The Fidler's

January Jayme!

2012-01-27T08:16:00.000-08:00

I bought myself a new camera as a late Christmas gift to myself! Enjoy!

Ho Ho Holidays!

2011-12-27T09:48:00.000-08:00

While we knew we were expecting last Christmas, I must say that this is the first year that actually felt like Christmas in our house! We have always celebrated with family and friends, and had wonderful Christmas memories...this year was extra special because it was the first year we spent it just as a little family in our own home. Luke and I both got into the Christmas spirit, and decorated our home for Jayme. Being only six months old...she has no clue what is going on, but it was still fun to establish our own holiday traditions this year!

Our most special tradition is our Christmas Cross. Luke and I have discussed over the past years about how important we feel it is to keep the spirit of Christmas close at heart during the holidays once we have our own family. And while Santa will most definitely be welcomed to stop at the Fidler household, we wanted a way to honor the best gift of Christmas of all....So after much discussion and debate, Luke came up with the idea of decorating a Christmas Cross rather than a Christmas Tree. The Christmas Tree really has no significant Christian meaning behind it...so it seemed like a nice way to remind us what Christmas is really about, but still allow us to take part in all the fun of Christmas time! So we found a local woodworker, who also happens to be a minister at one of the local churches in town, and he set out to make us our Christmas Cross. It's 7 feet tall, 4 feet wide, and made of peeled pine. The center plate that holds the cross together is engraved with "The Fidlers" and "John 3:16" It's beautiful, perfect, and everything we were hoping for. We had so much fun dressing it in garland, lights, cranberries, and all of the special ornaments we have been collecting over the years.

We hung up stockings by our tree as well...but they were a little inaccessible to Santa, so he had to leave our loot under our cross instead!

Jayme didn't really understand the present opening part of Christmas, which was OK. She did get a few goodies from Santa, and some fun things from family and friends. All the gifts she got will get good use, but she definitely thought the best gifts were the ones she could fit into her mouth...

Her Daddy gave her a deer skin rug because the two of them love to play on the floor in the evenings. She was pretty excited about it, and she loves to lay on it and pet it.

It was a wonderful Christmas for us, and we are blessed to have been able to spend it with our families. We are most thankful for Jayme, who made this Christmas extra special for us. What a wonderful time of year!

30 Days of Thanks:

2011-12-05T21:00:00.000-08:00

Day 30: Today we are thankful for the presence of God in our lives and in or marriage. I don't think it matters what you believe, as long as you believe in something. Luke and I share a christian view that God is present in our lives and guides and watches over us on a daily basis. We are most thankful for his love and his promise of eternal life and love with him. We are thankful for the life that we live here on earth, and today we give thanks for his most presious gift of all...the gift of his son Jesus Christ so that we might someday live and walk with him.

Day 29: Today we are thankful for our educations. Eventhough I use mine more that Luke does on a daily basis for my actual "job", we are both very thankful for our educations. We are thankful for parents who instilled the importance of an education in us, and for their encouragement of us completeing our educations. Actually, Luke and I both grew up in home where going to college really wasn't even up for debate. Education is an important thing to have regardless of what you use it for, and we are both thankful to have completed our educations all the way through a bachelors degree, and to have done it before we got married and started a family. Today we give thanks for our education.

Day 28: Today we are thankful for our harvest. And by harvest, I mean all the animals we were able to harvest this year and even years past. Wyoming is a gorgeous state to live in, and we are surrounded by beautiful wildlife. We are thankful to get to enjoy these animals while they are alive, but we are also thankful for the ability and right to harvest them to feed our family. When done correctly, the sport of hunting is a very enjoyable thing and it helps to manage the health of the herds in our area. Despite that we raise beef and pork...I would say that 90% of the protiens served at our dinner table are wild game. We are thankful for the animals that provide the enoyment of the hunt, as well as a harvest for our table. We are thankful for the healthy meat these animals provide for us. Today we give thank for Wyoming's wildlife.

Day 27: Today we are thankful for our hobbies. The more we settle into our life and triple j, and learn that you have to take some time away from work to play...the more we learn that we enjoy to do together. The two hobbies that we spend the most time doing lately are bowling and snowmobiling. Both activities are things we enjoy doing together, and it has been a wonderful thing in our marriage. Today we give thanks for the ability and means to partake in our hobbies.

Day 26: Today we are thankful for my job. My job isn't always easy, and sometimes it takes a significant amount of time away from my family, but a full year before I graduated from college with my accounting degree, I knew that I would be able to return to Lander, and be full time employed at MMF. It's not without it's challenges but we are very lucky that I can do what I do, and live where I live. In a time where so many seem to be without jobs, I sometimes forget to stop and give thanks for an opportunity to wake up and have somewhere to go to work each day. Today we give thanks for MMF.

Day 25: Today we are thankful for our opportunities to give back. Luke and I have both been involved in the community in different ways, but lately we have found our philanthropic passion is focused on our local animal shelter. I have been serving on the board for two years now, and just this summer the small board of 5 individuals completed construction on the very first animal rescue for the Lander area. There are so many people and creatures in the world today that need help, but the helpless nature of an animal really tugs our heart strings. It's sad to me that so many animals find themselves in bad situations at absolutely no fault of their own. We don't have much to give, but we give what we can...mostly countless hours to helping provide animals with a new start to life. It never ceases to amaze me how forgiving an animal is, when you just know that if they could tell their story, it would literally break your heart. These animals are just waiting for someone new to love. Today we give thanks for our means to help others, all creatures big and small.

Day 24: Thanksgiving...Today we are thankful for our health, wealth, and happiness. Somedays we get very caught up in the things that we don't have, but other days it does us good to stop and just be thankful for a healthy family, a roof over our head, the fact that we have everything we need. While we may have un-achieved goals, and strive to further our possessions...we sometimes forget to stop and give thanks for the day. To wake up, greet the day, hug each other, and just be. Today is one of those days that we put aside our dreams and our wants, and we bow our heads to give thanks for all that we have. Today we give thanks for all that we have.

30 Days of Thanks:

2011-11-23T15:23:00.000-08:00

Day 23: Today we are thankful for L&N Lawn Care. Being a business owner is both a joy and a challenge....but the flexibility of both time and money have been a HUGE asset to our family. It's hard to watch Luke work himself to the point of utter exhaustion in the summer months, but this year his income allowed me maternity leave to be with our new daughter, it covered all of our debt payments for the ranch, and it allowed us to once again stow just enough money away so that Luke can focus on the ranch during the winter months rather than having to get a job. It's a tough job, but it continues to be our strongest vein of livelihood and we are thankful for both the ability to run the business as well as all of our customers that make our business a success. Today with give thanks for lawn mowing!

Day 22: Today we are thankful for 3 out of 4 of the CPA exam tests! This exam is my Everest. Today I got word that I am only one exam away from completing the requirements for licensure as a certified public accountant. I give thanks for everyone who has supported me in this process, and pray that the 4th exam will soon be completed as well. Today we for give thanks for my pass notice!

Day 21: Today we are thankful for my Grandma. My grandmother is 93 years old and has been a big part of my life from the very beginning. When my brother and I were little she would travel to Wyoming to spend a week with us so that Mom and Dad could spend a week without us! She would bake everyone's favorite cookies while she was here, she would play games with us until the wee hours of the morning, and she has pretty much been there for every important life event possible. She was even here to greet Jayme when she entered into the world. For her 90th birthday she still had enough spunk and energy that the entire Muth family took her to Vegas to celebrate! She's an incredible mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother and I am so thankful that we have had her in our life for so many years! Today we give thanks for my Grandma.

Me & Grams Swinging

Four Generations

Day 18, 19, and 20: Today we are thankful for our 'Indiana Family', Beau, Christy, and Corbin. Luke isn't close to a significant number of people in his family, however, when he's with his cousin Beau...time stands still and the two a near inseparable. Each visit goes much to quickly, and at the end of each one the countdown and planning for the next visit begins. Beau's wife Christy and I have become very close as a result of the boy's relationship and I am so pleased to be able to call her my family and my friend. Soon, Jayme will be old enough to play with Corbin and our time together will be even more valuable. Somehow our relationship with them is strong despite the 22 hour drive that separates us, and we don't know what we would do if we didn't have them as such a huge part of our lives. Today we give thanks for the Indiana Fidlers.

Day 17: We are thankful for my sister-in-law Megan. I think every sister worries what sort of girl their little brother might pick to spend the rest of their life with. Big sisters actually get to see their little brother's insecurities, from when they are 2 years old and climbing into your bed because they are scared of the dark, to when they are in college trying to pass that one class they need to graduate, to when they purchase that ring for their special girl and pray and pray she will say yes...
Being able to see my little brother's insecurities makes me want to protect him and keep them in a little bubble so that nobody can hurt him and so that he'll never have to experience any heartache. So needless to say, I think I had pretty high standards for the kind of girl I thought my brother should end up with. And then...Megan came along and blew all of it out of the water! Megan is one of the most incredible women I have ever met. If I could have hand picked a girl for Jacob...I honestly don't know if I could have found as perfect as a match for him as Megan. I look at Jacob and Megan together, and they just fit, like it was always meant to be. I cannot express the gratitude I have for Megan and all that she has brought to my brother's life, and to mine for getting to have her as part of my family. Today we give thanks for Megan.

Day 14, 15, and 16: We are thankful for Luke's siblings Brent, Jared, and Karla. Luke's three siblings from his Dad's first marriage don't live very close to us, nor do we get to see them very often. However, family is family regardless of where they live or how well you know them, and their presence in our lives make up a part of who we are. Our adult life, and our marriage has unfortunately not involved this part of Luke's family significantly because of the distance...but Luke has endless stories from childhood of hunting, fishing, tubing, snowmobiles, and trips to the Indiana farm that all involve his siblings. Luke's childhood helped shape him into the man that I married, and I love his family for that. Today we give thanks for Luke's brothers and sister.

Day 12 and 13: We are thankful for Luke's sister Jennifer and our nephew Alex. Jen has been an incredible support system in our lives...for Luke growing up, as well as for both of us now in our adulthood. When I first got to know Jen, and see her relationship with Luke, I thought to myself "wow, she's like the perfect balance of mother, sister, and friend for him." She watched over him a lot growing up, especially when he was in college. Helping him manage his money while in college, and helping him keep things organized to be in school and graduate. She really did a lot of things for him, that he probably didn't always give her credit for. Just over 6 years ago, she brought Alex into our lives, who, while totally full of too much energy for us most days, is a tenderhearted wild and sweet little boy that we have thoroughly enjoying watching grow up. Today we give thanks for their presence in our life and our family.

Day 11: Veterans Day...we are thankful to all who have served our country! What an amazing and selfless gift a person can give so that we may live our everyday lives in freedom. We live in a fabulous country and we wouldn't be able to call it home without the sacrifices made by all of those who have served, or are currently serving in our name. Today we give thanks for all our veterans!

30 Days of Thanks: Day 10

2011-11-10T22:15:00.001-08:00

Today we are thankful for Triple J Ranch. I know there are some days that I would rather live in town and have a life that doesn't involve so much responsibility...but the truth is that our ranch is such a big part of Luke, that if he didn't have it, he would no longer be the man I married. We are extremly lucky to have our land to call our home, and we are even more lucky to have so much of it at such a young age. It goes to show that hard work and determination does pay off, even if its not what you set out to achieve or anything like you expected. Sometimes it is hard to stop focusing on all the things you want but don't have...so today we stop to acknowledge how far we have come. Today we give thanks for Triple J.

