We are home!  It seems like the last couple months have just disappeared.  We have been so busy with everything here – not to mention our cross-country move.  I have enjoyed being back in Wyoming so much, it seems as if a weight has been lifted off my shoulders.  I didn’t realize what a burden it is to live in a place you didn’t want to be!

Last night my mom and I went to a concert at Cheyenne Frontier Days.  We enjoyed walking through the midway, checking out all the vendors, and the pleasantries from people who actually say – “Oh, excuse me!” or “That’s okay – don’t worry about it!” as we bumped through the crowded shoppers.

In fact, one of the biggest adjustments to Wyoming life is the demeanor of the locals.  Walking into a store, you can expect a, “Hi!  How are you?” and then a pause while they wait for you to respond.  It is an odd feeling to lay it out for a stranger!  Or when you go clothes shopping, an employee (or several) will come up and ask you what you need help looking for.  At first, I thought they must think I’m pocketing some merchandise!  Why are they so attentive?  I have to remind myself – hello….you live in Wyoming now!  Where, the majority of the population (although some can be a little rough around the edges) is hard working, helpful, and genuine.  Welcome home!!

Anyway – back to the concert.  We went to Kellie Pickler and Blake Shelton.  I was excited to go see the act, enjoy the beautiful weather, and people watch.  I’m not a big fan of either artist although I enjoy their music in general.  But, once Pickler got her concert underway I was hooked.  Her Dolly Parton-like twang, combined with her sense of humor and charm, pulled you in.  She reminisced about small town life as the sun began to set and throw the beautiful pinks and purples across that beautiful Wyoming sky.

As the stars began to show, Shelton’s concert started, and it was amazing.  He started off by coming up through the bottom of the stage – CHRIS LEDOUX STYLE!  He had a great sense of humor – great act – great timing.  He played on the Wednesday that Chris LeDoux often performed at Cheyenne Frontier Days and even mentioned him in a poem he wrote about Wyoming.  The only thing that would have authenticated the night further would have been a little on-stage mechanical bull riding and fireworks blasting!

Small town living – County Fair starts this weekend.  Home at last.

Yee-Haw!! That’s right bucko – I got a job and we’re movin’ to Wyoming! In honor of this long awaited day, I’m going to share some of my favorite parts from Song of Wyoming (Chris LeDoux).

The sky’s all on fire and the light’s slowly fadin’.
Peaceful and still ends the day.
And out on the trail the night birds are callin’,
Singin’ their wild melody.
Down in the canyon the Cottonwood whispers
A Song of Wyoming for me.

And here comes that big ole prairie moon risin’,
Shinin’ down bright as can be.
And up on the hill the coyote’s singin’,
A Song of Wyoming for me.

Waking up on the range, Lord I feel like an angel,
Free like I almost could fly.
Drift like a cloud out over the Badlands,
Sing like a bird in a tree.
The wind through the sage sounds like heaven singin’,
A Song of Wyoming for me.

There is this blog at www.thepioneerwoman.com and she is just charming! It is almost unbelievable that this lady used to be a city slicker and she now runs a well oiled ranching operation. She has a great site (the pioneer woman cooks) that carries yummy…and witty….recipes. If you’ve never seen a witty recipe – check it out.

But the thing I love most is that it allows me to live my alter ego ranch woman life through her. It is like her site is a portal into the place I should be (aka Wyoming). I have no idea where Pioneer Woman (PW) lives, but -heck- if it looks like a cow, talks like a cow, and more importantly – smells like a cow…it’s a cow. Wyoming, Colorado, Montana, Oklahoma – wherever. If I win the lotto tomorrow (which I won’t because I didn’t buy a ticket), I wouldn’t go buy a villa on the French Riviera, or a bungalow in California, or even a condo in Florida – I would buy about 10,000 acres, alotta heifers (technical terms), a few bulls, about 5 horses, 20 chickens, a couple lambs, and a goat. Right smack in the middle of Wyoming.

