Diary of A Cow Tippers Wife

10/18/2026

Husband Snatcher!

Scarcely a day had gone by since arriving home from Durango Colorado before we loaded up our rig and were on the road once more. We made the long trek to Montgomery Albama after church, with Samuel and I switching out periodically. We made it to our good friends Stan and Neil's place in the wee hours of the morning. Then we got to work (after eating a delicious breakfast that Stan made, bless that woman!). Thankfully it never feels like work when your surrounded by a handsome husband, beautiful cattle, and good friends. It's so much fun! After we said our goodbyes it was time to meet our other good friends, Reid and Ashley and their adorable son Watson. He's is four going on forty and a total hoot! That kid is sharp as a tack and made all of us very entertained. Heifer and Chuckwagon had a blast around him. Well, not so much Heifer, shes a witch and is only nice to her mother. She just liked running around chasing bugs and climbing trees. Chuck got to try his first popsicle since Watson "gave" -ahem- dropped one. He loved it! By the time we finished trimming we all had worked up an appetite. Unfortunately cowboy dinner time does not necessarily line up with standard folks dinner times. So most places were closed. There was a very nice steakhouse open (praise God we got to changed clothes before coming!). Bless Ashley and Reid, they spoiled us rotten, we ate like kings! Crab claws, filet mignon, a killer rissoto, roasted brussel sprouts, and bread pudding that would make your Baptist momma proud! I thought my pant buttons were going to pop, but it was worth it! Warm, well fed, and clean, we slept like contented kittens (that was the last good sleep I would have for days). Only downside was getting up at 5:30 to trim hooves.

But it was for our other wonderful friend Anne, so it was worth it! If you are sensing a theme, you are correct, we have a ton of fantastic folks we as so so blessed to meet. Oh and Chuck met the end of a garden hose and a some soap because he rolled in a fresh cow pie and stank to high heavens. We then jumped around from ranch to ranch trimming, then traveling, then trimming some more. We got to make new friends and see a lot of really cool cattle. Then we blasted off to Lexington Kentucky. Ergo, tons more driving. I offered to let my poor husband rest, as he was exhausted from trimming so much. So I took to the wheel. And imediattly hit traffic. And drove through Nashville pulling a long heavy trailer in lanes with no shoulder and concrete barriers on both sides. Finally through Nashville I breathed a sigh of relief and though I could relax. WRONG! I watched lighting on the horizon. It danced through the clouds and was so mesmerizing. Until it brought with it a torrent of rain so thick that I couldn't see the lane lines 10 ft ahead. I had to slow to 40mph and get right behind a semi to use as a guide dog. My poor wipers were on full blast and couldn't even keep up! It poured down for over and hour before finally petering out to a more manageable drenching. It was a very long night. I had to swap out at around 11pm.

We made it to Lexington at 3am. And set up that morning to trim and network. I love going to cattle shows, but I was on day three of not sleeping well and lots of trimming. Bless my husband, he works so hard to make things as comfortable as possible. The cot has a memory foam pad, is decked out in pillows, he blasts the ac to keep it nice and cool, and does the lions share of the driving. But you are still rocking and rolling in a truck with crappy suspension and long days. And I have Lupus and Rheumatoid arthritis, which is temperamental even on a good day. So it was great to see all my friends and catch up, but I was a shell of myself. Climbing into the Excursion I prepared for bed and rolled out the blankets for Samuel. He opened the door and ducked his head in. "I'm so sorry but Ezra needs me. He has cattle to deliver and he's exhausted. He has to get to Missouri tonight" Ezra is a good friend and cattle hauler and had spent days on the road and was finally wore out. Bless my incredible husband, who has a searvents heart and is the first man to jump in to help a friend in need. He'd be back by mid morning tomrrow surely. He kissed me, we said our "I love yous", grabbed his sweater, and hopped in Ezra's truck. Well that morning came and went. Unfortunately the deliveries were taking longer then expected. Some math got mixed up. And now the fella's wouldnt be back till midnight. And guess what, we needed to leave the cattle show that night for Ohio and we had to trim the next morning. I was a very unhappy camper, as I was surrounded by friends but without my best friend. Husband-less and tired (darn him, I can't sleep well when he's gone) I wandered about the barns, watched the heifer futurity, and then joined my buddies for dinner. Bless them, they all cheered me up, and we had some good laughs and swapped stories. Then I crawled into the truck praying for a safe and timely return. Ezra (now dubbed the husband-snatcher!) pulled up at 2am, Samuel hopped in the rig, and we were off to Ohio. Praise God he had a safe, albeit long adventure. And we got back to work

