I'm Listening - kind of

You know what they say about assuming things.  Well, I used to assume that I knew myself better than anyone.  But being married has taught me a few things I didn't know about myself.  For instance, I do not have the gift of gab.  Unless I'm with my husband, my sisters, or a rare few people, I just generally don't have that much to say.  Since I don't always like to talk, I assumed that I was a good listener (insert "ass-u-me saying" here); however, that's not entirely true.  Maybe a more accurate statement is that I'm a good partial listener.  Frequently I find myself listening just enough to catch the general gist of the conversation and missing a few minor details.
For instance on our trip to the Denver airport this weekend, Taylor asked me to remind him to put a check in the mail for the ticket.  Confused, I asked, "What ticket?"  He said, "The speeding ticket I got this week in Ashland."  He then proceeded to tell me what he apparently already told me earlier this week.  He couldn't understand why I chose to be irritated with him at that point for getting a speeding ticket when he'd already told me about it.
I've decided that Taylor must have been talking to me about something else, and when he mentioned the ticket, I had already moved into partial-listening mode.  From now on I'm going to work on being a more present, engaged listener.  Anytime I'm talking to any of you, feel free to help me in my efforts.  You can stop at any point and ask me to repeat what you just said.  Hopefully I'll develop a habit of truly listening!  :)

Anyway, Taylor and I drove to Denver this Friday and flew to Nashville.  My good friend, Heidi, was getting married so we went back for the wedding.  We got there Friday night, went to the wedding Saturday, and flew home Sunday.  It was a super quick trip, but we were really glad we were able to go, and we felt very honored to be there.  I actually only met Heidi about 6 months ago, but we immediately became really good friends.  I knew her parents first, then I met her and we truly got to hang out for the first time when we were in Vegas at the National Finals Rodeo.  One night the three of us went to a little party, then we went to a dance club, then we spent the rest of the night playing black jack (a big feat for me; I am NOT a night owl.  I've even been known to fall asleep standing up when going out to the bars at night). :) That night we talked them into lowering the minimum bet for the table, then we played and joked around with the dealer until about 6 a.m.  Surprisingly we won quite a bit of money! It was a great night, but mostly because I'd made a new friend! She's one of the few people I can easily talk to without having those weird awkward moments.  Heidi made a gorgeous bride and her wedding was beautiful.  It was the perfect setting out at her family's farm. 

 Heidi and her dad, Rory
Heidi and Casey (I did not take either of these pictures)

 

On a different subject, Taylor and I have been enjoying a little produce out of our garden.  Our potatoes and peas look the best right now, but the corn is growing.  Our tomatoes, peppers, and green beans look a little worse for wear.  For now I'm going to blame it on the wind and the fact that we just tore up our garden plot this year and that the dirt isn't well developed yet (I'll give it a couple of years before I accept the blame for my lack of gardening skills!)  :)  We have been eating quite a bit of homegrown spinach, and yesterday I cooked our first potatoes.
 

There's something fantastic about a completely homegrown meal!!  Spinach and potatoes out of our garden; beef from my dad's herd.  

On an exciting note, we should be getting a yard soon.  The lawn company has been here the past two days and they are putting in sprinkler systems, etc.  Once the grass grows I'll put up before and after pictures.

Western Kansas Fact #? (I'm losing count):  Out here sunburns happen without you noticing.  Back home I could always feel when I was starting to get red.  Here, though, there's no humidity and if it isn't that hot out, you can be getting crispy fried without even knowing.  The air feels nice and your skin doesn't feel that hot.  I found this fact out this weekend while working in the garden.

My favorite scripture this week was "Your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him."  Matthew 6:8  I really liked this one because the lesson reminded me that praying shouldn't just involve me asking God for things.  It should more fully focus around my faith and trust in His ability to provide for me what I truly need.  I can ask for things, but I also need to be ready to accept that I don't always know what is best for me, and I won't always get what think I want.  But if I rely on Him I will always have what I need.

Happy summer everyone!