30 Days of Thanks: Day 9

2011-11-09T20:36:00.001-08:00

Today we are thankful for Grandpa Daycare. Ever since I knew I would be getting married and returning to Lander I have been hoping that by the time we decided to have kids that my parents would be both willing and able to provide at least some childcare for us while we were working. About the time we found out we were pregnant, my mom learned that she would be granted a "retire/rehire" package that would be just too good to pass up. Surprisingly, my Dad, who had already been retired for a year, excitedly stepped right up to the plate and offered to be our main daycare source! It has been SO wonderful for us and Jayme. Knowing my baby girl is with someone who loves her so much, and is totally devoted to her when she is with him has made it so much easier for me to return to work full time! Jayme is a spoiled little girl and loving her time with her Grandpa. She doesn't understand yet how lucky she is...but we do and we are so thankful! Today we give thanks for Grandpa Daycare.

30 Days of Thanks: Day 8

2011-11-08T21:25:00.001-08:00

Today we are thankful for our 'village.' The saying really is true that it takes a village to raise a child. It's more true that the work is never done when raising children...and boy have Luke and I's village had its work cut out for them! Our village is composed of all of the wonderful people who chose to love us and be part of our family regardless of whether or not we are related by blood...they are too numerous to name. The incredible thing about our village is that it keeps growing. Everyone who is behind us, supports us, and loves us unconditionally...we say thank you, because we would not be the individuals we are today without you! Today we give thanks for our village!

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30 Days of Thanks: Day 7

2011-11-07T20:39:00.001-08:00

Today we are thankful for my brother Jacob. He is one of my best friends. He knows more about me than most could even hope to. He has seen me at my best, my worst, and everything in between. We have been through so much together and I treasure all of the memories we have made. It has been a real joy these last few months watching him interact with my daughter. I am so thankful that my daughter will have her Uncle Jacob growing up. We love him so much. Today we give thanks for Jacob.

30 Days of Thanks: Day 6

2011-11-07T12:44:00.001-08:00

Today we are thankful for our 4 legged family members, Casey and Millie. Casey has been with Luke since he was in high school and reluctantly adopted me into her life when I began dating Luke. Luke and I adopted Millie a few years ago from the local animal rescue that I now volunteer for. These girls are so much a part of our life and our family that it is hard to imagine life without them. They work the ranch with us, the play with us, and they are always by our side. They have even welcomed Jayme into the family! We love our pups so much! Today we give thanks for Casey and Millie.

30 Days of Thanks: Day 5

2011-11-07T12:36:00.001-08:00

We are thankful for Luke's parents. Shortly after we purchased our house at Triple J, Luke's parents moved into a house pretty much out our back door. Steve does SO MUCH to help with the ranch and lawn business that we would be so lost without them being so close. From midnight cow checks, to putting up hay, to fixing fence and everything in between Steve is there without a complaint...and Sylvia puts up with it all. I know Jayme will appreciate Grandpa and Grandma Fidler being so close once she's running around the ranch too! Today we give thanks for Luke's parents.

30 Days of Thanks: Day 3 & 4

2011-11-04T08:40:00.000-07:00

Day 3: We are thankful for Jayme Nicole Fidler. Jayme came into our lives only 4 months ago and already it is hard to believe what we ever did before she came along to make us a family. She's a beautiful little girl who's personality is just beginning to shine through, and we are enjoying every moment of watching her grow, learn, and develop into her own unique little person. Our life and schedule has been turned upside down since she entered our world...and we are loving every minute of it! Today we are wonderful daughter, Jayme.

Day 4: We are thankful for my parents...also known as Grandpa and Grammy Muth. In my opinion, my parents mastered the job of being parents very early in my life. My parents have always seemed to effortlessly fulfill the role of parent, friend, confidant, and role model at all the appropriate times for both my brother and I. They are a BIG part of who I am today, and not only am I thankful for all of the things they have done for me and given me in my life, but now I am more thankful than ever to have them part of my daughter's life. I consider myself an extremely lucky individual to have the love and support of both of my parents, and to have them so close and involved in our lives. Today we give thanks for my parents.

30 Days of Thanks: Day 1 & 2

2011-11-02T09:41:00.000-07:00

While it shouldn't take a special time of year to give thanks for our wonderful life, this time of year always does make me extra aware of just how blessed we truly are. So for the 30 days of November I think it would be nice to count out one blessing each day. Life really does have it's ups and downs, but the joy of the ride makes every day worth it for me. Because I'm a day late getting started...we'll just have to count two blessings today!

Day 1: We are thankful for a place to call 'home'. Not just our house, but the incredible place that we live. We live in a country that not only allows us to be ourselves and choose our own paths in life...but it encourages us to do so. We live in a state that is absolutely gorgeous, and provides the wide open spaces we need to do what we love. We live in the town that we were raised, and realize as adults that it is one amazing place to now raise our family. We live in a valley that we get to call our 'own' that lets our spread our wings as individuals but plant our roots as a family. We live in a house that provides us with all the necessities as well as some incredible comforts. We realize that no matter where you live, you make it a home...but we feel so blessed that it's so easy where we live! Today we give thanks for our 'home'.

Day 2: We are thankful for each other. To outsiders we may sometimes seem to have a strange relationship, but elements of each of us truly were made to fit together. Luke is my best friend, and I am his. We enjoy working together on the ranch, and we enjoy playing together when we aren't working. We push each other to be our best, and we love each other in spite of our imperfections. We have embarked on many journeys in our 9 years together, some that may take a lifetime to complete...but our most recent is by far our most challenging and most rewarding...parenthood. Today we give thanks for each other.

The First Harvest of Hunting Season!

2011-09-07T08:22:00.000-07:00

The alfalfa fields of Triple J have been fruitful once again...after a summer of watching this buck grow and graze with our cows, Luke was counting down the days till opening day of deer season! Since gun season for deer is only a week long, and a giant mess of people flood neighboring ranches to hunt around our property, Luke knew if he wanted to be the one to harvest this buck...he was going to have to do so with a bow. Having a new baby and the insane amount of lawns Luke mowed this summer, it was going to be very tough to prepare for a bow hunt...so Jayme and I bought Dad a crossbow for father's day this year! (I got one too but we'll see if I have time to hunt anything with it!)

So opening day of archery season came and went with no sign of this buck, and since then Luke has returned each night empty handed. Finally last night, when Luke was about to give up the buck walked into the middle of the field seemingly out of nowhere! A single 50 yard shot with the crossbow, and it was all over...you couldn't ask for a better kill.

Luke proudly displays his first kill with his crossbow!

This is how Steve helped get the buck, which is still in velvet, safely to the taxidermist!

What a gorgeous 5x5! And we know he'll taste good too because he's been eating Triple J alfalfa!

Luke's very excited to have harvested this for his very first bow kill ever! Way to go Luke!

Warning...cute baby video!

2011-08-24T15:06:00.001-07:00

Jayme Running in her Sleep 08-06-11 a video by Triple J Fidlers on Flickr.

This is a video of Jayme running in her sleep!

I had her in her bouncer and she was sound asleep....all of a sudden she kicked off her blanket and started running 'air sprints'!

Look out Uncle Jake! I think maybe she's practicing so that she can out run you when you babysitt her! You better work on staying in shape now...looks like she's going to be quick! Auntie Meg and Mom won't stand a chance trying to keep up to you two soon!

The video was taken on 08-06-11

The Loyalty of a Dog...

2011-08-19T21:41:00.000-07:00

As much as I hate to admit some of the things I am about to tell you about myself as a sleep deprived new parent...I have decided that my pride aside, this is too neat of a story not to share.

Our rookie ranch pup Millie who came to us three years ago, more by accident than anything really, from the local pet rescue...is the kind of dog who loves everyone and thinks everyone should love her. She's a very timid pup who loves to please you, and will cower for two days if you scold her. She loves, loves, loves to cuddle and is mostly Lukes shadow if he is home...so you can imagine how bent out of shape she was when we brought baby Jayme into the house for the first time and even more so when she realized that the baby wasn't going anywhere.

After about 3 weeks of having Jayme around, signs of Millie's stress were finally subsiding but her jealously is still as strong as ever at 7 weeks. We still keep a close eye on them together eventhough Millie has never shown aggression towards the baby.

Last night after I finally got the baby down for the night and all tucked into the bassinet next to my bed, I heard the tags on Millie's collar jingling as she crept out of her bed which she shares with our old dog, also in our bedroom. I quietly told Millie to get in her bed, fearing that the sound of her collar would wake the baby in our silent bedroom...she slowly turned and got back in bed.

Being sleep deprived new parents, my husband and I were probably both asleep within minutes of our heads hitting our pillows. Only 30 minutes after laying the baby down there was a quiet commotion near my corner of the room that was just loud enough to shake both Luke and I awake. I gained what little bearings I could and looked where the noise was coming from...I told Luke it was just something that fell from the dresser...neither of us investigated further and we promptly fell asleep again.

A VERY short while later, I heard Millie's collar again and I quickly realized that she was trying to wedge herself UNDER Jayme's bassinet! Thinking she was the one causing the commotion, I loudly whispered angrily for her to get in her bed...she slowly sulked back.

By 3 in the morning Luke and I had both told Millie to get back in her own bed more times that we could count but we were so tired that neither of us got up from our pillows. When I finally got up this time to feed the now hungry baby, Millie was trying to crawl into the bassinet...I thought she had lost her damn mind. I yelled at her to get back in her bed, and she slowly drug herself back.

After I returned from the nursery with my clean, fed, and sleeping baby...I found Millie once again trying to get in, under, and around Jayme's bassinet. I finally decided since I was up that I would let Millie outside in case the problem was that she needed to go potty! She quickly did so, and grudgingly walked back to her bed cowering from being yelled at so much.

From 4 am until just before 6 am when the alarm would go off my husband and took turns scolding the dog who would only stay in her bed until we were both asleep and then she would be right back under Jayme's bassinet. Just before 6 she was doing what I call her 'internal barking' which is barking without opening her mouth except enough to let the air escape. She barks like this when she is in the house and knows she isn't supposed to bark...

So finally...my husband I gave up. We decided to investigate what was going on that our dog...who hates to be yelled at...could just not get over! With the dog under the bassinet with her hackles up and my husband armed with a yard stick approaching the corner of the room in question...we soon saw the culprit. A small grey mouse tried to run from under our dresser to under our bed...and Millie was NOT about to let in near the bassinet!

So...we spent our morning chasing a mouse all over our bedroom while the dog stayed under the bassinet. 3 glue traps later we let Millie inspect our catch and she happily followed me out to the dumpster to witness the disposal of her tiny foe. When she returned to Luke in the house she walked over to Luke with her head down as if she was saying "don't yell at me anymore..." He gave her a treat and tried to raise her spirits.

I scooped up the baby to get ready for our day, and when I sat down in the rocking chair to feed her, Millie came barreling into the room and licked Jayme's head until she squirmed. I pat Millies head and told her what a good girl she is...and she looked at me as if everything was right with the world. Its like she new protecting Jayme was worth all the yelling last night, and now the ordeal was over and she was satisfied that everything was going to be OK.

I think we'll give Millie some extra kibble tonight and we will all get a good nights sleep...a mouse free good nights sleep, and Jayme can rest well knowing that at 7 weeks she's finally been adopted by Millie!

Find us on Flickr!!!

2011-08-12T18:31:00.000-07:00

Hi All!

We just wanted to let you know that we are beginning to upload all of our photo's on to Flickr! The good news about this, is that not only can you follow our photostream here on our blog...but if you log in to Flickr you can see all of our photos AND you can order prints from our photos through snapfish!

