Thoughts Before My Birthday

So I'm having a birthday tomorrow...It's so weird, when I was young, I never imagined myself or my life past 21-22. I thought that I was going to graduate from college, find a rancher, get married and have at least 1 kid by now....Instead I spent 3.5 years in retail and then got a job on a ranch, all by myself. I did get a few "kids" though...2 horses, a dog and a cat keep me pretty busy. And I keep reminding myself to savor these nights when I come home from work and can just sit on the couch and watch TV for an hour, then go work the horses until it's dark out and not have to worry about getting dinner or take anyone anywhere. :)
I've learned that I am a strong woman who can handle a lot of things, but who still knows when to get help or go cry on mom's shoulder, and that's ok. I've learned that I need to take care of myself, because if I don't, I won't have the energy to do projects or hang out with friends. And I'll look back and wish I had done more. I've learned that I can be totally happy only going to town once a week. I've learned that there is no formula for a relationship with God (which really frustrates me some days :) ). I've learned that even though there are millions of hours of TV and movies out there, they don't answer that cry for God in my heart. I've learned that if I'm confident in my abilities and know my limitations, I'll earn more respect from the people around me than if I try to fake it. I've learned that it's OK to show my emotions, and will actually help me move through the circumstance if I don't stuff my emotions down deep inside. I learned that to forgive, I have to confront my feelings.
So this next year, I want to continue growing in my relationship with God. I want to hang out with more of my friends - make it a priority. I want to practice my cowboying and get better at my horsemanship. I want to laugh everyday, cry when I need to, and always look for the good in people.

Branding

Last Saturday we went over to a neighbors and branded some of their calves.
We rope and drag, which means that the roper ropes the back legs and pulls them out to where some other people gently hold him down while we brand them and give them their shots. Then they get to go find their mamas and head out to pasture.

My sister came along to her first branding! and we put her to work :)

 Ignore the poor horsemanship in this photo...The Mare and I were having a heated discussion about which way to turn after roping the calf ;)

Here they are branding and giving shots all at once :)

The calf is being dragged from right to left, I'm pulling up on the rope to help tip the calf over on it's side

**Thanks to Lana and Suzy for the photos**