And in everything give thanks. D&C 98:1

Verily I say unto you my friends, fear not, let your hearts be comforted; yea, and rejoice evermore, and in everything give thanks. D&C 98:1

Ethan made this thankful list in primary at church. I thought it was great! Here it is:

I am thankful for Jesus because he died for us.

I am thankful for Oliver because he likes me to read to him.

I am thankful for Ethan because I am funny.

I am thankful for Mom because she makes dinner for us.

I am thankful for Dad because he loves me.


I asked Oliver what he was thankful for yesterday. Here is what he said:

I am thankful for mommy because she is nice and she makes cookies with me.

I am thankful for my brothers because they are fun to wrestle with.

I am thankful for Star Wars because it is so cool.

I am thankful for dad because he rides horses with me.

So, I asked Del what he was thankful for. Here is his list:

A free country
My family
A pair of blue jeans that fit just right
A good job
Team roping

If Dillon could understand the concept of being thankful, here is what he would say:

I am thankful for trains, mommy's truck, bananas, the kids coming off the bus (his brothers), and horse rides with daddy.

Here is my thankful list:

I am thankful for the beautiful scenery outside my house because it reminds me of God's love and just makes me happy.

I am thankful for my three boys who are so sweet to their mommy and love me regardless.

I am thankful for snow, without it their would me no snowboarding, sledding, adventurous driving, snow angels, snow forts, snow balls, snow days (remember those in Pinetop?) and no winter FUN!

I am thankful for my hubby, Del who is the most compassionate, romantic, thoughtful, sweet, and handsome person I know. And he looks really good in a pair of wranglers and a cowboy hat. And Del if you read this, I am really thankful for you, for all your hard work, for loving me despite all my flaws and for being the best daddy in the world.

She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy.....

I met Del (my hubby of 9 1/2 yrs.) when I was 18 years old, just short of one month after moving out of my parent's house. I moved down to Tucson from my beloved hometown of Pinetop to attend the University of Arizona. I was never, and I mean NEVER going to be that girl who got married right out of high school. I was going somewhere and was going to be somebody. That didn't last long and six months after dating, we were engaged. That's not to say it was an easy decision and one I didn't wrestle with from the day we just knew. I was too young to get married and yet not ready to lose him to an unknown future. It is amazing how when you find the one you love, your future just molds around to include him and sacrifices anything and everything.

Del and I spent a good part of our courtship on a tractor and yes, I did think his tractor was sexy! Lucky him! It even happened to be the year Kenny Chesney's song came out...how ironic. I would ride on the buddy seat of the tractor on Saturday's and Sunday's after church. He would drive doing whatever it was that needed doing and I hung out. I do have to thank Del for the great grades I got in Spanish thanks to his tutoring on those rides. Between dates in the tractor and dates that he fell asleep in my dorm while I did homework, we fell head over heels in love. It wasn't until after we were married that I realized the amount of sleep this guy really needs and that his sleeping all the time wasn't so much fun....it kind of became lonely. I slowly learned what being a farmer's wife was going to be like. Ups and downs, early to rise, early to bed...not by choice, just by being human. I remember this one time he came home, dropped his dirty clothes by the door, got a popsicle to eat, sat down to eat it, finished it and fell asleep before dinner and didn't wake up. He eventually made his way to the bed and I admit, I was pretty irritated.

Thank goodness for the darn sexy tractors he had to drive day in and day out...it kept the irritation at bay! I have lots of great pictures of these days, but they are on film and I don't have a scanner.

Am I A Cowboy's Wife?

Is my husband a cowboy?? This is a question for anyone out there that knows Del. If in fact, he is a cowboy, then I am a cowboy's wife. And what a wild ride life has been emotionally, physically, mentally, spiritually, and in all other possible ways.

Del has a hard time defining himself as a cowboy (I think most cowboys do...it sounds too much like a childhood dream), but insists upon living what I would call a western cowboy lifestyle!?. In order to come to the bottom of this issue for myself, I looked up a definition of cowboy on the web.

First, the Merriam-Webster Dictionary's definition:

Main Entry: 1cow·boy
Pronunciation: \-ˌbȯi\
Function: noun
Date: 1623

1: one who tends cattle or horses ; especially : a usually mounted cattle-ranch hand


2: a rodeo performer


3: one having qualities (as recklessness, aggressiveness, or independence) popularly associated with cowboys: as a: a reckless driver b: a business or businessperson operating in an uncontrolled or unregulated manner.


Okay, so 1: we have three horses, four cows and maybe two more calfs on the way come spring(not an exorbitant amount, but considering he works in town as an attorney); 2: this August, he entered the Hamilton Rodeo here in Montana and took fourth in the first round with a 5.6 second run; and 3: umm... we won't go into too much detail, but yes, recklessness, aggressiveness, and independence are qualities that have been displayed all too frequently in the past nine and a half years of marriage. In my mind, he fits the definition and therefore would be a 'cowboy' and I a cowboy's wife. I can't go as far yet as claiming the title of 'cowgirl.'

Why you may ask does all this matter? Because I have a purpose for this blog (if I can stay on course). I have always wanted to write down my thoughts, feelings, ideas, and anything else that floats in and out of my overflowing mind to come to some conculsion of what defines ME. This is life through my eyes.