Our photostream can be found at www.flickr.com/photos/triplejfidlers

It IS private to prevent anyone and everyone from being able to view and print photos...but my Friends and Family...you are more than welcome to shoot me an email or facebook me your email address and I can give you access to it!

It might take a while to get all of our pictures uploaded...but we're working on it slowly!

Enjoy!

Daddy Gets His Girl!

2011-07-25T15:02:00.000-07:00

On July 1, 2011 we welcomed Jayme Nicole Fidler to our world! She arrived on her own terms 5 days late, but weighed in at 8 lbs 3 oz and measured 21 1/2 inches long...fully cooked no doubt!

She's healthy and beautiful and more than we could ever ask for! While we were fully prepared to welcome a boy if it had been one, both Luke and I are overjoyed that our first addition is this sweet baby girl!

Life with a newborn is crazy no doubt! But we are loving every minute of our time with her! Everyday she changes, grows, and has some new surprise up her sleeve to keep us on our toes...we're pretty sleep deprived but I think our bodies are adjusting...we hear you never sleep the same again once you have kids whether they are 2 weeks or 20 years old...but we've already decided it's worth it!

Despite her baby picture looking almost identical to her Momma's, we've decided that she is definitely a blend of her Mom and Dad both....

She's a sweet, precious little angel just like her Mommy...

with an ornery, stubborn streak like her Daddy!

And just in case there were any doubts that she is a Daddy's girl...

she already shares Dad's love for the satin tag on blankies!

The Type A Mother & OCD Father Await the "Spontaneous" Birth of Their First Child...

2011-06-27T11:24:00.000-07:00

So today marks 40 weeks and 1 day of gestation on our 'first little J' addition to Triple J. And while we both realize that estimating a due date is not an exact science, nor can we control the date and time of arrival (especially with a doctor who prefers to await spontaneous labor!), I'm beginning to be a believer that doctors should probably 'lie' to people like Luke & I and tell us that our due dates are actually at the 42 week mark!

Today at my Dr. appointment, the way too cheerful Dr. informed me that everything still looked 'great', and even after the 'non stress test' was completed on baby, that 'awaiting spontaneous labor' was still the 'right thing to do'. Anyone who knows Luke and I...knows that I am not a 'spontaneous' person and that Luke probably doesn't even know what that word means!

We are as prepared as we are going to be physically for this little one...the nursery and the mounds of baby gear is assembled, washed, and ready, the house is being kept clean so when spontaneous labor occurs it won't be a wreck when we return home again, car seats are installed, labor and diaper bags are packed and loaded in the car...

Emotionally, I think we are as prepared as "about to be" new parents can be. However we are beginning to wonder if this child is ours! I am a type A planner, and very efficient. Everything about this baby has been planned as if it would arrive early, or at the very least ON TIME....everyday that goes by now is going to put a wrench in all the plans and (i know, i know) I'll just have to learn to adjust accordingly! Luke on the other hand is more OCD than Type A. Luke wakes up every morning and announces how best the birth of our child could fit into his schedule for the day! Sorry Luke, stick a fork in me, I'm done! I don't care if it fits your schedule...when this baby decides it's time...you'll have to put your OCD aside for the day...

That attitude meter of my mostly great pregancy has plummeted into the negatives with the passing of my due date! It began a decline about 4 weeks ago, and now has dropped off the charts. It constantly amazes me that strangers (or people that know me for that matter) have the nerve to tell me that I "look miserable" and "huge". I'm not sure about most people...but when you feel miserable and huge (and trust me I do)...you really don't want to be told that you also LOOK miserable and huge. This is a strange phenomenon that I've noticed about pregnancy though...it's all of a sudden socially 'OK' to tell women things you would never dream of telling one who was NOT pregnant...as long as you say it with a tone of sympathy or surprise. Like "oh my gosh! you are so big, are you SURE you aren't having twins?!?" or "you look so miserable, and huge are you going to make it to your due date?". An FYI though...as pregnancy wears on...the ability to respond nicely to these comments wears out!

And on another note...my attitude decline probably has nothing to do with Luke all of a sudden deciding he's an 'expert' on signs of imminent labor and (for lack of wanting to share his terms) "timing of first born children" based on his experience with our COWS! This baby better arrive soon....Mommy might not let Daddy live long enough to meet him or her!

Counting down the days...

2011-06-07T15:57:00.000-07:00

The countdown is on till baby arrives, and as far as everyone at Triple J is concerned no day would be too early now! Despite the fact that we are insanely busy, as always, we have all reached the point in the pregnancy that it’s just time for it all to be over! Forget the fact that Luke and I are both filled with the nervousness of being first time parents…I have reached the point where I can no longer pretend to be ‘joyous’ and ‘glowing’ every moment of the day, and even Luke has decided that he would rather be dealing with the overwhelming task of caring for a newborn than continuing to put up with the grumpy, weepy, hormonal mess that seems to have replaced his wife! I truly pity the next perfect stranger that asks my due date, is totally surprised that I still have almost 3 weeks to my official due date, and then says “are you SURE you aren’t having twins?!?”.

In fairness, our ‘chipper’ attitudes may have something to do with the fact that we are a little bit sleep deprived already at Triple J. The weather hasn’t exactly decided if it’s still winter or if it’s time to be summer. As usual, our valley has pretty much skipped spring all together. The heavy wet May snow showers brought yet another new challenge to Triple J, Clostridium Toxin release from our soil….in cows (mostly new claves)…it causes what is not so scientifically but appropriately named…sudden death syndrome. We of course didn’t know we had a problem until we REALLY had a problem. We lost one calf, and then spent the subsequent 4 weeks treating and re-treating half of our calves for Clostridium C&D toxins. It’s quite a process to infuse a little calf with a barrage of anti-toxins, penicillin, and mineral oils to stop the progression of the toxins but our vigilance actually paid off in that we did manage to save all but the first victim. It is obvious that things can’t just go right or be easy for us…but Luke always says “very few individuals are blessed with the ability and responsibility of caring for God’s creatures…it wouldn’t be right to let them stop breathing while you’re cozy in your bed!” Although…I must say that the little longhorn calf is VERY lucky that it didn’t fall victim…because I don’t think anyone was willing to risk their life to battle momma longhorn for her baby! We have to draw lines somewhere…and she is one feisty momma!

Should it snow, or should it grow?

Luke’s lawn schedule is beyond full-swing! He decided with baby on the way he should take on a few more lawns to his schedule, and with all the rain and snow he is having a really hard time keeping up! As the weather settles down, it should get easier for him…but a missed day of mowing right now makes for a pretty miserable ‘catch-up’ period of about a week. So we will all be happy to see summer hit full-stride and for a more regular routine to emerge (probably just in time for baby to come throw the routine for a loop!). The good news about lawns growing out of control is that if the lawns are growing…that also means the hay fields are growing…and green green green they are! I’m not sure that I’ve ever seen our hay fields so green, and if it keeps up we’ll probably be ready to bale hay by the 4th of July!

Green and Growing!

And finally…despite the fact that we are so busy that we don’t know if we are coming or going…a little bit of nesting is taking place at our little log cabin! I have finished the nursery and it’s all ready…the only thing needed to complete it is baby! Luke’s nesting seems to be occurring outside of the house…he began by preparing the flower beds between the house and driveway with spruces, bunch grass, blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries…and now it has moved to the yard. I think he has mowed our yard more times this year, than he has mowed it since we moved in (a task I usually have to do) and he has the trees all trimmed up nice and neat! Now that they are finally blooming and leafing out we can sit in the back yard and enjoy it. Our pups can even find a little shade here and there to enjoy as the leaves and blooms are finally coming out!

That about sums up the action at Triple J right now…it wouldn’t be right if we weren’t all running around crazy busy just trying to make our ‘living’ the life we’ve always dreamed of. Very soon we’ll have a whole new little family member to acclimate and adjust to life here at Triple J. A task we know will bring many huge challenges and joys all in one very tiny bundle! Triple J is used to experiencing the addition of new life…but every other life that joins Triple J comes during a planned season and USUALLY has its own full time momma who’s only job is care for it...this new life will have two full-time parents who are waiting and willing to care for it…but it’s parents are also full-time accountants, lawn-mowers, and ranchers! I’d be willing to bet that very soon we are going to be looking back at these days and thinking… “we really didn’t know what ‘busy’ actually was, did we?”

37 down and 3 (hopefully not more) to go...

In Like a Lion!

2011-04-21T16:20:00.000-07:00

Good grief! Spring is blowing right into our valley via daily strong winds! The weather seems to be a'whirl just like us! Spring has been busy, but a welcome change from winter around Triple J (which is a whole different kind of busy!). It's been nice to have sunny days and spend some time outside! In the last month we have been finishing up tax season, starting lawn season, calving, and of course preparing for baby fidler to arrive early this summer.

Since it has been so windy...it's been kind of nice for Luke to ease into work this year. Some years he has no work in March and April and other years he's crazy busy. Between all of the wind Luke has been able to pace himself with the power raking jobs and spring clean-ups, be there to supervise our unusually difficult calving season this spring, and even spend a little time getting the property ready for both hay season...and surprise...hunting season.

Calving season has been strange this year. Typically we have the majority of our calves drop to the ground with very little assistance on our part. Unfortunately, a incident with a temporarily broken bull during breeding resulted in the use of a Holstein bull for about a 3 week span during our breeding. We THOUGHT all of our heifers were bred prior to the use of this bull, but we were WRONG. Most of our little heifers ended up being breed by this temporary replacement bull and their calves proved to be much too large for unassisted delivery. It's resulted in a few losses of calves, but we have managed to save the poor mommas. My dad has learned that ranching is NOT a spectators sport. Besides taking a trip out to find calves and re-pair them with lost mothers each day...he has also got to partake in a few calf pullings! Steve and Luke spend quite a bit of time running up to the cows at any and all hours of the day and night to check mommas and make sure that all is going smoothly!

Dad finds baby who's laid for a nap in a ditch!

Mom and baby recover from birth...

It took Steve, Curt, & Luke all working together to pull this babe!

As fresh as the come! Steve is able to pull this babe by himself!

Steve & Luke vaccinate and tag a new baby

so we can match her to her momma!

Two babies run from Luke after they receive their shots & tags!

In between wind storms, Luke power rakes. In between calving checks, he was able to construct his first hunting blind to place on the property. His hope is to bow hunt his property this year, and so has decided that he needs to build a few blinds to place at different locations. This is his first 'test run':

Luke & Steve didn't waste any time getting out the tractors once all the snow was melted, and the hay fields have been drug and fertilized! Aaron was up from Laramie last weekend and he & Steve were able to get irrigation pipe out in at least the hay field...and I staked it down so HOPEFULLY it won't blow away in our crazy wind. The only thing left to do for hay season preparation is some seeding in the field that we calve in. My suspicions are that this seeding has more to do with forage for hunting season than crops to cut....but I have been unable to confirm those suspicions!

I officially survived another tax season, and I am looking forward to a little bit of a slow down. While I am already planning audits and preparing for maternity leave...I hope to enjoy a few Friday's off here and there. The weekends will be busy with baby showers, state bowling, and Jacob's college graduation so Friday's are going to have to focus on housing cleaning and studying for yet another upcoming CPA exam!

While I had hoped to take a weekend trip or two at least Casper for a little baby shopping...my most recent adventure to Denver was maybe a bit of a wake-up call that traveling by yourself when pregnant...isn't the greatest idea. The weekend of April 9th I went to Denver for an exam, hoping to sneak in a little shopping as well as R&R with Jimmy & Becky...my trip home was nothing short of a disaster...

