A Few More "Firsts"

Since Taylor and I have been married, we've experienced a lot of "firsts"…first home, first time buying property, first time starting a grow yard (and all the little things that went with that),  first time traveling to Africa, and so on. This summer I've got to experience a few more "firsts," albeit, maybe of a less exotic nature than others, but it's the little things that make life truly great! :)

For instance, I've never raised chickens before, but earlier this summer we had a chicken coop built and our first order of 25 layers came in. That number has been trimmed down to 20 hens and one rooster (whom we've decided to name Billy Bob). :) They're still growing and it will probably be a few months yet before they are old enough to start laying eggs, but we're excited about the prospect. In the mean time we're working to build a pen out from the coop so they can go outside.

One of the other cool firsts for both Taylor and I was a direct result of the wonderful rainfall we've received this summer. For the first time (since either of us have lived out here) there has been enough rain to make the Arkansas River run through Lakin. It used to be fairly common for people to "float the river" in tubes or horse tanks, but it has been years since anyone's been able to do it.

A few weeks ago, Taylor and I and some of our friends took a Sunday afternoon to try out the river for ourselves. 

 

Admittedly, near Lakin the river was only about  three feet deep in most places and not running super fast so it took us all afternoon and evening to float several miles. 

Note to self - bring duct tape on a trip like this! Several of our tubes got holes poked in them. At this point they became less of a means for movement and more of a hinderance to making it to our destination. By the time we got done they were ready for the dumpster. Even so, I'm glad I can now say I've floated the river!

Our little trip took longer than expected and had a few of its own difficulties, but we soon found out our problems were minor compared to what they could have been. When we got done, part of our group took the vehicle we'd left at the stopping point back to our truck where we had gotten into the river. By this time it was almost 9 p.m. When they got to our truck, they found a group of people there who had gotten in the river several miles further back from where we did. They had only made it about half the distance they had anticipated, and to top it off they forgot their keys for the vehicle they had left at their stopping point, so they were stranded. 

Taylor took them back to their vehicle, but if we hadn't come along they would have either had to float for about another 6 hrs in the dark to get to their vehicle (and even then they wouldn't have had the keys for it), or they would have had to stay there on the riverbank in the middle of nowhere. Not to mention a nasty storm blew in that night, and would have made their predicament much worse.

I'm grateful God put us in a position to help them because I know if I'd been in their situation I sure would have wanted someone to do the same for us. 

Now I just hope the wet weather pattern will continue and hopefully we'll be able to float the river again soon. :) 

Thanks Landi for taking and sharing your pictures!

Scripture:

I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Ephesians 4:1 

I really liked the reminder this Scripture lesson gave. Some people may never read the Bible, but they may see how I live my life. I need to make sure I am living in a way that allows them to see and experience Christ even if they never read His Word.

I hope your Monday has set this week of to a great start!

Lyndee

The Tricky Little Difference Between Talking and Communicating

I have been talking for over 25 years. I would like to think I am reasonably good at it… somewhat articulate, don't mind talking in front of groups… but I'm learning there is a vast difference between talking and communicating. If I'm talking, words are coming out of my mouth.  But if I'm communicating my words/meanings/intents are being heard and received in the manner I intended by the person I'm talking to, and vice versa.

Taylor and I have a wonderful relationship. We like to talk to each other, and we frequently find ourselves thinking or saying exactly the same thing. But that doesn't mean we communicate perfectly.

A couple weeks ago we were trying to get ready for harvest. It can be a stressful time. There's always a list of things we feel we need to get done before we get into the fields because once harvest starts, you really don't have time for anything else until it's over. But, somehow, the wheat always seems to be ready before we've completed our list. :)
After a couple days of harvesting, it rained and kept us out of the field for a day. Taylor and I were trying our best to use that day to finish some of those remaining to-dos. Earlier in the week Taylor had to cancel the haircut he had scheduled, and he was getting pretty shaggy. While eating lunch I mentioned that maybe he would even have a chance to get his hair cut that afternoon. Taylor said it would be nice but that he still had some work to finish at the feedyard as well as mowing the yard, weed eating, along with a few other tasks he felt were more important, and he doubted he would have time for a haircut even if he wanted.
I sat there thinking for a few moments and then said something along the lines of "I'll be able to help you with the yard work. You've got time to get your hair cut." What I meant was to be a considerate, helpful wife offering to share the work load so he wouldn't have to neglect himself to get everything done.
(Que breakdown of communication here)
But to Taylor, me telling him that he "had time" after he'd just finished telling me he didn't, was the equivalent of me telling him that things he felt needed to be done really weren't that important and that a haircut should actually be at the top of his list. To him, my comment seemed disrespectful and like I did not value the work he had to do.

