There once was a girl who had a vision of what her life would be like after college. Thoughts of being on the West coast as a CFO and living in a house in a cute little suburb with a beautiful green yard. Well reality took a hard left turn after college and here I sit as a ranch wife, mother to three children and a yard full of toys, animal bones and the occasional cow turd.

Throughout this time as a stay-at-home mom (SAHM) and working ranch wife alongside my husband, there have been multiple times I’ve thought back to that vision I once had and wondered if I was “missing out”. Insert Covid-19 pandemic and I feel pretty good about living on a ranch in the country where not seeing neighbors or friends for days is not an uncommon situation. I have come to find pure joy and contentment that this is my life and thankful for the days I get to wake up in the morning, enjoy my children and not have the stress of us all getting out the door on time, but most importantly I get to spend each day alongside my best friend enjoying all that God not only created but has provided for us.

I did not grow up on a ranch or farm so walking into being not just the SAHM, but the ranch wife was a very hard adjustment. Life as a SAHM is hard and rewarding just in itself but then throwing in the stress of farming and ranching can make me want to run into my room and hide under a blanket…..or just pour a stiff drink. However, I wouldn’t change this life for anything. I can’t tell you how many times my heart has felt so full of love and pride that I was certain it would burst. Watching my husband bond with our children while doing the work he not only is passionate about but that he loves to his very core and seeing the love for it grow in our children is what all of this is for.

We hope that our children will want to continue the legacy that was passed on through the generations and have the same passion their father does. I get the pleasure of being a part of that dream and hoping that they will see their mother as one who loved every minute of it. Oh, but there’s that reality thing again. I don’t think anyone can honestly say that working livestock with family (especially a spouse) has ever gone without the occasional swear word or threats to leave them standing right there in the corral while you went back to the house. No need for marriage counseling here, we just work livestock and we manage to sort out any and all issues in the corrals. There is no clause that I can find that states a time frame in which issues can’t be re-addressed…even if it was over a year ago and has zero relativity to the livestock at hand.

Our kids have been full on spectators of such instances, but such is ranch life. However, even though they have seen some of the bad, I can’t begin to count all the good experiences they’ve had from growing up in this way of life. My children are all independent little people that I hope we are raising to be smart and caring adults that hopefully will not use our technique in the corrals to navigate through whatever disagreements life throws at them.

Through all the ups and downs and roadblocks and freshly opened doors that this way of life has put in front of us, I truly believe that this was right where I was meant to be. It makes me wonder how that little girl with a vision became a woman who is beyond grateful and couldn’t imagine being anywhere…but home.

Visions and Reality