While traveling home on I-80 a dilapidated piece of crap car in front of me literally lost parts and pieces that I couldn't avoid and subsequently ran over at 75 mph. This little incident, while it seemed to initially have just been a close call...soon had me stranded 60 miles from Rawlins (where I was to call and check in with Luke) with a fist size hole in my fuel tank, a car soaked in the $60 worth of fuel I JUST purchased in Laramie, and absolutely no cell phone service. After 10 minutes of sitting on the side of the road with my flashers on, and doing what pregnant ladies do best....crying...I exited my car and proceeded to flag someone down. After 15 minutes of sticking out my pregnant belly to passersbys and frantically waving for help...someone with cell phone service stopped to call me a tow truck. Apparently, not everyone is as anxious to help a crying pregnant women on the side of the road as one would think! However, thanks to the kindness of some poor young gentleman, a tow truck that was coming from only 10 miles away arrived about 50 minutes later! Highway patrol (who was also notified and supposed to show up) never did find me. The nice tow truck driver (who I soon found out wasn't even looking for me when he happened upon me) agreed to take this crying mess of a pregnant woman to Rawlins, and even stopped in Elk Mountain for me to call Luke and let him know what was going on. The only communication I had managed to get to Luke prior to my phone call was a text after the tow truck picked me up that said 'stranded on I-80, send someone to get me in Rawlins'...not exactly what he was expecting from his MIA 28 week preggo wife! So Luke & Steve loaded up a trailer and met my $500 tow truck in Rawlins to bring me and my car the rest of the way home. To make my VERY LONG story short...the mechanics that fixed my car told me that one should not drive a car when it's leaking fuel because it typically just burns very fast and hot right to the ground....so after my terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day....I am just VERY THANKFUL that someone was watching out for me and the baby and that we all eventually made it home safe and it wasn't worse than it was! I suppose the subsequent moral is that crying doesn't really help a situation like this...but that seems a tad out of the control of a pregnant woman!

I don't have a picture of my car, or the damage to it to share...so instead I'll finish up my story by sharing a 27 week belly picture and 27 week ultrasound of baby fidler!

That's literally the excitement of Triple J in not-so-short form for the past month!

A Little Bit of Play Before We Make Hay

2011-03-30T14:45:00.000-07:00

Luke is officially out power raking lawns, and baby calves are starting to fall at a steady rate, but just before Luke returned to work a week ago...Jimmy & J came up from Denver for a few days to play during J's spring break. While I had to work, it was nice to have the boys here entertaining Luke! He's ready for tax season to be over, and to see me a little more often than bed time!

The boys were able to take the last snowmobile ride and the first ATV ride of the year all in the same weekend.

They also spent some time shooting guns, watching hunting shows, and doing other 'boy' things. Usually Luke comes home all dirty from lawn work, or ranching....this is one of the few times I've seen him come home so dirty from play! A nice thing to see him do once in a while!

Luke 'playing' on the ATV

Jimmy & J Testing the 'Waters'

While I was hard at work, I received a text of the beautiful location not far from Lander that locals call 'the Moon Rocks'.

What a gorgeous place we live to have this so close! I would also like you to note in this picture compared to the two on the ATV, the lack of mud. In fact, if I could zoom out for you on the first two pictures, you would notice that they could have avoided the mud all together that day! But apparently that 'spoils the fun'.

Luke had such a great time while the boys were up from Denver! Luke also got the tractors out while the boys were here, so pretty much Luke got to spend 4 days on everything he owns that has motors! Spring is officially around the corner and new ranch work is upon us....but it was a great long weekend for Luke to enjoy before it's time to start making hay!

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

2011-03-22T14:38:00.000-07:00

When I met Luke, I knew that forever-after with him would mean significantly more work than play and that ranching is a lifestyle as opposed to a job you get to forget about each night when you go home to your 'life'. AND, I was not a TOTAL stranger to rural life, as my mother was born and raised on dairy farm. We visited the farm often as I was growing up, we helped with chores when we were there, and mostly I felt aware of both the good and the bad of choosing to live that lifestyle. Unfortunately, my grandparents on my mother's side both passed away long before I new I would spend my adult life following in their footsteps. And while I have many great memories of them from when I was a kid, the "adult me" would really like the opportunity to sit down and talk to them now about a few things that I have noticed about this 'lifestyle' that we have chosen for ourselves here at Triple J.

We have our fair share of ups and downs at Triple J, but it always seems like God is testing our strength and dedication to our lifestyle at the worst of times and in multiple blows to the point that we want to throw in the towel and move to town. After the crazy, but sadly more common than I care to admit, week we had last week, I feel like we regularly experience the good, the bad, and the ugly part of this lifestyle. And I pray every night that the good will continue to outweigh the others! If I could ask my grandparents one question after last week, it would be "Did you ever think that withdrawing money from your checking account and lighting it on fire would have saved you a significant amount of time and heartache?"

This is how last week went at Triple J....

THE GOOD

We had our very first calf of the season on March 16th. It was a healthy baby bull, stout and feisty as can be. He was born early in the morning, while it was warm and sunny. There wasn't a bit of snow in the field. Mom took right to him, cleaned him up, and he was already up running around when Luke discovered he'd been born. That's the kind of calving and cow/calf pairing that you hope and pray for.

THE BAD

We had our second calf of the season on March 17th. We're pretty sure it's a bull, but he's not very healthy and the longhorn momma, who we keep in our herd to ward off predators, will not allow us anywhere near the calf to see what's wrong with it. While mom cleaned the baby up, and it was a fairly sunny day to be born, it did death rolls for almost 24 hours before any of us saw it stand. It's legs don't seem to support him quite right, and he is pretty slow and out of sorts in his gait now that mom makes him follow her everywhere she goes. Attempts to get close to see if there was something we could to to help baby were met with an angry mom that put Steve in the truck bed and rolled Luke on the ground. Unfortunately we'll just have to play the waiting game to see what becomes of this babe, as we can't afford any broken ribs or internal bleeding.

THE UGLY

This began the week as a calf shed. I estimate that it took about 200 man hours to assemble between all the pieces and bolts, the transportation of it from our barn at our house to the calving field, and the time it took to 'firmly' secure it to the ground. It cost approximately $1,500 after taking into account the building itself and the massive chains purchased that were used to chain and bolt it to cement footers in the ground. In the matter of 4 unsupervised hours, in freakishly high winds, it not only snapped the $200 chains it was held down with, but it rolled across 40 acres, across some posts that opened the metal with the ease of a can opener, and down a hill to it's final resting place. Unfortunately so many pieces were lost or demolished that there is little hope of salvaging it into any shape or form near it's intended use. This of course occurred, before any baby calves even thought of seeking refuge in it. While one might argue that more time should have been spent securing this to the ground, two more just like it didn't even waiver in the wind. What caused the chains to literally snap, and not the others...will remain a mystery. One might argue we were lucky that we only lost one, and NOT all three...but that is a very difficult to perspective to keep when you arrive just in time to watch 200 hours & $1,500 roll across 40 acres.

Being a 'business' minded individual, ranching seems like the most insane 'investment' an individual can make. It seems to me that last week we could have withdrawn $1,500 from our bank account, gone to the local casino and spent MUCH less than 200 hours and had similar odds for our 'return on investment'. We could have done it in even less time if we had just taken the cash out and proceeded to light it on fire. Though...neither of those options are tax deductible!

It further amazes me how I tend to look at a baby calf these days beyond a creature of God that we need to care for during it's time on our ranch....it's also a paycheck. Every calf that drops in the field and ceases to take a breath or fulfill its potential is money lost. It's painful for me to watch on 2 levels...the first being watching a creature that's helpless struggle for life. It's never easy to watch an animal suffer or die while you sit helpless, weather you have known it for years or for minutes. But then it's also knowing that all your hard work and dedication didn't pay off in this instance despite your best efforts. In that respect, it seems like it would be less painful to watch a stack of $100 dollar bills go up in flame. Obviously I would never do such a thing....but somedays I honestly do wonder, what is the difference? I don't have an answer for that.

I DO KNOW that my husband is a rancher at heart. I also know, and have said many time before, that to take my husband away from this lifestyle would probably change the man I married into someone that I barely know. To go through weeks like last week on the ranch is tough for me, but I think it's even tougher to watch my husband experience them. It's difficult to watch someone's faith waiver and not be able to offer answers or solutions. It's what sends me to my knees each night to thank God for our blessings, and pray that the ugliness of this lifestyle not take over the joy we get to experience on the good days.

And it makes me want to ask my Grandma how on earth did she do it AND raise 4 kids to be the wonderful and unique individuals that they are today?!? And how did she not strangle Grandpa when he was overspending the bank account because the equipment needed to make hay was broke down. And it makes me want to ask my Grandpa what made him sign up for this life, and join Grandma on her family farm? And why he didn't sell it all and move to town when it seemed as if the bad days would take over the good...cause I know they had to have had those times too!

But then I go home at night, and I cook my home grown beef or grill my home grown pork chop. Or I go to the store and I purchase chicken that someone had to care for and raise so I could buy it to eat. Or I drive through McDonalds and grab a quick burger so I can go back to work and support my family...and just like that, I'm thankful for the farmers and ranchers that put food on our tables...because it is a HARD JOB that obviously not just anyone is cut out to do! Myself included. And most of all I'm thankful for my husband because while I had my chances to choose a different partner, and live a different lifestyle...when it comes down to it, I certainly wouldn't trade him for a house in town.

Seventh-Inning Stretch!

2011-03-14T15:13:00.000-07:00

March 15th is upon us and this marks the first of the two major deadlines in tax season that will come and go for 2011. While there still feels like miles to go before we rest, this is the first time in tax season that we actually start to believe we may live to see the day we return to the normalcy of 40 hour work weeks! While my office and co-workers will celebrate this occasion with an evening of cosmic bowling and heavy drinking on the company dime, the Triple J household will most likely celebrate with an actual home cooked meal, at our own dinner table and an evening of catching up on all our favorite TV shows that are piling up on the DVR.

This time of year coincides nicely with what feels like the arrival of spring! We are finally experiencing consecutive warm days in our valley, the snow is melting, and lawns are just about ready to be tended to before the arrival of our inevitable 'spring dump' of the heavy, wet, 40+ inches of snow we usually get in late April or even early May.

We should be starting to calve any day now, and remain hopeful that our timing this year will help us avoid too many calves born in frigid temps. I'm sure, seeing as we are now more prepared than ever for unexpected snow and baby calves because we stocked up on calving shelters, we'll have a beautiful and unexpectedly warm spring. But there will be no complaints in that regard! There is nothing less fun than digging the new babies from snow drifts because they picked the wrong place to sleep for the night...bring on the sunshine and warmth please!

I also feel as though I'm reaching a turning point in my pregnancy. At 25 weeks, and nearing the end of my 2nd trimester I fear that the uncomfortable stage will set in soon. My belly is a tell-tale sign of my pregnancy now, and Luke claims that a 'penquin walk' has taken over my stride! While I'm having what I think is a great pregnancy that I have actually been able to enjoy, despite my long work hours and limited sleep...the more space the baby takes up, and the more uncoordinated and unbalanced I become, the more I get anxious for the end. On the other hand, the thought of caring for an infant becomes more and more real every day and both Luke and I agree it's MUCH easier to take care of right now, right where it is! Since it's not possible to pause my pregnancy at this stage, nor do I actually want to rush this little one into the world before it's ready...I guess we'll just keep hangin' in here, and enjoy the little moments along the way!

