Our Blessings

I am SO excited about the Christmas season this year…mainly because that means we get to go HOME to Texas to see everyone!  Its been a year since I’ve seen anyone but my parents.  To say we’re excited is an understatement! 

There are so many things to be thankful for throughout the year, but Christmas time is a great time to reflect on the year each of us has had, all the blessings in our lives, and to truly thank God for all He’s given us.

Wesley and I are so thankful for each other.  We are thankful that God led us on the path to one another.  We are thankful for our families and friends, and for everyone’s health.  We are so blessed that we get to make a living doing what we love – raising beef and being around cattle and horses.  God has given us so many blessings, and we are thankful for each one. 

This might be the last post I make until after we get back from the Lone Star State!  We can’t wait to get back to Texas and share all the happenings in Montana and the ranch with everyone!  I promise to take lots of pictures and share them with you when we return.  We hope everyone is surrounded by the ones they love this Christmas season. 

Merry Christmas y’all!! 

The Davenports

Merry Christmas-Eve!

Merry Christmas – Eve!!  It’s a cold Christmas Eve in Montana.  We are supposed to get a little snow this afternoon/evening, and its going to be in the single digits!  This morning it was 6 degrees when I was on my way to work.  The high today is 13, and the low is about zero tonight.  BUT, its Christmas!!  It’s supposed to be cold over Christmas!  It’s the only day (or two) out of the year where snow & cold weather is acceptable (in my book, of course)! 

Friday evening I met Wesley in the pasture to help him put out a mix feed for our cows.  Yes, it was dark.  But I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again; my husband works so very hard, even if it requires him working in the dark (which he’s done many times).  After we got in from feeding we enjoyed a relaxing evening with the dogs and a game of cribbage.



My attempt at getting a picture of us feeding in the dark.  Sorry, I know it's a dark photo



Wesley’s parents went out of town this past weekend so we had to feed and water everything on the ranch.  Saturday morning Wesley went to feed & I stayed home and cooked breakfast, then ran to town.  That afternoon we went up in the hills and worked on the skid steer (it broke on Friday afternoon).  That took us the rest of the afternoon until dark.  We FINALLY got the track back on the thing about 4:00 and had to very slowly and cautiously walked it to a clearing so we could try to continue walking it the rest of the way to the trailer when we had more daylight.  That evening we came in, fixed a pizza, and watched a Christmas classic – Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas!  It’s one of my favorites…that and Charlie Brown Christmas! 

Sunday morning we set out to do the feeding.  Wesley fed the colts and old cows, I fed the bulls and watered the cows in the corral, then we both fed our heifers and steers.  Teamwork – that’s how it gets done in the Davenport house!  After that we came back inside to PACK FOR TEXAS!!!  I’ve never been so excited about packing up my entire closet clothes, shoes, and the like for the trip!  You know, a girl can never have too many things packed on a week long trip.  Plus, the weather in Texas is SO unpredictable that I just had to take a little of everything :)  We packed Wesley first, then myself.  We always try to just check in 1 bag (due to cost & that it’s a pain in the butt) but since we have the wedding going on this trip, we just HAVE to pack two checked bags.  The bright side – I got to pack more shoes!  I did manage to leave the duffel bags empty so we could bring Christmas presents home in them!  We are SO excited to get back to Texas that we’re going to stay in Billings the night before we fly out and make a little mini-vacation-before-the-vacation trip out of it! 

I haven’t gotten any recent pictures of Jiggs to share, but here’s what Jakey has been up to lately!  He is growing SO big SO fast!  I’m afraid when we get back from Texas I won’t be able to hold & snuggle him so I’m getting in all the snuggle time I can before we leave!

This is Jake.  Last night.  Sleeping in my arms.  On his back!  He's something else!

A Festive Time of Year!

With the Christmas season comes Christmas cookies.  My sister & I used to make TONS of Christmas sugar cookies with my Granny & Papa when we were little, so I wanted to carry on the tradition even though I am now in Montana.  My loving husband agreed to make these delicious treats with me.  So, last Sunday I got out all my sprinkles, flour, food coloring, and cookie cutters and we went to work!  We had such a great time making a mess in the kitchen, laughing at our cookie decorating abilities, and being together.  After we had a pan full, I popped them in the oven as fast as I could & we anxiously awaited the ringing of the buzzer to sound the cookies being done.  8 minutes later we were greeted with our cookies; except they weren't cookies at all.  They were a big sheet of ONE sugar cookie.  Each individual cookie has smashed up against the other cookies surrounding it and they were ruined.  I almost started to cry, but, it was too comical!!  The look on Wesley's face when I brought those cookies out of the oven was priceless...sheer shock!  I have the before pictures to share with you today, but I did not take any after pictures.  I was too embarrassed at the way they turned out! 

 

 

 

 

So what does a girl do when something they've cooked/baked doesn't come out right?  Call her Granny!!  Turns out, you can't grease the cookie sheet!  If you do, it causes them to really slide & they lose their shape.  Ta-DA!!  We found the trick.  So, next weekend Wesley & I are going to try our hand at another round of sugar cookies and we HOPE that they turn out better than these did!

The doggies have been getting along wonderfully.  Jiggs now even looks for Jake when he's not around, and Jake sure looks for Jiggs too.  We've had some snowfall recently and the boys LOVE playing in the snow.  I was able to capture some pictures of them playing while they didn't notice me (if they see me they come running & therefore I'm unable to get a picture of them playing).  Its been pretty cold here lately.  I'm sure that will be quite a change for us when we head to Texas!  Have I mentioned that we're coming to Texas?  Well if you didn't know we are BOTH so EXCITED!!! 

Today Wesley went to a roping (an outdoor one) and since it was so cold outside, I decided to stay home with the puppies & do a little sewing.  I had been wanting to make some burp cloths & bibs for various friends who are pregnant or have had a baby.  So, I started that project today.  I must admit the burp cloths were a little harder than I thought they were going to be.  The baby bib was fairly easy.  I'm going to keep these two for myself since I messed up on the seams a little, but I was pretty proud at the way they turned out.  Once I finish my blog, I'm going back to sew some more! 

 

 

On a more serious note, with the permission of my best friend Katy, I've decided to write about her Mom.  Katy & I have been best friends since we were 13 years old.  We've spent a lot of time at each others houses when we were growing up, so both families are like second families to us.  Katy's Mom Jodie was recently diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma.  When Katy told me, I started crying with her.  We have been through quite a bit together, but this was something new for us that we didn't know quite how to handle.  With a lot of prayers, support, and the help of our wonderful Lord, Jodie found out last week it is only Stage 1.  PRAISE GOD!  Katy and I were so excited to hear this.  A few rounds of chemo & radiation and she will be ok!  We prayed & prayed and I couldn't be happier for this family.  Jodie means everything to Katy, just as my Mom does to me.  Jodie - don't worry about Katy.  During this time I will be here for her.  You worry about your recovery, and I will make sure Katy is ok.  Then, afterwards, we can ALL go celebrate with a nice dinner to Casa Ole!  Haha!!  And with that said, for everyone who reads this blog, please pray for my best friend Katy, her family, and especially her Mom as she fights (and WINS) this battle with cancer!  Love you all!

Well, since I've spent 4 hours sewing, then writing the blog, I better get to wrapping Christmas presents before Wesley gets home!  Have a fantastic week!!

One Giant Leap...for Jiggs

We’ve had a breakthrough in the Davenport Household.  Jiggs is now playing with his little brother.  That’s right…you heard me correctly!  Jiggs an Jake are now playing together.  Its not all the time, and sometimes its for longer amounts of time than others, but both boys are enjoying playing with one another!  And we like it because that means that we aren’t having to entertain the little one!  I snapped a few pictures of the boys playing this morning before I headed off to work.  I just loved seeing them play!  It was awesome. Wesley and I sat back & watched for a few minutes before I had to go.  It was great!  Jiggs help tire Jake out so he sleeps well, and Jake helps keep Jiggs young (even though Jiggs is only 2 ½).  

Anyone watching the NFR?  We are.  We record every episode just in case we miss part of it.  Then we watch it in its entirety when we can!  Last night was pretty good.  Wesley went to college with one of the saddle bronc riders so we are enjoying watching him perform. 