Lyndee

Lessons Learned

Dad's make great teachers.  They teach their kids all sorts of things, and I'm sure nearly every child can recall, with fondness, a certain lesson or skill they learned from their dad.  Some kids may cherish memories such as their dad teaching them to throw a ball, or ride a bike, or start a campfire, etc.  However when I think of the things my dad taught me, the previous examples are not what comes to mind.  Dad wasn't big into sports, so we didn't play catch much, and he spent all day outside farming, so camping outside wasn't really a relaxing hobby to take up.  No, I'm proud to say that instead, my dad taught me how to drive a tractor.
Since about the age of 10, I've spent large portions of my summers in the seat of a tractor hauling hay bales and raking hay, and I've loved every minute of it!

I remember the first summer he stuck me on a tractor to haul hay bales.  He rode with me for the first few rounds, and I had the tractor in the lowest gear possible.  It took me forever just to get from the machine shed to the pasture.  I remember Dad saying that I could speed up if I wanted, but when I'm learning something new, I like to start off slow (it gives me more time to fix any mistakes I might make.) :)  There are occasions when patience is not one of my dad's greatest assets, but God bless him, he let me pick the pace and rode right beside me as I puttered, ever so slowly, through the pasture.

Me and my dad on our tractors.  We're a Massey Ferguson family! :)

This weekend I got to make some more memories with my dad on the tractor.  Taylor and I went back home for the second annual FFA Alumni tractor drive that my dad and sister organized.  Here's how it works - anyone interested can bring their tractor and get registered.  Then all the people participating line up and drive their tractors through a predetermined route.  To some people this may not sound like a lot of fun, but it was great!  I got to spend several hours cruising down beautiful back country roads and even through town in a big line of tractors.  It's kind of fun to see people's faces as they stand outside their houses watching a parade of tractors drive by for no apparent reason (although I might feel differently if I could see the faces of the people who get stuck behind our tractor line!) :) 

It's also a secret pleasure of mine to watch my husband drive a red tractor.  All of his family's equipment is John Deere.  The past two years we've stuck him on "Trusty Rusty" - Dad's rustiest tractor.  There's hardly any paint left on it, so hopefully Taylor can live with himself!  :)  I had to laugh when he won the model Massey Ferguson tractor as a door prize.  I told him we'd have to display it proudly in our home!

Western Kansas Fact #5:  It is practically a sin to say anything bad about rain.  It is a certifiable desert out here, so anytime rain comes, it is welcome.  It doesn't matter if it messes up your plans or creates a muddy mess, rain is a good thing.  The wind blew some shingles off my roof and when it rained this spring, we hadn't had it fixed yet and I was afraid my roof might leak.  Even then, I did NOT hope that the rain would stop.  Instead I just prayed and prayed that that my roof would not leak.  Thankfully my prayer was answered!

My favorite scripture this week has been The Lord said to [Gideon], "Peace be with you; do not fear." Judges 6:23
I liked this one because the lesson talked about facing difficult situations and worrying that we don't have the talents or skills necessary to get through it.  But no matter what God gives us to do, He will also give us the tools and strength to accomplish it.  Weaknesses are nothing to be ashamed of because He works through them.  They are a way to show His glory because through them He makes the impossible, possible.

Have a great weekend everyone!
Lyndee

Lord of the Flies

Growing up around my house, there were some phrases that were frequently heard.  And generally they came from my dad.  One of his favorites is (if someone is mad about something) "Good, it gives them something to look forward to - getting over it."  However during the summer time, Mom has her own special phrase.  It goes like this - "DAMN the flies!"  Mom hates having flies in her house.  Frequently she will pick up the flyswatter and go on a fly-killing spree (with a mildly possessed look in her eye).   :)  This became a source of entertainment for my little sister and I.  Sometimes we would imitate her, walking around, brandishing flyswatters and quoting her favorite line with each fly we took down.  However as I've lived out here in western Kansas, I've decided flies are not such a laughing matter, and I think that I have recently begun to channel my mom's spirit toward them.
Western Kansas Fact #4:  The flies out here are evil beings that BITE INCESSANTLY.  They are not just annoying things that buzz around your head, food, etc.  No, they have to go the next step and molest your flesh with sharp, painful bites.  The only thing that hurts worse is when you try to slap them away and end up smacking yourself harder than they bit you.

(My mom - the greatest, sweetest lady in the world - unless you're a fly!)