The lovely 'spring forward' time change occurred this weekend, and it made it hard to get out of bed today. I can't believe how much an hour of difference can make in an internal schedule, especially one that is already running on fumes. It will probably take me all week to re-adjust to waking up and going to work in the dark again! But, on the mornings I don't want to get out of bed, I can't help but hear my father-in-laws voice in the back of my head. When you ask him how he's doing he always says, "Well...I woke up! So it's a pretty good day!" And really isn't that the truth? Sometimes I get so wrapped up in all the things I need to do, want to do, or probably should do in my day, that I forget to stop and thank God for giving me the day to live! Despite all the challenges Luke and I have or will experience in our lifetime, we truly are blessed for each day we're given to make our own.

As we enjoy our little Seventh-Inning Stretch in what's sure to remain a crazy next few months here at Triple J, I realize just how amazing the small things in life are that get me through a rough day, and I can't wait to see what the rest of the game has in store for us!

22/60/40

2011-02-21T16:31:00.000-08:00

I’ll start with the exciting news first! I am 22 weeks into my pregnancy now and Luke and I had an ultrasound this morning! While seeing the baby and hearing the heartbeat at our initial ultrasound was exciting…this one was MUCH more fun. It’s very good that we didn’t have our hearts set on determining gender because the baby was less than cooperative for its picture session….the little stinker stayed all curled up in a little ball the entire 45 minutes. Not one flip or roll to allow a look at anything from a second angle. Despite the uncooperativeness the doc says that baby looks healthy and everything is measuring right on target for due date. So baby is doing great, but is already ornery and stubborn like its dad. We did manage to get one good picture out of the session to share that sort of shows a sneak peak of baby’s features:

The doctor IS recommending a follow-up ultrasound in another 10 weeks because they are not pleased with the current location of the placenta. Apparently it’s sitting too low over the birth canal but they are hoping it will migrate to a better location as my uterus continues to expand upward. They’ll check again in 10 weeks to see if that does in fact happen. Worst case scenario sounds like a cesarean delivery, but there is no sense in worrying about things until more time has passed. We’ll just have to see if the next 10 weeks help and we’ll make our plans from there. We are just so pleased that baby is healthy and developing on target.

On a more somber note…. IT has definitely happened. We’ve been teetering on the edge of full on tax season for a few weeks now, but our household has now officially experienced the transition that occurs in our year that I call “the 60/40 flop.” The 60/40 phenomenon goes way beyond the fact that my normally 40 hour work week becomes 60. There is a shift in every aspect of my life this time of year that makes me feel upside down.

It happens when my husband starts to notice that I’m gone more than I’m home, even if he’s sleeping. It happens when we eat more meals at our parents, or restaurants in town than in our own dining room. It happens when I experience more waking hours of darkness outside than light because the only waking hour spent in daylight is lunch hour. It happens when the mental exhaustion of a day far outweighs my physical exertion. It happens when the expectations of me as an employee and professional overwhelm the expectations of me as a wife, a soon to be mother, a daughter, a sister, a friend…It’s when I feel like I am giving more to work than all other aspects of my life, and that’s not who I want to be.

I struggle because I really want my family to have the best of me, not what’s left of me at the end of a work day. This desire coupled with my desire to fulfill my professional goals, makes this a trying time every year. I am thankful that this season is truly only a few months long, but it doesn’t make it any more bearable when we’re in the midst of it! I keep thinking it’s going to get easier each year, but the reality is starting to set it that it really doesn’t, nor should it. I don’t want my family to learn to function without me…even if it’s only for a few months! Luke does his best to cope, be supportive, and pick up my slack around the house, but it’s really not fun for anyone. Our parents are a big help feeding us and even running errands for us here and there. I am lucky to have a great support system that understands who I am, what I do, and what I need to keep going, going, going. It’s a little extra scary this year though to know that we’re going to have to get things figured out the best we can, as Junior will be joining us before next tax season!

To Market, To Market

2011-02-08T10:25:00.000-08:00

To market, to market, to sell our fat pig

Home again, home again, jiggity-jig!

Well...it was a very difficult decision to make but Luke and I decided that it was time to start the process of cutting our losses with our current sows and stepping back from our hog operations to see what we could be doing differently!

Of 4 gilts and 3 sows this fall we were only successful in breeding 1 of the sows and unfortunately it was NOT on the first go around...meaning the farrowing was pushed back almost to calving season (and the height of tax season). Not a fun time to be spending 24/7 in the barn nor the proper time to have pigs in order to earn top dollar on the babes in our area.

With very little sleep and more responsibility already on the near horizon at the Triple J household...we decided that maybe now was not the best time to forge forward as pig farmers. Really, the farrowing process is my specialty on the ranch and now being 20 weeks into my pregnancy...being in the farrowing pen with a momma pig (as nice as she may be)...is probably not the best decision anyways.

We were unsuccessful in selling the bred sow locally and so we decided to make it worth a trip we would load up all three current sows and haul them to the Worland WY livestock auction. They don't regularly sell hogs at that market, but the auctioneer had promised if we told him we were coming he would make sure his hog buyers were there! He came through on his promise and the sale of our hogs probably paid for the gas to transport them there.

I don't know if this decision was difficult for Luke, as he really bares the day to day responsibility of the pigs much more than I do...but it was hard for me to see my 'babies' go....even though I know this is the right decision at this point. We still have some feeder pigs to raise up and sell for butcher, so I'm not totally without pigs! We've been told that our breeding issues are most likely the result of pigs going to and from county fair and bringing home 'who knows what' that we obviously just aren't going to kick in our current herd with a vaccination program. The only solution to really get ahead of our breeding issues is to start fresh with new hogs that we know are piggy STD free after a sort of quarantine time has happened in our hog areas at Triple J!

I don't know if we'll actually go back to the breeding business of pigs or not. We think we may have a lead on someone we can transport wieners in with, and maybe we'll just raise them from the weaned age rather than going through the breeding process. I'm really not sure at this point. Luke already made mention of raising bucket calves in my pigs pens....so maybe he's ready to wash his hands of my pig projects!

Only time will tell!

Pregnancy Blog

2011-01-17T15:07:00.000-08:00

Now that the good news is out regarding our pending arrival (at least to those who read the blog or that I have gotten a chance talk to)...I have decided to make the pregnancy blog I am keeping available to friends and family rather than keep it private.

I will continue to keep all of our family blog readers up to date on milestones and major goings on in the pregnancy...but our blog will continue to be devoted to anything and everything here at Triple J. The pregnancy blog is a more personal look into the pregnancy and will only focus on the pregnancy. I figure this is the best way to share information and to allow all our friends and family to decide exactly how much they want to know! The link and a story snippet of recent posts to the pregnancy blog should show up on our main blog home page (right side under external links), so those of you who wish to follow can keep up to date there!

Enjoy!

New Boss Coming to Triple J

2011-01-07T11:58:00.000-08:00

This fall we got word that a new boss is coming to Triple J. He or she will make their arrival in early summer and is certain to turn life at Triple J as we know it upside down.

Preparations are currently underway at our household to accommodate this new addition. Luke's assigned winter project is to transform the current guest room into the new headquarters where I'm sure, many a sleepless night will be had by all. I have not been much help so far as I have been busy fighting nausea and combating weird food aversions. Pregnancy is apparently a common phenomenon, but one that has yet to be experienced in our household....the coping is taking more time than Luke anticipated.

Regardless of our now seemingly unpreparedness, all of us here at Triple J are joyous...along with a jumble of other emotions we are told is natural for first time parents.

The anticipated arrival is planned for June 26, 2011

How 2010 Came to Close...

2011-01-07T09:15:00.000-08:00

The last months of 2010 flew by for us here at Triple J. It seems as though all we did was celebrate holidays...but actually this IS typically our quietest and most relaxing time of year. Lawn season wrapped up, hunting season wrapped up, and Krista's audit season (while it never goes away) mostly wrapped up. We packed up our new-to-us 2008 Ford Taurus X and headed east to Indian for Thanksgiving.

We took absolutely NO pictures while we were on our trip, I suppose because we were having so much fun. Luke loves being on the family farm back there, reuniting with the 8 cows we hauled there on our 'honeymoon' in 2006...and we spend a significant amount of time while we are there doing NOTHING and playing paintball. Paintball is a blast and not something we have enough trees to play here in Wyoming! In fact, the first year we went to play paintball we didn't even have camo to wear because well...the sort of hunting we do here doesn't require it! I mean...I've never seen sagebrush patterned camo?!? Though...maybe there is a market for that? Anyways, Thanksgiving was great and as always the week with family went by WAY too quickly and before we knew it we were headed home again.

Not too long after arriving home, the mountains above our valley were ready for snowmobiling! Luke had long been awaiting a good snowfall, and boy is there snow there now! Rarely have we made a trip up the mountain that there wasn't a fresh canvas of power to play and areas to cut new trail!

Me on the F8-Cat and Luke on the Summit-SkiDoo

The only picture of Luke playing in the powder that I was quick enough to snap!

Santa is that you?

Luke after powder play on our Christmas Eve Day ride!

My Dad up working the fresh power on the Summit!

The next holiday to celebrate was Christmas! Again...we were so busy enjoying time with family that we took NO pictures...I don't even have a picture of my Christmas present to share yet which was a BRAND NEW ArticCat Crossfire 5! We somehow managed to become a 5 sled family of 2...which is insane...so we sold our 2 older sleds and purchased 1 sled that was light enough for me to handle. I've been told I don't help dig out my sled enough when I'm stuck...so in a delusional attempt to remedy that, Luke though I needed a lighter and faster sled!

We spent Christmas Eve with my parents, Jacob, and his fiance Meg. It was low key, our traditional dinner and gift exchange. We spent Christmas morning/day with Luke's parents, Jen, and our nephew Alex. It was fun to watch the crazy 5 year old rip through what seemed to be a million gifts in less than 20 minutes. Again, it was a low key day, that ended with a trip to the movie Yogi Bear (kid friendly obviously, and very disappointing show we don't recommend).

The time between Christmas and new years was spent working on our house! We FINALLY found someone to install carpet in our addition and small bedroom that was affordable...AND a big step for the Fidler family is the upgrade to Dish Network TV, seeing as we haven't had cable since we were in college! Luke and my Dad are still spending quite a bit of time working on getting the rooms in order after carpet...and I have a lot of junk to sort and get rid of that's been accumulating in what has been for so long, unusable space!

Other things that occurred toward the end of the year? Luke had a successful Elk hunt this year...which due to weather has not been so successful the past few years! He went by himself so he claims he 'chose' to harvest a calf...but since nobody was with him I guess we have to believe his story. My dad processed the meat for us, he claims the elk was smaller then Luke's deer. Not sure if that makes the deer big or the elk little!

We had to say good-bye to our last ferret family member Morgan. It was sad, but it was time...

Jacob & his girlfriend Megan became engaged and will be married in early July of 2011! We're so happy to have her joining the family and know we couldn't pick a better match for Jacob if we tried.

Also, I haven't taken pictures yet, but we DID in fact successfully complete the painting of the house before is got too cold. It was quite a process and many people were involved to get it done!

Finally, Luke & I rang in the new year in a crazy fun bowling tournament at our local bowling alley. It was the most social I have ever seen Luke on a holiday...but it may have had something to do with the 'shot' rule (and by shot...I mean Yager) imposed for bad bowling....regardless it was a fun way to end 2010 together.

I haven't gotten my 'Annual Update' and family photos out in the mail yet. They are in process for those of you who think I'm slacking...you'll see them before the end of January, I promise!

Family, Weddings, & Bears...OH MY!

2010-11-04T13:42:00.000-07:00

I haven't had too much time to sit down and actually type out a detailed update of what has been going in our lives for the last month, just quick updates here & there so here is my best attempt at a rundown of the last month or so of time here at Triple J...