It snowed here over night last night & we are supposed to get more snow tomorrow.  The highs are in the 20’s and the lows are in the single digits…its cold outside!  Last night Wesley and I enjoyed a cup of hot chocolate together while watching the NFR.  It is definitely good hot chocolate weather!  Jake did not know what to think of the snow.  At first he didn’t want to go out, then he licked it, then he ran around in it.  And that lasted for about 3 seconds because he got cold quick!  I just hope it holds off until I can get home this evening because I hate driving in the snow! 

Have a wonderful weekend! 

Tree Trimming & a dog named Jake

I’ve waited for good reason not to make a post until now, and that was so I could attach pictures to the post!  First things first, Wesley and I had a great Thanksgiving.  We rounded out our Thanksgiving weekend by going to cut down our Christmas tree.  We had such a fun time “trimming” our tree, just as we did last year.  We went way back in the hills & timber on the ranch and found the perfect tree (after weeding thru a few losers, of course).  It was cold outside so we were all bundled up and as we were searching for the perfect tree it started to snow on us…it was quite magical.  After cutting it down and trimming the bottom (and trimming some more) we got the tree in the house.  And, after having to use string to tie it to the ceiling so it won’t tip over (its top heavy) we have a finished, decorated, cowboy Christmas tree! 

Last Friday Wesley and I introduced a new member to our family – the addition of a new puppy we named Jake.  Jake is about 6 weeks old.  He’s a hanging tree (that’s his breed) cow dog.  He is a ½ brother to Jiggs.  While Jiggs would like very much to wake up from this nightmare in his little world, we are enjoying the addition of this cute little guy.  He has quite the personality, and will definitely let you know when he’s tired, hungry, or needs to go to the bathroom.  He only wakes up once a night to go to the bathroom, and is quite snuggly when he gets really tired.  Wesley and I spend the evenings tiring Jake out so he sleeps well at night!  And when he does get good & tired I spend time holding & snuggling him, because it won't be long before he grows up!  Jiggs has been an “only child” for a year now, and this is not sitting very well with him.  He has a difficult time being in the same room as Jake, and hates sharing his toys, not to mention his space.  In time we know they will become best friends.  But for now, we give both babies individual attention so they both feel loved. 

We are on the countdown until we come to Texas!!  We are SOOO excited to get back to see our family & friends.  23 days and counting!  We are equally excited to celebrate our marriage with family & friends down there.  Here are a few pictures of the newest member of the Davenport family, as well as our Cowboy Christmas tree!  Hope you enjoy!!

P.S. I have more wedding photos too…hopefully I’ll get some time in the next week to post some.  In the meantime, go to our photographers website www.brittanputnamphotography.com and find “Wesley & Tiffany’s Winter Wonderland Wedding”…that’s us!!  She has some pictures posted to her website as well!



Jake sleeping on his Dad's blanket (that I made btw)



Fingers taste good when you're a puppy

About to take a nap on the couch

Investigating the camera up close

And this is what Jiggs thinks of all this...

Christmas Tree!  Jiggs is trying to photobomb in the corner :)

All lit up

The adorable tree skirt my Mom gave us!

Ornaments up close

No Cowboy Christmas tree would be complete without a cowboy hat as a tree topper!

I lied - I managed to find 1 more wedding photo to share!

What I'm Thankful For

I got the idea for this post from my friend Adrienne’s blog, and since I thought it was pretty creative, I decided to do a version of my own!

There are so many things in our lives (and in particular my own) to be thankful for this year.  While there are many things that are apparent to us, and others around us, I’m going to give you the things I’m most thankful for (other than the obvious).  Let me preface this by first stating that, of course, I thank God every day for my husband, my marriage, my health, my family, and my friends.   Tradition has it to list all these things in order of importance to you, then go down the list from Husbands to health, dogs to dinner.  Here’s my rendition of the “thankful” list (in no particular order, of course)….

1.       Montana Sunrises/sunsets – if you haven’t experienced one, you just don’t know what they are like.  They call this place the “Big Sky Country” for a reason.  The skies God created up here go on forever.

2.       My Dishwasher – who wants to wash dishes by hand?  Not.  Me.

3.       Our New Pickup – while we’ve had it since August, I just haven’t said anything about it.  But the heated & cooled seats are pretty awesome this time of year (or anytime, really).  And, since it’s the pickup I’ve wanted since I was a little girl (F-250, lariat, 4X4, 4 door), its just icing on the cake!

