2011 another crazy year!!

Well where to start with 2011??? It has been a crazy year with some big changes. And lots to think about for the future! I know no matter what I am truly blessed to have an amazing husband, and an awesome GOD that gives me hope and a future!!! It has been a year of trials but also of growth. Especially for me in trying to not stress so much and for turning it over to the LORD! We got out of ranching in January:( We both miss it sooooooooooooooooo very much, we realize you don't get rich doing it and it is the life style we like more than anything, but we weren't able to do it with all the medical bills and no health insurance. We still pray that we can find a ranch that either pays well enough to purchase health insurance or carries it so that we can get back to what we love. Money is needed and great for things but it isn't everything either so we just want to get things going in the right direction and hopefully get back to what we love...RANCHING:) But who knows you never know where GOD may put you next:) We have been loving Colorado for all it has to offer in views, hiking, and such. But is has been a trying year with me tearing the bicep tendons in both my arms in July, surgery on one and probably still yet on the other, Eric having an emergency appendectomy and then his recent hernia surgery. We are quite the pair this year!!! These past few years had really gotten me down and beat me up!! Especially since my body has not cooperated especially since the thyroid cancer. But I think it was a good thing in a way looking back.. I see that I can look at others and really try to understand them or what they are going through. To try and no judge them without knowing their whole story. It is easy to look in from the outside and say you do this, you do that, but to live it is different. Giving loving advice that comes from the heart is great, but support is better:) I just want to be a more rounded person and I think everything we go through in life does that if we let it!!! So I am actually really excited to see what 2012 brings to our life. I am sure there will be good and bad. But we will learn from them both:)
May everyone have a very very safe and Happy New Years!!!!!

Off to the hospital

Well today is Eric's hernia surgery. We have to have him there at noon and surgery at 1. It is always nerve racking no matter how easy the procedure. Hate that he has to go through any of this but he needs to get them fixed. Then he will have 2 weeks off and then light duty. That will kill us with no income and such for that long but GOD is good and we will make it all work!! Praying for it to go well and for his recovery to be quick!!!

Hope y'all had an awesome christmas!!

Our Christmas was great!! It is usually hard to be away from those we love as it was this year also but this year was really really nice. Being just the two of us was kind of nice:) Eric worked a part day on Christmas Eve and then we went up to Aspen. We walked around and seen all the Christmas decor and celebrities in town for the holiday:) Kind of fun to see them just out shopping. But the poor people had to deal with all the rude paparazzi. But still fun to see them out in an everyday setting. Then it got dark and my parents had sent us $50.00 to do something fun for Christmas so we took a carriage ride around aspen to look at all the Christmas lights. It was so romantic and wonderful. An AWESOME memory for this Christmas Eve!!! I will never forget that:)

Christmas we spent most of the day cooking the turkey and then the rest of the meal. We played some games and then shared dinner with an old neighbor that stopped in to say merry Christmas. He didn't have anywhere he was going and he is alone so it was nice to have him stay for a Christmas dinner and of course to watch the yearly movie "A Christmas Story":) Just a perfect Colorado Christmas:)

Tomorrow Eric will have his surgery so I am just taking a break to write this from cleaning the house and preparing for that. We will be taking it easy this New Years eve weekend since he will still be not 100%. May your new years eve weekend be amazing and may the New Year bring everyone many blessings and love and great memories!!!!

Merry Christmas Y'all!!!

Hope everyone is having a VERY VERY Merry Christmas!!! This has been an awesome one for the both of us!! This time of the year is usually hard being away from those we love, and it still is but this year has been great. We have just enjoyed each other and what the season is really all about!! We went to aspen yesterday afternoon and evening and then today I am making a big Christmas dinner and we are going to watch A Christmas Story:) May all you be as blessed as we are today!!! We may not have much but we have each other and that is EVERYTHING:)

Yearly Cowboy Christmas Prayer!!

I ain't much good at prayin',
and You may not know me, Lord—
For I ain't much seen in churches,
where they preach Thy Holy Word.
But you may have observed me
out here on the lonely plains,
A-lookin' after cattle,
feelin' thankful when it rains.

Admirin' Thy great handiwork.
the miracle of the grass,
Aware of Thy kind Spirit,
in the way it comes to pass
That hired men on horseback
and the livestock that we tend
Can look up at the stars at night,
and know we've got a Friend.

So here's ol' Christmas comin' on,
remindin' us again
Of Him whose coming brought good will
into the hearts of men.
A cowboy ain't a preacher, Lord,
but if You'll hear my prayer,
I'll ask as good as we have got
for all men everywhere.

Don't let no hearts be bitter, Lord.
Don't let no child be cold.
Make easy the beds for them that's sick
and them that's weak and old.
Let kindness bless the trail we ride,
no matter what we're after,
And sorter keep us on Your side,
in tears as well as laughter.

I've seen ol' cows a-starvin'—
and it ain't no happy sight;
Please don't leave no one hungry, Lord,
on Thy Good Christmas Night—
No man, no child, no woman,
and no critter on four feet
I'll do my doggone best
to help you find 'em chuck to eat.

I'm just a sinful cowpoke, Lord—
ain't got no business prayin'
But still I hope you'll ketch a word
or two, of what I'm sayin':
We speak of Merry Christmas, Lord—
I reckon You'll agree—

There ain't no Merry Christmas
for nobody that ain't free!
So one thing more I ask You,
Lord: just help us what You can
To save some seeds of freedom
for the future Sons of Man!

Its almost here.... what to do, what to do!!!