Enough ranting - This weekend Taylor and I went to his cousin's graduation in Lawrence and afterward we all went and ate in Kansas City.  We went to this great Brazilian steakhouse called Fogo de Chao.  (Don't worry this Brazilian steakhouse will not leave you with the side effects seen in Bridesmaids!) :)  For a person like me, it's AWESOME.  Instead of having to spend forever looking at the menu, trying to decide what I want (and only making a quick decision at the end because the waiter is standing there looking at me, waiting to take my order) every person gets a little circle card that is red on one side and green on the other.  When you're ready to eat, all you do is flip the card to the green side and soon you are surrounded by waiters carrying around wonderful smelling skewers of every kind of meat.  And you can have some of EVERY one.  As long as you have your card on the green side, they'll keep bringing you meat until you explode.  (I stopped just short of explosion point).

This week has also had a very bittersweet moment.  We had to say goodbye to some of wonderful friends.  Lucas and Allison Regula moved out here from Ohio not too long before Taylor and I got married.  We got to know each other because Lucas and Taylor frequently worked together.  Since moving out here, they have been some of our closest friends, but Lucas recently received a job promotion, and they are now moving to Indiana.   We're going to miss them a lot, but we've promised to stay in touch.  We've been thinking that a group trip to Vegas would be fun! The nice thing is, we are all so much alike and so close that even if we don't see each other really often, I think we'll be able to pick right back up where we left off.  Good luck you two! 

My favorite scripture this week was:  "He counts the number of stars; He calls them all by name."  Psalm 147:4  It's so wonderful to be reminded that God knows the names of every star, and He knows each of us.  His power is infinite and no matter how many people number this earth, He knows not only our names, but our thoughts, desires, and our hearts.  We never have to feel alone in this world because we have a Father who is always with us and knows us better than we know ourselves.

Hope you all have a great weekend!
Lyndee

Cattle, Food and Old Farm Trucks

This past week I got to see my first returns on my bucket calf venture: LSC (Lyndee Stabel Cattle).  When Taylor went to the sale in Dodge last Wednesday, Isabelle, Ivan and Ivy went with him. We don't have the right set up yet, but we're hoping to fence off the 80 acres surrounding our house and be able to turn out any future bottle calves we raise once they're big enough and keep growing them from there.  But we're not at that point yet, so since all three calves were growing quickly, we decided to go ahead and sell them.  Apparently Taylor and I aren't the best at guessing the weights of baby calves because we thought they would weigh more than they did.  I'm blaming our misjudgment on the fact that they were so tiny when we first got them; they looked so big, comparatively.  :)

Now I've got four new babies.  Taylor picked out the theme for their names this time.  We have Lancelot, Guinevere, Merlin and Camelot.  So far they are all doing well.  I'll try to include some pictures in my next blog.

Taylor and I went back to my hometown for a wedding this weekend.  The wedding was a blast, but honestly, some of my favorite parts of the weekend involved dancing with my nieces around the kitchen on Friday night and driving my dad's old farm truck to take a palette-load of soybeans to the field for him while he was planting. 
I recently got a new jeep, so I do my best to try to keep it nice and clean.  My vehicle is great, but a part of me loves and misses climbing into an old, beat-up, rusted-out truck.  One where you have to use both hands to roll down the window, and it doesn't matter if dust blows in from the gravel roads because, to be honest, it's really not going to make it any dirtier.  I also love a stickshift.  There's something great about winding the engine up just right before pushing in the clutch to slide it into the next gear.  Taylor just laughed when I asked if the new jeeps had the option of a stickshift.

Today Taylor and I finished planting in our garden.  We put in a row of green beans, okra and hills of squash, zucchini, cantaloup, and watermelon.  We had already planted potatoes, peas, onions, spinach, lettuce, broccoli, tomatoes, peppers and corn.  Now we just have to wait and see how well it does.  I'm not sure how green my thumb is, but I'm hoping I can make up whatever I lack in natural gardening talent with hard work.

