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The Art of Scrolling

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Everyone’s got a pastime. Some people knit. Some jog. Some watch reality TV. Me? I scroll Amazon. It usually starts with good intentions, I hop on to order dishwasher tabs or a school supply and before I know it, I’ve been lured into a rabbit trail of “recommended for you.” One click turns into ten, and suddenly I’m looking at garden clippers, quirky kitchen gadgets, or sweaters that claim to be my perfect shade of soft autumn. Don’t get me wrong, I love shopping in person. Boutiques are my happy place. There’s nothing like walking through the racks, trying on something classic, sporty, or a little edgy, and finding that one piece that feels just right. But since “town” is a 45-minute drive away, those shopping trips don’t happen as often as I’d like. That’s where Amazon fills the gap. It’s like window shopping without the window, or the drive. Most of the time, my cart never makes it to checkout. I just enjoy the scrolling. It’s oddly relaxing after a day of church work, booster cl...
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Hello, Again!

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Life Lately It’s been a long while since I’ve written here, so I thought I’d dust off the blog and give a little update on how life is going these days. Time feels like it’s flying. Our oldest is already in her fourth year of college, how did that happen so quickly? It’s been such a joy to watch her grow, learn, and step into adulthood. On the other end, our youngest just started 5th grade. Having one child getting ready to launch into the world and another still at the elementary school stage makes for an interesting mix of life seasons all happening at once. As for me, much of my time is wrapped up in church work, something that continues to bring both challenge and joy. I love being part of a community that’s growing and figuring things out together. Outside of church, I stay busy volunteering. I’ve served on the Crook County Promotion Board for several years now, five of those as treasurer, and this year I stepped into the role of vice chair. It’s been a great way to stay connec...
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Easy Steak

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I love steak- most any type, as long as it's cooked medium and not over-cooked! When we got our first freezer of meat last fall, I had only ever cooked steak on the grill and I knew that there were other ways to prepare it. So, I did what I do all the time when I want to learn something new, I looked it up on Pinterest. And I found it! The perfect way to make the perfect steak- in my cast iron skillet! It's not a difficult technique nor does it take long to prepare, in fact, if you have a cast iron skillet, you can make it too.  An Hour Before Dinner Ahead of time, I make a Herbed Compound Butter. There is no real recipe that I follow for this but rather it is dictated by the contents of my refrigerator. It starts with a stick of softened butter in a bowl, add some basil, scallions, garlic and some parmesan cheese. Combine and then finish with a little salt (if the butter was unsalted) and pepper. Give it a final mix and dump out onto a piece of plastic wrap. Fo...
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The making of a boot and a legacy

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 Today we started the journey back to Wyoming from Arkansas. This week, Vic and I learned much more  than just how to build a pair of cowboy boots... we learned about a craft, about a legacy and about a trade that has been largely replaced by machines.  We met Floyd who is a multigenerational shoe maker (I can't remember how many generations back). He has tools from his grandfather and more knowledge than I will ever hope to learn. He starts his day around 4 am and completes more before we wake up than most people accomplish all day!    By the time we joined him in the shop in the morning, Floyd already had been at work for hours! He is a great teacher and has lots of stories about the boots he has made (and a few of their wearers), his family and dreams that he has for the new shop up with us in Wyoming.  Did I mention that? Oh yes- that was the purpose of our trip to learn this craft. We are in the process of adding a boot shop to the guest ranch this sum...
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Adventure and Aspens

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A week ago, we embarked on an adventure that made me feel apprehensive, excited, nervous and thrilled. We packed up our bags, dropped our girls off at Granny’s house and set off for the Diamond 7 Bar Ranch Staff Retreat/Getaway. There are many reasons I was anxious and nervous, the first being that Lydia (22 months old) had never spent the night away from us and then there is the baggage that I carry from so many other “staff retreats” that I have attended (I would love to just leave those bags in the past… but they still try to come with me from time to time). We arrived at the Spearfish Canyon Lodge on Friday morning, dressed with brave faces and covered like eskimos. We were going on an adventure! After some paperwork, I climbed behind my husband and onto a snowmobile that was ours for the day. The helmet I had to wear felt confining at first but I was so glad to have it as we went zipping down the trails. Isn’t it funny that sometimes the things that feel the most restricti...
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Location: Alva, WY 82711, USA
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Christmas Vacation Reflections

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Christmas Jammies Here it is, almost a week after Christmas and things have just started to slow down! December came quickly and is now almost over. We were in Cincinnati for almost 2 weeks with my family to celebrate Jesus’ birth and to be together. I enjoyed staying with my mom and seeing my sister most days and I enjoyed remembering and recognizing some of our family’s traditions. We spend every other year with our respective families (and actually next year will be the first Christmas in our whole 14 years of marriage that we will not travel on this holiday, because we now live with our Wyoming Family!). This alternating family celebration was a tradition with which we have been very consistent and it has served us well. Opening Stockings from Santa This year we were in Cincinnati and that was super-fun on multiple levels. We arrived on Sunday the 18th and the week before christmas was full of cookie baking, decorating mom’s house (which we cheated a little and didn’t...
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Sunsets on the Ranch

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I have lived in Wyoming for 6 Months now! On June 1, 2016, we arrived on the ranch with all of our things and we decided to stay. The time has flown by and I am finding myself more and more at home here.  Over the past two months, I have traveled to Kentucky, Ohio and Georgia to visit family and some friends. It was so good to see people that I love and have connections with but the thing that most surprised me at the end of those trips, was that I could not wait to return to the ranch. It's quiet and peaceful here, entirely different than the hustle and bustle of city life (especially in Atlanta!). One of the things I look forward to at the end of a long day (including car pool, kids, diapers, laundry, paperwork and cleaning) is the night sky. I love watching the process of the sun going down and the stars appearing. There are so many stars that are visible from the ranch! And, I have experienced so many beautiful sunsets from our front porch! The sunsets are coming earlier a...
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Location: Alva, WY 82711, USA
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