The family from Indian made it to and from Wyoming safe and sound. I think they all enjoyed their time hunting, playing with the tractors, and helping out with some of the chores that needed to be done while they were around. In the past they have been here during branding time, but since they missed that this year Luke thought it was only appropriate to save our annual bangs vaccs and preg checks for the cows. One whole morning was devoted to a visit from the vet, in which everyone helped corral up the cows and push them one by one through the chute. Christy helped Krista take care of the pigs while the boys took care of cattle chores. Steve was like a kid in a candy store while him and Thor combed over the tractors, tweaking and adjusting....and then finally test driving! Everyone even went to the mountain one day in the beautiful fall weather to collect a load of firewood for Steve & Sylvia.

Right in the middle of the visit from Indiana, I abandoned ship and left Christy in charge of the pigs and the boys for a few days so that I could attend Ruth & Martin's wedding at Chico Hot Spring Resort in Montana. Ruth began working at MMF only a few months after I did, and her and I have become very good friends over the past few years. While I felt bad to leave Christy in charge of all the boys, she did a great job holding down the fort and I was so happy that I was able to be there to share Ruth & Martin's day. It was gorgeous fall weather up north, and a wonderful private ceremony to celebrate such a unique and amazing couple.

To get to and from the wedding we traveled through Yellowstone National Park and on our way home out of the park I was able to see my very first grizzly bear! We let him get about 300 yards from us, clicked a few decent pictures and then decided we didn't want to be featured on the news as stupid tourist who became a grizzly bear's lunch! It was very cool to see such an amazing animal just lumbering up from the river from his morning swim.

When I returned to Lander we had a few more short days with the Indiana family to visit and catch up. We always love our time that we spend with them, and this was no exception.

Since their departure, it kind of feels like all we have done is prepare for our trip east to see them for Thanksgiving. Lawn season is officially winding down, the only hunting Luke has left to look forward to is his late cow elk season, and my audits are all finally coming to a deadline. I have another CPA exam scheduled before we head east, and then both Luke & I are looking forward to a nice little vacation to Indiana.

We haven't had any snow yet...which is sort of rare for this time of year, but it has been a beautiful fall in Lander! The colors are gorgeous and Luke is happy to be getting the leaves picked up a little at a time, rather then a snow storm wiping them all out at once!

It is starting to get colder, and Luke is depressed that he finally had to light up the fire place...but it is nice as we head towards the holiday to have that warm glow of the fire in the house.

Bang for Your Buck?

2010-10-20T13:19:00.000-07:00

Luke is hunting up a storm while lawn season winds down...

Here is a picture of his beautiful 5x4 mule buck that he shot on our property! This mount will join his triple J harvested antelope from this fall on our wall.

THE FIRST HUNT OF 2010

2010-09-25T22:20:00.000-07:00

It has been a VERY busy time in the Fidler household....and full updates and stories of the month will come in pieces...but Luke is very excited to share the pictures from the hunt that took place this week.

The Fidler family from Indiana arrived on Saturday the 18th, and very little time was wasted before the boys were dressed in orange, piled in the truck, and cruising the desert in pursuit of antelope! In 3 short days, there were 4 antelope tagged!

Beau with his 1st doe antelope

Thor with his 1st doe antelope

Thor, Beau, and Luke with Thor's doe

Thor, Beau, Corbin, and Luke in our upper hay field
with Luke's buck and Beau's 2nd doe

Beau's Triple J property doe has some pretty sizable brow points. This kill was made even more amazing by the fact that Beau shot Luke's 300 WSM about 800 yards to drop this girl.

This is what the bullet looked like when we found it still in the caracass of Beau's doe

Luke's Triple J property buck is a beauty and the picture probably doesn't do it justice...but in approximately one year you will be able to come see this handsome antelope mounted on our wall. This is the first buck antelope Luke has tagged on our property....and it's a keeper!

Beau and Corbin with Luke's buck

Fab Foursome!

2010-09-09T15:19:00.000-07:00

I never did share much for pictures of our little foursome of piglets that are dominating all of our time right now...I had a quick moment to get them off my camera finally! Enjoy!

Bucket full o'pigs

Asset, Equity, Basis, Ira, & Debit (deceased)

Equity a few hours old

Ira napping under her heat light only an hour old

Basis having a bottle of piggy variety 'gatoraide'

Ira meeting her momma for the first time

All Things August

2010-09-01T16:18:00.000-07:00

Well...August turned out to be a pretty crazy month for us! I feel like all we did was feed baby pigs 5 times a day, and then get up and do it all over again. Our little foursome are hanging in there and growing bigger every day....BUT we really did have some other happenings in our life.

Sad news first, we had to say goodbye to one of our ferret family members this month. Wrangler has had adrenal disease for sometime now and we have known the end was near, but that didn't make it any less difficult to say good-bye. Wrangler was 7 years old...which is actually a very old age for a domestic ferret. Morgan who is ancient by those standards is 8 and is hanging in there despite the loss of her sister. (She has her senior citizen moments though!) Since we upgraded the girls to a GIANT sized cage in the last year...I think sometimes miss idependant doesn't even notice that her buddy isn't there with her.

In other news, we have finally completed the haying for the season. I'll have to revisit the numbers and post up the remainder of our harvest figures. It turned out to be a good year for us, and Luke also put up our neighbor's hay for halves...so we are stocked up and ready for winter. We even managed to salvage some of the alfalfa before it was completely eaten by the grasshoppers so our pigs have some for farrowing season.

It has been an insane summer for grasshoppers! It has caused my crazy husband to 'stock up' on sprays and baits...some people prepare for the end of days by stocking up with canned goods, water, heat sources...we don't have a bunker of such items, BUT the Fidler's are prepared to fight off grasshoppers of plague like proportions! They are so bad in our fields currently that you feel like you are in a popcorn popper with every step you take through the grass! Yuck.

I AM VERY HAPPY TO ANNOUNCE THAT I HAVE PASSED THE FIRST OF FOUR SECTIONS OF MY CPA EXAM! It really has taken me some time to figure out how to balance work, life, and studying. The last thing I want to do after a long day of work is sit down with the books...but now having one test done and over I can see the payoff so I am hoping that the focus and motivation will come much easier. I can't even describe the feeling of opening the score notification and seeing the word PASS on it. I even outdid the requirements...I only needed a 75 and I got an 81. Go Me.

Luke is busy busy trying to wrap up lawn season and certainly is looking forward to fall. It already feels like it is here, as I think the 90 degree weather is done in Fremont county for the year. Luke is ready to put the mowers away and have some time to play with his new toys....him and his dad purchased two new tractors this summer and haven't had too much time to get them in running order. They are a JD 60 LP and and JD 70 LP. I'm sure some trial and tribulations are yet to come while they get these running, so stories and pictures will come later!

Now that August is over, Luke is preparing for the annual Labor Day fishing trip to Moccasin Lake with his childhood friend Jimmy...and I am preparing for MY favorite weekend of the year...which is my one and only weekend at home without Luke! I will probably eat cereal for every meal....and besides keeping up on all the chores...I plan to do a whole lot of nothing!

August went by WAY too fast for us, but we are actually ready for September. September marks a good time for us, I have brief lull in audit work to enjoy fall activities with Luke, our 4th anniversary is this month, hunting seasons begins, a new bowling season begins, artificial insemenation for our pigs starts, and this year the Indiana family is headed this direction for a week of fun in Wyoming! It's going to be a crazy busy month for us again, but it's looking like a lot more busy having fun that work...so that will be a nice change for us! Luke would also probably like to note that fall just means that we are closer to winter which means no more lawns and of course snowmobiling! It was busy, and what seems to be a very quick summer for us...but here's hoping for a great fall!

Pig Update!

2010-08-19T18:59:00.000-07:00

Wow! Are we busy on our ranch?!!

Last Sunday Miss Hannah had her babies! I had every intention of getting the story up on the blog with pictures...but Hannah hasn't exactly been a model mother this time around.

It could be that it's warm and she's tired of being penned up in the barn...or it might just be particularly difficult babes this litter. We started with 6 piglets that hit the ground and we lost one during the farrowing process. We went 5 days with 5 babies, 4 boys and 1 girl! We lost a little boy to an unfortunate squashing incident...but the 4 survivors are learning to navigate their ornery Mother and are determined to make it even when Mom won't feed them!

Equity, Asset, Basis, and Ira are now trained to drink formula and/or electrolyte supplements right out of a baby bottle...a feat we had yet to accomplish prior to this litter! Another first for me was that little Ira became the first baby pig that had to be brought into the 'infirmary' (our house) and lived to return to the barn again. We may do things a little strange around our place...but I think we do eventually find a way to make things work! It's all about perseverance...and the successes really do make the failures worth it!

The feeding schedule of 6am, Noon, 6pm, 9pm, and Midnight is really wearing us out! But between Luke and I and Luke's dad Steve...the babies are growing stronger every day!

I only have a few pictures to post of them shortly after their birth right now...but I promise more to come!

We have high hopes for this foursome...we hope to show them in Winter Fair so they will have Triple J as their home for quite a while!

Swine Time!

2010-08-02T13:29:00.000-07:00

A few years ago Luke brought home the Duchess of Pork from the Riverton Livestock Auction’s “After Fair Sale”….that one pig soon became my love and passion for the lifestyle that Luke and I live. Duchess was a Duroc breed swine, and had the sweetest disposition. Fair pigs typically are friendly simply because they’ve been handled so much…but you could tell that Duchess thought she was a pet! Shortly after acquiring Duchess…the Duke of Pork was purchased from the ranch up the road because they no longer needed him…with this pairing, SWINE TIME Show Pigs and Market Hogs was born.

Even though Duke and Duchess are no longer reigning over the barn yard, many pigs have followed in their footsteps and continue to call the barns behind the little log cabin at Triple J ‘home’. On a hot day you’ll see them hanging out in their mud puddles and if they think you’ve brought them a snack, they will gladly meet and greet you as you enter the property!

Pigs are by far my passion on the ranch because not only does each of them have their own unique personality…but they also form bonds with humans quite easily. I have had the opportunity to learn so much about pigs and I honestly have some talents that I didn’t know I had! There is a severe lack of swine in the Fremont county area, and with that a lack of quality veterinary services at our easy disposal. As a result of the DIY route to pigs here at Triple J…I have certainly become the expert in vaccination programs, feeding regimens, artificial insemination, farrowing (the birthing process of a pig), and I can wield a scalpel (for castration) with the best!

It’s probably an understatement to say that I LOVE my pigs, and while there are always going to be days that I don’t enjoy the responsibility of having to do pig chores twice a day… it is really something that I enjoy that I couldn’t do (at least easily) if I lived in town. The bad days where the work seems never ending, you’re up in the middle of the night, or you work so hard to keep a piglet alive that doesn’t make it, are surprisingly outweighed by the good experiences. It’s incredible to help deliver new life into the world, watch the little piglets running around in the field with mom, or simply to spend a little time hanging out with the pigs after a long day at the office.

Our pig business ranges all the way from raising and selling little wiener pigs, all the way to feeding out market pigs so that everyone can enjoy home grown pork like it was meant to be! A large number of our winter pigs are even so lucky as to become 4-H/FFA show pigs!