4.        Coffee – because without it our house would probably start every day malfunctioning

5.       Jiggs & Jake, Reno, Champ, Blaze, Stetson (Stetty), Squirt, Steele – these are our “children”.  I hope I didn’t forget any or I’d feel terrible!  Jiggs is getting a little brother we are (tentatively) naming “Jake”.  Reno, Champ, Blaze, Stetty, Squirt & Steele are all horses of ours.  We love them all dearly & I am so attached to all of them.  Whenever you have a bad day, sit on the back of a horse & just ride.  You will feel much better, trust me.  Reno is my baby and he always takes care of me.  I’ll never forget Reno’s kind eyes looking at me when we were lost in the pasture.  I knew he’d take me home.

6.       Airplanes – because without them, it’d take us a hell of a lot longer to get to Texas!

7.       Black Friday – the sales just wouldn’t be as good without this one day a year that everything seems to be discounted so deeply that you just have to get it or your life wouldn’t be complete without it.  Ok…that may be dramatic.  But my sister, mother, and I always used to do black Friday sales, and as crazy as it may have been, we loved every minute of it together!  And ladies, just be honest, beating someone else to the deal that you’ve dreamed about since the black Friday ad’s started appearing is a thrill most won’t admit they get.  But, I just did!  Now, if you have to work on Black Friday, I guess you’d hate it (as was the case for me this year).

8.       Christmas decoration – if my previous post didn’t make it clear enough – I LOVE Christmas decorations!  We are going shopping this weekend for the rest of our concoction of decorations!

9.       Blue Bell Ice Cream – even though we only get it once a year, we are SO thankful when we do get it.  There is NO other ice cream in the country that compares to Blue Bell…and I mean that.

10.   Diet Coke – I only have 1 diet coke a day, and I savor every last drop.  I used to be a Diet Dr. Pepper fan, until I found out the taste of Diet Coke was much more appealing to my palate.

11.   Skype/Facetime – thru these simple little aps Wesley and I are able to see & talk to my family face to face.  We love it!

12.   Cattle & the Beef Industry – lets face it, without cattle Wesley & I wouldn’t be able to do what we love – be around & raise beef.  And without us (and the thousand other ranchers out there) you wouldn’t be able to enjoy that delicious steak for dinner.  Support all of us cattle ranchers.  Eat More Beef!

13.   Bulls – because with their help, they make more babies for us to raise!

14.   My Sewing Machine – I love sewing.  Some people find it boring, but I love it.  It was a trait passed down to me from my great-grandmother (Busha) and I will never forget all the times I “helped” her with quilts, pillows, dresses, & such.  She taught me a lot, and now I thoroughly enjoy crafting/sewing.

15.   Red Beers – our favorite drink in the evenings.  Wesley and I both enjoy a red beer after coming home from work.  No one down south has ever heard of them (and neither did I until I met Wesley) but they are about the only way I enjoy beer these days.  You take a beer (BudSelect is my flavor of choice) and add about ¼ of a glass of tomato juice to your beer.  No need to stir, the two liquids mesh well together.  Add a few green olives to have a snack (as Wesley calls it) when you’ve reached the bottom of the glass and you’re done.  Perfect red beer.  And the perfect way to enjoy a cold one!

16.   My iPhone – what the hell did we all do without our smartphones?  While my phone does piss me off (regularly, it seems), my lunch hours wouldn’t be the same without Pinterest, or talking to Wesley, or surfing amazon for the latest deals. 

17.   Brand Laws – while the brand laws in Texas are much different than the ones here in Montana, I’m thankful we have them.  Without our brand, it would be VERY easy for someone to steal our cattle.  But, since they are branded, everyone knows they belong to us.

18.   Deadwood, South Dakota – the place we always go for mini-vacations.  Have I mentioned we love Deadwood?  I haven’t?  OH well we do!

19.   Conversations with Katy – this could technically go under the “obvious”, and while I treasure conversations with my husband, parents, and sibling, our days usually end with a quick conversation with each other.  Sometimes they aren’t long enough, but they are just enough to fill each other in on the happenings in both Texas & Montana.

20.   Jeopardy – Wesley and I LOVE watching Jeopardy every evening when we get home

21.   Dancing – we LOVE to dance.  Wesley and I only sat down for a very short time at our wedding reception here in Montana, and we can’t wait to dance the night away at our Texas reception.  Not only is it a good workout (always a plus!) but it is just plain fun!

22.   Living 37 miles outside of town – no one bothers you…literally…no one.  Its peaceful.  Its quiet.  We love it.

23.   Hand Sanitizer – germs are gross.  Working with money every day presents ALL kinds of germs.  Thank goodness for hand sanitizer.  I use it all the time.  I’m a little germaphobic (is that a word?) and hate to think about all the germs on my hands.

24.   Hot Showers – especially on cold days/nights.  A hot shower is the best.

25.   Cowboy Boots – a necessary accessory to any outfit.  I love my cowboy boots.

There you have it.  25 of the most random things I am thankful for…in no particular order of importance.  I’m sure there are tons of other things I could have added to this list, but you get the idea! 

We hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  We spend the afternoon with Wesley’s parents eating good food & playing cards.  We ended the evening by watching a classic – “Happy Thanksgiving Charlie Brown”!  We will continue our holiday spirit thru the weekend by going to a the downtown Christmas parade of lights this evening, followed by Christmas decoration shopping tomorrow, and more decorating Sunday!  Have a fabulous weekend!

Deadwood & Decorations

With the passing of the date of November 15^th (the date that my husband & I agreed) came the most joyous time of the year…Christmas decorating time!  You see, I wanted to start putting Christmas decorations out at the beginning of November.  However, my sweet Wesley told me that I should probably do justice to the Thanksgiving holiday before skipping it completely & moving straight to Christmas.  *Sigh* Ok…I’ll wait.  Until the 15^th.  And then we’ll commence with the Christmas decorating!

This past weekend Wesley and I decided we would go to Deadwood (since we couldn’t go the weekend after our wedding due to the icy roads).  We both got home Friday evening, both thought of going to Deadwood during the day without even saying a word to one another, and then both decided (rather quickly) that would head to Deadwood first thing Saturday morning!  We had SUCH a great time together, but that’s nothing new.  We always do!  Wesley was up at 5:00 AM he was so excited.  He quietly woke me up, and we were out of the house by 6:30 AM heading to South Dakota!  We dropped Jiggs off at his grandparents (i.e. the ranch with Moo Moo & David) and were on our way.  We got to Deadwood about 10:00 AM after making a quick shopping trip stop in Belle Fourche, SD.  As soon as we got there, we checked into our room, and headed straight for the slots!  We gambled, got some lunch, and gambled some more.  We headed back to the room that afternoon to take a quick nap, and change for the evening.  I got some really cute clothes down in Deadwood, so I was anxious to wear them out that evening!  We ate a nice prime rib supper at our favorite steakhouse down there (Mom & Dad – you know which one we are talking about!) then it was off to win some money!  We went to our hotel’s casino because they have “hot seat” drawings every 15 minutes from 6:00-9:00 PM.  As luck would have, BOTH Wesley & myself got drawn for the hot seats!  $30 in free play…not a bad way to start the evening!  After winning some at that casino, we headed up the street to gamble, and order our favorite brick oven pizza before heading back to the room that night.  When we arrived at that particular casino they were having a drawing for one of those money machines – you know, the ones where you get in the glass case & they turn a fan on & money blows everywhere & you have to try to get as much money as you can in a certain amount of time.  After much persuasion (no, Wesley did NOT want to do it) we finally signed up for the drawing.  And once again, we were BOTH picked to go in the glass case!  Wesley was first, and after 30 seconds came out $65 richer!  I was next, and I came out with $31!  SCORE!  We ordered our pizza, and hit the slots while it was being made.  Wesley’s little hands were H-O-T hot that night, so we decided we’d go for one of those quick hit machines (anyone who has gambled knows what I’m talking about).  He put in a $5…yes, a $5…and won $120!!  NICE!!!  He did most all of the winning that weekend, and we ended up coming home with more money than we went with…not a bad weekend for us!!!

