I definitely took advantage of my three-day weekend! It was filled with love, laughter, fun, sadness, joy, tears ... the works! There was also lots of photography. It's becoming an addiction of mine, and I love it! Seriously, check out this photo I snapped while on my way home on Friday:
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| My grandparents' house. |
I visited my parents this weekend, and drove down to begin my stay on Friday afternoon. I thought that traffic wouldn't be too terrible seeing as it was only 3:30 in the afternoon, but I found myself to be way more stressed than I had imagined.
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This ^ was the first time that I had a free, empty roadway, and it was glorious! I love the feeling I get every single time that I go home to visit my parents. It reminds me just how much I love the country and miss it by living in the city. But it's great to go back to - it's simpler and way more peaceful. How could you not love it?! I enjoyed Friday evening with my mom and dad, just hanging out, which was perfect.
Saturday morning rolled around, and I ended up sleeping through most of it! Yes, I woke up at 11:30am and missed half the day! It was about this time that I was very grateful for a long weekend. The rest of the day was pretty calm, and we hung out around the house mostly. That afternoon, my mom and I went into town to visit with my grandpa, whom I hadn't seen in about a month. Seriously, I must make a point to go down to see him more often. *mental note*. We sat with him until it was time for him to eat supper, and I enjoyed getting to sit and talk with him. I cherish every.single.minute that I get with him!! After our visit, mom and I ran a few errands in town before heading back home.
That night, I was the chef in the kitchen! ---> which really isn't saying much haha! I fried some mushrooms and chicken tenders for supper. It had definitely been a while since I've indulged in such a meal, and it was fabulous! Not the healthiest, I know, but it was overdue. So, Saturday night was pretty relaxed, just eating and enjoying some episodes of Restaurant Impossible. Robert Irvine is highly entertaining...
Then, before I knew it, it was Sunday already! Man, time really does fly these days. It's almost unnerving, but I digress. We headed off to church to glorify God and seek forgivness for our sins. The sermon was pretty touching - and memorable! I believe a toddler carrying around his 'filth' was symbolic of us carrying around our sins and finding contentment with that.
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| Before church |
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| After church |
After church, we bundled up (well, not me!) and then were off to attempt to pen up a few calves to take to the auction barn. My dad had to lure the herd with some hay before they'd come over to where we needed them to be...
It was definitely a glorious day! The sun was shining, the cows were grazing, and we were being productive! Once the cows were all in the main fenced area, we had to lure only the calves we wanted into the pen to be put on the trailer. This was actually done quite effortlessly, but in the process, I came face to face with this BIG guy:
I can honestly say that I had never come quite that close to the bull. He was obviously staring me down - Pretty sure I won that contest! Haha. It was so fun! But, then my emotions overwhelmed me and it was time for my breakdown. Using the pen to get the calves ready to be loaded in the trailer - it didn't quite go as I had planned. It wasn't that it was hard or impossible to do, or even that I couldn't do it. It was that internally, I made the connection of what we were doing with how my grandmother tragically was killed: by a cow while attempting to get said cow in the pen. It hit me so hard and was out of nowhere. I completely lost it and broke down crying. I was pretty much a hot mess. But I couldn't stop. After my grandma's accident, it was hard for me to even drive up to the house and see where she had died. But over time, that pain had healed, and it wasn't as hard to see it anymore. However, dealing with the cattle in that pen was a completely different story, apparently. The memories of that Monday afternoon/night and all that week came flooding back, and I couldn't stop them. I could almost picture it how it was explained, and my heart broke. I know it was her time to go, but to go that way - it's just been really hard for me to handle. But only after a moment, mom and dad came to my rescue and embraced me in a giant hug. At that moment, I was reminded that it's not only hard for me to see and experience, but that we were all hurting and it wasn't easy for anyone. Some people are good at hiding their emotions, but there was no hiding the fact that I was reliving those days in my mind and that it hurt. However, my parents were right there to help me through it, and they even got me up on the tractor to help put out the round bales. Yes, this girl was farming at its finest and was operating heavy machinery!
Once the cows were fed, the calves were taken to the auction barn, and we had showered and warmed up, we spent the evening watching The Amazing Race and Survivor. It really was a great way to wind down from the long, cool day.
And then, it was Monday! Dad and I waved goodbye to Mom as she headed off to work, and not too long after that, we were already contemplating surprising her for lunch. Of course, that meant that neither of our original plans to be productive (and head home for me) would be followed through, and also that we would be on the road for three hours for a lunch date, but it was so worth it! We drove to Katy and surprised Mom for lunch. And boy was she surprised! It felt great to do that for her - and for ourselves. It was a great 'daddy/daughter' day! On the way back home, we stopped at the Tractor Supply Company, only to find this stuff at the register. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, this is for your lips!
So, that was my weekend! I'll leave you with a few more random pictures from my trip.
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