Seeing as we have a small ranching operation AND we do interact and handle all of our animals on a regular basis, I constantly get asked how I could possibly send an animal to market or worse yet, our own freezer? I have thought a lot about this, and I think the best answer that I can come up with is this: it IS hard. However, Luke and I are very lucky to have the God given opportunity to care for and provide for God’s creatures. We strive to value each of their lives, provide for them in the best way that we know how, and ensure that they are happy and healthy for as long as they are with us. We sacrifice our time and efforts for our animals...because at the end of the day it is really the animals that make the ultimate sacrifice on OUR behalf in order to feed our family and others who need food as well. For us, it is not a morbid process of money and greed…it’s a genuine love for the animals that keeps us in ranching for the long haul. It’s fulfilling the responsibility of respecting how food gets to our tables at the end of the day. Frankly, it’s an honor and a privilege to watch (and be part of) the lifecycle that plays out on our ranch….we are an operation that loves its animals for the sacrifice they make for us. I would much rather have a meal that was raised with love and respect than one that was not, which we all know is how so many of our meat products come to us today.

Being raised in town, I didn’t have a lot of exposure to farm life, but my mom grew up on a dairy farm that we visited every summer when I was young. I certainly knew that my food didn’t just come from the grocery store, which so many kids think these days. It has been interesting to become fully involved in ranch life…and I have to say that most of the traits my husband has definitely came from his love and desire to run a ranch. Honestly, the rancher that sacrifices a night of sleep without complaint to sit with the runt of the litter…even when he knows the odds are against a positive outcome….that’s the rancher I married, and I love him for that. I think if our pigs could talk…they would all say they’re pretty much in HOG HEAVEN here at Triple J! Come by sometime and ask them yourselves!

AND stay tuned….we are currently preparing for Miss Hannah Ham to deliver her second litter of piglets…they should be here any day now! It’s HOT and she is MISERABLE as any pregnant being probably is in this weather so she is ready to be done! The official due date of her piglets is August 7th. We are very excited because this birth should mark our first live birth via A.I….we’ve had one other success in conception via A.I. but that is a whole other story that didn't end in a live litter. Keep your fingers crossed for a happy ending!

While the Cat's Away the Mice Will....

2010-07-19T15:57:00.000-07:00

WORK!?!

That's right! With Steve and Sylvia gone to a tractor auction in Wolf Point Montana...Luke and I were BUSY BUSY this weekend! Steve has been getting ahead of us over the past week, so we finally had the opportunity to catch up!

After a VERY quick in-service on the round baler Wednesday night...I was on my own for the weekend! After initially running the tractor out of propane Friday afternoon...I was in business Saturday!

Luke has become a pro at stacking the truck and trailer

with small square bales to limit the number of trips to and from the field!

I have to be honest, the only square baler I had ever seen in action before coming to Triple J was my Grandpa Einerwold's...and I was VERY sad to find out that not ALL balers were equipped with a bale thrower like Grandpa's! That seems like something that should just be standard! It's ridiculous (in my opinion) to have to pick the bales up off the ground, load & stack them on a trailer, and then unload & re stack them in the barn! But since we haven't figured out how to grow money on trees yet, we don't have a bale thrower! That, and the fact that we have more cows to feed now, is exactly why we purchased the small round baler last year. One small round bale (650lbs) is equal to approximately 10 small squares (65lbs)! We can use the skid-steer to move these bales around, it's still time consuming, but not as back breaking!

Anyways...we did good for just the two of us this weekend! We managed to finish up the first cutting on two fields! (I say first cutting...but we pretty much just get 1 cutting in our neck of the woods)

Spring Field ~ 8 acres yielded 43 sm round bales & 54 sm square bales (approx 14 tons)

Steve's Field ~ 4 acres yielded 151 sm square bales (approx 4 tons)

HAY FEVER

2010-07-16T07:40:00.000-07:00

Ahhhh…summer is in the air. I know this because I’m sneezing, sniffling, itching, and my eyes are burning. We all have HAY FEVER at Triple J in more ways than one!

It’s this time of year that I wonder what possessed me to marry a rancher…Putting up hay isn’t exactly a hoot and a holler…and you can imagine that it’s even less fun when you can’t breathe! BUT being one to push through and get the job done despite the drawbacks IS one of my many talents so enough complaining about that….

An abundance of water has been both a blessing and a curse this year for us. While the spring flooding caused issues at our little log cabin too numerous to mention…once the sun finally decided to hang around for more than a day at a time the hay growing was ON! I swear on the calm days, if you were still, you could actually hear the hay growing in the fields.

While Hay Fever means allergies for me…HAY FEVER at Triple J is how we refer to the CRAZINESS that everyone succumbs to at this time of year as we begin the process of taking the hay from the field and putting it up in the barn for winter. This is Steve’s favorite time of year to help out on the ranch. I think if someone else wanted to run the tractor, you might actually have to wrestle him for it. Luke and I have both been known to leave work early in hopes of heading to the fields to cut or bale hay only to find that Steve has already beat us to it! He was so anxious to get a move on it this year that he laid down the first wind row of 2010 on the same afternoon that we branded, July 3rd.

Each year it seems as if we are able to turn a little more grazing acreage into suitable haying acreage. We have been very fortunate the past 3 years to have more than enough irrigation water, and so water is going places it’s never been before! It amazes me how far a little TLC goes in a hay crop…not only does the hay love water….but sage brush seems to hate it! Each year we cut a little further into the fields and that allows the hay to grow back even better next year!

I haven’t been very good at keeping stats for our property as far as hay production goes in past years but this is how the 2010 hay season kicked off:

lower portion of Barn Field ~ 2 Acres yielded 70 sm sq bales (approx 2 tons)

north edge of Spring Field ~ 2 Acres yielded 68 sm sq bales (approx 2 tons)

Typically we cut/bale these two fields as our ‘test’ fields just to make sure everything is up, running, and ready to go…so these are the only fields we have completely baled up and put away so far. We still have tons to do before we rest! *pun intended*

It’s safe to say that if you’re looking for us in the next month and you’re wondering why you can’t find us, or why we don’t answer the phone at normal hours of the day…come take a peek in the hay fields….HOWEVER, enter at your own risk! If you linger too long, you might find yourself catching HAY FEVER!

The Triple J Brand

2010-07-15T15:12:00.000-07:00

Once a year we round up all the cattle on our property and run them into the corral....one by one we push each of them through the chute to give them a once over. Any wounds minor wounds are examined and tended to, everyone gets a pour-on de-wormer, breeding cows get their annual vaccination (basically an STD preventative for cows...who knew?), and the newest additions to the herd receive vaccinations and ear tags (if we couldn't catch them soon after birth), bulls become steers, and of course...they each receive their Triple J brand.

The Triple J Brand is a unique mark registered to Luke. The brand consists of one J resting on top of two other J's placed side by side:

Our brand is registered to Lukas S. Fidler, and is to be placed on the right rear hip of the cattle. The brand is applied with a hot iron. Branding has been part of the cattleman's legacy for many years now, and is still required by the State of Wyoming. All animals that are sold in/from our state must have a brand, and that brand must be certified by a state licensed brand inspector before title of the animal can pass to another owner. A large part of why Wyoming still has this law, whereas others do not, is because Wyoming ranchers still utilize grazing rights, therefor during significant times of the year cattle are out on the range, and not in the supervision of humans. Our cattle never spend a day on the range, however we are not exempt from this practice.

Our 2010 branding took place on Saturday July 3rd. We decided to take advantage of the long holiday weekend, as well as friends and family who were in town to assist. Breakfast was served to the participants of the day at 5:00 a.m....just as the sun was beginning to creep into the sky. Duties were assigned over chow and coffee, and shortly after daylight broke all the cheerful participants headed to the fields for round-up. Our helpers this year were Steve Fidler (Luke's Dad), Curt Muth (Krista's Dad), and Aaron Crego (Friend/Free Ranch Hand). We had a spectating squad that assisted with picture taking and the round-up which consisted of Jen & Alex Runyan (Luke's Sister and our 4 yr old nephew)...Sylvia (Luke's Mom) joined this crowd eventually as well, but wasn't so enthusiastic as to make it up in time for breakfast.

Our branding events begin and end with driving all of the cows to the corral from/to whatever field they are grazing (this day it happened to be the furthest 40 acres.) The cattle drive consists mostly of Luke & I on our horses each with a dog. Casey, our seasoned border collie has perfected her herding skills to such that she can 'talk' the cows into doing pretty much whatever she wants, and thus moves the cows from the horse with Luke. Luke circles the cows, and gives the command "bust a cap" and Casey tells the cows exactly where to go using what we like to refer to as her 'super sonic yelp' or her SSY. Millie, our rookie border collie has decided to forgo traditional herding skills and is learning by observing Casey. She likes to ride the horse for round up as well, and will ride with Krista. Krista has trained Millie to talk on the command "tell um!" and Millie will chime in with Casey...Millie hasn't perfected the SSY...but she'll get there.

Luke and Casey headed out for the cattle drive on the trusty green horse!

Once all of the cows are in the corral, one by one we sort them off and push them through the chute. Luke & Aaron did the sorting and pushing this year, and Steve ran the head catch. (Of the 40+ animals through the chute, he only let one slip by this year and it didn't even trample him in the process...definitely a record for Steve!). Really, once animals were in the chute it was a pretty quick process. Smaller calves had to be stretched on the ground, otherwise they slip too easy through the chute.

By the end of it all we had vaccinated and wormed 30+ cows, and branded 20+ calves! We were done and had the cows back in their field by 10:00 A.M. which was pretty good for 5 hours of work!

Steve waits for the next cow to be pushed through the head catch!

Winky can't believe she fell for the head catch trick AGAIN

Luke and Aaron stretch a small calf out for it's branding

Krista & Alex tagged the new bull, then posed for this picture

Alex didn't know if he liked being so close to the cows...

If you notice...YES this is one of our calves...and NO it's not black!

We currently raise Angus & Limousine cattle, which are BLACK. HOWEVER, this little guy is the product of one of our BLACK cows and one of the neighbors sneaky rough stock rodeo bulls! Luckily the handsome little devil was a bull, and we can leave him as such for breeding purposes...a secret little pay back for the fence destruction those monsters cause every year coming to 'visit' our cows!

And finally...the bull's freshly applied brand

Our Little "Log" Cabin...

2010-07-05T14:02:00.000-07:00

I'm not even sure where to start with this piece of our family history....it's quite the little house that we live in! I think the story will make a great transition as to how we get to where we are today...because I have now begun the 'summer project' on the house....which is proving to be quite a mess.

As I said before, Jen and Sam first purchased the property for us in late spring of 2006. The house had just barely survived a relationship disaster that ended in a foreclosure on the property. When we got keys for the first time...I kid you not...there were still Christmas decorations up and SEVERAL half drank keystone beers scattered throughout the house. The beer cans were pretty much the only thing that the mice had not raided....and there was quite a mess of animal waste as the previous female occupant had locked the male occupants dogs in the house immediately subsequent to him leaving for a week long shift in the oil fields. I think that's enough description to allow you to imagine what 4 months of sitting in foreclosure did for the already dilapidated property....

Honestly, I have 'pre demolition' pictures to share, which I will certainly try to find and post up with this...but just to give you an idea of what we started with....I'll try my best to describe it.

Phase 1: The house originated as a one bedroom log cabin built on footers over dirt (this one room is now the main living room/dining room of the house).

Phase 2: After quite some time...a kitchen and bathroom was added over a full cement crawl space. My best guess is that they did not take down the wall of the living room until construction was competed on the kitchen/bathroom area because it was all joined together poorly with 4 uneven steps that ran the whole length of the addition. The addition was completed mostly in log to match the original addition.

Phase 3: The occupants at this time must have disliked sleeping in the living room because they poured a gigantic concrete slab on the other side of the living room (and only feet from the septic field) and built a bedroom. This addition was also completed mostly in log to match the original addition.