Sunday it was CHRISTMAS decorating time!!!!!!!!  We got home, unloaded the car, and then went to the man cave to get our Christmas totes.  I was so excited.  I couldn’t wait to have all our cute decorations out in the house again!  Wesley helped me bring the boxes in the house, and as I started opening the first tote I noticed a gross smell.  Wesley came over, and discovered most ALL of our Christmas decorations had mold on them.  That’s right, mold.  One might ask how mold got in a sealed tote?  Well, I put a beautiful snow globe (that I got at the last Christmas my great Grandparents were alive) in that tote.  This snow globe has been to Lubbock, Austin, Brenham, and finally Montana with me.  Apparently the harsh winters here in Montana are too much for the snow globe because the seal broke (not the glass, just the seal) and caused water to slowly leak out into the tote, creating mold all over everything.  Our stockings, stocking holders, blankets, figurines, Gund bears, Nativity scene, and a tree skirt…all victims of the mold.  I washed everything I could, 3 times to be exact.  NO such luck.  It was ruined.  I just cried.  We had no Christmas decorations for the inside of the house!  And I was so looking forward to decorating.  Wesley comforted me & promised me we’d go shopping this weekend & find much better decorations for our house & we would decorate again together this weekend.  The thought of that dried my tears, and I was once again in the Christmas spirit.

Not only did my sweet husband tell me we would go shopping together, he took it one step further.  Without my knowledge yesterday, he went to town and  bought me new Christmas decorations for the house.  I got home before him, and I could hear him rustling with things at the back door.  He yelled to me to close my eyes, go away, and I couldn’t look until he was ready!  He set out all his little findings on our kitchen table, took me there, and said “ok, open your eyes”!  What a sight!  I had new bears, new SINGING Rudolph & Abominable Snowman (they come in a set at Wal-Mart…and are super cute), 3 new stocking holders for the 3 of us, and he told me that we are still going to go shopping this weekend together, but he figured this would give me a start on my decorating.  He is the most thoughtful person I know.  This meant so much to me, and he knew that!  I love him so much!!!! 

I can’t wait to go shopping with him for more things as we are going to get yard decorations, more house decorations, and I get a new stocking too!!  He’s my angel…and I love him so! 

I’m going to try to post once more before Thanksgiving, but if I don’t get a chance, we hope everyone has a very Blessed Thanksgiving holiday surrounded by the people they love!!

Introducing...Mr. & Mrs.

What an amazing time Wesley and I shared together last week.  We had everything from sunshine to snow, and went from being engaged to married all in one week!!  Let me start from the beginning….

Wednesday of last week (11/7/12) started out beautiful.  In fact, I was wearing short sleeves & jeans out that day!  Wesley and his Dad began Wednesday by finishing up the pipeline they dug on our property.  We put self-filling trough in for the cattle right behind our property & ran a pipeline off of our well so they would have water in that pasture when they are in it!  Anyway, while they did that I ran to Colstrip to finalize the floral order with the shop there.  Then, Wesley and I (along with Jiggs) loaded up in the pickup & headed for Forsyth to do our errands.  We picked up the liquor license from the bar that was doing the alcohol catering at the wedding, then went to the courthouse to get our marriage license!!  That evening we went over to Wesley’s parents to have a drink with his sister Christi & her husband Clint, and Mandy & Matt. 

Thursday morning we tried (although it was a failed attempt) to relax before having to run to Miles City for the afternoon/evening picking up last minute wedding things.  We left the ranch about 11:30 so Wesley could get his hair cut in Miles City, then went & picked up our rings, went to Wal Mart to get a few things, then met up with his family for a quick celebratory drink at the Bison Bar in Miles City, and finally ended the night with a delicious steak at the Montana Bar & Steakhouse.  They were DELICIOUS by the way!  We didn’t stay out too late Thursday evening because Friday was our BIG DAY!!

Friday was the day we had been waiting for…our wedding day!  We got dressed that morning, and left our house about 9:00 AM to head to the courthouse.  We were met there by our best friends Clint & Sarah Boucher, and Wesley’s family came also.  My Mom was on Skype so she could be a witness to our union as well.  With the Judge ready and our witnesses at hand, Wesley & I exchanged vows in front of family & close friends.  We were so excited!  We were now Mr. and Mrs.!  We got our marriage recorded at the courthouse, then it was off to decorate the hall with Clint & Sarah.  It didn’t take us long to decorate, about an hour and a half, and after that we went & had lunch with them to celebrate.  Friday evening we were supposed to head to Miles City to have a celebratory dinner with Clint & Sarah, but the weather wasn’t wanting to cooperate.  So, we ended up staying home Friday evening.

