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Fulfilled

Wine rack, fulfilled.

Got a few more nice bottles of wine this weekend. Don't get illusions that they are top dollar wines though. We are cheap and usually make do with two buck chuck from Trader Joes, so anything that costs more than $2 is pretty classy in our book!

A Celebration

Thanks to some high school friends and their lovers for helping me celebrate my big Quarter Century birthday!

Wine + Murphys = Such a good time. And I only spilled a little bit of wine on my dress. :)

25

Today, I turn 25 years old. Quarter of a century. I'm starting to get run ragged folks, I'm an old lady! 

Just kidding. Kinda.

Anyways, 25 years is a long time, but I have managed to continue doing the things I loved to do as a kid. And you know what?? Here's to another 25 more, but with a different last name!!

Things I loved, and still love to do:

Play with cows.

Play in the water.

Play with kitties. (Maybe torture kitties is a better description)

Play with horses.

Play with my weird lookin' faces.

Play in the snow.

Play with photo shoots in the hay alley.

Play dress up and put weird things on my head.

Play getting married.

(Updated picture to come soon) 

:)

Traffic Jam

Most out of staters have this impression that California is full of beaches, celebrities, bumper to bumper traffic jams...

Well, that may be true if you live in the very southern part of this state, it could not be more of a myth around these parts: The California Central Valley.

Poverty stricken and with no "bright lights" around these parts, we have very few celebrities.

We definitely don't have beaches. We do have cows, orchards, crops, and lots of flies.

We also don't get many bumper to bumper traffic jams, unless you dare to drive to the big city of San Francisco, which is still quite the journey from our little valley towns.

The only traffic we tend to run into around these parts are....

Trains. Lots and lots of trains. They got plenty of places to be, apparently. It seems Texas and I cannot make a single trip to the grocery store without getting stopped by a long train. Or in this example, I was on my way back from sending cows to auction.

We also have an abundance of farm machinery that tend to put a damper in the day of the city folk around these parts. Sometimes taking up a lane and a half, they can be difficult to pass safely. 

This ain't your stereotypical California traffic jam, that is for sure.

Silage

Silage season around these parts.

'Tis the Season

'Tis the season...

.. for roadside cherries! Picked up these juicy bad boys on a trip up to the foothills this weekend. 

Mmmm Mmm!

First Crop

Exciting news. We have our first crop of the season!!

Yes, it's true. Texas and I were able to keep something alive. Woo!

We enjoyed our first strawberry yesterday. I tell ya, eating half of a strawberry has never been more delicious, satisfying, fulfilling. Mmmm. I am still full from that scrumptious, home grown bite.

A Day On The Trail

Some pictures from our trail ride last weekend up in the foothills. The trail head is about a 35 minute drive for us to get to from our house. The trail was pretty rocky, but it was very enjoyable. Perfect weather, perfect day, perfect trail companions. :)

Miranda

Last week, Texas, my momma, and I got to attend a Miranda Lambert concert with Jerrod Niemann and Chris Young.

ML is my absolute favorite singer. Ever.

She's got such sass. And an awesome voice to boot.

We had a special guest appearance by her hubby, Blake Shelton. Love love love him as well.

Have I mentioned those two are the wedding inspiration for ours?

We also got to have a Pistol Annies concert too - they surprised us too. The Pistol Annies are Miranda's girl group, and they are three hilarious, country, kick-arse gals.

A Before and After

OK folks. Here it is.

The official transformation.

Of our old redneck, white trash, jungle-esque ranch casa.

It was bad.

Really, really bad.

GET READY FOLKS.

Our side yard looks ten times better. Pulled out a couple trees/large overgrown bushes and dug out mounds and mounds of dirt to uncover the hidden brick pavers.

Aren't those planters beautiful?? It's a Texas creation. :) He handcrafted these babies out of your standard wooden pallet.

Here is our front yard!! Please note the old horse trough that no longer is able to hold water - but it holds plants great!

We have a couple wine barrels cut in half (my mom got these bad boys cut down the road for us for a local feed store) filled with flowery goodness.

Doesn't our wooden bench look so much happier? 

One last before and after picture.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

We are happy ranchers these days. :)