Trail Ride #3

If you can count to 3, (which if you are following my blog I may have my doubts, lol) you will notice I skipped Trail Ride #2.  "Nattyator" - as he named himself for my blog - is still a friend.  Unfortunately I have no funny stories to tell on him.  Which may have something to do with why we are no longer 'we' :)  I can say our ride started with him sending me a friend request on facebook that pretty much said... 'Ralph told me to look you up so here I am'.  Yes, the effort was there from the beginning, lmao!

So, on to Trail Ride #3...
This will be brief, as was our encounter.  We met and started conversation via phone.  The conversations were great.  One night we spent over 6 hours on the phone.  We talked so long, I had to go outside and plug my phone in to keep talking.  We learned more about each other than I knew about either of my husbands (hmmm).  I did meet him once in person.  He came down and took me out to eat and we watched a movie.  We continued to talk for about a week.  One Tuesday night we were talking.  He said he had to go but would call me back in about an hour.  This was the last I ever heard from him.  Now you may think something horrible happened to him, as did I.  But I soon gave up my attempts to track him down in every obituary, hospital and police station between here and Kansas City.  A few months passed and I couldn't help but wonder how his uncle was.  His uncle had been taking chemo treatments so I had continued to pray for his health on a daily basis.  So, I shot a text message to TR3, not expecting a response.  Not a minute later he replied saying his uncle was doing much better... HOLY SHIT... he's ALIVE lol.  After a brief chit-chat my blood started to boil and I plainly asked him WTH happened to him.  His reply was he just didn't feel a connection between the two of us.  Fair enough I say.  Followed by a tactful response of letting him know a polite "no thanks" or even a "get bent" would have been better than the chicken shit move he pulled.  My peace was said and all was right with the world again!

"You know that little white speck on top of chicken shit, well that little white speck is chicken shit too"

Trail Ride #1

When plotting how I would entertain you with my dating adventures, I decided I needed a name for them.  During a night of comical text messages with my friends, Mr. and Mrs. Potter, the decision was made to call them my trail rides.  I came to the conclusion this would be the perfect name for two reasons:  to signify the path I am traveling and how lame my journey has been...as so many trail rides can be!  So, as Chris said, "saddle up and come ride the western trail with me."

Trail Ride #1 (TR1)
After 8 months, I went to a neighbors with my dad to drag calves.  I got to see and catch up with a lot of old friends from when I used to run with Dad on a daily basis.  Couldn't have asked for a better day, other than the 109 degree weather, the lack of 5 hands who didn't show up and the boss having a heat stroke mid-day.  One thing was missing and it was the usual company of TR1, who normally day-works this time of year.  When the day was over the boss gave the usual good-bye's, (he was upright again by this point) but pulled me aside.  Said it was great to have me back in the country and I should look up TR1 to catch up.  So, I jotted down his number on the back of my hand.  Mind you, at this point I am still living with my parents and my three children-privacy is a foreign language.  But the next day, the perfect opportunity arrived.  I was on the back side of a pasture clipping fence for my dad.  Civilization was beyond close.  So, I whipped out my phone (grand technology) and dialed away.  To my horror, he answers after the first ring.  Pretty sure I sucked all the air out of the atmosphere at this moment.  We talk and have a great conversation.  Many long conversations follow in the weeks to come.  Now comes the demise of TR1...

TR1 said he would call around 1pm on a Friday.  I wait and nothing.  I tried to call and text but no reply.  About 5 o'clock I jump on facebook and he's online.  So, I send him an instant message that says "hey".  Now comes the twist and the part that, to this day, I still shake my head at...

His reply: "in case you haven't notice, I don't want to talk to you"
Me: "wth?"
TR1: "why don't you go ask 'Ren' (remember this is victim #1)
Me: "what? wth does Ren have to do with this"

The rest of the messages are a little foggy to me because I was lost and trying to wrap my brain around what he had just said.  There was a phone call and a lot of cussing and questions and his justification for his actions with nothing ever getting accomplished.  But, here is what will put some of the pieces together for you...  Back in the summer of 2003, when I moved home to work with my dad after graduating from OSU, I started dating Ren.  About a week later, TR1 called me and asked to take me out on a date.  My reply to TR1 was that I was already seeing someone.  My damn morals!  During our conversations, present day, TR1 had mentioned the fact that he couldn't believe I had picked Ren.  I think his comment at the time was "really?... Ren, really? 