Phase 4: The occupants at this time had adult children who decided to move in with their parents....so while the mother was out of town...the husband removed the roof over the living room and built a loft in one week's time! Again, this is just a guess....but we think that the materials came from the landfill because most of the lumber used to construct the roof appear to have been burnt (only partially) in a fire at one time. The loft was built with many random 2x4's and 2x6's and the outside is sided with weathered wood. The "safety ledge" to keep you from falling out of the loft was constructed only to be knee high even on a sort person, and thus did a better job of tripping you and launching you to the floors below. I might add also that the stairs to access the loft came from one of two places....either they came from a surplus carnival 'fun house' shop...or they are the result of too much drinking while doing construction. There was not a single step that was the same height or width, therefore walking up and down the stairs gave you the illusion that you were, as Luke likes to call it, 10 Indian drunk.

Phase 5: The occupants of this phase must have had a larger family because they added an addition on the back for the full length of the house. It added a laundry/hallway, a bathroom with a shower built only for use by people weighing 95 lb's or less, and an additional bedroom. This addition was built mostly in fabricated log. And I will revisit this issue later...but it was not properly joined to the existing house and when the wind would blow in a southerly direction while raining...water poured down the walls inside the house.

Phase 6: An entrepreneurial couple purchased the house in order to 'flip it'. They began by adding a mud room onto the back of the house using standard stick built materials and log siding. They put in a wood stove that occupied 75% of the living room (mostly because it was right in the middle) and they made a nice hearth by nailing chicken wire to the log walls with beer caps and then cemented some of the heaviest river rocks to the wall that one could possibly find. The stove pipe added a nice heat source to the loft as well, as it ran straight through the middle of the loft. They put new press wood cabinets in the kitchen and (again just a guess) to save money, rather than using hardware to hold them together they simply held them together by covering the inside with contact paper. They 're-tiled' the kitchen in a very lovely green and black glue down linoleum tile. They added a shower to the bathtub in the large bathroom (but no shower rod/curtain), and last but not least they carpeted pretty much everything, including the fun house stairs.

Phase 7: This phase brings us pretty much full circle because the foreclosure occupants purchased it at this point and as far as we can tell did nothing but put up Christmas decorations, feed the mice, and drink beer. They may have also had a 'who can climb highest' contest on the rock wall/hearth in the living room...because it was severely separating from the wall by the time of their departure.

At no point were professionals hired during any one of these phases...this was evidenced by the fact that nothing is level or square, according to the inspector not a single breaker would have tripped before lighting on fire, and no materials appeared to have been purchased from a lumber store.

When we took over...first gutting the house down to the logs...painting everything we could with KILZ...and then rebuilding the inside of the house...it seemed like a daunting task. EVERY YEAR has been a new project (sometimes multiple projects), with a new challenge presenting itself that makes us say "WTF were they thinking when they did this???". Since moving into the house my parents have helped with multiple projects, the largest one being to add on a second level to the Phase 5 addition that would properly adjoin that addition to the house, as well as give us the much needed additional space. We are quite slow with our construction projects now that the house is in livable condition, and this new addition is still in need of carpet before we can "move in" to the space.

Now that the inside of the house is mostly re-done to a satisfactory living environment, my 2010 summer project is to paint the outside before the logs crack and fall apart. Unfortunately I can't even tell what phase it was painted in last...but the little bit of primer that I have put on has sucked right into the wood. I am honestly surprised that it didn't suck all the way through into the inside of the house....

There are so many projects to do on the house and this is by far my least favorite...but it is necessary to keep in from falling apart I think. It's hard sometimes to put more work into because there have been some days of blissful home ownership that have made me wonder if we should just cut out losses and rent a bulldozer. The days that our drinking water is infiltrated by ground water and we are cooking and brushing our teeth with bottled water rank right up there with the day that our sump pump decided to operate in reverse and siphon a large amount of water INTO the crawl space rather than out shorting out a large panel of our electricity....BUT the feeling that we have put so much heart and soul into making this house our home keeps winning out for now. SO, I guess it's time to catch the visual aspect of the outside of the house up with the inside so that people no longer pull into our driveway and think to themselves "OMG I can't believe people actually live here!".

I end today's post with a BEFORE picture of the outside of our little "log" cabin just prior to beginning the painting project that is now getting underway....

Just the Two of Us...

2010-06-28T10:09:00.000-07:00

Before I can update current events I should give an overview of all that has come before today....

Luke & I met at the University of Wyoming in the fall of 2002. Luke had completed a A.S. degree at Northwest College in Powell WY and I had just graduated from high school. We had a business calculus class together the first semester. On my first day of college, I was so thankful to see a somewhat familiar face when I walked into the auditorium. Being un-social as he is...Luke pretty much had no clue who I was...but I went and sat next to him anyways. Seeing as we grew up in small town Lander, it didn't take him long to figure out who I was and subsequently fall MADLY in love with me....just kidding.

Over the next few years, Luke and I spent increasing amounts of time together. We had similar interests in activities, and even our social groups co-mingled on occasion. I helped Luke quite a bit with his studies (that's probably an understatement, I feel like I deserve an honorary degree in his field) and he in turn would drive me back and forth to Lander so that we weren't always taking multiple vehicles. By the time Luke graduated in December 2004 panic had set in that he was leaving college to return home and because he had spent so much time with me...he hadn't put any effort into finding his one true love. So, upon his graduation we began dating exclusively.

By the fall of my senior year at college, about the time I was expecting a diamond ring and a promise of forever from him, Luke purchased a brand new goose neck trailer in my favorite color and had in titled in my name. It was just what I had always dreamed of! Actually, I recall the day like it was yesterday because I was so upset. He presented it to me SO EXCITED and all I said was, "Great, I can haul my one pathetic bucket calf in my new trailer behind my Toyota corrola!" Lucky for Luke, that was all smoke screens for a proposal he'd been planning for some time. On 09.30.05 Luke proposed with a 1 carat 3 stone diamond ring that no girl in her right mind would say 'no' to.

After Luke's graduation, he returned home to continue his ranching operation that he began in his high school years. He also continued the lawn mowing operation he started before he could even drive. Prior to starting my senior year of college I had already been offered a position at a Lander accounting firm....so, it was pretty set that both of our paths were leading back to Lander. In the spring of 2006 Luke's sister and her husband purchased a foreclosure home on a piece of property adjacent to Luke's existing acreage at Deadman Gulch outside of town. Jen & Sam, along with both of our family's, and several friends....helped us to fix up the house into a livable condition. Prior to our marriage, we purchased the home from Jen and Sam at their costs into the property. This house is constantly in a state of construction today (a whole other story of it's own)....but this little log cabin is where we currently call home.

After my graduation in May of 2006, I returned home where I began my job as a staff accountant at McKee, Marburger, & Fagnant CPA's. The entire summer was taken up by construction at our house, me settling into my new job, a very busy lawn season for Luke, and of course wedding planning. Luke and I were married on 09.30.06 in Lander. It was a gorgeous fall day, and so many friends and family were able to be there to share the experience with us.

Since our wedding, not a whole lot has changed. I am still working at the accounting firm, and we still have our ranch (Triple J Land & Cattle) and Luke has his lawn business (L&N Lawn Care). We did add swine to our agriculture operation (which is MUCH more work than cows, but I think much more FUN). We have done countless construction projects on our house. AND we have just recently decided that we don't have to eat, live, and breathe WORK. For those of you that know Luke...you may know that he does everything 110%. Mostly this applies to work...but this also tends to lead to a few 'obessions'. We have a lot of GREEN TRACTORS for a 200 acre operation. We have MORE SNOWMOBILES THAN TWICE THE PEOPLE IN OUR 2 PERSON FAMILY. And Luke bowls a 150 average but has FOUR BOWLING BALLS. However, as much fun as I poke at him for these 3 things in his life...all of them are a source of enjoyment for the 2 of us together.

As if our own life isn't crazy enough...we both have spent quite a bit of time volunteering in different capacities in our community. Luke has always wanted to follow in the political footsteps of his grandpa Fidler...so he chooses to be involved in boards of the county government. He served an interim term as a Fremont County Commissioner, and he just recently finished a three year term on the County Planning Commission. I like to be involved in the not-for-profit sectors of our community. I have been involved in a small community women's sorority (ESA), volunteered as a U-12 girls softball coach (where we had 2 perfect seasons, and 1 almost perfect season), and most recently I joined the Lander Pet Connection where I am serving as the treasurer (and where we adopted Millie).

We pretty much live day-to day around our place....but really enjoy it 99.9% of the time. We love that God has given us the opportunity to care for his creatures, and that we are able to take a break every now and then to re-coupe and re-energize. I would have to say that the .1% of the time that we don't enjoy the 'gift of responsibility' usually coincides with a 2 A.M. crisis...like a calf missing in the snow banks or baby pigs deciding to make their entrance into the world in -50 below weather. Otherwise...ranch life is an incredible lifestyle that allows us to have a HUGE family even though it's "just the two of us." We currently have 40+ cows...10+ pigs...2 border collies (11 yr old Casey, and 3 yr old Millie)...several random barn cats...and just to round it off, 2 crazy old ferrets (7 yr old Morgan, and 6 yr old Wrangler).

We live in a gorgeous place, that has so many opportunities to play...and we aren't far from many others. We take a little time where we can to travel to see family (and some of our cows) that live on the Fidler family farm in Indiana, and try to see as many other friends and family in our travels and weekend trips as possible. Company that comes to visit is quickly (and fully) included in the daily chores, and if you aren't careful you might have to brand a calf, castrate a piglet...or if you are really lucky help deliver new life into the world. We're busy people...but we always make time for friends and family!

That is pretty much life currently as we know it here at Triple J! We don't lead an extravagant life, but we have a great one! We're always tired at the end of the day, but never so tired that we don't want to wake up and do it all again tomorrow. Any farmer or rancher will tell you....there'll be plenty of time for sleeping when you're dead!

New Year's Resolution

2010-06-22T17:27:00.000-07:00

Luke and I have been married for almost 4 years now, and in the craziness that is our life...I realized how much I have been slacking on a few things! Picture taking and keeping in touch with loved ones just dosen't happen as often as it should around our house! We get so caught up in the busy schedule we keep for ourselves that we forget to give a shout out to everyone and let them know that we are still alive! I also realized that while my friends and family don't often appreciate phone calls to 'catch-up' at 10 o'clock in the evening (when we finish dinner at my house)...I do love to browse everyone's blogs to find out what everyone is up to in their busy and wonderful lives...I can do that any moment I have to spare...even if it's in the middle of the night! SO my New Year's Resolution is to blog. Not only can everyone keep up with us when we aren't around to answer the phone...BUT I'm a little behind on scrapbooking the goings on in our life as well. Eventually I can use my blogs as my journaling for my scrapbooks! (Something I will undoubtedly procrastinate way to long as well.)

Now, I know what you are thinking....NEW YEARS WAS ALMOST 6 MONTHS AGO!

Ahhh, not true my non-financial minded friends! See here in MY world of accounting and governmental/non-profit auditing.... Fiscal Year 2010 is coming to a close on June 30th! SO a brand new fiscal year is beginning on July 1, 2010. Plus, is there ever really a bad time to set new goals for ourselves? Call it a Fiscal Year Resolution...or a Mid Year Resolution....whatever you want. I'm gonna do it! As difficult as it is to keep up with a task such as this....it saddens me to look back on the last 4 years of my marriage and not have any written account (and barely any pictures!) of our every day life to look back on. A very important part of planning where you are going in life, is remembering where you have already been!

Please! If you were wondering if we are alive, or we haven't returned a phone call, or been by for a visit....keep checking in on us here on the blog. I promise more stories to come!