hurts to write that sentence. I still wonder how to go on living without the person that gave me this life. Moving compounded those feelings because each day I wanted to take a picture of a beautiful scene out my front door and text it to her. She would have absolutely loved this place! Of that I am sure. Because not only was being a ranch wife my dream, it was hers. She lived it out with my dad and she lived it out even more through me. It's amazing to me now that I spent so many years trying my best to not be like her, like so many women do. And now that she isn't within my reach all I want to do is to be her. As you can tell it's still a raw subject but with God's help, I know that it'll all work out.
The girls spent their summer riding horses, going with daddy, making new friends and generally tracking every bit of dirt in from every corner of this vast ranch they could. Then came the fall, and school again. Two girls are thrilled to be back in school and making new friends every day.
The middle one however has pretty much dug her heels in like a weanling colt and is moving forward at turtle speed. But by golly she is moving forward! I kid, she has come around to all the newness of life. She was just sure I would homeschool her so she could get all A's and just ride horses 24/7. When told that's not how it works, she decided public school may not be that bad after all. In general the girls are living their best lives!
The cowboy is in his element as always. He's riding the country that he has always loved. He has his two old buddies Cheet-o and Ocho and 3 new "acquaintances" Berretta (the blue roan), Cherokee (the sorrel) and Cowboy/Thunder Chicken (the palomino who was a gift from my mom, and who's name changes daily). Good horses in new country make a cowboy's life exciting!
He still has his trusty companion Deuce the border collie/cow biter at his side.
Though Deuce has decided to take on a life of leisure here at the ranch (helping the cowboy work his colts is still a top priority). We acquired new companions in Raney, our Mini Aussie (who was supposed to be my dog but somehow wound up more attached to the animal whisperer cowboy), Slim and Hawg (our cow biters in training),
a cat named Pete, then 2 more cats (the cowboy absolutely does not claim these 3, just to be clear. They are for pest control only, haha). And just last month we decided, or rather Deuce and Raney decided, to bless us with 4 more puppies to love!
I'm not keeping count, just for my personal sanity, but it feels like we are starting to collect a menagerie around this place.
Life is seldom boring here on the ranch but it is always filled with fun, blessings, calm evenings and lots of dirt. We wouldn't want it any other way!
