Meanwhile back at the ranch ....

Hello, sweetie.....

I AM alive and actually very well! I feel like I have to make this the mega post to get caught up so I will start off with the story behind the title.... Read on my lovelies!

I am a child of the Reading Rainbow generation and one of THE funniest books good ole Lavar ever read was called, "Meanwhile Back At The Ranch." The whole book is a back and forth of two plots, one chaos and the other not. I don't want to give it all away because you should look it up, but that statement has always been a go-to for describing life when it goes from frickin madness to zen.  

And so I fill you in .... 

#1 - NEW JOB! Halllllelllllllujjjjjjaaahhhh! Those of you who follow my Instagram know that the last 6 months have been less that blissful (by a long shot) and I've been trying to hold on to the faith and my soul to find a new job and I DiD IT! I just finished my first week and I am so happy to be there. The new job and resignation from previous job, also meant the ability to take a much needed week off to catch my breath, clean my house, pamper myself and go to Idaho for the 4th of July. What fun I had and I was one pooped lady last Sunday. 

Two Sunday afternoons spent at Snow Basin Resort for their Blues, Brews and BBQ with my lovely friend and her kiddos.....you must GO! Uncle Pete's loaded fries = life changing. 

Rookie gondola ride! 

At the top! Needles! GORG!

This little miss steals my heart!

Photo-bombed by the Needles Express!

I will spare you the before and after that was my disaster hit house. I will be perfectly blunt and honest that the house work is the FIRST to go when I'm stressed. I did my best, but this lady's casa needed some serious love and attention. 

Next up was a night of princess peace and quiet and pampering with a stay at the Alaskan Inn in Ogden Canyon. I am a firm believer in running away to regroup and this Ogden gem is just the place. Jetted tub, princess bed, breakfast IN bed and the best part? Falling asleep to the sound of the Ogden River. PURE heaven. Take your sweets or just yourself and spend the money to have a night there. It's the best thing I've done in a long time. My lovely seester works there so I walked into my room to see this on the table:

She knows me well......

That's not your basic blah French Toast... It's creme brûlée! Yum to the yum to the yum! You can imagine how relaxed I was leaving the Inn. 

Next up was a trip to the 'burg for the 4th to see my bestie and her hooligan husband and the kids. I LOVE going to see them even though I get the usual redhead harrassment from her husband. He knows I'm the bomb.com and that I fight back. 8 years and counting .... This year I decided to go all out with my outfit and it was FUN!!!!!! The skirt was a jackpot find on Facebook and was purchased from The Nest on Main. What a great store! Such amazing service and they even featured me on their page. It's not every day that a curvy lady like me gets featured so it meant a lot. Jewelry was a last minute find at an antique store in Rigby, ID. So so so fun!

This 4th of July was so relaxed and special. We didn't go to an organized community fireworks show, but stayed in the neighborhood. I don't know if I will ever go to a crowded show again after the night we had. This group of humans has become my family and I loved celebrating freedom with them. 

So beyond blessed to have this lady as my sister best friend. We have been through thick and thin and I can not even begin to thank her enough. My Jo.

All-in-all, this week was a week of my favorite things and it put me in a place to face my next career adventure with a smile on my face and a HAPPPPPY heart. 

The moral of the story: Amidst the chaos, there is always a "meanwhile back at the ranch" for all of us and it is called our happy place. Find your happy place and go there often. 

Until next time, my lovelies!

-R

::Becoming American::

I am so excited to be a guest blogger today!  And what better day than my F.A.V.O.R.I.T.E. holiday?

Why is today my favorite holiday you might be asking?  Aside from it being summer, the BBQs being fired up, the fireworks display after dark, and the lemonade…  Today marks the 238^th anniversary of our great country’s Independence.  At heart I am proud to be an American. 

My journey to this place in my heart began in 2001.  I graduated high school in Washington and moved off to college in Virginia.  Little did I know that at that TINY little university nestled in the Shenandoah Valley I would be moved to such patriotism.  September 11, 2001 is a day that many will never forget.  It was the day America was changed.  America was violated.  That day also happened to be the day I had been asked for a date. A date that would change my life.  I was asked out by a cadet from VMI, Matthew.   When the attacks in New York and Washington DC happened I didn’t know if this date would happen.  But it did.  And it was the start of a beautiful relationship.  While courting, I learned that Matthew would commission into the Army once he graduated.  That meant that his life would be a constant of moves, deployments, and service.  I was ready to sign up.  We fell in love.  We got engaged.  We planned a wedding.  We got married.  He commissioned (as did I, we all know that it how it really worked).  We found out I was expecting a baby the next summer.  We packed up our small apartment and moved west to Fort Sill, Oklahoma.  Little did we know what was around the corner for our new family.  We spent over 5 years in Oklahoma.  In those 5 years there was a deployment that lasted 15 months just after our second child was born.  During the deployment Esquire visited the team Matthew was deployed with.  You can read about it here.  After Matthew’s return home and a military course later we were stationed at Fort Lewis, Washington.  This is close to HOME for me.  We thought it would be good in case there was another deployment. 

What I have learned being a military wife has brought me to my knees in gratitude.  Matthew wanted to serve in the military because he wanted to make it safe for his children to play in their own backyard.  Matthew wanted to protect those that couldn't protect themselves.  Matthew wanted to make a difference.  This is what all of our men and women and uniform do.  Even writing this I have chills. 

I have been with women who have had to deliver their baby without their husband because he was far away heeding his country’s call to serve.  I have been with families while they grieve the loss of their soldier.  I have seen the flags waving bravely in the breeze as a funeral procession drives down the road.  I have had the touching reminders of the greater good around us because of the military. 

While I am no longer an Army Wife, I still have the most tender of feelings for this country.  Hearing the National Anthem makes my eyes well with tears and my heart swell.  I am so proud to be an American.

