Skip to main content

4th of July Ranch style.

4th of July has two meanings in the Boyen house.  Of course, it's our Nations birthday and celebration of freedom, but it's also an important anniversary for us.  I like to think of the 4th as the "unofficial" Boyen Bunch day.  You see, 23 years ago on the 4th of July, John and I met and fell in love, almost at first sight. (Yes it can happen!) Now, I say almost because it took me a couple of nights (two more, to be exact), before I was convinced he was the one.  It was really more of a confidence issue for me than anything...I mean, how could a guy this cute, this sweet, this cool and this old (he was 21 and I was 18), be into little ole me!?  Plus, boys in high school hadn't been all that nice to me, so I had some trust issues.  I'm glad John was persuasive in proving, all guys aren't jerks, and some guys do keep their word.   We had a summer whirlwind romance, that I'm happy to say, is still going strong after 17 years of marriage and 4 great kids!

In the last few years, we been marking this anniversary with special family time.  This year we decided to head to the hill country to my brother-in-law's ranch in Junction. (Thanks Jeff!)  It was just an overnight visit, but great family memories!




Bridge into Junction.


The ranch was actually Savannah's idea. 
She loves this place!


Heading to the creek.


The Boyen Bunch!


Favorite spot at the ranch.


Trying to catch minnows.


Looking pretty near perfect to me!


Brotherly love...


S'mores anyone?


Yum!


We had a great time driving Delilah crazy with Rocket balloons! 
She loved trying to catch them!


Love finding their selfies on my phone!


Breakfast ranch style...just being silly and in the spirit.


Serious high stakes card game!


I wanna be a cowboy...


Delilah wanted to chase those cows so bad!


Perfect ending...coming home to a rainbow!

Hope everyone had a memorable 4th of July like we did!  :)


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Back-to-school 2024

  I've been avoiding writing again. If I write about back-to-school, I must admit how hard things have been.  My heart has been broken by the harsh reality that my children are grown up. Being a teacher during back-to-school is easy for me. I'm a pro at that. My ELA buddy teacher even told me I could do it in my sleep. But facing the challenges of parenting young adults making major life transitions pulls at my heartstrings.  This school year, I only have two active students right now, and Bailey is in the works for a return to Texas Tech in the Spring semester. Lorelei started back first. She's a Senior! She had her first college visit at the beginning of August and most likely her last! She loved Texas State.   This was followed by Senior pictures.  We grabbed some sushi from our favorite restaurant after.  Then it was Senior Sunrise and the first day of school for her.  My first days back were great. I always enjoy reuniting with my team and We...

Chasing fireflies...Spring of 2024

In April, while in Austin, I was enchanted to see an abundance of fireflies in Savannah's backyard. It brought tears to my eyes, not only because I find fireflies (or lightning bugs as we called them in the Midwest) intriguing and nostalgic, but because it was so fitting for where the Boyen Bunch is in life right now. After several attempts of "chasing" these fireflies with my camera, I captured a picture of one bright one lit up. Nature imitates life. The milestones my kids are reaching this spring are life-changing! The idiom chasing fireflies means chasing dreams, moments, and experiences that are captivating and elusive. We have two graduates this year. Savannah graduated from UT and Jonas graduates today from Comm. Arts HS. The moments this spring are fleeting, just like the light of a firefly. Here one moment and gone the next... I have referred to May as Mayhem for years (not claiming the idea, just saying I've been using this term for a bit). I have many previ...

Enjoying the messiness...

  I have two wonderful, crazy, and messy dogs. They bring joy, cuddles, laughs, and, well, you guessed it, messes. I have shredded rugs, window sills gnawed on, shoes with teeth marks, bare patches of dirt in the backyard, and muddy paw prints everywhere.  Let's remember the people I live with, my teens and, the messiest in our family, my hubby. Not dirty messy, more like clutterbug. And I'm sure he's clutter-blind. Oh, he does his best with reminders, like when I remind him, "Don't forget, I like to eat at the kitchen table." Unfortunately, our breakfast room is on the way to the back door and patio, with a detached garage. John uses the table as a stopping point before putting things out in his garage. Yes, his garage. I stay out of there at all costs!  What's my point? I feel a weird guilt almost daily over the normal messes of life in my house. I make my bed every morning around tiny messes in the corners of the room, where bags of donations have been ...