10/07/2026

10/07/2026

Full Steam Ahead.....Well Not Really

It will be an easy morning surely! We'll go to biblestudy at church in the morning, after checking our new three new cows (who will be fat and happy in their new pasture clearly) then we will start the 16 hour drive to Durango to trim a bull the next morning. That was the plan anyways. You know what they say, if ya want to give God a laugh, just tell him your plans! Our three new beautiful females (HUGE thank you to the Salisbury's for selling them to us) were not in fact in the pasture getting fat and sassy. Only Churro, our big four year old was in there and was crying for her buddies. Our two heifers, Sweetheart and Cutie Pie, managed to slip out of a low spot and were on the neighbors pasture. It took hours to find them, cut the fence, bribe one with treats, rope the other unwilling heifer, drag her with the truck, put them up in a new more secure pen, pull a round bale with a tow strap and the truck cause we didn't have the tractor keys, and refix the 5 string barb wire fence. So we weren't off to a great start. We missed church, ran back to the house loaded our gear and critters and made our way towards Durango. Crisis averted. Kinda.... Until 11:30pm in the middle of nowhere New Mexico when I noticed a weird hissing sound. Steam rolled from under the hood. A dang coolant line popped. And we were totally out of coolant. The mobile mechanic didn't make it out to us till 1:30-2am. Finally fixed, we (my poor husband) drove us until the morning until 7 or so. I switched out and watched the sunrise while driving through Navajo land (I saw some beautiful feral horse herds out there).

Praise God we made it to Cortez Colorado in one piece, sleep deprived but happy, trimmed a very handsome bull, and then met my Dad in Durango. Thank you thank you thank you to my incredible pappi for flying out on short notice to meet us there! We had dinner together at the historic Strader hotel and listened to a world champion ragtime pianist play an original piano. Talk about ol timey, it was great! Then we had French pastries the next morning at the local bakery and boarded the train from Durango to Silverton. My dad used to work on and fix old steam trains in California so it was truly epic to have him be our tour guide! He has been a conductor, engineer, and fireman before, so he knew all the cool features about the train! The view from our car was breathtaking and even our train ride in Skagway Alaska couldn't beat it. We saw lots of wildlife, including mulies (mule deer), chipmunks, and even a raccoon raiding a trash can! On the way back between the chug chug of the engine we hear two loud shots ring out and smelled black powder. (Don't worry it wasn't Arthur Morgan robbing the train). It was something called "track torpedos" a safety team had placed on the track after the last train, letting the conductor know to slow down on that particular curve. Very few places in the world use them anymore so it was really really cool to experience it! But the best part was hanging out with my dad and husband. It's hard to see family and friends with our crazy cowboy life, so it was such a blessing from the Lord that our schedule lined up perfectly. After giving my pappi a big ol hug we then started the 13 hour all nighter drive to Glenn Rose Texas.

Thankfully we made it here in one piece and no mishaps (so far)! We are here for the ITLA Champ show. Its been a wild few days and I write this while in the cozy hotel bed (thank you so much to my incredible husband for taking such good care of me and making sure I'm as comfortable as possible despite the challanging few days).

