2014: One Tough Year

It is the 31st of December, New Year's Eve, and so another year is coming to a close. It's been a really, really difficult year.... and yet at the same time I don't think I've had as many enjoyable days in other years as I have this year. It's odd how that happens isn't it?

Looking back there have been some big changes in these wee 365 days.
To start with my brother's engagement ended, which was a bummer to many, although everything happens for a reason.

Then my favorite cat, "Next Cat Stop - Twenty Miles" (a.k.a Cat Stop) died. The most rad cat ever.

Some friends gave us a bunch of kittens a few months after Cat Stop died... one of them was so cute and adventurous on the ride home, so I named it Shrapnel.

..."Capt'n Shrap" for short. Not a good idea though... be careful what you name your creatures because their names seem to come true. Shrap fell in a bucket of boiling water. Channing got it out pretty fast but it's hair started falling out and it died soon after.  =(

 Wax, the cat... 

...whom I have many nick-names for: Waxley, Waxford, Waximilian, etc.
But Cat Stop... never met a cat like it yet.... although I have befriended Wax now who is a pretty rad cat too. :)

Two friends from a family that attends my church decided to "come out of the closet" which was a big shock to the family and a sad moment for us all. We haven't seen them since.

Jake, our favorite royal fatness moved far, far away!!! I think we're still going through withdrawals.

 Meadow, Channing & Jake

                                                Jake, Jake!!!

My niece, Leela, left her family here on Earth for a better home in the sky with Jesus... 

Little Princess, Leela!

We held a benefit for Leela.... trying to raise funds for the medication to keep her happy and alive longer... but the disease she was diagnosed with had a 100% mortality rate. We cherished what time we did have with her.

Then around this Thanksgiving my parents decided to quit dairy farming after 21 years. We are shipping the cows either tomorrow or the next day. What are we gonna do without cows? For me it's more like identity crisis. I've been milking cows since I could start working.

 "Look at all this milk! I'm gonna make me a fortune!" - Mitchell and Webb

 Jersey's are the cutest!!!

Well... I fed calves before I was milking cows but milking cows was more to my liking. I would even get my friends to milk with me just to show them how awesome it was. Not sure if it worked but I tried to convince them. Haha!

 Myself, Patrick and Channing

It's been a hard decision to make, but I think my parents are super brave for taking this step. It's hard when your business and your home-life are connected. A person with an average job can lose their job and find another one. It's a different matter when you ARE the job. Being a farmer is a unique and important occupation. I guess my time being a farmer will make me an "AGvocate" for the rest of my life.

Nevertheless, the cows are going (although we're keeping 8 calves and 4 milk cows for now). It's really happening and who knows what will happen next. There are so many options. Obviously I still have my milking job at the neighbors so that will help me make the transition, but it won't be the same anymore. 

The bumper sticker I put on my car.

I guess I won't miss having to round up all of the cows who enjoy escaping on a daily basis! (....well, I'll even miss that a little.)

On the bright side... there have been a lot of fun and enjoyable moments this year.

I had my golden birthday and turned 22 in January! There was a casual birthday party where people played games and just visited. We took wax off of a New Glarus beer-wine bottle and rolled it around a napkin 'wick' to make a candle, lit it and they sang happy birthday to me! So random! :) ANDD... my good friends decided to give me a surprise party on my actually birthday!!! They brought gingerbread cookies to decorate and snack on! Good memories!

My very oldest friend (as in I've known her the longest),

 Sandy & I, (with KayLee who was taking the pic)

 out for my b-day.

 Making cookies with my family and the Forsters!

In April I went to the 40th Annual Viennese Ball with Channing, Hannah, Robbie & Courtney!!! Who doesn't love to dance the night away. ....and Hannah & were proud of ourselves as we found Channing a suit at a used store two days prior to the ball and tailored it to fit him!! He looked very sharp in it!

 This is the lot of us getting ready to leave for the dance.


At the ball getting ready to return home.... One. Last. Picture!

My friends Sandy, KayLee and I decided to start spending more time together so we'd get together on our birthdays or once every-other month.

Sandy, KayLee and I

My friend Hannah moved up around the end of March/beginning of April and she lived with me for a month. You should have seen my little bedroom with the two of us crammed in there!

We did everything together... milked cows, went shopping, did work, planted flowers, took walks... LOTS of stuff!!! =)

 Hannah and I milking cows in my barn for the last time.

We nick-named the milking parlor, "The Womb" ...since it's dark, warm and is the birthplace of Hannah's milking career! ;) hehe!

She moved out after a month of living with my family. She got an apartment and jobs on some farms not too far away so we still get together on occasion and we have a good time!

Hannah and her boyfriend, Mike, gave me a "So God Made A Farmer" sweatshirt just last night!!! =) ....I think I'm gonna wear it forever.

Man's best friend is his dog... so here's a pic of my dog Jess and I. She's getting so old!!

This Spring a friend gave us a baby goat. It was sick so we nursed it back to health. It couldn't even walk because it's joints were so swollen...

We decided to name it Goatleigh, and it's more like a pet dog than it is a barn-yard animal.

Now she's running around, eating everything in sight and is back to normal although she still has a slight limp!