Saturday morning we woke up to a winter wonderland…literally!  There was snow everywhere!  Not only was there snow, but there was ice too.  Had it not been that I HAD to go to Miles City that morning to get my hair done, we would have definitely stayed at home!  We braved the roads, going ever so slowly, and made it to Miles City.  By the time we got there, we realized just how bad the roads really were…they were solid ice all the way in.  It was time to make a decision – to have the reception or not.  After much help & encouragement from Clint & Sarah, it was decided we WOULD have our reception!  We had great friends & neighbors pull together to help make our reception the best one ever.  We met our photographer in Forsyth about 2:15 and we headed out to take pictures in the countryside.  We got back to the hall about 4:00 PM that Saturday afternoon, just in time to start welcoming guests.  We had a wonderful meal, a great band, and good people at our reception congratulating us.  We danced the night away surrounded by great people, and we can’t wait to do it all over again in Texas in December!!  The best part...is that we are married!  We are best friends, and I love him with everything I have!

Sunday we were supposed to go to Deadwood, SD, but since the roads were so crappy we opted to stay at home.  We ended up getting some much needed rest from the week before, and actually enjoyed our time together just relaxing at the house.  I was off work Monday for Veteran’s Day, so we spent the day in Miles City returning things from the caterer and spending a few gift cards we got for our wedding ;-)

And now, it’s back to work!  We are so lucky to have such wonderful family & friends to celebrate this special time in our lives with us.  We are so blessed to have found each other, and to be married!  We can’t wait to see everyone in Texas!  Although we don’t have any wedding pictures back yet, we do have one.  So I thought I’d share it with you for now. 

Hope everyone is having a wonderful week!  It’s almost the weekend!! 

Introducing Mr. & Mrs. Davenport

The Countdown Is On

For the next week (or two) I will apologize if I don’t update you as often as I normally do.  As you know, Wesley and I will be saying “I DO” next week, and we are so very excited!  With that said, we have lots of last minute errands to run & things to do before the big day!! 

While I had a somewhat quiet weekend last weekend, Wesley worked his butt off both Saturday & Sunday last weekend.  Saturday was pretty cold outside, so I stayed indoors & fixed a nice big pot of stew, cornbread, and a cake.  After that I got out my new sewing machine my great Aunt gave me & started learning.  Boy do I have lots to learn!  But, it was a lot of fun.  I’m starting to sew new projects & things for around the home and for gifts so I’m definitely excited that I got a nice sewing machine that does all kinds of neat things.  While I was inside, Wesley was out in the elements.  He & his dad moved some cows Saturday then went & searched for some that we needed to get out of our big pasture.  Then he came and got me and we both went out to feed the calves. 

Sunday morning he got up early and was out of the house by 7 AM to go help the neighbor gather their pasture so they could ship cattle.  He didn’t get home until after 7:30 PM that day.  He was flat exhausted, and I don’t blame him.  It was cold, it was raining off & on, and he hadn’t had anything to eat except for breakfast that morning.  I was so glad to have him home so I could take care of him after his long day.

While the beginning of this week seemed to drag on, the end is going by quite nicely.  Tomorrow is FRIDAY and I am excited for the weekend!!  This weekend we have to go to Miles City Saturday to drop our rings off so my wedding band can be put together with my engagement ring, and I’m having something special done to Wesley’s ring as well!  Sunday we are getting up and heading to Billings so I can go pick up my wedding dress!  I can’t wait to see it once it has the final minor alterations done to it.  I can’t wait to share pictures with everyone as well!! 

I hope that I will have pictures soon after the wedding, but if not I’ll share them as soon as I get them!  And just in case I don’t get to write before next weekend, please say a prayer for Wesley and me that our wedding goes well, and the weather cooperates (to the best of its ability)!  The next time I write I’ll have the letters “MRS” in front of my name and Wesley will have bling on his left hand!  :)