09/23/2026

The Summit

Boy oh boy am I tired. Like down to my bones tired. But it was well worth it. We reached, completed, and conquered the summit! No not the summit you're thinking of, the Summit longhorn sale and futurity in Tremonton Utah. Samuel Faske and I were head of the backcrew for the event. For the uninitiated non-cattle folk, a "backcrew" are the team of people responsible for the care and moving of cattle at an event. Which includes but is not limited to; watering every stall, feeding (hay) twice a day, laying out bedding, hanging lot numbers, organizing the cattle, numbering them, sorting them into their correct pen, moving the cattle into position for the sale/futurity, while getting animals in the correct order in a timely manner but without stiring up the animals or making mistakes. And some of those animals are flighty. Or fighty. One was very fighty and sent me leaping onto a gate while trying to turn me into a human kabab. Thankfully 98% of of the 130 longhorns at the event were sweet and docile. Oh and it was overcast. And rainy. And muddy. And hailing. And we had a tornado warning. And we were short on experienced handlers. And I was out of advil. Who would have known lidocaine patches are worth more then gold when you've put in 20,000 plus steps a day for three days and no breaks. I only got a break when I drank too much water and had to ti**le. I ate while moving cattle, sandwich in one hand, cattle flag in the other. Brought a whole new meaning to fast food! (Jokes aside, I did get some breaks, mostly because my husband was scared I was going to pass out. And he made sure I got to bed at 11pm, while he stayed till the wee hours of the morning, bless him)

But it wasn't all drudgery. I had a complete blast with Joanna and Cory, we felt like family. I love them dearly! We joked around and laughed through the stress of putting on such a event. Their kiddos, who called me "Aunt Lauren" and my husband "Uncle Sam" followed us happy to help. We told stories and played. Watched movies and laughed so hard I though I was breathless. Grabbed supplies and talked about life while working. One of my favorite moments was when I stole the girls and cory's spare truck and had them throw hay from the truck bed, grinning like fools and having the time of our lives. This event was such and incredible experience! I made new friends and got to see old ones. And learned even more about cattle and cattle handling. I had the time of my life, despite the foot pain. The event was a raging success, the first longhorn sale in the state of Utah, and all the guests were thrilled. Every animal went into the ring at the correct time with the correct number. I loved on big bulls as tame as puppy dogs, and admired brand new babies. I got to climb a literal mountain in search of lost calf at a pasture property (it was found). There was a concert, a mechanical bull, a morning s***t shoot at the base of the mountians, a cast iron dinner, a epic spark filled award ceremony, and so much more. Samuel and I were honored to help with such a fantastic sale and look forward to next year. (But I will put orthotic insoles in my boots next time and a grab a Costco sized bottle of advil).

P.S I'm sorry to anyone I yelled at while moving cattle.

09/12/2026

Why did the rooster cross the road? To get to the parade downtown of course! Gallo and I had a fantastic time riding in the washington county fair parade. Rooster did really well! He was nervous, but brave and not spooky at all. I was so proud of him. After the parade we marched through the heat and did a 10 mile trail ride with the wagon train. It was magical but very very hot. Thank you very much to Sterling from Creek Bend Farms for letting me sit in the wagon in the shade and ponying my horse off the back when I got too much sun and felt sick. Overall we had a total blast and it was such a magical moment for me. As a girl all I ever wanted was a horse and to ride in parades and have fun on horseback. After getting sick, I never imagined it would be possible. But Jesus in his perfect timing, knew I needed time to heal and bountifully blessed me with a fancy little paso fino that can do miles and miles of trails. And a body that can handle riding for miles. And better yet, I got a cowboy better then my wildest dreams riding in the wagon with me! I'm so glad I have such a fantastic man of God, who cherishes and nutures me. And who strives to make all my dreams true!

08/02/2026

Gooseberry Pie

Well, I owe all of yall my apologizes, I have been slacking on my journalistic duties these past few weeks. In my defense we have been rather busy. But truth be told, I'm really just lazy and would rather scroll mindlessly during my freetime then an hour or two of writing. So please forgive me.

All in all, our summer trip is at a close and we are now safely back home. We left Texas may 28th and returned July 28th. So 61 days of travel in 15 different states! Thats a whole lot of miles. And I got to spend it with man of my dreams. And the cat. And the dog.

