Two Weeks Notice

In the course of a month the my little world has turned and twisted down new roads and towards new goals. As you know, on the first of the month, Jeff and I started courting. Then during the middle of the month I put in my two weeks notice at my job. I'd almost quit a month before and the boss talked me into staying, but the split shifts, near 100 miles of driving a day and 2 hour commute had started taking it's toll. After a year and 3 months, and lots of experiences and lessons learn, I was facing vehicle issues that were so bad I wasn't sure if I'd make it to work. So quit instead of get fired seemed like a wise idea. With the added bonus that it was time to try a different career besides milking cows and put a different skill on my resume. The day after I put in my TWN I found a car on Craigslist, was able to pay for it in cash (a new experience for me... and exciting to try doing things the "Dave Ramsey way).

Now I'm about to head off for the first day of CNA class. I've been offered a job as a CNA, provided I pass the class. I have a lot of work cut out for myself but I'm excited for this new adventure and I know God will give me the strength, courage and brains to tackle this changing world I face.

Hope you all are having a blessed Monday. Let's keep God in the forefront of our thoughts week!

A Very Extraordinary New Year

It's a brand new year! Although it's an ordinary year in that there have been many years before it and there will be many years that follow it, it is unique because of the events that occur within it. 

For myself it is an extraordinary year because on the very first day of the very first month of this new calendar a wonderful man changed my relationship status from 'single' to 'in a courtship'. His name is Jeff and it's been quite a blessing getting to know him.

We changed our Facebook statuses. It now says that we're "In a relationship", but Facebook doesn't have a courtship option. The only other option that would even come close other than "In a relationship" would be "It's complicated". Perhaps, "It's complicated" would be the most accurate of them all, but it sounds too negative and therefore doesn't fit. Because there's nothing negative about this relationship. 

 *isn't his smile contagious?!*

There ARE a lot of challenges... but none that are the worrisome kind. Mostly challenges that have to do with him being from Canada and how far apart we are from each other. Oh, a long distance relationship is quite interesting. Dating a foreigner comes with a few road blocks... like visas, passports, immigration, paperwork, and enough laws and regulations to make your head spin. No just hanging out in our time off, meeting up on the weekends or taking things casually. Yet, these are merely challenges for us to work through that will only make us grow stronger together. 100,000 miles of distance wouldn't make me change my mind about this guy. 

  *you'll have to forgive our chill phone camera photos,
but we're both pretty chill kids so I guess it fits*

To be honest, I'd given up hope that there were any guys left in this world that would be willing to go the extra mile and go through the courtship process. I certainly didn't think that when I sat down at a table next to two Canadian fellows at an organic conference last February I'd be in a relationship with one almost a year later. And I was quite prepared to be one of those 40-and-still-single gals, clinging to her ideals and faith. I wouldn't have made a very good 40-and-single lady though, haha! I think God works these things out in His perfect timing. I feel very blessed that Jeff not only met my expectations but has exceeded them in so many ways! I could dedictate a whole blog post (or a ton) to the many ways he's not only fulfilled my dreams but continues to soar above my wildest wishes. And no, I am not exaggerating (yes, I can read your mind. haha!).

Anyway, without sounding too cliche, he really does inspire me to be a better woman. I can't wait to see where this journey leads.... but I think it's going to be a really, really long journey. This is our hope at least. You know, the "until death..." kind of journey. 

Happy 2017, Everyone! May we grow more each day in our understanding of God's goodness and grace.

Goodbye 2015

365 days already over. Well.... almost. There's only 4 hours left of the 365th. Good old December 31st, always bringing about a nostalgic, bittersweet end of a year.
I suppose some people will stay up to watch the clock change from 11:59pm to 12:00am, thereby heralding the beginning of a new calendar. But really, isn't that all this is? The celebration of removing a filled up and used old calendar for a new one with new pictures and altered numeric arrangements? I can't understand all the hype over such a simple and mundane ordinance.
Yet, maybe it is a big deal. After all, if we're here to put up a new calendar, we've just lived through 365 more days of living on this earth. That's 8,765 hours we've just survived. 525,948 minutes we've managed to encounter. That's 31,556,926 seconds that passed while our hearts ticked on.

Yes, I supposed it is something to celebrate, the closing of a chapter in the time table. We've made it this far... so here's to the next 366 days... Yeah we have to make it through that extra day thanks to Leap Year landing in 2016. 

Here's to the rest of 2015. May this next year bring us closer to God, closer to our families and closer to our goals. Happy New Year's Eve! Cheers!

Starting From Scratch

It's 2015. I wouldn't mind a big year full of nothing. No excitement. No problems. No pleasures. Just routine. Work. Milking cows.
...but that's not going to happen, is it.

Oh well, ...act now, cry later. That's how I deal with things. If I cry at all. I over-do the happy side of things sometimes because I'm afraid to let my emotions show. So when they do come out of hiding it's more like an explosive network of bombs.... unraveling each issue I've been bottling up since who-knows-when.

I suppose it's all a part of the growing up process. Problems help bring out our worst so we can see it in the daylight and figure out how to address it and move beyond it. I remember from drivers ed, I.P.D.E. ... Identify. Predict. Determine. Execute. Sounds like a good strategy for dealing with life issues.... not just automobile experiences. As General George S. Patton said, "A good plan violently executed now is better than a perfect plan executed next week."

The point is that one should have a plan. Any plan. Yet, nothing sounds interesting to me right now. I have 500 projects I could work on. Things to create, things to make, participate in, accomplish, clean... you name it. ...but the center of my schedule, the one thing that was always sure, was my job milking our cows. It wasn't just a job either. It was my identity, my purpose. 

Just a few weeks ago I was talking to an old homeschool friend and we were discussing careers. She'd just graduated from University, was about to marry a guy who'd also graduated from University and they were moving to the big city where their careers would take place. What was I doing? Milking cows. Of course that didn't sound very lofty to my friend and it didn't matter to me what she thought of my occupation because she didn't understand that though my vocation sounded humble the cause was noble. It seems to me that people don't understand farming much unless they've truly come into contact with farmers or participated in agriculture.

I never imagined myself to be a career chick. I never cared to be out there in the work force, to be the bread-winner. In fact, I thought I'd get married young and have a bunch of kids. It sounded like a nice life plan and it didn't have the big, red debt score to add to the "I do" list. Since the marriage thing didn't happen, I focused on milking cows. Well, I focused on milking anyway because I enjoyed it. It could be difficult, challenging and yet equally rewarding and satisfying. I liked the routine, the passion, and the bigger purpose for dairy farming that reached beyond our little farm. Making food for the world. Now that's something big. Though being a milkmaid sounded menial to others it did not bother me because I knew my worth.

Then, yesterday we took my job, took my purpose, put it on a trailer and sent it down the road to someone else, somewhere else. 

What am I now? 

I am starting from scratch. Scraping together my desires and looking for some all-purpose super glue, in hopes of re-purposing my purposeless being.
 
O.K. ... I'm being a little extra gloomy. It's not as bad as I'm making it sound. I know I am pretty lucky and maybe in my next post I'll be able to tell you just how lucky, fortunate and successful I am. As General George S. Patton also said, "I don't measure a man's success by how high he climbs but how high he bounces when he hits bottom."

Right now it's about not dwelling at the bottom end of things. It's about getting up and carrying on. Winston Churchill said, "Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts."

So I am searching for the courage. The courage to try new things. Searching for ambition and searching for purpose. I know it's all waiting out there for me... at my disposal. Time to bounce back and advance into the future. 
It's the idea that things happen for good reasons and the best is yet to come. It all hinges on hope... that mere thread of possibility.

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!!!!