With a little extra time we were able to fix this misunderstanding, but it reminded me how easily I assume others will precisely understand my words and meanings when I talk.  It also reminded me how easy it is for a lack of communication to create hard feelings.

I'm sure Taylor and I will spend the rest of our lives developing our communication skills, but I know it's something we're both committed to working on to keep our relationship strong.

My nephew, Kolden, got in on the harvest action. He came out to visit me and we started harvesting the day after he arrived. I was so glad to get to spend some special time with him.

Western Kansas Fact: If it rains, they will come.
The past 3+ years I've lived in Western Kansas, one of the bonuses of the dry weather was the lack of mosquitoes. However, we were blessed to get quite a bit of rain this spring and with the rain came the mosquitoes. I was amazed at how fast they showed up.

This is a Scripture I have fallen in love with:

"Before they call I will answer; while they are yet speaking I will hear." Isaiah 65:24
This verse reminds me that, no matter where we are at in our lives, God knows exactly what we need. He knows the desires of our hearts, and if we seek Him and His will, He will answer our prayers, and a lot of times He may be working on answering them before we even pray.

I hope you all have a fabulous remainder of the week and weekend!

Lyndee

Learning to be the Wife and the Employee…The Struggle is Real

When Taylor and I first got married, I read a book called The Five Love Languages. It's a good book that focuses on helping you understand how to love your spouse in the way he/she needs. The book lists 5 basic ways to express love emotionally (love languages), and each person usually has a primary love language that they need in order to feel truly loved. These languages are:  1.Words of Affirmation 2.Acts of Service 3.Receiving Gifts 4.Quality Time 5.Physical Touch

I thought the book had a lot of wonderful points, but it took me 3 years to figure out what my love language was - physical touch. I had discounted that this could be my "language" - I assumed it probably only applied to people who were nymphomaniacs. ;) But now that I look back, I realize this should have been obvious - I'm constantly reaching to hold Taylor's hand; I rest my hand on his leg if we're sitting next to each other; when we're driving in the car, I'm frequently rub his shoulders/play with his hair; and when we're working through a disagreement, I don't feel like the issue is resolved unless he's held me close.

Understanding my need for physical touch has been helpful even in unexpected ways.

Recently, one of the office clerks at the feedyard had a baby, and she is now on maternity leave. During her time off, my mother-in-law, Roshel, and I are filling in. This means I'm working in the feedyard office with Taylor a few days of the week.

Generally, Taylor and I make a pretty good team, so, initially, I was surprised how challenging this arrangement could be for us at times.

Then it hit me what part of the problem was - in the office my role is the worker, not the wife. So even though I'm around Taylor, I don't get as much opportunity to be loved by him in my "language"… holding hands, hugging, touching, etc., because at work he has other things that need his attention. But understanding this allowed me to share with Taylor how I was feeling and made it easier for us to deal with.

It's been good for me to learn more about what goes on in the feedyard, but I have to say I much prefer my role of "wife" in relationship to Taylor than that of "employee". At times it's been challenging, but I also know that these new situations are helping our relationship grow stronger, and for that I am grateful.

Western Kansas Fact: The schools have really nice activity buses.
Growing up in Eastern Kansas all the schools in our district would take all the athletes to games in one of the regular school buses. But in out here all the schools seem to have nice tour buses for their athletes because they have to travel so far to go to different athletic events.

For the past three years I've been working to read the entire Bible.  Nearly every morning I spend a few minutes reading a passage - even if it's only a paragraph or two at a time. Maybe not the fastest method, but it works for me.
Then this morning I saw this Scripture and accompanying lesson, and it made me really consider and appreciate the time I get to spend in His Word
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness. 2 Timothy 3:16
Too often I've thought of the Bible as a bunch of stories/words that God approved, of written by men from long ago, but this Scripture lesson really made me think about how the Bible is truly the Word of God Almighty. He blessed certain men and women by allowing them to be part of recording His Word, but it is His. And I have been given the privilege to freely read His Word and know Him more through it!

I hope you all have a fabulous weekend!

Lyndee

Going Hungry and a New Niece!