My incredible husband made it very memorable! The tail end of our trip was a hoot. We got to meet with an old friend of Samuel's in Bighorn Wyoming who is a truly incredible hunter and taxidermist. He kindly let me see his trophy room. Well, its less of a room and more of a warehouse. If you can name a wild animal, he's probably bagged it, tagged, and stuffed it. Or guided for it. Musk Ox, lions, moose, beaver, giraffe, antelopes of every variety, mountain goats, and even a polar bear. Been to countries I didn't know existed and has massively helped conservation efforts for rare animals. He's a wonderful guy and I could have listened to his stories for hours. But I had to be pried away so Samuel could show me another surprise. It was dancing in Laramie Wyoming! It felt like I was living in a hallmark movie. Strapping young handsome cowboy whisking me away on the dancefloor. It was better then anything I could ever have dreamed of. I never would have imagined such a wonderful life for myself. I'm the luckiest girl that ever lived!

We then drove the long way from Wyoming, through Nebraska, then on to Jamesport Missouri working ranches along the way. We met with our friends the Landes's who were kind enough to host us. It was hotter then the blue blazes and humid as all get out, but they made the work fun. And spoiled us with a nice covered set of working pens, fans, and cold drinks. Chuckwagon and Heifer were delighted to run around and supervise the cattle operation. Chuck was "volentold" into riding around on the 4wheeler with us to see the herd in the back pasture. He was not a fan but it's a necessary skill for a ranch dog. We had so much fun looking at cows and hanging out with Micah and Aaron. Plus they hosted several ranchers on their way to the cheesehead futurity so we got to hang with all of them. It was a mighty good time.

While in Jamesport, on a break from working, I over-heard some older gals talking about gooseberry pie. I nearly got whiplash from how quickly my neck snapped around. I haven't had gooseberry pie in 15 plus years. I can't find gooseberries anywhere! Let alone someone who sells them, or makes anything with them. Thankfully those sweet old ladies shared their secrets with me and I got a whole pie (and really good fried chicken) from an Amish buffet resturant down the street. Goosberries are similar to wild huckleberries in the fact that they are extreamly sour and tart. You have to use heaps of sugar to get it to balance out. The Amish place did a decent job but it was still too tart for me. Hopefully next year when we go back I can get some berries and make my own.

And finally to end our trip off we got to celebrate my birthday in Oklahoma. (Thank you to all who sent a sweet message or text with birthday wishes, yall are too kind)! My fantastic husband saved several days so we could drive down to see my family. It was so wonderful to celebrate with them. I'm a twin so it was extra special to celebrate OUR birthday together. She's my best friend and I loved getting to spend time together! My mom decorated the kitchen all cute and slaved over making my favorite cake (carrot cake with cream cheese icing). Then presented me with a fancy taxidermy stand and my dad is 3d printing little things for my critters to hold as props. (Right now I'm working on a marmot from Montana holding a banjo that my dad 3D printed, its so cool! I'll post pictures when its done.) So I had a fantastic birthday! But the best gift of all was safely returning home. That the Lord provided so many wonderful opportunities. That we made so many memories and saw friends new and old.

07/16/2026

Chuckwagon's Arrival

Boy do I have sympathy for cowboys way back in the day and modern day cowpuchers. I thought dust storms were over dramatized in movies and TV. Man did I get humbled on what little I know! Halfway through dinner with our friends Bonnie and Shadow we nearly got swept away. Huge blasts of air with ripping gusts and sand so thick you can't see 100 feet away. I had to run out to rescue my poor tramatized cat. Praise God the dust storm didn't happen till after we finished working cattle. It was a scene right out of the Good the Bad and the Ugly!

