When I left home I realized how uniquemy childhood was, and I decided before I came that I wanted to take some time to document what our lives are like out here in the middle of Washington. Grandma is a cowgirl, married to a cow-man (not a cowboy, he’s the boss who rides around on a four-wheeler and tells the cowboys what to do) and their home reflects their love of ranch life. I even made a video about their ranching years using old footage my grandma took throughout the years!

This is the video I made. It was done for a class presentation so it’s formatted like a movie preview. Don’t laugh too hard at my silly little logo, probably made during one of my late-late-nights at the library. I narrated the beginning, and grandma did the rest. What a lucky girl I am to have been able to experience all of this!

My grandma and grandpa were kind enough to come and pick me up in the middle of the night and so I got to have a sleepover at their house and wake up the next morning and take some pictures. I would like to try to document more of our home life for my own children someday. We plan on living far away from my family, so they won’t get to experience all of this like I did.

Grandma’s house (for I always call it grandma’s house, never grandpa’s ) is full of all kinds of treasures. Whenever they move to a new ranch they get a new “junk yard” that comes along with it, full of all kids of old treasures. One of my favorite things to do with her when I would visit was go junk hunting. Once we found an old bunch of lace that she transformed into a beautiful skirt that I still wear sometimes!

She has two of my wedding centerpieces on display and is always quick to let me know that they are mine to take whenever I would like. We’re moving too much for me to take them anytime soon, but I plan on reclaiming them one day.

Can you see That Wife as a little cowgirl wannabe? I’m the one riding the horse and wearing the pink bandana with my legs crossed oh-s0-demurely.

Grandma always has a knitting project going on beside her chair. Every single thing she makes is a thing to treasure, and I have a big box full of wonderfully warm scarves and hats even though I live in Dallas. I would never, ever think of giving them away, no matter where we lived!

Love this old bike that she rides up and down the lane (called Cowboy Lane) for exercise.

At Grandma’s house there are skulls EVERYWHERE. All bovine skulls of course. Who could refuse such cheeky decor for the price of free?

In the middle you can see their brand, another constant throughout the house and all over the ranch. They’ve pulled all kinds of old farming equipment from the ranch junk yards and brought it down as decor in front of their home! It’s always fun to see if they’ve added anything new lately.

Sometime within the next few years I really hope to visit the ranch and take pictures (of course I’ll take pictures, and lots of them) so you can see what it’s like. I hope my own children will get to have some of these experiences as well!

Also:

• The Double Cousin’s House
• The View From My Parent’s Front Door
• The Magic of Coming Home