Okay – maybe I would buy a cottage in a small French village – I love their wine and goat cheese. And maybe just something small in Malibu – my friend and I have always wanted to go there to lay out and see if we could spot Matthew McConaugHEY on the beach. But I refuse to reneg on the condo in Florida. Once I leave this state – I’m never coming back! Which reminds me…I still need to think of a cool pic or ritual for the side of the road next to the FL state sign as I’m crossing the border on my way to WY. Any ideas? Email me (in the upper right-hand corner)!!

The hubby and I – I don’t have a cool name for him like PW does…she calls hers Marlboro Man…but anyone that knows my sidekick knows that doesn’t really fit him. Hey – sidekick – I kinda like it. Wait a sec, then people may think sidekick = “partner”…nevermind. He’s a he. ANYWAY, the hubby and I have really tried our hardest to get back to WY this year. We have applied for everything. Currently, we are the closest we have ever been to getting jobs – and we find out tomorrow. I’m about to crawl out of my skin waiting!

So, tomorrow may be the start of a new chapter in my world. OR, tomorrow may be the dawning of yet another year in the armpit of the continental United States, in layman’s terms – Central Florida.

Ours will be on Thursday anyway. I guess that is what you do with it when you are finished with it…or when your child projectile vomits all over it. At the time, the only thing I could think of was to drag it outside and hose it down. Which I did. Probably not the best decision in the world – but when you experience what I experienced – your brain isn’t functioning quite properly.

In any case, the new furniture will be here on Thursday. Which brings me to my next thought – shopping for living room furniture is my new worst nightmare (just behind projectile vomiting). Maybe the people that design furniture don’t have a functioning brain either. I mean, if I liked the style, the color was horrid. If I liked the color, the style was ridiculous.

It was to the point where I found the perfect style – the color was a lime/apple green – and I almost went for it. I like simplistic lines when it comes to couches…and all of them are either fuschia or white. Which is not doable with small children. The fuschia will throw them into a seizure and the white will have a stain in 30 seconds flat.

When I found the color I like – earth tones – the style would be huge, puffy, eat-you-alive type sofa. I don’t want to feel like my couch is attacking me. Unfortunately, we had to settle. After hours of shopping with a 4 year old and (almost) 2 year old, I was ready to buy a set of camping chairs and call it good.

We settled on a color we liked and found the least eat-you-alive sofa possible. But the best part is that you can pay extra to have the fabric treated. In other words – if there is a non-removable stain on the furniture, they replace it.

So next time the girls have a little tummy ache, and the couch is looking a little drab, I’ll just give them a pitcher of cherry KoolAid and tell the to go relax on the couch!

This is the first book I’ve read by Elizabeth Berg. This short book was an easy read, but I was captivated by the characters. She seems to let on just enough about each character throughout the book to keep you hanging on.

I loved the following quote, “All your life, you’re going to run into situations where you have to decide whether or not to take a stand. Sometimes it just isn’t worth it. But other times it is. Not only is it worth it, it’s vital. It makes you the person that you are. You have to honor what you know is true, or bit by bit, you die inside.”

This coming from a mother paralyzed from the neck down, who was left by her husband, and decided to raise her daughter on her own. It makes all the choices and decisions I make seem insignificant and petty. I think back on all the situations I’ve encountered where I’ve sat on the sidelines and let life happen.

That makes me the person I am just as much as taking a stand. Now, whether that is good or bad is a completely different story. But I guess the point – and question – I should be focusing on is, what kind of person do I want to be? Am I going to let those decisions and situations define me? Or will the person I strive to be…no…will the person I am, decide to stand for what I believe is right?

Right for me, my girls, my family, my friends. Although I’ve not seen that quote previous to reading the book, there are times when that same thought has crossed my mind. Points of time when I am between making a decision – especially ones that involve my girls. Sometimes I close my mouth and sometimes I don’t. In both cases I’ve felt disappointment and pride.

So, I suppose that although it is you who ultimately makes the choice and decision, you who controls your actions…or reactions based on your beliefs and strength, the outcome can define you just as much as your purpose in making those choices.