Dirt, Wind, & Cattle

Dirt, wind, & cattle - those three words pretty much sum up last weekend.  Dwyatt and I attended the NVRHA Rendezvous event in Hugoton, KS last weekend and we had a blast!  For those of you that don't know the NVRHA stands for the National Versatility Ranch Horse Association, a place where ranch horse riders come together from all over the country to showcase their talent, compete, and enjoy the general camaraderie of each others company. 

My parents are founding members of the NVRHA which is how I got involved with it.  They currently both show in multiple events each weekend and it makes me so happy to see them sharing in this passion and supporting each other as they train and compete around the country. 

Last weekend's event was filled with great food, great friends, and even a barn dance! Since I grew up showing horses, I absolutely love weekends like this. Yes, the wind blew 50mph all weekend, yes we were covered in dirt from head to toe...but, there is just something about being in my boots & spurs and spending an entire weekend on horseback that just makes me smile. 

Dwyatt and I got the chance to ride most of the weekend, and though I thoroughly enjoyed being back in the saddle, my favorite part of the weekend was having Dwyatt there with me!  He did SO well for not having very much riding experience.  He rode my mom's horse Jinx, and by the end of the weekend he had completed a reining pattern, trail obstacles, and even roped the Taco!!  (Taco is the burro...he is remarkably hard to catch because he ducks whenever you throw a rope at him...)  Needless to say, Dwyatt was amazing and I was so proud to be married to such a wonderful man who supports my hobbies and passions in life.  :)

I left my camera in the truck most of the weekend due to tons of flying dirt, and the fact that it's really hard to ride & photograph at the same time...  However, I did capture a few good pics... mostly of my amazing parents during their competition on Sunday.

Enjoy! 

Mom cutting her cow from the herd...

Dad & Riskey showing off...

This unique perspective was actually Dwyatt's idea... I think I may have a 2nd photographer in the making after all :)

Dwyatt loved these guys... they are even more fun when you get to chase them around the round pen!

I love spring time :)

Well, thank you to all of you who voted in my poll!  It seems that most everyone either wants more updates from my daily life, or they just want me to write more.  I'm trying again to be better about that :) 

Now that it's spring time, I absolutely love to come home, grab a glass of wine, and head out into my backyard to soak up the last few rays of sunshine before they disappear over the rooftops of my neighborhood.  Especially on days like today when the wind is calm and the smell of fresh grass is in the air, there is no better way to unwind from a crazy day at the office.  Today I, along with my friend Chardonnay, I ventured out to take some spring pictures of the garden. 

I must say that Dwyatt and I are finally getting the hang of this gardening thing... lesson learned from last year: we are not very good farmers and should not attempt to grow anything from seeds.  This year, most of our plants (tomatoes, peppers, herbs, onions, etc...) we bought from Lowes :)  Oh yes, I know that means I am not a true farmer, and I have a long way to go to actually be able to provide food for myself, but the joy of growing a garden is there either way.  So far my favorite part of the garden is the fresh herbs.  This year I have chives, rosemary, dill, parsley, cilantro, basil, and oregano.  If ever you think you're not a good cook, simply add fresh herbs... they make all the difference! 

I also have strawberries this year.  They always make me smile :)  Though I know they will never produce a basket full of strawberries for me to actually make anything with.  Why?  Well, because they are so sweet and delicious that whenever I spot a ripe one on the vine I pick it and usually it's eaten before I even make it inside.  Strawberries and chardonnay is a heavenly combination... 

So, tonight I thought I would share a few snapshots of this year's garden... enjoy!

A baby tomato.

And a hot & spicy pepper!

Radishes... I see lots of salads in my future...

Strawberries...

...to go with my Chardonnay!!

Strawberry flowers...

Just the beginning...