A Third of the Life I Lead

Once upon a time, a friend told me that I lived a double life - one part creative biz boss, one part rancher’s daughter. I’m the girl that drives the red mustang with the saddle and chinks in the back seat.

This is my real life, though. I really like a good red wine but won’t turn down a Coor’s Light either. I’ve been known to leave the crew working the cows to get to my nail appointment on time. I have been blessed with hair that looks decent even after a cowboy hat all day. I am “that” girl.

I feel like now, I have so many more than just two parts of my life. I can’t even count the categories in which I might live a moment of my time in a single day. But if I pull the people themselves out of the equation, I can pretty easily strip my life down to three places:

• The Gym
• The Studio
• The Ranch

I don’t talk about my fitness journey much on social media, so the gym doesn’t get a whole lotta love on this blogsphere at the moment. But know, it’s a big part of my life as of late (like, the last 3 years but maybe I’ll come back to that…).

The studio, however, seems to get a lot of attention. I like to talk about “work,” what the newest idea or project or dream is, and help others with the knowledge I may or may not have.

But what doesn’t seem to get much press is the ranch. For those who don’t know, I was raised on a cattle ranch in the literal middle of nowhere. My parents are some badass cattle ranchers, land conservationists and holistic sustainability enforcers. Mama Kathy and Papa Mike, as we call them, are the coolest people I know, and going “home” for me is something I enjoy more than most things in this life.

The ranch holds a lot of titles, holding most of our most near and dear memories of life, and I’m certain that it will continue to do so.

So, I’ll talk more about the ranch nowadays, since I seem to be going there a lot recently. Joey is growing up knowing the ins and outs of the ranch on a daily basis, and it seems only appropriate that I document our days there.

Last week, Joey and I had a an early work day/workout day and headed up the ranch for the first branding of the year, and Joey’s first branding ever!

Have to admit, one of the best things about having a “newborn” is the fact that you don’t get asked to do much at events such as these, making it quite easy to have a beer or two and take lots of photos.

The day was perfect, warm and sunny and smelled like home, which basically means it smelled like cow poop and burnt coffee and old leather. Which is perfect, by the way.

Anyway, some photos to peruse through over your evening wine or morning coffee. If you can, imagine yourself there, sitting on the fence with a Coor’s Light and store bought bear claw, watching a group of young(ish) cute cowboys and cowgirls do what they love most.

Ciao for now, my friends. I’m off the the ranch to get Joey from Grandma’s.

xoxo