Roshel and Stewart, Taylor's parents, came over tonight for supper.  I wanted to fix them dinner as a way of saying 'thank you' for feeding the calves while we were gone this weekend.  We made shish kabobs with sides of corn and a spinach salad.  Taylor also asked if I could make him a peanut butter pie.  People may think I spoil him (and maybe they're right), but I also just like making pies.  :)  It was almost as much fun making it as it was to eat a piece after supper. 

I thought I'd stick with the same theme this week for Western Kansas Fact #3: 
Do NOT try to drive fast through the streets of small towns out here (unless you want to ramp your car).  It doesn't rain enough out here to warrant paying to put in drainage systems.  Instead they just put in dips along the edges of the street to allow the water to run down so it doesn't flood the road.  I once made a wrong turn and in the process of trying to quickly go around the block to get back where I needed to be, I bottomed out my old Ford Fusion, hard.

My favorite scripture of the day this week has been:
"A merry heart does good, like medicine."  Proverbs 17:22
I like this scripture because it reminds me that every day I am responsible for my attitude.  Every morning God grants me a new day and fills it with countless blessings, but it's up to me to make the most of it.  And when I create a joyful heart and spirit within me with God at my side, I can overcome any hardship, difficulty or disappointment I might face.

Make your week a great one!
Lyndee

Nashville Marathon

Mission accomplished!  This weekend I ran my half marathon in Nashville, Tennessee.  Roshel, Sarah and I drove to Denver on Wednesday night and stayed there before flying out Thursday afternoon.  Luckily we had a direct flight.  Most of the time I spent doing the head-bob nap thing, and kept waking up with my head nearly resting on the shoulder of the big guy next to me.  Roshel made better use of the trip than I did.  By chance she happened to sit next to the guy who owned the hotel we were staying at.  She is definitely an asset on a trip because by the time we got to our hotel, the owner had lowered our rates $50 per night.  My sister, Katie and my sister-in-law, Eryka, came in on a later flight from Kansas City. 

On Friday, we got up and drove to meet up with some good friends for breakfast at Marcy Jo's in Pottsville, Ten.  As always, the food was A-MAZING!  Along with our individual personal orders we got two cinnamon rolls for everyone to share, but they were so huge that even after we all took a couple of bites, we only finished off one of them.  Eating a whole one myself would have been painful bliss!

Afterward we came back into Nashville and went to the expo for the marathon.  There was quite a bit to look at and my favorite part involved walking around and trying all the different samples of protein bars and drinks. :)  I also got a shirt that read "One More Mile" on the front, and on the back it said "Dear God, please let there be someone behind me to read this."  It cracks me up every time I think about it. 

Later that night we drove to Franklin, Ten. to eat at Puckett's.  It's this neat little restaurant/grocery store, and they had a songwriter's show.  We sat right in front and watched Trent Willmon, Jared Crump and Jeremy --, well I can't remember his last name now, but they all were great!  I'm already a huge Trent Willmon fan, but I'd never heard Jared before.  He has this amazing blues-y, country mix that I could listen to forever.  I was going to get a CD, but he doesn't have one made yet. 

Saturday was race day!  We had to get up pretty early so we could be at our corral for the race by 6 a.m.  I was afraid I would have some big ol' butterflies in my stomach, but I ended up just being more excited than anything.  My one concern was that I'd be all hopped-up on adrenaline and do a bad job pacing myself.  We got into a corral with a pacer (they actually have people that run a specific pace in the race, holding a sign so that way others can judge their pace).  So I was able to use him as a guide on how I was running.  Before running I'd heard several people say that the hills on this course were pretty tough.  In my mind I was picturing huge, mountainous hills that I would have to make it over, so when I actually ran it, it didn't seem bad at all.  This is one instance where it paid off to have pessimistic thoughts and expect the worst!  The race was really fun.  Throughout the entire thing, there were people cheering you on and bands playing along the way.  The first couple of miles were downhill and in front of me I could see a sea of people, all running for the same finish line I was.  It was pretty sweet to be a part of something like that.  My running buddy,Sarah, and I ran together for the first four miles or so, then we got separated at a water station and I didn't see her again until the end.  In conversations prior to the race, Sarah told me that if some people had to go to the bathroom while running, they would just pee themselves so they wouldn't mess up their time.  I don't know if that's dedication or craziness, but I'm pretty sure I would at least want to find a tree or something to squat behind. 
 Anyway, on about mile 11 or 12, I came up behind a girl and I thought to myself, 'Dang, how is that girl sweating so much!'  It seemed to be just pouring out of her.  Then I realized - it wasn't sweat.  Apparently she just couldn't hold it any longer.  I got to give her props; I don't know that I could mentally tell myself that it is ok to pee down my leg.  Guess she has better mental control than I do.  Luckily I was able to use the port-a-potty beforehand, so I was good to go.
I was so glad my sister and in-laws were able to come.  It was great to have them at the finish line, yelling my name.

