Rock Art!

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Moab: Day One

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Cowboy Quote of the Day:
“The most rewarding things you do in life are often the ones that look like they cannot be done,” ~Arnold Palmer


This is probably one of my all time favorite quotes that Cowboy Ross has sent so far! It’s very consist with my life and where I find myself to be right now. I’ve experienced one of the most active and intense cycles of my life this past spring. I know I’m in a location of transformation and change and I’ve done my best to keep things in perspective. Remaining positive is not always easy and I don’t hold myself to being that way all time; I prefer being “real” so that means I honor those down days and times when I am feeling less than motivated.

The “reward” for all my hard work has been knowing that I’d be heading to a favorite hiking spot in Moab. It really never looked like it was something I could do. We’d talked about it but when it came right down to it, there was always some reason to go somewhere else….kids weren’t big enough, too far, hot, the list goes on and on….In fact I pretty much put the idea out of my mind for a good long time. Last summer we head a break in the action and decided we’d give it a try. Driving 11+ hour in a car with three children under 11 (at that time) was not an image that I relished. And would they be able to keep up with their long-legged fathers stride? I sure can’t, I’m always bringing up the rear because there’s usually a cool photo op or a lizard or a flower or a rock…..!

My worries were unfounded. Moab was amazing. The people were super friendly, (much like being back at home) and we had an blast. We hiked over 20 miles throughout the four days were there and the kids kept up beautifully. The area is vastly different from good ol Nebraska. It’s mostly rocks and rugged land. There’s something magical about being there, especially hiking on a full moon night. It’s evolved into one of my favorite locations on the planet, simply because it is so unique. I have no plans of ever moving here, which is strange and funny because I usually always want to relocate to the place I’m visiting. However, that was not the case, I have no intention of making the place a permanent residence but I do plan to visit…..often. It’s also rare that all five of us like the SAME place.

So I’ve held my breath for the past two weeks hoping that it all worked out and it did. Everything that needed to get done so we could go, was. I was wondering that at 9:30 last night when Pecos was picking lettuce and spinach to take a long! We left at 10 pm, which may seem strange. Thanks to many years of night driving to rodeos, I was able to get us down the road a piece. I was done at 1:15 am, at which point I didn’t care where I slept! I can’t even tell you where we stayed because Chad drove another hour and a half! We put the anchor down and shut our eyes.

We were up this morning pretty early (I keep forgetting to put in light blocking devices in the camper). We dressed, walked the dog and loaded up. We’ve been driving most of the day with the exception of two stops thanks to Sparky (he needs his own “potta porty” as BS calls it!

We’ll arrive in Moab within the next two hours and from there, we’ll see where the red rocks take us! I’m so excited to be back in this country. There’s something deeply comforting and healing here. I can’t quite put my fingers on what it is exactly, a feeling or an energy perhaps. Whatever it is, it feels great and I like it!

Tomorrow I’ll be stopping into my favorite Gear Heads store to fill up with water and browse the smart wool socks. I have a feeling they will remember me…I was a familiar face last year!

I’ll be posting throughout the week and when I have service. We’ll be in an extremely remote location for a couple of days. We scoped it out last year and thought it would be cool to camper there (with a camper that we didn’t have at the time!) My cousins Josh and Brecken are already there and another Jeni, will join us tomorrow. It should be a fun, fun time!

I’m very grateful for this opportunity. It took a heck of a bunch of orchestration to pull this off the ground! Looking at our schedule for June, July and August this was about the only time we could fit in a vacation. We’ll return home to baseball, rodeos, camping, the river, and great times with friends. This feels like a pretty terrific way to kick off summer!

Just crossed the UTAH line! Whoot Whoot! We’re ready to get our hike on!

I'd like to thank the cute "biker chick" in the photo above for posing! She was very excited about finding a helmut for our bike excursions this week. She's modeling inside Good Will where she and I scored three bike helmuts, two pairs of baseball cleats, and three skirts (one of which was a Title Nine hiking "skort".) Oh I I LOVE gifts from the Universe like these!

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Stop N Smell the Lilacs

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Hi folks! I'm resuming my blog posts for a brief time this week. School is out, brandings are done and we've recently celebrated the beautiful nuptuals of one of my six boy cousins. It was a gorgeous and fun filled weekend and I'll get pics and a video posted as time allows.

This week we have much to do and only four short days to get it all done in before we head out to Moab. I am calling it a vacation but it may not be all that relaxing and quiet, we have much to see and do!

In the meantime, today is ESPECIALLY GORGEOUS! This is the ideallic spring day that exists always in my dreams and only rarely in my reality. The warm weather and ample sunshine make it difficult to concentrate on the Ki Previews but it is certainly conducive to free flowing thoughts and writing (which I DO appreciate!)

Since I don't know how many of you actually read this blog I have no idea if you've missed my postings or not.....so if I have a few Cre8tive Cowgirl fans out there, please know that I will be posting from the road, (as service and patience with my phone allow!)

And though it is busy, busy, busy around here I want you all know that I did take time to stop and smell the roses or in my case lilacs! This is one of my all time favorite sights and smells of the season. They flood my being with nastalgic memories of growing up on the Frauen Ranch and buring my nose deep inside Great Grandpa Jake's bountiful shrubs. Our four little twigs are now looking more full and robust so I couldn't help but pluck a stem to sniff while I let my fingers do the walking this afternoon.

Have a wonderful week!

Giving It Our All

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Cowboy Quote of the Day:
"Don't cheat the world of your contribution. Give it what you've got."
~Steven Pressfield



I am doing my best to maintain a postive, happy attitude during the busiest months of my life (If you've seen my April flash by, would you kindly pass her on back to me? Thanks!)

I am in the midst of finishing up three classes from CSC's on-line library media program and while I'd like to say I've "aced" them, that would not be the truth, actully would be far from the truth in some aspects. What I have aced is my ability to learn, grow and remain ever so humble. If I thought I was "mart" in any way, that theory has been extremely tested.

Here are my contributions to the world this week:

One messy house that needs someone who has the time, talent and attention to bring her back into shape. By the look of my May calendar that is an unlikely possibility.

Two boys with really shaggy hair (if anyone would like to exchange eggs for hair cuts, I could keep you in constant supply. On both accounts)

A very smelly Marley that shouldn't be allowed in the house but he gets to come into the craft room and keep my feet warm anyway. I get over the smell after 15 minutes or so.

One authentically, genuine happy heart. For all the things I have going on, even if I am walking just to the edge of sheer meltdown and overwhelm, I feel very blessed for the many activities, discoveries and support that I've received. I do feel that I have some of the best pals in the Universe!

My final contributions include good doses of humor (something that has gotten me though this past ridiculously busy month) a diversion away form perfectionism (if the target lands anywhere close to the mark I'm calling it a "gimmie" and moving on to the next obstacle)and hopefully because of my current reality, I'm helping to shape independent, capable, creative, resourceful little human beings. That may be a stretch but they are going to have multiple opportunites for growth this week!