Memory Lane.

I've been transferring some files to my hard drive that were originally stored on my work computer.

But since my work computer encrypts everything, I have to open each file, picture or document individually, and then re-save them to my hard drive.

(And ummm....that's a lot of work, or rather a lot of clicking. Note to self - buy hard drive sooner.)

Anyway, it's been fun to go back and look at my (older) pictures....

Pictures from weddings...



Pictures from Dairy Club tours in college - this is a good friend, Katie...

Pictures from our trip to Reno, in 2007 for the Angus show...

Pictures from Dairy Club sales...

Pictures from past National FFA Conventions...

Sometimes, it's good to look back and remember all of the good times...

And know that they helped shape who I am today...

And that (hopefully) there will be many good times yet to come!

Bunko!

Unfortunately, was not a word that was uttered by me last night.

Actually, it was much the opposite. By the end of the night, I'd racked up 11 big losses.

And while I did get 7 wins, none of them were due to my luck of the dice (thanks partners!).

But we all had a great time, laughed a bunch, ate good food, and enjoyed Beer Margaritas!

And really, that's what Bunko's all about.

Although, to be perfectly honest, as the host this month, I did think about keeping the prizes I had purchased back in December at the NFR for myself, and running out and grabbing something different.

But then I thought to myself, "Maybe I'll win one, and then I won't have to go buy new prizes. Yeah! Maybe I'll win one."

Umm...as we know from above, no winning occurred here. Shoot!

But I'm happy to say that Lindsay did win last night...

Even if what she did win was the Boobie prize (biggest loser award).

There's always next month!

Warmth.

I was on the phone today with a banker in the Midwest, and she asked me how the weather was here in Eastern Oregon.

I told her it was pretty nice today, but that we'd had quite a cold spell earlier in December.

I then asked her how the weather was there...but I already had a pretty good idea of her answer.

She replied, "It's 12 degrees here, and it's supposed to get worse."

We've been in close contact with Clint's family this past few weeks, as it has been bitterly cold back in the Sandhills of Nebraska and it's supposed to get even colder this week.

You know it's cold when the highlight of the weather report is that it will "warm up to around zero later this week".

..........

It can be a cold world out there, filled with uncertainty and the unknown.

But there is goodness, and light, and love out there too. Which makes me think of this quote:

..........

We plow the fields and scatter the good seed on the land,

But it is fed and watered by God's almighty hand;

He sends the snow in winter, the warmth to swell the grain,

The breezes and the sunshine and soft refreshing rain.

.........

With that in mind, we're here holding tight.

Knowing that He has a plan (a great plan!) for us and this next year, and all of those to follow.

.......

Stay warm out there. Warmed by love, and friendship, and laughter and life!

And if all else fails, get a pair of Christmas socks with reindeer on them, and slip those on.

....................

Keep warm friends!

Committed.

I don't usually make a New Year's Resolution.

Well, unless you count when I resolve to lose weight each year.

But doesn't everyone do that?

..................

Many of my good, good friends have been so forward thinking in their 2010 plans.

Choosing words to live by....

Making resolutions...

And really if you think about it, they're making commitments to themselves.

People like Lindsay and Jenny and Kristi.

..................

I've been inspired.

This year, I've made resolutions.

But I haven't forgotten my old standby - "I'm going to lose weight this year!"

Hey, at least this year I have a shiny "carrot" in front of me to motive me. My goal is to get closer to the weight I was in college - ahh, those were the days - see?

I've also tried to pick a word for 2010 - and let me tell you, it wasn't an easy task!

What challenge did I want to put out there for myself?

And what if I made it to hard - can you make it too hard?

So after debating with this - I've chosen to be committed.

Committed to the goals below, the family and friends I love and cherish so much, and the dreams Clint and I have for our future.

In 2010, I'm committed to:

* Living life fully - and being thankful for all I've been given.

* Eating healthier and exercising more often.

* Like Jenny, I want to start going back to church on a regular basis.

* Being a better friend - giving more, putting more effort into my friendships and getting back in touch with good friends, like the ones above.

* I want to be more calculated in my decision making - but balancing that with my normal spontaneity.

*I'm going to try and make it to all of our Bunko nights this year!

*And finally, I'm going to consciously make an effort to only make 50% of the decisions regarding our wedding....and give up control to allow Clint to make the other 50%. After all, it's our wedding - not mine only.


Welcome 2010 - I'm glad you're here!

Happy Holidays

Many of you who have known me for awhile, know that I've never sent out an official Christmas card before.

My motto was always "I'm not sending out a Christmas card until we're married!".

Well this year, my motto was "Well, it's been 5 years...we should probably send out a Christmas card".

Little did I know that we'd get engaged after I'd already made this decision.

So we had our pictures taken by Lindsay, and then I started to look online for a nice photo card that would match the colors of our pictures and also be reasonably priced.

I'd like to state right now, that I was trying to find a card that said "Merry Christmas" on it.

Because I don't believe in saying "Happy Holidays" until after Christmas...because while others may not, we choose to celebrate Christmas.

You know, the miracle and birth of Christ.

Not the miracle and birth of "Happy Holidays".

However, you'll notice that our card says "Happy Holidays" on it, instead of "Merry Christmas".

It's because:

1. Even though I started making our card in early December, I was pretty sure it wouldn't get to our friends and family until after Christmas.

And in true "Clint & Darcy" fashion....I mailed most of our Christmas cards on December 26. And I have another handful to mail today that I just got addresses for.

2. There weren't any pre-formatted designs that matched our pictures and said "Merry Christmas".

What can I say - I wanted our first card to look nice....so I ditched having to have "Merry Christmas" on it.

However, I'd like to officially wish everyone a very

Merry Christmas (belated) and Happy Holidays!

Oh, and a Happy New Year!

Reflection.

2009 is almost gone and 2010 is peeking around the corner.

With Christmas almost over (I say almost because I still have two packages to mail - sorry Stumpff and Sexson families! - and a handful of Christmas cards to find addresses for) we've been propelled into New Year's plans.

Which makes me stop and reflect on this year.

2009 was the year we:

* