City Girl Goes to the Country Part II: Thankful for my family

I previously wrote about my trips to the “farm” as a child and the ranch now that Terryn, my honey, has moved (City Girl Goes to the County).  With it now being November and just having gotten home from a recent trip out to western Nebraska, I thought it would be a great time for a second post about a city girl that goes to the country.  
 

Riding horses during one of the trips to the "Farm"

I am blessed with grandparents who have been and continue to be a major part of my life.  The trips to the farm when I was a child are all because of them.  They grew up in small town Nebraska and even though they moved to the city once they had children, they wanted to share their heritage and family with their children and grandchildren.  On a regular basis, they would take us to visit family on the farm and we would get to do typical farm things that weren’t a part of our daily lives, ride the 4 wheeler and horses, see cows, and collect eggs.  

Meeting Cheyenne

 On most of the trips during the drive the pleading began the minute we got in the car, “Can we pull off the highway at the first entrance so I can drive down the lane, please?”  Looking back I am not sure why I was so excited about it, the lane was maybe a quarter of a mile and by me “driving” we probably ended up going about 5 miles a hour on that stretch making the trip take longer.  But never the less, it was exciting and something I asked to do every time we went.  

My son's first horse ride (8 weeks old)

This most recent trip to the ranch was a special one for me, I got to take my eight week old son for the first time.  While I know he is young and won’t remember this particular trip, I found joy in sharing the things my grandparents shared with me at an early age.  I took my little man on his first horse ride and was happy that it was on my favorite horse, Cash.  (He doesn’t have to know that we just went around and around in the yard close to the house!)  As he grows up and we continue these trips I can’t wait to find out what part of it will bring him joy and excitement that driving down the lane brought to me. 

 As I think about the things I am thankful for during the month of November, I have to thank my grandparents for being such an important part of my life and sharing the experiences at the farm with me.  I look forward to passing on this part of my life with future generations!

Meeting our buddy Cash

Happy Retirement Pops!

October 31^st marked a huge milestone in my Pops life, he retired!  He may be retiring from receiving a normal paycheck, but knowing my Pops, he will be anything but retired.  For starters, a week after his so called retirement, Grandpa Daycare will be opening!  At his retirement party a few of his coworkers got up to say a few words.  His coworkers commented on Pops “gift of gab” which if you know my Pops it is pretty obvious.  He is someone who enjoys connecting with people and treats them with kindness.  This gift leaves a lasting impression on those that he meets.  Growing up we couldn’t go anywhere without Pops running into someone he knew (the grocery store was the worst, there was no such thing as running in to just grab a gallon of milk!) and if he didn’t happen to know anyone, then you could count on him meeting someone new for us to run into the next time! 

As I think about the impact Pops has not only made on other people’s lives but my own life, two words come to mind, hard-working and loyal.  Over the years, he worked at a small chemical company and a trash transfer station.  Pops never had glamorous jobs, but he could be counted on to do whatever task was needed.  Every day he went to work and made the most of it. In my lifetime Pops has had two jobs, the last one he was at for 16 years.  Through schedule changes, task changes, coworkers changing, warm and cold weather he stayed through it all.

While Pops will be experiencing a new chapter in his life, I am also starting a new chapter in mine.  After almost 7 years in public accounting, I have decided to leave the firm I have been at since college and move into the private accounting world.  This will allow me to spend more time with my family throughout the year.  The decision hasn’t been an easy one, but Pops has taught me the importance of being a part of your kid’s life. 

I have learned so much from my Pops over the years and am so excited for my little man to get to spend time learning from Grandpa the way that I did.  I wish him all the best in his “retirement” and can’t wait to see what this new chapter in his life holds!

I love you, Pops!