A New Addition to the Family

I would like to introduce the newest member of our family! Please welcome Bert (Fancy Bar Chex)! His mother's name is Fancy Red Berty...hence "Bert". We bought him from a Swiss fellow who manages a ranch 20 miles this side of Dillon, MT named Urs. Greg and I went to see the horse together about a month ago and really enjoyed our time there. As Dad wanted to ride him, of course, Urs asked if I would also like to ride. After assuring me he had a nice gentle horse that would treat me right, I agreed and had a great time! We were able to help him find a little bunch of heifers and bring them to the corral. I was sore the next day but not too much worse for the wear! We were both so impressed with what a little gentleman Bert is though not quite 4 years old. Urs did an excellent job breaking him. We were invited to dinner before heading for home and what a treat (and I don't just mean the food!) He has the sweetest wife and 4 darling kids. They live in a beautiful little home on the Prairie Horse Ranch...an enviable life in some respects though if you think Park Valley is isolated, you haven't seen anything like this! It is 20 miles from nowhere! There is only one other hired hand that lives on the place. These kids are truly each other's best friends. They are home-schooled out of necessity but the parents take it very seriously, as you would have to in that situation!

Now to update you on Baxter! The poor fellow just can't seem to recover from his leg injury... even after having surgery that the vet was pretty sure would take care of the problem. So we are taking him to Park Valley to run with the mares for the winter. We are hoping he will heal up so we can sell him, but that remains to be seen. It has been heart-breaking for us because we really love this horse...yes, even I love Baxter! But Dad has not been able to ride him since the spring and has been borrowing a horse. Not a good situation! So we are happy to have found a quarter horse with great breeding that fit the pocketbook. Greg has ridden Bert a couple of times and is so pleased with his cow sense. He has much to learn, but Dad loves to train horses and will be able to spend some time riding and working with him this winter. The pictures I have included were taken a couple of weeks ago when Ron and Greg were sorting and weaning heifers for Wayne Christiansen. I LOVE the one of Greg standing in front of Bert. His secretary, Katie Wallace, (Wayne's daughter) took these pictures without their knowledge and surprised Greg with them at work. Since I am never there to take these kind of pictures, we are happy to have them. Isn't Bert a pretty roan?

The Man of My Dreams

Please excuse me for being a little personal here, but this is my journal as well as a blog. I have had these thoughts and the desire to get them in writing for quite some time now. Today I am feeling particularly blessed and "in the mood" to write. I want to pay tribute to my wonderful husband of 37 years. He truly is the man of my dreams!

Though our life together has had lumps and bumps and hills and valleys, this great man has led our family with dignity, faith, and humor through the trials that we know are a necessary facet of this life on earth! I love him for his great faith in Jesus Christ. I love his practical application of the principles of the gospel and the undying faith he has always exhibited even in times of great physical pain! He has taken each trial as an opportunity to exercise his agency...realizing that he could feel sorry for himself or forge on and become a better person as a result of that trial! Thankfully he has always chosen the higher road. His study of Christ's gospel restored on the earth today has instilled in him an unshakable testimony of its truth and divinity. He has learned first hand that Heavenly Father's promises are sure upon obedience to His commandments. I have learned so much from him and together we have done our best to raise a righteous family. Greg LOVES being a dad...and being a grandpa?..well that is just the icing on the perfect cake! I love to watch him spend time with his grandkids! He thinks they are just about perfect, and I'll have to agree with that! He is so proud of each one of his children, their spouses, and his grandkids.

I am grateful for Greg's willingness to accept callings from Heavenly Father... including the one he currently holds as our Stake President...and to do it to the very best of his ability! I love and appreciate his devotion to teaching correct principles even when they are not "popular" or welcomed by some. That takes great courage but I see our Stake moving forward and doing better as a result of many members who realize the counsel he gives is not his own, but from the Lord. Their lives are enriched and blessed just as the Savior has promised and then they lift and enrich the lives of others. I'm sure that as much as Heavenly Father and the Savior love us, they must become very frustrated when we are proud and rebellious and do not want to change our ways. I have learned from my husband that repentance is an every day process and the more we learn, the more we realize how dependant we are on our Savior, Jesus Christ and His atoning sacrifice. We truly are "less than the dust of the earth" without Him.

I love the fact that no matter how busy he gets, he always makes time for me and his so sensitive to my needs. We laugh and have a great time together. He pitches in and helps with the cooking and clean-up, too! And of course, I have already touted his great "green thumb"! He tells me every day how much he loves me and then shows it by his actions. Can a woman ask for much more than that! I think not!

I love and respect the "balance" he seems to have in his life. He truly is a happy person in all that he does. He is a marvelous employee for his company...very respected and has been given more and more responsibility because of his honesty and analytical abilities. His customers love him because he tells them the truth and not always what they would like to hear. They love him because he knows what it is like to "sit on the other side of the desk." He loves to play racquetball and is excellent at it! And, of course, he will always be a rancher/cowboy at heart! Though we no longer live on the ranch in Park Valley, it will always be "home" and his love for and understanding of horses is amazing! We all love (including all the grandkids) his horse, Baxter, and are so happy that he is out of pain and able to work cattle again. Though he can't be out at the ranch and helping as often as he would like, we go quite often and in the meantime, he has many customers and friends who LOVE his help and expertise with every phase of their cattle operations. How he fits all of this into his life with such balance is a wonder to me!

Greg, I love you more than there are words to express. You have always been and continue to be the man of my dreams! Thank you for the past 37 years and a glorious forever!

Love,

Wendy