I know I'm not the only one who feels this way, but… I LOVE food.
When we travel, my favorite part of the trip almost always revolves around the new restaurants we eat at and the food we try. I especially love the trips we take to go skiing or when I've run half marathons- because that means I've spent the day burning energy so I can really enjoy eating later. :)

And it's not just eating out that I love. I also really enjoy making my own good food. I think that started when I learned how to bake as a young girl. Between learning to make pies, cakes, and breads, etc. I developed a joy for food (and I also helped my dad develop an extra 10 lbs or so - sorry Dad!)

Yet, as much pleasure and care as I take with my food, I've been allowing myself to go hungry. Not "hungry" as in stomach-grumbling hunger. It's my soul that has been going hungry, but a couple of weekends ago I was filled up.

Toward the end of my college career I met some wonderful women who helped me grow in my relationship with God, frequently meeting for Bible studies and the like.
Since moving to western Kansas I've met some wonderful, Godly women, but I've really missed the fellowship I had with my college friends.

Bethany was one of the great women I met in college. She and her husband, Morgan, are now doing missionary work in India.

The second weekend of April, my sister Katie and I went to Rexford, Kansas for a retreat called Women's Encounter. It was an amazing weekend filled with the fellowship and focus I was needing.

I would encourage any woman, no matter where she's at in her life, or whether or not she knows her heavenly Father, to attend. Trust me, everyone can gain something from a weekend like this. All it takes it is a little time. (And for any men reading this, there is also a men's version called Men's Encounter that I would equally encourage you to attend).

Now the trick will be not to have simply "gorged" myself one weekend, only to go "hungry" in the days to come. The nice part is, now I have a greater network of women I know I can turn to for help in my walk of faith.

April has been a really good month. The weekend after Women's Encounter my brother and sister-in-law had a new baby girl, Lakin Lee Patterson.
Taylor and I went home last weekend to see her and celebrate my mom's birthday as well (Lakin was born the night before Mom's birthday).

We grew up with Massey Ferguson tractors, and Dad wanted to make sure Lakin was a Massey girl early on, too! :)

Western Kansas Fact: When the river would run, people would take stock tanks, throw them in the river, hop in, and go on a float trip. I think this used to be a lot more common than it is now - The past several years there has hardly been any water in the river bed.

This was a Scripture that really meant a lot to me at Women's Encounter:
'I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth.'  Revelations 3:15-16
This spoke to me because too often I would fall into the "lukewarm" category - going through the motions of being a Christian (going to church, reading my Bible, making my donation) without truly seeking God and His will in my life - that's just what I felt like I was supposed to do. But I want to serve Him with my whole heart, not simply go through the motions.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!
Lyndee

African Adventure

I've always loved words - reading, writing, etc. I love how words can be crafted together to create a perfect picture in your mind; they can take you places…whether new and exciting or old, comfortable and familiar. They can appeal to every sense making you see, taste, feel, smell or hear, all with a simple description.
Words are powerful, especially when they have real meaning and feeling behind them.

These words are not unfamiliar to me - "I am blessed to have been born in America and have the opportunities and life that I have." I used to think I knew what these words meant.
But after traveling to Africa, these words truly mean more to me than they ever have before.

In the middle of March Taylor and I, along with Taylor's brother, Jayce, traveled to Botswana, Africa for a friend's wedding.
It was a great experience. We flew into Johannesburg and then drove 10 hrs to our destination in Botswana. The wedding was held at the bride's family's wild game ranch, and we got to spend a week there. Mostly we just hung out there with everyone, helped however we could with wedding preparations and took drives around the ranch to look at wildlife. Taylor even got to go hunting one day, and I went along for the ride. He was able to shoot a red hartebeest.

Here are some tidbits we learned/experiences we had while in Africa:

• There are no need for cops in Botswana. You are risking your life if you speed because donkeys, goats, and cows are everywhere, and they frequently stand in the middle of the road. They don't move out of the way just because they hear a car coming either. You either need to have one heck of a big grill guard on the front of a big truck or you need to drive cautiously and ALWAYS pay attention.   The most stressful part of our whole trip was driving back to the airport on our way home. It had rained a little the night before and it seemed like every animal was near or on the road drinking the water out of the potholes.
• You don't need a clear stretch of road to pass someone - people there (or at least on the outskirts of Johannesburg) make their own passing lanes. If someone going faster than you came up behind you, you were expected to move over on the shoulder of the road and the car would pass, going right down the middle of the road even if there was oncoming traffic. Oncoming cars would also move over onto their shoulder leaving the middle of the road open for the passing car.
• There is a thing called "Africa Time." Basically this means that time is unimportant. There is no rush - things get done when they get done, and that's all there is to it. It's such a different concept from that of busy, rushing, time-conscious Americans.
• They cook a lot of their food, especially the meat, outside over  hot coals from a wood fire.
• We were in the Kalahari desert and there isn't really soil there, it is all fine red sand.