I crossed the finish line after 1 hr. 45 min. and 27 seconds.  If I figured right, that put my pace at 8.05 minutes/mile.  Sarah came in a couple of minutes behind me.  I definitely didn't set any records, but I was pleased with my time, and it felt great to cross that finish line!

Sidenote:  I ran in a Joey+Rory shirt (they're a country duet couple).  On the front it has their song title "Cheater, Cheater" and on the back it says "No Ho's Allowed."  I'm good friends with their daughter Heidi, and I jokingly asked her if she thought it would be ok to wear a shirt in a race that said "Cheater" on it.  She told me "Yeah, you'll be in Nashville, not Kansas!"  I asked her if this meant Nashville people would know what it meant or that they were ok with cheating?  She said "both." :)

My shower after the race was about the most amazing thing ever!  I was so wet and salty with sweat that you would have thought I'd spent the morning in the ocean.  Later I treated myself to some ice cream - homemade butter pecan in a waffle cone.  I'd go run another half marathon just to have another one.  That night we ate with some friends again and went down to Broadway to experience the Nashville night life. 

We flew home the next morning, but this time I did not sleep.  There was a neat couple I got to talk to on the way home, plus a passenger had something wrong with them on the flight.  I'm not sure what happened to him, but they had to ask if there were any doctors on the plane and the passenger ended up spending the entire flight laying down in the aisle.  I think he was ok, or at least they decided it wasn't serious enough to have to make an emergency landing, but there were paramedics waiting for us at the terminal.

All in all, it was a great trip.  I guess all that is left now is to figure out where I want to run next.  People are right, it is kind of addictive!

Western Kansas Fact #2: Don't be surprised if your driving skills seem to diminish out here.  You can see so far that sometimes it is hard to judge distance if you're not used to it.  I frequently step on the brake WAY too soon and end up having to push on the gas just to make it to the corner.  Either that or I overcompensate and wait too long to push on the brake and end up making the turn like I'm trying to qualify for a NASCAR race.

Favorite scripture for this week:
"Let us run. . ., looking unto Jesus." Hebrews 12:1-2  I like this one because I used it on race day, but I also like it because of the quote made by Corrie ten Boom in the lesson:  'If you look at the world, you'll be distressed.  If you look within, you'll be depressed. But if you look at Christ, you'll be at rest.'  It's such a great reminder that with the right focus we can find perfection and peace.

I know that was a long blog, so I hope you all don't get bored reading it.  Congrats if you made it all the way through to this point!
Have a great week!
Lyndee

Getting set for Nashville

Huh, I somehow just managed to delete the first few paragraphs I had written, so I guess I'll start over. 
This week has been a pretty good one.  On Saturday the 14th, I got my first taste of what my half marathon will be like.  The Crisis Pregnancy Center in Garden City hosted a 5K and a half marathon.  On Friday, Sarah, Roshel and I decided to run the 5K as a prep for the 28th.  It was a fun run, but it was easy to get caught up with the other people and follow their pace rather than setting my own.  I'll have to do a better job in Nashville.  It turned out ok though because Sarah and I were the first two women to cross the finish line, and we finished second and first in the women's division, respectively.

After running I came home and Taylor and I worked on our garden fence.  We've got all but one side done because the skid loader we were using to dig our post holes broke.  Some of my potatoes and spinach are starting to come up, so hopefully nothing will eat them until we get it finished.

The time Taylor and I get to spend together in the next couple weeks may be kind of limited.  He's gone part of this week on a fishing trip with one of the feedyard's pharmaceutical companies, and I'm going to go spend a little time with my family.  My mom, my sisters, and I may even get in a little shopping trip!
Next week I'll be leaving either Wednesday night or Thursday to go to Denver and fly out for Nashville.  I'm getting excited already just thinking about it!

