The Boonie Life: "About Us" Change

The "About Us" page here on the blog is a little out dated. Before I change it, though, I wanted to post it, so I can still have it. So here is the old one:

So basically:

We are a family of 8 (baby O not in the pictures- he wasn't born yet) that lives on a 5000 acre cattle ranch really far out in the country in Idaho. We are not your typical ranching family, as you may or may not have noticed from looking at our blog, but we LOVE this lifestyle and all of the blessings that we have along with it.

We are faithful members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) and center our lives around our Savior Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father's plan for us.

(we had a pet moose and pet gosling last Summer)

Here is our family:

Rancher

My husband's name is Weston, who I also sometimes call Rancher (to his face and on this

here blog). Rancher doesn't where belt buckles, or any cowboy gear really (but I think that, secretly, he would love to wear the full get up. That is if I would stop buying him stuff from Old Navy).

He grew up in Sparks, Nevada. His parents owned a ranch there (still do, actually, although it's a lot smaller now). He grew up catching lizards, and riding his motorcycle one-handed while chasing and shooting coyotes with the other hand.

We met in Sunday school class when we were teenagers when he came to Virginia, where I lived, to work at his uncle's zoo for a summer. I had a sweet crush on him and he even asked me to dance at a church dance once. (Read more about our story here.) From that point on he was the "husband" whenever I played m.a.s.h. (remember that game on paper?). I never thought it would ever really come to pass.

He courted me 6 years later (in 2001) when he came to Brigham Young University Hawaii where I already was. We worked at the zoo in Virginia together that summer and got engaged at the end of it. We went back to Hawaii fall semester as an engaged couple and got married that December. He graduated with his Bachelor's degree 4 months later.

Weston is a major kid at heart. He is pretty much living his dream life, in his dream job (and of course his dream wife, right?).

This is me pretending to milk Cookie. (I'm totally posing.)

I am a cattle-ranch-liver living the ranch life. As far as the "cowgirl" thing goes, I'd say I'm closer to hippy than cowgirl (far from cowgirl); "Ragamuffin" probably fits me best.

I grew up the 6th of 7 children in the sticks in south-eastern Virginia, where some people still fly the confederate flag. I grew up part tom-boy playing in the woods and in the creek, climbing trees, building forts, playing kick the can, and kickball and basketball in the dirt, and all of that good stuff. I LOVED my childhood. I'm determined that our children grow up just as nature-y and video game-less (okay, so we had an Atari as kids) as I did.

I earned my Bachelor's degree from Brigham Young University Hawaii in Exercise and Sport Science, with a Health and Wellness emphasis, in December 2001, and 6 days later married my honey pumpkin lover for time and all eternity in the Salt Lake City, Utah temple.

Now I'm in love with being a homemaker/part homesteader and a mom to my 5 littles. I LOVE being at home!

The Littles

Spencer

11 years old