Speaking of western, our lives have gotten alittle more intresting. Our friends the Campbells kindly hosted us for a few days. We had a great time hanging out with them. They made us some dang good food, took us to my favorite hibatchi place ever, and I went paddleboarding with their daughter. While there it just so happened that their pair of working cattle dogs had some pups that were ready to go to a new home. All that to say, we now have a cattledog of our own! His name is Chuckwagon. Why you ask? 'Cause that little fella snuck into the feed room (twice) and ate a whole lot of dog chow. So he helped himself to the chuckwagon. His dam's a full border collie and his sire a catahoula and heeler cross. He really fits right in with out little family! His tail must have gotten stepped on as a newborn since its broken in two spots. Between Samuel's broken pelvis, hip, pelvic bone, and neck, my broken immune system and stomach, and Heifer's broken pelvis. He really fits right in with out little family! He doing phenominal for being away from his mommy and brother. He is timid but very sweet. And being raised on a ranch he's more at home with being outdoors and around cattle then inside.

We gave him his first "day on the job" in McCallister Montana. There our friends Holly and Patrick greeted us with big ol hugs. We haden't seen them for two years and it was so great to see them and their cattle again. Their ranch is literally one of the most beautiful views of the mountians I've ever seen. It was so breathtaking! We kicked our boots off, relaxed on their porch, and chatted for hours (and got fed really really well). And we had free entertainment in the form of watching Heifer, Chuckwagon, their dogs Goose and Mavrick, and their cats Toaster and Waffle Iron play. It was hilarious! We trimmed their cows the next day and then got to play wack a mole! Well, shoot a gopher technically but whose counting! To my total shock I shot one in the head, on my first try from a good ways away. (It really was beginners luck). I named the bu**er Victory as she's the first critter I've ever successfully hunted (I've trapped plenty but never had luck hunting). It wasn't till later that Samuel bagged one as did a visiting friend who's a retired cop, and Patrick shot me the prettiest one. Safe to say, I now have some taxidermy projects to work on when I get home

After the passing of our beloved Charlie this year, we were devastated. That was Samuel's best friend. While we know this little pup will never be Charlie, we hope he will make a wonderful working companion. Youll see him and Heifer at the cattle events from now on.

07/06/2026

Old Stomping Grounds

It was surreal to be back among ferns and trees I once played in. Places I watched as we drove by brought back many happy memories I’d forgotten. My friend Robbie, whom I haven’t seen since high school (and my de facto older brother), played banjo as a belated wedding gift after treating us to dinner. Later on Samuel and I strolled around gigharbor at low tide. We saw jellyfish, seacucumbers, bright orange and pink starfish, and crabs. And we found a local market that had fresh fruit. Tucked inside was a hidden speakeasy that only the locals knew about. It had over 40 b**rs on tap! All coming from Washington state. It was so cool!

Having enjoyed a new hangout, we got to see my aunt, my great aunt, and my uncle. Aunt Shirley (my great aunt) is who I want to be like when I grow up. She’s a horsewoman through and through. Even in her 80’s she is loving on her ponies and determined to be at the barn as often as she is able. She kindly let me ride her Tennessee walker Casper. He was a very good boy and rather shocked that some cowgirl from Texas made him work and got him to sweat. I gave him a good bath (bathing horses is surprisingly soothing….as long as you don’t get too wet!) and a cookie afterwards. Then we met my Aunt Gina and Uncle Eric at their place and had an excellent dinner in their historic home. (It has a 100 foot well in the basement, used to be a speakeasy, and later was turned into a brothel). Safe to say, it has now been converted to a beautiful estate that may or may not be haunted. As good as the cot in the truck is, a plush bed loaded with pillows, blankets, and a bathroom you don’t have to go into a gas station at 1am for, was lovely. But the feeling of being with some of my family was better. My cheeks hurt from smiling, and we had a whole lot of laughs. The love of life sitting next to me, holding my hand as we told stories of days gone by. Oh and ate food. SO. MUCH. GOOD. FOOD. If you starve at the Nelson house it's your own dang fault! The next day we visited Port Townsend all together. We saw a real life grey whale skeleton (his name is Gunther), a woodworking shop (I got some very pretty wood my Uncle fixed up for me to use as bases for my taxidermy), a norwegian shop, a hyena rug at an antique store, a historic lighthouse, and a historic battery (where they held the big 9 inch guns) at Fort Worden.