I've got a few stories I'm working on for Certified Angus Beef, so I'm pretty sure I'll be able to stay kind of busy just trying to get caught up on them since I'll be gone part of next week.

This week I had to get a new phone because last week a pilot was crop dusting on a foggy morning and he accidentally clipped a guide wire to the AT&T phone tower that was nearest us.  He crashed and the tower had to come down.  Fortunately, he was ok, but our phone service was down for the count.  They brought in a temporary, portable tower, but it didn't help much.  Most of the time I couldn't get calls or texts.  It wasn't working for me since I needed to do interviews for my writing.  So I had to go in and switch phone companies.  It was a hassle, but it's definitely worth having phone service.  I can at least do my job now.

Yesterday, Tuesday, my Aunt Sherry came to visit me.  She was in my part of the world because my uncle had some business meetings nearby.  It was fun to show her around and get to catch up with her.  Yesterday was also my mom's birthday.  I am so blessed to have her.  She is a wonderful example for me and if I can be half the woman she is, I'll be doing well.

This week my favorite scripture was "Be imitators of God . . . and walk in love."  Ephesians 5:1-2
The lesson that went with this scripture reminded me that when we are following God's example and living as He would want us to, we can have an impact on others, even when we're not expecting it or looking for it.  So we need to always show God's love for others.  It may have profoundly affect others as well as ourselves.  


Have a great rest of the week everyone!

  This is me and my running buddy, Sarah, after the race in Garden City on Saturday.  Please know that my shirt says "Eat Beef" and has Willie the Wildcat on it.  I was representing!

Spring Projects

I've got several projects I've been working on this spring.  Lately Taylor and I have been working on our first garden.  We're both pretty excited about it.  I've always helped Mom do her garden, but it's fun to have my own.  Not long after we got our plot worked up, the belt on the tiller broke.  I waited a little while, hoping it would be fixed so I could use it to get the ground ready to plant.  By Monday I grabbed the good, old fashioned hoe and worked the plot myself.  I was afraid to wait too long to get things in the ground.  So far I've got potatoes, broccoli, spinach, lettuce, onions, and peas planted.  I also started some tomatoes, peppers and herbs inside, and they are doing well.  Now Taylor and I are working to put a fence around the garden.  Taylor's parents told us the rabbits would destroy it if we didn't. 

I also have three bucket calves I'm raising.  Their names are Ivy, Isabelle and Ivan.  So far (knock on wood), they've all been doing really well.  They're all around a month old now, and they're so cute!  We built their pens next to our dog's kennel, which may have been a mistake.  He's a born cattle dog out of working parents, and we're pretty sure it's torture for him to be so near the calves, but not be able to work them and chase them. :)  Poor Bently.

A lot of my spare time has been filled with running.  In late February a friend asked me if I'd want to run a half marathon with her.  Call me crazy, but I thought it sounded kind of fun.  We are registered to run the half marathon in Nashville, Ten. on April 28.  I've gotten through the toughest part of the training, and I'm really looking forward to the race!  It's going to be a lot of fun, especially since my sister Katie, and my mother-in-law and sister-in-law are coming.  We're making it a girls' weekend.  I think that through my running app on my phone, I'll be able to post my race on facebook, so people can kind of see where I'm at and cheer me on.

I thought it might be fun to occasionally write down some things I've learned since being out here in western Kansas.  Here's my first one:

• Fact 1:  I've learned that on really windy days, tumbleweeds will travel in herds (big ones!)

Every day I do a "Scripture of the Day," and my favorite one this week was:
 "Whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son."  John 14:13

I liked this scripture because the lesson that went with it talked about how God hears our prayers, and He will answer them, too.  However we should not insist that God ONLY give us exactly what we ask for.  We are only human.  We can't see the future, and we are fallible.  But God is perfect.  He knows what plans He has for us, and what is best for us.  More so than just asking Him to grant our wishes and thereby limiting His ability to work within our lives, we should ask that His will be done.  It may be greater than anything we could imagine.

Have a fantastic, blessed week!