Back to The Good Life

Greetings from Mullen! Am on the ranch, after spending an amazing few days with J in San Antonio. Air Force incompetence cut short our visit by three days, but J and I squeezed in as much as we could--tubing on the Guadalupe River, touring the missions, checking out Austin, strolling down the San Antonio River Walk, and feasting on some of the best Mexican food and BBQ we've ever tasted. We also had a lovely time catching up with L, my wonderful friend from law school who I hadn't seen since graduation, and her husband P. J's parents flew in a few days later, and we had so much fun hanging out with them.

Saying good bye to J at the San Antonio Airport was one of the most difficult things I've ever had to do. I've never cried so hard before in my life--the ticket agents and flight attendants took pity on me because I was sobbing on J's shoulder at the gate (we were lucky that his flight left half an hour after mine and that our gates were adjacent to each other). I tried to sleep on the plane ride back to Denver, but mostly I numbly stared out the window. It's going to be a long six months.

So now I'm back on the ranch with J's parents. We all thought it'd be best for me to distract myself with ranch chores for a week. There's nothing better than waking up to a rooster crowing, looking out the kitchen window and seeing chickens streak across the yard, gathering fresh eggs, taking long walks with Sadie and Gnarlie, and riding horses through the pastures. The Sandhills are so gorgeous, and I'm beyond lucky that this is part of my life.

The last few days have been a whirlwind--the in-laws and I drove into town on Friday to watch the Mullen High School football team play Sandhills-Thedford. I met a lot of the local folks and felt like I was standing on the set of Friday Night Lights. LOVE small town America. Saturday, we gathered and preg checked heifers before heading to the backyard wedding of the neighbors' son. Too much fun.

Sunday was 9/11, and the Mullen United Methodist Church held a special remembrance service. J's dad sang a solo and was accompanied on the piano by...me! My first public performance in fourteen years--I was relieved that it was only in front of 20 people who were all over the age of seventy-fie. After the service and coffee hour, J's mom and I roadtripped across the state to visit J's little brother in Lincoln and see Omaha. We stayed in Broken Bow last night and spent today there before driving back to Mullen today. Am exhausted, but it's been a great trip and a badly needed distraction. On the other hand, it's also made me miss J more. I absolutely love seeing where J grew up and meeting all of the people who have had such an impact on his life, but it reminds me of how much I wish he were here. Am going to close this entry before I become sad again. Good night, and make sure to hug your loved ones often.