why yes i do frequently enjoy sitting on cows:)

BEST WEEKEND EVER!

So me, Danielle, and Grandma left Friday afternoon to go to Salmon, ID. In case some of you don't know what's there, it is the family ranch. Mary Jo and Kevin live there. I was super excited cause I haven't seen Alice in like three weeks, and Adam in like two weeks! I just absolutely love my cousins! Anyways, the ride was kinda boring just because we really weren't talking that much. It was almost an awkward silence which was kinda weird, but whatever. We got there around 8:15 and decided to go out and try to find the colt. (although Im not sure why because it was pitch black outside by the time we decided to go) Rick and some of his boys came up too. So I hung out with Treon a lot. Erin really wanted to come up but she had to work until 8, so she worked and then did some homework and then left Rexburg around 10:15. She got lost on the way from salmon to the ranch, and I felt really bad because it was about 1:45 in the morning:(

Anyways, so we didn't go to sleep till around 2:30, and then we had to get up around 8:00. It was pretty crazy and we were all super tired! So the reason we went up to the ranch was because it was branding weekend. Me, Danielle, and Erin stayed inside to help Jo with the food and getting things set up and then we went out to where the branding was taking place! Let me tell you... it is quite and experience. This was the second time I had been branding, and I was still a little bit nervous about it. But I got over that really quickly! hahaha. Basically they have all the baby calfs in this pen and then they have like 4 guys on horses that go catch the calfs by their back legs and drag them out to where all of us "branders" are waiting. I got the lovely job of the head. haha. We have to turn them over by basically throwing ourselves on it, and then I got to kneel on the head and hold the front leg. When the branding starts they kick and bawl and all I have to do is pull back pretty hard on the front leg so they can't move. The second calf I did was a little rambunctious. It did NOT want to be branded and so the second the brand was over it like threw me on top of it. haha. I had such a fun time trying not to get kicked in the face while trying to get off this calf.

They also have to clip the ears and put tags in the ears. And since my leg was on the head I got blood all over me:) It was so much fun! I also got it squirted into my face a couple of times! Danielle, and Erin were having a lot of fun too! This is definitely not something everyone in the world gets to do. Oh and one time me and Alice had the calf and it got up before we could secure it down and it was still tied to the rope and it ran and we were stuck in the ropes line. and it totally close lines us. hahaha. My pants ripped and me and her thought we were going to be trampled for a second. It was really exciting!!!!

Then we got to go back to the house and eat the YUMMY lunch that me and the girls and Jo and Emma made! It was soo good! I love my aunt Mary Jo's cooking! Then we decided to go play on the hay bales. For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about.. they have stacks of hay. two stacked on each other. and each one is about 5 feet high. So we get on top of those and run around and jump back and forth. It is soo much fun, if not a little scary!

Then we went horse back riding! I steered while Erin sat on the back, then Alice and Danielle were on a horse, and Adam and Treon rode bareback. When we started trotting because we were playing tag Adam and Treon fell off of their horse. It was seriously one of the funniest things I have seen in a very long time! We were laughing so hard! Then me and Erin switched and she steered on the way back! Man I am still sore from that weekend! My arms and legs were so stiff when I woke up sunday morning I could barely get out of bed!

We left Sunday around 6pm, after playing a couple card games which I totally kicked butt, and got back to Rexy around 8:30. Me and Erin were sitting in the front, and for some reason lately we talk about was adult stuff. Like marriage, and having children, and working, and just things normal 19 year olds usually dont even think about. I love Erin because she is just so honest, and I love listening to her talk because she just has so many great thoughts! Its going to be super weird when we are getting married! Hopefully that wont be for a couple of years though. I love these two girls too death! I am so glad they are both in my life! I dont know what I would do without them! They are my best friends, and my rocks!!

One thing about the weekend is that it really made me homesick!! I miss my mom so much more than I did before I went up there. Her and her sister are so alike that all I could think of is how I wished my mom was there! I miss you all! Hope you are having such a lovely time where ever you may be!!!