So, after 8 years, TR1 got his revenge and dumped me after I turned him down back in 2003.  Check mark one for the lame trail!

On a footnote, after some facebook deleting drama, TR1 and I are still friends.  One thing a cowgirl knows- there is no reason to destroy a 10+ year friendship over a mole hill!  Now he just has horse envy (hope he's not plotting his revenge for Bill).

Bill - the horse TR1 wants, but will never have

Convoy

I start with this story because it brings us to my current location, Fredonia, Kans.  After "Stimpy" got arrested for domestic violence, I packed over-night bags for myself and the kids and shagged ass to my folks' house.  After a few months, papers were still in process and I realized Stimpy was hanging on for dear life and dragging his size 13 shoes as hard as he could.  So, the bargaining began for me to acquire my things from "his" house.  I found myself in very little control of the situation.  Which, for a girl like me, is about as hard to swallow as a fresh turd that just fell in the barn.  Finally the demand was made... At 5pm on a Friday night I received a text message from Stimpy stating I could get my things between the hours of 8am and 11:30am the NEXT DAY!  You have got to be shitting me?  But, I had a date and a time so it was game on.  Now, I do have to give him credit.  It was good thinking on his part to give me short notice.  Shorter the notice, shorter the time allowed, less I will be able to get... right?  This man, for his entire being of knowing me, understimated every single thing I could accomplish.  THIS was no exception :)  A mass text message went out and at 8am Saturday morning the convoy arrived... 3 stock trailers, a two-horse trailer, a flatbed trailer, a suburban, 6 trucks, 2 cars and 20 friends!  The ENTIRE house was packed, loaded and pulling out at 11am... we had 30 minutes to spare, lmao.  Needless to say, many words were sent to me later from Stimpy... but I had a BIG grin on my face the whole time.

NEVER underestimate the power of a cowgirl and the kick-ass friends she keeps with her!



Part of the Convoy

Part of the Crew

My new neighbors walked over to introduce themselves, beer in hand, and I knew I was home!

Back in the day

Welcome!  After sharing some recent stories with a dear friend, I have been convinced to show my colors to the entire world via blogging.  I hope you enjoy my stories as much as I am enjoying living them.  Join the ride, but with caution :)

I will do my best to get you up to date on my life.  I may have to break it up into a couple of posts because it wasn't easy getting where I am now, lol!

1989

Bringing you up to speed in the tiniest nutshell you can imagine...

I was born on the Matador Ranch outside of Reese, Kans.  My dad worked there for over 10 years before breaking his neck on the main ranch in Matador, Texas and making the decision to move on from this outfit.  We then moved to Fall River, Kans. where my dad was the heifer manager of the Diamond R Ranch for another 10 years.  After graduating from Fredonia High School in 1999, I went on to Pratt Community College here in Kansas and then to Oklahoma State University where I graduated in 2003 with a B.S. in Agricultural Education.  You will come to find out I took the B.S. part seriously!  I moved home that summer and met victim #1... We'll call him "Ren".  We married October 22, 2004 and moved to an outfit in Hepler, Kans.  Separated in December, 2005 and divorced shortly after.  Entertainment from this encounter will follow in later posts... have no worries about that :)  Welcome victim #2... "Stimpy".  We married April 15, 2006, already pregnant with twin girls, Jacksen Irene and Masen Jo, who arrived October 26 that year.  16 months later, February 26, 2008, son Colter Ryan arrived.  We separated October, 2009.  Which brings us to date... The single cowgirl back on the prowl.  Have no fear, many stories will be told along the way to fill in the gaps above.  And, as you can imagine, if you think it sounds like a whirlwind already, you have no idea what a tornado the gaps turned out to be!  The focus, however, will be the complete insanity of my life with my three beautiful children and my failed attempts to re-enter the dating world... stay tuned!