The Rancher's Wife

06/22/2026

He is hands down everyone’s favorite guy in this house.

Dad means fun and adventure.
Dad means possibilities and opportunities.
Dad means trying new things.

Dad means catching frogs, checking cows, taking the long way home, and saying “hop in” when there’s work to be done.

Dad means learning how to work hard, laugh often, and not be afraid to get a little dirt on your boots.

Dad means safety and security.
Dad means knowing someone is always in your corner.
Dad means being loved, protected, and believed in.

Around here, Dad is the one who can fix almost anything, answer almost any question, and somehow make every ordinary day feel like an adventure.

Happy Father’s Day to our favorite cowboy.

06/12/2026

A friend recently passed way. At his funeral multiple people said that he named his family as greatest accomplishment of his life.

He had known success and failure, but through it all he was most proud of raising a family and what they had become.

I have dreams and goals, but that idea of the greatest success comes from the family you raise is really hitting home for me lately. I take more pride it’s seeing my kids accomplish things than in my own accomplishments.

These days on the range working tinder as a family have been a treasure. I realize that we don’t have many years left before the first kids start leaving the herd so I’m going to soak it all in while I can. 🥹

06/01/2026

There is no one with a sniffer that can out sniff a bull surround by cows in heat. This tantalizing pheromones can bring in bulls over the mountains, miles away.

That puts even my teenage son smelling dinner on the stove to shame 🤣

But that’s just fine. These bulls have a lot of work to covering a herd it in the range. Three months of hard work before they go back to the life of luxury.

Here’s a little breeding trivia (I post the answers in the comments later tonight):
How far can a bull smell a cow in heat?
How long is a cow in heat?
What is the average number of cows a bull will cover in a breeding season?

05/18/2026

😂 The contrasting combo in this frozen moment always makes me laugh!

Spurs, chaps, and cowboy hat all perched atop a Honda dirt bike. The Rancher temporarily traded in his horse for his two wheeler counter part to help get the job done and the cows in to brand.

Sure, we love to do everything we can on horses, but there are sometimes it’s just far more practical to turn on the key to the 4 wheeler or dirt bike. It’s not as romantic or punchy, but I have to admit there are times it is the better way to get the job done.

That kind of admission might have just lost me some cred (if I had any to begin with at all! 😂) but it’s true. We use all the best resources we have at hand even if that means cowboy meets dirt bike!

05/14/2026

Cows are funny.

They are ready to plow you over one second for messing with their calf, and then 2 minutes later completely forget they even have one when they see a patch of green grass.

Did you know they only recognize their calves by their smell? Of course they don’t go by tag number, but I’m not even sure they can recognize markings or color.

Which means these lovely windy days this spring has provided can make pairing up cattle a little tricky.

If only a cow could read…

05/11/2026

Growing up I knew I always wanted to be a mom, to raise a family like I had. I had visions of working together on the ranch and quiet nights watching the sunset together. Ya know, the perfect ranch family.

But as life goes, it certainly hasn’t been that easy.

In fact there were parts of motherhood that I absolutely struggled with. It wasn’t the late nights or all the diaper changes. I could handle messes and the tantrums.

The hardest part for me was that I felt… stuck.

I loved the nap time snuggles, the chubby hands in mine, and the shadow that followed everywhere I went. But still I felt untapped, like I needed to be doing more, contributing to life in a meaningful way.

I told myself “this IS meaningful work!” and “seasons change.” But there were so many hard days.

Time went on, kids grew and our seasons changed. And motherhood has never been so meaningful and fulfilling as it is now.

I love watching my kids struggle and then succeed. I love talking through the good days of school and love when they need a hug after the bad. Teaching and walking them through first experiences brings me pride and joy I can’t explain.

All those hard days were worth it.

I don’t know if motherhood was meant to be enjoyed everyday or in every season. But I can tell you the hard days of being a mom have made the good days that much sweeter and that much more fulfilling.

Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there. I hope you are finding joy and fulfillment in every season of motherhood. But if you aren’t right now, I promise it will come.

05/07/2026

Final Range Branding: Deep Creek Cleanup

A slower cleanup day with beautiful weather and fewer calves left to work. This gallery focuses less on the action and more on the small details that make up life on branding day.

05/06/2026

When you see a handsome cowboy in a pair of chaps, did you ever wonder why he’s wearing them? Yes, because they look dang cool but there’s a few other reasons.

Here’s why I throw on mine:
1. Chaps help keep me warm on those cool days. That extra layer is just enough to keep the chill from getting to me.

2. Leather chaps are (mostly) waterproof and help the rain off. Of course, if there’s a ton of rain it will seep through but, let’s be honest, I’d be happy for the problem.

3. When you kneel in the dirt over and over, maybe even in a little p**p or blood, chaps help keep you jeans a little cleaner.

4. Chaps keep my pants from a little less wear and tear, especially when I’m ripping. The first place my jeans wear out of I don’t wear chaps is in the place my rope slides across my leg.

And, yes, I do think they look cool and I really want to look like a REAL cowgirl so chaps are a bit of a fashion statement 😉🤣.

Chinks, wooleys, shotgun chaps… ALL the kind of chaps 🥰

*
*
*
*
*

05/05/2026

It’s my birthday today… so indulge me a moment.

I LOVE my birthday! Not in a get-me-lots-of-gifts-and-make-it-all-about me kind of way. I just love celebrating another year of living.

Over the last year I have made so many memories. I have made new connections and enriched old ones. There have been hard learned lessons I never want to go through again but wouldn’t trade them for anything. I love being a wife and mom but also being a coach, a leader, and a rancher. I love having pretty nails but also building strong muscles.

I love all of this life I get to live!

And I hope you do too.

From one hopeful, happy, struggling, anxiety ridden cowgirl to another and everyone else out there- work every day to build a life that is meaningful to you. And then celebrate it!

PS- no need for birthday wishes here, I’m not here looking for them, just sharing my heart.