I could go on and on, but suffice to say it was an adventure and a very good experience for us! But one of the biggest things I felt I gained from the trip was a true appreciation for being born in America with endless opportunities available to me. The poverty and lack of economy or opportunity we saw in Botswana really made us understand how much we have and how much we take for granted.

This was someone's home. We passed a lot of places like this on our drive to the game ranch.

This is a Kudu. We got to eat some Kudu while we were there along with Impala, Red hartebeest,  and Gemsbok

The ranch was completely off the grid. The electricity ran off solar panels, and this was what they called a "donkey." It was their hot water heater. You built a fire in the hole at the bottom  and it heated your water for showers.

The wedding reception was held in a big marquee tent. They decorated it beautifully. 

Congrats Grant and Landi! Thanks for making us part of such a special experience.

Taylor and I are so grateful to Thomas and Hanlie van Zyl for inviting us into their home and taking care of us while we were at Phirima Game Ranch.

Easter marked the end of mine and Taylor's "no processed carbs/sugar" Lent. At times it was a little challenging, but for the most part Taylor and I both were really glad we did it. We measured before and after Lent and each of us took off about an inch from our waists, rear ends, and other various body parts. I lost about 3 lbs and Taylor lost about 6 lbs. The thing that really left an impression on us was that we both felt like our brains functioned better without the carbs and sugars in our diet. I also felt less tired during the day and was able to wake up more easily in the mornings. Now that Lent's over we'll allow some sugars/carbs in our diet, but we're going to try to keep it to a minimum.

This is a Scripture and lesson I really appreciated lately:
Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving. Colossians 4:2
The accompanying lesson addressed this issue: we, as humans, continually seek ways to make ourselves powerful, to gain control. But what so many of us fail to recognize is the most powerful thing we can do is get on our knees and pray to God. He is Almighty. He can do anything. He can perform great miracles and change people's very hearts. Rather than seeking power ourselves, we need to open ourselves up to the power of God by seeking Him in prayer.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!
Lyndee

$100 - What's It Really Worth?

$100…To me that amount of money could be any number of things…a trip to the grocery store; 9-10 bags of feed for my calves; a couple pairs of jeans (or depending on the type maybe just one pair with a  little extra left over); a steak dinner for Taylor and myself at a nice restaurant; or even 20-25 trips to my favorite coffee shop in Garden City. But at the end of the day none of these things will significantly impact my life.

Several days ago, I had a very humbling experience. In my mail box I had a letter from Tirana, Albania. It was from the little boy, Gerald, I am blessed to sponsor through World Vision.
Around Christmas time, I had responded to an email from World Vision asking if I would like to make an extra Christmas donation to my sponsor child. After spending a better portion of the day kicking the idea around, I decided to go ahead and make a donation of $100, and I was notified that Gerald's needs would be assessed and the money would go toward the greatest need of him and his family. Then within a few months I would receive a picture and a thank you letter telling how the money was used.

When I opened my letter, I saw a picture of my little boy standing in front of a box of food and other assorted items.
It shames me to think how easy it would have been for me to say, "No, I'm already giving a monthly donation. I don't need to send any more money," and I could have easily blown that $100 in any number of unimportant ways.
But thankfully, I got to share the blessings God has given me and actually make a difference and help provide for the greatest need of Gerald, his mom and dad, and two siblings.

Now all I can do is pray God would give me wisdom to do His will and remove any greed from my heart - the greed that would play through my head saying, "No, Lyndee, you're doing enough; you don't need to do more. Keep this [money, time, etc.] for yourself."

On a different note - the no-sugar/processed carbs for Lent is going pretty well. My cravings haven't been too terrible (although I do eat a fair amount of the non-sweetened dried fruits when my sweet tooth kicks in). And even though sometimes I feel like I'm eating more, I feel a little more trim. Taylor and I also feel like we're more alert. I've noticed that even when there's a night where I don't get as much sleep, I don't feel like I'm completely dragging the next day. I'll still get tired at night, but it's not like I'm riding the struggle bus during mid-afternoon or needing a coffee pick me up that hour after lunch. I'm thinking I may have to make a deal with myself after Lent is over to set aside 3 or 4 days out of the week and continue to make them no-sugar-days.