There have been many enjoyable days of working at the neighbor's farm. Some mornings Hannah would bring me coffee. There was no milk at the house, and I usually take my coffee with cream, so we'd squeeze some goodness from a teat!! :)

All Summer while the weather was nice I would bring in the cows for morning milking. This one, red heifer kept following me around so I snapped a few pictures. I felt like "Mary had a little lamb" ....except for with a cow!

Hannah and I even planted flower's in the farmer's flowerbeds! He was a bachelor at the time so things needed a little sprucing up!! ...and my view while milking was much improved once the wildflower mix bloomed.

One day I saw a double rainbow at 5:30am on the way to milking for Tyler. Then that same day on the way home from milking for Tyler in the evening I saw ANOTHER double rainbow! It doesn't get much better than that!

 In July we had the Redneck Hay Wagon Dance! Got to hang out with awesome friends, and dance to our crazy tunes!! 

 Gettin' their groove on!!!

 Gotta love the Christmas lights!

Just a few of the crazy peeps!

One big improvement this year: My parents bought me a little ceiling fan!!!! My bedroom faces the North... so it's the coldest room in the winter with it's drafty, old windows, and it's the hottest room in the summer.... as even the humid Southern wind doesn't reach my little room. SOOOoo..... the fan makes a nice breeze and keeps me from cooking alive while I sleep at night. :)

...and in case you're wondering, yes, I still draw on my walls, and yes, my room is still a mess!

I had fun writing to my friend Christopher, who is stationed in Uganda, serving in the Peace Corps. Got away with sending a few letters with only one forever stamp on each envelope and then one day the post office figured me out and told me I had to start paying the $1.45. Hehe

I also called him early this year (January maybe?). He told me of all the banana plantations, the warm weather and about the people there and how they focus on family more than material things which is a totally different mind-set compared to most of us Americans. It was fun! ...but after we received our phone bill I decided letter writing was a cheaper option. lol
Nevertheless, I'm pretty sure Chris is enjoying himself over there. :)

As far as friends go, I was able to see a lot of good friends that live far away and spend time with good friends that live nearby.

The Gitto girls, Rebecca and I

 Got to spend time with Sarah, Sandy and Josie!!

 Courtney & I

The morning Courtney surprised me by riding 

                            a bike down to the farm I was working at!

My dad's family all came up for a vacation right around the time of Leela's funeral... so in spite of the sad events we had a wonderful time with relatives which really helped to cheer us all up.

 Some peeps visiting outside in the nice summer air.

 It's been 25 years since my parents moved to WI and bought the farm. This was the motel they stayed at when they first moved here!!

 Here's the whole lot of us at a Leinie's tour!!

Because my brother Isaac was no longer engaged he quit his job working for the frack-sand mining company and started doing concrete again. I ended up getting to see him more often and we had many awesome days of hanging out spontaneously. I even helped him on a few of his landscaping jobs!

Road trippin' with my bro!

Then I took an awesome vacation with my friends Matt and Sandy to visit our friends Courtney and Robbie!

 Laser tag group!!!

 Courtney& Robbie, Me, Sandy & Matt

Makin' waves!!!

Boy! did we have a blast together! ....quite literally, I suppose, because we did play laser tag on the first night for Robbie's birthday. :) We also went swimming in Lake Michigan which was epic as well.

My brother Isaac and I also spent Labor Day weekend with Courtney's family!!

Bonfire on the first night at camp!

Robbie, Court & I after swimming!

Packin' up and headin' home after a fun weekend!

Biggest Bestest News of the Year:
I've had TWO new nephews born this year! Oliver and Christian. =)

 Bradford (last year around his 5th b-day)!!!

 Meadow.... this Christmas with her missing teeth!!!

 Dexter on his birthday... with a gun, of course!!!

 Alice, already such a character!!!

 

Leela... we miss her so much!!!

 Oliver, just a day old with the softest skin ever!!!

Christian: the best Christmas present!!

I'm a blessed Aunt to have 3 nieces and 4 nephews. Bradford, Meadow, Dexter, Alice, Leela, Oliver, and Christian. Such a lucky girl, I am!

Anyways, I'm sure all of this info has made you bored stiff.... as stiff as the concrete my Dad pours. The picture above is a large manure pit my dad's crew poured at the farm my friend Hannah works at! Pretty neat!

ANYWAYS...........
With all of the depressing things that have happened this year it's hard to look on the bright side and be positive about the future.

I try to drown my troubles only to discover there is a cow on the bottle!!! (That's a joke by the way... alcohol in moderation only!!!)
 So as Mr. Rodger's says,

But really... the most important thing is the strength God's given my family to make it through these rough times. I know that He has a greater plan, His thoughts are higher than my thoughts.... and a little prayer and supplication with thanksgiving will give us the peace and calm to survive even the darkest moments. I know we're not Israel and God doesn't give us signs to follow.... but I don't think he'd mind us following this one....
So we just have to keep doing what this sign I saw said to do:

I'm sure I've missed a great deal of things that have happened this year, but one cannot blog about everything. So  with that I'd like to wish you the best for the coming year and share with you a neat version of "For Auld Lang Syne"....

My sister-in-law, Kendra (Leela's mom) said that this would have definitely been Leela's favorite version. So give this one a listen for Leela... for old time's sake.

So from our cute calf, "Bubbly"....

...and from my family, we hope your 2014 was a good year... and...

We'd like to wish you a Happy New Year!!!!