This is my little guy looking up to his dad as the Army Band plays the National Anthem. (I am even teary again!)

A few weeks ago I took my kids to the local outdoor amphitheater to watch the Utah Symphony perform.  While we sat on our blanket in the grass my son laid back and started directing the music.  And I thought about how incredibly lucky we are to be able to enjoy this.  And my heart became a little sad at all of the children all over the world who don’t have this luxury that we do.  As the maestro began to engage with the crowd I wasn't paying much attention since I was so involved with my thoughts.  And then I heard him talking about why they do these types of concerts in the summer.  It was to pay tribute to our beautiful country.  He then said that they will be playing the songs of all the branches of the military.  He asked those that had served, were serving, had loved ones serving in the branch of each song to please stand.  When the Army Song came on, I had my kids stand.  And much to my pride they both began singing the words to the Army Song.  They beamed with pride as they sang this song for their dad serving our country in Pakistan.

The Army Goes Rolling Along

Intro: March along, sing our song, with the Army of the free

Count the brave, count the true, who have fought to victory

We’re the Army and proud of our name

We’re the Army and proudly proclaim

Verse: First to fight for the right,

And to build the Nation’s might,

And The Army Goes Rolling Along

Proud of all we have done,

Fighting till the battle’s won,

And the Army Goes Rolling Along.

Refrain: Then it’s Hi! Hi! Hey!

The Army’s on its way.

Count off the cadence loud and strong (TWO! THREE!)

For where e’er we go,

You will always know

That The Army Goes Rolling Along.

Verse: Valley Forge, Custer’s ranks,

San Juan Hill and Patton’s tanks,

And the Army went rolling along

Minute men, from the start,

Always fighting from the heart,

And the Army keeps rolling along.

(refrain)

Verse: Men in rags, men who froze,

Still that Army met its foes,

And the Army went rolling along.

Faith in God, then we’re right,

And we’ll fight with all our might,

As the Army keeps rolling along.

(refrain)

Raising Girls

Tonight I was the co-hostess for my dear friend's baby shower. She and her

husband were surprised with this pregnancy and they are pleased to have a little girl on the way. She is 38 and this is baby #5 so I insisted on a party. I may have gone over budget and I am not ashamed. I haven't bought anything pink and cutesy in years. And deep in my heart I look forward to my turn to birth a daughter. Yep. I said it.

I haven't talked a lot about my mom because she is funny about social media exposure, but I feel it is necessary. She can get over it after she reads this post. It hasn't been easy being the daughter to this woman. I am the oldest and she was young when I was born. She even admits that she kind of felt like a failure when I was still a baby so she had my brother quick to prove that she didn't completely suck at motherhood. She and I didn't see eye-to-eye for a lot of years and it was rough. However, this mamma bear was adamant that her kids were educated and they knew the facts of life. We may have been scared shitless to mess up but we knew choices brought consequences and that we had to work hard to be successful. Now there are lots of regrets in fights and statements that were made but forgiveness is real and there have been some pretty major trials and experiences for both of us that have helped us grow. 

It is not easy for a woman who had 5 hooligan brothers to raise 3 daughters. It is also not easy to raise girls when the oldest is a redhead, the middle is a feisty free spirit and the youngest is an angel from God. We are the Motley Crüe of whatever. But. We are passionate. We are deeply commited to our family, our sweethearts and our country because our mom is to hers. With that I give further insight.

Family: My mom is very very devoted to her family both living and deceased. She's a family history nut and as a result we know all sorts of information about the living and the dead. Additionally, she absolutely loves her parents, her brothers, her sisters-in-law and her grandbabies. I have never set foot at Disneyland because any available family vacation time was spent with her family. They are loud, redneck, very Republican but oh so incredible. And we are content with a package of hot dogs, some buns and a fire, as long as we are together. 

Love: My mom made the decision to be a homemaker from day 1 of her life as a mother. She raised us with a passion for musicals, opera and family history, among other things. We also knew that she had fallen short of a bachelors degree to raise kids and it always bothered her that her education wasn't complete. So she insisted that all her children, especially her girls. would be educated. It just was not an option to give up in the middle. It was a proud day for me to see her graduate with her bachelors degree a week after I did. She has always been a devoted wife to my quirky adorable dad. The older I get and the more relationships I have the funnier it is to see how their relationship ticks. They are a crack up, but a good match. 

Country: Without doubt I can credit my love for this country and its flag because of my mom. We knew when ALL the flag-flying holidays were and why they existed. We also knew that both our parents were faithful voters and I was most excited about turning 18 so I could have my turn at the polls. The right to our opinion was and still is a sacred one and she was proud of us as we exercised  that right.

We are living in an extremely different time than when I was a kid. Our girls are exposed to muck and smut all day long from so many different avenues. If you think that you can protect your daughters from it all YOU ARE WRONG. At one click of a button she can see every which way to do whatever and whenever. We need to teach our girls to know their boundaries and stand their ground in school, work, relationships and the polls. If we are teaching the fundamental wisdom that choices bring consequences and being REAL about what those actually mean it will be ok. And even if they mess up they will rebound and come back. I am deeply upset when I see things that fly across the news that take away the right to choose for women. I am a Mormon and I just said that in print. Get over it. And I'm not talking about abortion or birth control so don't jump to conclusions. And ya, that may cause you to roll your eyes, but ultimately we need to have the right to dictate our own lives and the choices we make are our business. If we make it our life's mantra to live and let live, I know that we will be greatly enriched by everyone who is going after the same goal: to make it another day and not go bat shit crazy. It's pretty simple. 

The moral of the story: much to her surprise my mom raised awesome daughters who are a lot more like her than they will EVER admit out loud. 

Until next time, my lovelies!

-R