Western Kansas Fact: Pastures can be deceiving.
I grew up in an area where you figure a cow needs 4 acres of grass to sustain herself. The grass grew tall, and often we had to cut it during the summer. Out here, it does take more acres per cow, but the grass can be pretty surprising. Even though it may look short and insubstantial, native grasses like buffalo grass are very nutrient dense and make great pasture.

As I wrote this post, this Scripture kept running through my head.
Give and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap good measure - pressed down, shaken together and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return. 
Luke 6:38
This Scripture reminds me that God doesn't intend for me to hoard the gifts He has given. He wants me to trust that He will continue to provide for my needs, so I can be generous with others especially when that generosity ultimately brings glory back to Him.

Next time I'll tell you about Africa!
Have a great weekend everyone!
Lyndee

P.S.  Every morning I read a daily devotional and then send it out in an email to a small group of people. If anyone would ever like to receive this, send me your email and I can add you to my group list!

A Bright Idea!!!…Or Not

 You know those times when you come up with a really good idea (for example the time when Annie and me realized setting up a lemonade stand would be a great way to make money)…only to later find that, actually, your "good idea" wasn't so good after all (you mean a lightly traveled dirt road 7 miles out of town isn't the best place to sell lemonade and fill our piggy banks)?

This year for Lent, Taylor and I came up with one of those "bright ideas" - we decided to give up processed sugars and carbs for Lent.
Ok, so I actually do think it is a good idea, and I'm glad we're doing it, but I'll admit, it's been a challenge.
For a while I had planned to take all the things we couldn't eat during Lent out of the pantry, and then I realized that would include nearly everything in it, so I just put away the easily-snacked-upon/most-commonly-used items and left the rest there.

Before...

After removing items from one shelf - excluding the cereal I left there-my box for these items was full. If I had taken everything off the shelf above, I would have only had salt, tea, spices, baking powder and slivered almonds left.

We came up with this idea one night when we were talking about wanting to get a little more fit/trim up  the more problematic areas on our bodies. We wondered how much of a difference it would make to remove the processed sugars and carbs from our diet (we're allowing natural carbs and sugars like fruit and potatoes) while adding minimal amounts of extra physical activity on top what we typically do in a day (a set number of sit-ups, pushups, and squats everyday) So at the beginning of Lent we weighed and measured. Then on Easter we'll check back in and see what the difference is. Hopefully there is a difference - Taylor and I both said we feel like we compensate for the no sugar by snacking more…Oh well. :)

There will be one week during Lent when we don't follow these rules. It was kind of a last minute decision, but we decided we are going to go to South Africa/Botswana. Our good friends, Grant and Landi recently got married here in the states. Landi is originally from Botswana and they are having a wedding ceremony at her parents' home in March. Her parents own a wild game ranch where people come and hunt exotic animals. We're going to be staying at their ranch while we are there.
Taylor and I are pretty excited. It's going to be a completely different experience from anywhere we've ever been before. When we decided to go, we told each other, excitedly and somewhat nervously, it's going to be an adventure!
While on this adventure we want to be able to really experience the culture and the food, so we'll be taking a break from the no sugar/carbs thing.

I tend to be geographically challenged so here's a map of Africa for anyone like me

Last night we got our first significant snowfall of the winter. We probably had about 6 inches or so. Taylor stayed up all night at the feedyard clearing alleyways so feed trucks could feed in the morning. At 5:30 a.m. he came back to the house, dressed in some warmer clothes then we both went back to the feedyard and started shoveling snow out of the feed bunks. With everyone working together, we were able to have them all pretty much done by 10 a.m.
All I have to say is whoever invented the bunk blower (an attachment that goes on a tractor and blows most of the snow out of the bunks) is a genius. It really cuts down on the amount of shoveling you have to do by hand.

Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. Matthew 7:15
Here is part of the lesson that accompanied this Scripture: "Satan does not build a church and call it the first church of Satan - he is far too clever for that. Instead he tries to infiltrate the theological seminary and the pulpit - invading the church under the cover of an orthodox vocabulary - but emptying sacred terms of their true biblical meaning or denying their truth."
I feel like this is very true today. I pray that we would study the Bible and know His word so God can guide us and help us to recognize evil in this world, even in its hidden form.

Enjoy the rest of your Sunday and have a wonderful week!

Lyndee