Where Did the Time Go.....

Hello Readers!

Yes, we are still here. Yes it's been awhile! 'Tis the farm and family life.  In the past couple of months we finished calving, welcomed new employees, made hay,  I experienced an awesome trip to New Zealand, started breeding season, made more hay, went to the county fair...and so it goes.

This past weekend the older boys and I went back to "Pulltown"!  The national tractor pulling championships in Bowling Green Ohio have been a part of our family for about 10 years now.  Rick would go each year and we would take turns going with him. We took last year off, and this year I took both older boys for what I believe to be the best time ever!

One of the most appreciated aspects of the two days we attend the pull is the people.  Here are our "regulars"

On my right, your left, is Jack. Jack has been here for a very long time. Jack reassures that there won't ever be anybody that sits to my right since he claims those seats for leg room. Jack's claim to a good life is that at 78 years young he has never drank an ounce of alcohol or smoked a cigarette.  Jack is like the family patriarch at the tractor pulls for our little section there.

On my left, or your right, is Jonathan. Jonathan is another staple to our little section. Although he is an avid John Deere fan, we enjoy his laughter, his stories and talking about farming with him. During this year's pull he helped me locate some hay for sale for next winter. Jonathan is great at keeping up with the basics of what we have going on with the farm and the kids. Although we missed last year, the minute we rounded the corner in front of the bleachers he waved and pointed to the seats in front of him, where we sit. He knew right away who we were and the smile on his face was the most welcoming thing we had seen that day.

Right above kid #1's right shoulder, is a gentleman in a grey shirt. He joined our group in 2015 but his seats were relocated a little bit too far away for our liking, LOL. We miss having him and his wife a little closer. They farm in Virginia, crops and beef cattle, and we enjoy getting caught up with them at the pull.

This year we had some new folks sit in front of us. They were a lot of fun. We enjoyed getting to know them and having milk shakes from the 4H stand (which apparently is a thing for my family. Story here, for another time.....), french fries, and lots of banter about red and green tractors. The great thing about this little group that we sit with every year is that they feel like family. It's a ton of clean fun.

Biggby at Bowling Green! 

Only at Bowling Green....I asked if they got a bulk discount. Explosive laughter!

One of our favorite semi trucks 

When it's 90 degrees and very humid out and you only pack just enough shirts, you end up at TSC nailing down this bargain at $3.19! Less than the sticker price!  I am sure our seat mates appreciated the change! 

One of our favorite pullers

The time with the older boys was well spent. They are witty, fun, relaxed, and easy to travel with.  It was fun to hear the other guys ask THEM about the teams, the tractors, and to hear how much the boys actually know,  and how well they carry conversations with adults.  I was grateful to be able to provide them an opportunity to do something they enjoy without the littles, and to give them a break from home. Thank you to Carol, Mom, Dad, Cheryl and Kelly (and anyone else that I was not made aware of) for helping with the littles while we were gone. And of course, the team members for taking care of things at the farm.

While we were gone, I read this devotion:

...I want you to enjoy not only My Presence but also My Peace. I came into your world to guide your feet into the way of Peace. When you are anxious or fearful, it is as if you are doubting My promises to supply all you need. My followers tend to think of worry as natural, even inevitable. At worst, they consider it their personal problem or quirk-harming no one but themselves. But the truth is, your tendency to be anxious grieves Me. Awareness of My pain can help motivate you to break free from this hurtful habit. Seek to bring Me Joy by walking trustingly with Me along the path of Peace.
Philippians 4:19  And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

I thought about this all weekend.  Sometimes I think we relate "don't worry about it" with "don't think about it". The truth of the matter is, there are things we have to deal with. There are phone calls that have to be made, people that have to be lined up to work, issues that need to be dealt with. Often we cannot just put them aside and not deal with them in order to not "worry" about them. What a fine line it is to make that call or decision and then immediately give the results over to Jesus and stop worrying (or letting it fester within you) about it.  There have been a lot of decisions lately where tough calls had to be made. There are also millions of dead squirrels due to indecisiveness. Don't be a dead squirrel. But once you cross the road, don't fester about whether you picked the right tree. Trust that Jesus will provide what you need. This is obviously just my take on it. I have a lot of work to do here.

Until next time friends-