All fun aside we did have a job to do while on “my side” of the mountains. A hindu sanctuary had some miniature Zebu that needed trimming. More importantly they wanted to learn how to trim themselves in the future. Seeing as that location isn’t usually on our route, and they were not going to trim any other cattle except their own, it would not compete with our work. Samuel graciously and meticulously instructed the very nice sanctuary volunteers on how to manually tip the mini’s over with ropes and how to trim their feet. The best part was that my aunts got to see the whole process! They were fascinated and got to see a slice of our life. We had a few rodeo moments (a cantankerous bull ran through a gate and we had to rope and drag him to the chute). But overall we had a great time! The finishing touch with my family was watching a spectacular firework show in their backyard in Bremmerton overlooking the port. The naval port there uses an aircraft carrier as a launch pad for some seriously massive displays. Afterall, if anyone knows how to use explosives it's the millitary! I said a very sad goodbye to my family the next morning (Bless my wonderful Uncle Eric, Aunt Gina, and great aunt Shirley, for putting up with us).

As one last hurrah in Washington, I got to see my best friend Emma in Mount Vernon. It was so good to see her in person again. The downside of a traveling cowgirl life is not seeing old friends as often as you like and being thousands of miles apart. She invited us to a fourth of July BBQ with her landlord and roommates. They treated us like family and “adopted” us in and we had a wonderful time. I also got to see her sister Audrey, who I love. I haven't seen her since she was a teenager. She is married now and expecting their first child. It was so good to see her gain. After catching up, I stole Emma away for some thrifting and a trip to The Bony Pony. It’s a tack store I grew up going to. I bought toy horses there, always hoping to have a horse of my own, but tearfully thinking I would never get one. But Jesus knew better than to give me an old worn out unsound quarter horse I cried for in passing. Instead he gave me the man of my dreams that then gifted me an incredibly fancy Colombian Paso Fino. Better than anything I could have imagined! So I bought a small toy horse that looks like mine, and a hackamore (a part of a bitless bridle) for Gallo Del Cielo. Beaming with joy, hanging with my bestie, the love of my life holding my hand (and rocking a spectacular cow puncher mustache), and surrounded by new friends. We watched fireworks by the sea and celebrated 250 years of freedom.

07/06/2026

The Oregon Trail

What a view! Crater lake stretched before us with a vibrant blue. Bluer then the glacial waters of Alaska, or the springs in Florida, or the warm Caribbean coast. The kind of blue that seems entirely fake but happens to be real. And we got to witness it with our own two eyes. Onwards we roamed further into Oregon. The roads twisted and turned through the forests and rivers. For a few hours we did nothing but watch the scenery (it was far better then any tik tok videos.... plus we had no service, so there is that.). That night we parked by a lake after a lovely walk. The next day our friends Rebecca and Wes were kind enough to host us. As a small thank you I picked wild foxglove flowers for them. Which they graciously accepted and then laughed that they had been pulling the flowers out of their pasture for the past two days. Fox gloves are toxic to cattle apparently. I was mortified, but they were so sweet about it and we all had a good chuckle. They treated us to crab dip from local crabs (which Wes caught). And elk steaks from bulls they shot off their property last season. Oh and homemade applepie. We were very spoiled! We trimmed their cattle the next day then blasted up to Tillamook with bellies full.

On to the trail sale! We were greeted to a perfectly manicured farm houses with flowers blooming everywhere, a longhorn topiary, a fishing trip at their river (Samuel and I got the biggest fish of the day), free flowing b**r, and a homemade pizza dinner that evening. Dang good pizza! Longhorn breeders from far and wide came unloading with fingers crossed they would take home a buckle or a fat cheque. Samuel and I trimmed a critter or two but mostly chatted with folks and set up trim appointments on the calendar. There was a whole lot of laughing, catching up, some dancing, and eating really good food. The only downside was the howling wind and occaional sprinkle. But other then that, we had a lovely time.

Our next stop was my old stomping grounds, Washington state.