Well Christmas is almost here. We have still not decided what we are going to do. With Eric surgery coming up in a week we thought maybe just get out and take a drive or something. Maybe take a little picnic Christmas dinner lunch and go drive. Anybody have any fun ideas I would love to hear??:) I hope everyone is all ready and that y'all have an extremely blessed Christmas!!!!

Calendars for a great charity!

It is time again this year for crystal peaks youth ranch calendars. This is an amazing organization that not only helps rescue horses but helps people also. They give these calendars out for donation. It is an awesome charity to help out. Kim has also written several books that are amazing!!! If you can this holiday season please go to their site and order a calendar and donate anything you can. Every little bit helps:)

http://www.crystalpeaksyouthranch.org/Merchandise/2012-calendar/default.aspx

More surgeries

Well Eric will have to have surgery on the 28th to repair two hernias. They found the one when he was in surgery for his appendix. I know, I know why not fix it then? That was our question to but with all the lawsuits they don't do that stuff anymore. So now he has to go through another surgery. Eric is beyond hating of hospitals and doctors so this is not a good thing for him. He tends to pass out and have seizures at hospitals so we are praying all will go well and that won't happen. So we are just praying it will all go well and no complications. He will be off work for two weeks and then light duty for couple weeks so it is going to be a challenge for us. But GOD is good so all will be fine.
Then when my left arm is doing better and can bare weight, the doctor said I will probably have to have surgery on the right arm. So we shall see.

Amazing Time at Bears-Broncos Game!!!

This is one of the best Christmas presents ever!!! My dad and I got to see my favorite team the Chicago bears play his favorite team the Broncos at home. This was the most amazing time. Even though my Bears lost:( It was an amazing game to watch live!! That stadium has the most amazing energy. That city does really. Even Saturday in downtown people were just yelling through the streets to each other to go bears or go broncos!!! There were SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO many bears fans that came to see. We even met a guy that flew in from Austria just for the game!! AMAZING!!! This was definitely an amazing experience!!!

Me and dad on the mile high walk around the stadium

This was our view with no zoom on the camera from our hotel room window!!

Hotel VQ was awesome. And older hotel but friendly, easy to walk to game and they had free shuttles everywhere!! And the skybox restaurant at the top was awesome!!

Coors tailgated in our hotel parking lot so free beer for dad and free brats and soda for me:)

Love their statue and fountain going up to the stadium!

Broncos coming onto the field!!!

My favorite of anything opening ceremonies and star spangle banner. They did amazing and even had a flyover as you will see on video. Loved the horse Denver has, she rode him through quite a bit. And they did all the color guard, and had parachuters come into the stadium. AMAZING SHOW!!!!

This was our seats:) Prity good. High enough we could see across the whole field but low enough to see the names and such:) If you look across we sat about where the tunnels come in just to the side. GREAT SEATS:)

It will definetly be a memory for a lifetime. My dad is not just a fan he is a devoted obsessive fan. I really had to start routing for denver because my dad was getting prity sad with it looking so grim:( But it was such an amazing game to see live for sure. I think there be more of those in the future. My dream will be to see them play eachother in chicago:)

An Awesome Christmas present!!

So my dads dream has always been to see the Denver Broncos play. Well now I only live a few hours from there. So back in the september my mom and grandma, my brother and sister in law and I got to talking and they decided for christmas it would be fun to send me and my dad to a game and that game would be against my team the Chicago Bears:) I was soooooooooooo excited!!! I know my team isn't doing so hot now that cutler messed his hand up:( But still!!! So they are flying my dad in tomorrow and we are staying at a hotel right at mile high stadium and we are going to the game:) It was such an awesome present for both of us:) I will leave in the am and pick my dad up at the aiport since he is flying in from Oregon and then we will be off for a memory of a lifetime:)

Christmas cards are done!

So It was time again for our annual Christmas card photos! We decided this year to only try and wrestle the dogs with us and then do it outside. We took a nice little drive just up from us a ways and found just a little snow. And then the fun begins with 3 dogs that want to run, sniff and well you know water every plant that exists in the national forest. You will see a little of the fun in the next pics:)

Doesn't He look so excited. He is saying ya right this is going to be an epic fail:)

Next comes the bribery:) Start with that and see if it works!!

Got at least one good picture with him and the boys!! That was after we put the leashes on and Eric got to hold them:)

Then there is the mom goes, mom runs back almost falls getting in her spot and they get up to see what going on! Over and over again!

Why is my arm like that you say? Well we found the secret to making them look, just had to time it right.....

Prity good right! You hit the timer, hit the button, run, squat down count to two and then you throw their treat in front of the camera right before the flash goes off! And Vooohallah!!:)


Even Target got into it. Wanting to say Meowy Christmas:)

And Tonka of course!!!

I couldn't figure out how to get the finished card on here:( I did it through walmart and it wouldn't let me save the image to my computer. I don't have a scanner either. But it turned out prity well. It actually held 6 pics so we have the one of all of us in the snow, one of each of the cats, one of the horses wearing Christmas hats, one of me and Eric in our winter hats and one of some Colorado mountains. It was fun and great memories we can share.!

Pinterest

Ok who else is obsessed??? I love, love, love this site. I has sooooooooooo many awesome ideas for DIY projects, home decor, etc. And so much you can do yourself and do for cheap. I am just absolutely in love. Now I just wish my arms would work right so I could try some of it:) Great site for Christmas gift and decorating ideas:)

Just can't quit!!

I know, I know.....Didn't I learn the first time that I can't quit this blog!! I love blogging and I love my fellow bloggers. I just don't want to quit blogging. It has been a great learning experience for me and I realize that we open ourselves up here for new perspectives and sharing. I just can't give that all up:) Please forgive me for thinking I could just leave it all:)