Back In The Saddle Again.

So our weekend plans changed but in the end we had a blast!  Here's how it went.  Daniel took Friday off and went grocery shopping with me.  We went to lunch too.  We decided to go to Jimmy Johns for a sandwich and as we walked up to the front door, an older gentleman called out "Do you know anything about cars?" So Daniel went over and asked what the trouble was.  It just wouldn't start.  So I pulled the Durango up and we jumped his battery and Daniel told him to go have it looked at.  Might need a new one.  Aahh.  Felt good to be of service to someone. 

 

We got all the camping gear up from the basement and got our stuff packed.  The plan was to get to the cemetery by 5 to celebrate our sweet friend Lyndsay.  Then we were to head down to Payson to camp with my sister Laurie and her family.  Kids came home from school and got  their duffels packed.  Then Laurie called and said her kids were coming home from school not feeling well.  Dang.  So we huddled and made a decision.  We would go to the Ranch instead.  I mean the lakes would have been fun, roughing it would have been awesome.  But what about the lonely factor.  And there might even be cousins up at the Ranch! 

 

We headed to the cemetery.  Late.  But got there in time to do the butterfly release.  Then toasted friendship and such.  Then we bugged out and got to the Ranch.  Grandma and Grandpa and some of the teenage boy cousins were there.  Grandpa brought them up to fix fences and do some yard work.  Deanna and Clark (Daniel's sister and hubby) were to come up later in the evening. 

 

There was a lot of 4 wheel riding.  I want a 4 wheeler.  When the basement's done, 4 wheelers and a camper are on the I Want Them Now list.  Not that it'll go like that.  But a girl can dream. 

On Saturday we pulled out all the furniture, pulled the old orange carpet out, scrubbed the floors, cleaned corners, scraped dead mouse out and then put this lovely blue carpet in.  It fit so nicely, too.  Luckily for us, Marylynne (another sister) got new carpet at her house.  The "old" carpet is at the Ranch now.  Deanna and I went through the boxes of stuff that has accumulated and threw out yucky stuff, and organized the rest. 

The plan is to get all the gals together for a couple of days to paint and do more organizing.  My plan is to find a more comfortable couch!  But it's an antique. 

Everyone left on Saturday afternoon and evening.  Then we had a quiet and clean place to ourselves.  Daniel and the kids did some 4 wheeling. Umm... they're out there somewhere.  But isn't it pretty?!

Farmer Dan and my kiddos.  Later I took the kids out, but we don't take pictures of mom on the machine.

There was some dancing!

There was a lot of snacking.

.Oh, and there were cows everywhere.  The problem was, they weren't all Uncle Lewis' cattle.  So when Grandpa left he went to tell Lewis that there were extra cows.  On Sunday afternoon, Lewis and his son Steve and his wife Nicole and her 2 daughters (whew!) came up to drive the cattle.  Daniel headed out with Uncle Lewis on the 4 wheeler with Isaac in tow, while Steve and Nicole went out on the horses.  The little girls stayed with us and we colored and snacked and watched Gilligan's Island.  When they got back, Ruthie got a ride on Roscoe.  That's Steve there.  Isaac helped get the cows through a fence and rode the horse and sped around the cows on the 4 wheeler.  He had a great time and may go in to cattle driving!

Aahh.  All our stuff is packed up and Sam is playing his DS.  Can't get away from technology completely. 

On Sunday night we introduced the kiddos to Agatha Christie.  We watched Death On The Nile.  Oooh, scary and intense.

Isaac couldn't get enough of Grandpa's 4 wheeler.  I'm pretty sure he wants one too. 

We went into town to dump trash and get gas for the 4 wheeler and generator and were going to see the goats.  They weren't there!  We were so bummed.  We don't know if they got moved or sold.  We'll have to ask Uncle Lewis.  We got home Monday afternoon and went right to laundry.  5 loads of our own and 2 loads of Ranch stuff. 

It was a fun weekend.  This morning everyone had a hard time getting up for school.  We are back to real life again.  In fact, I better get a move on to get all my at home stuff done today!

Hope you all had a fun and safe Labor Day weekend!