My son, Rhett, is stuffing his feet into the wrong shoes when he asks me if I’m going to play football with him and his dad. I’m in the hallway on the way to my office, but I pause to look at him—the familiar knots in my stomach bubbling up. “I have a few things... Continue Reading →
Nine years ago, love looked like counting down the minutes at work on Friday, then breaking the speed limit to get to the ranch. My stomach full of butterflies—all to spend the weekend with my boyfriend in the calving barn. We worked side by side, our love growing over manure, afterbirth, and newborn calves. My... Continue Reading →
I didn't mean to pee at a stranger's house on my wedding day. But I did. After Rich and I exchanged our vows and walked back down the aisle together, my friend, Cassie, handed me my first drink as a married woman. Then we lined up, and people hugged and congratulated us. Then we took... Continue Reading →
The chair rocked back and forth, my baby’s sniffles the only sound in the quiet room. In the dark, I looked down, and she lifted her head off my chest and smiled at me. I started sobbing. At 15 months old, Nora’s not a baby anymore. But she’s still a baby to me. And in... Continue Reading →
I’m tired. And I know the crew is too. I hate how easily I snap at the kids at this point of harvest.In the brief moments when Rich is home, all three kids climb all over him, clambering for his attention. I usually stand in the background, watching. Partly because I love seeing how much... Continue Reading →
I unload the last box from my car and close the door to the apartment behind me. Turning back, I remember to lock the deadbolt, then collapse on the floor between the boxes. My mom walks into the living room, “Well, it’s all in! Do you want to start unpacking now or eat dinner first?” ... Continue Reading →
Recently, a fellow farm wife asked me, “Was marrying a farmer what you expected?” I thought back to the summer before my farmer and I were married. In the evening after work, I would drive out to the farm, park my car, and hop into the buddy seat of the combine. Butterflies popped up in... Continue Reading →
The hangers rattle across the curtain rod, the metal on metal scratching with each shove back and forth. Then, I pause at the bright yellow pencil skirt—I can’t remember the last time I wore it. My mind scans years of memories. Could it be eight years ago? Each time I see the cheery yellow in... Continue Reading →
It was a Friday night, and my then boyfriend, Rich, and I pulled into the driveway of his house. Though we were in a new relationship, and long-distance too, without actually talking about it—we both knew it was getting serious. This was the first time I was seeing his house and meeting his family who... Continue Reading →
As a kid, I remember thinking of Christmas as a mile-marker. I would look back over how much had changed from one year to the next. In high school, I’m sure I wondered if the next Christmas I would have a boyfriend. (Spoiler alert: I did not.) Or the year I went from not being... Continue Reading →
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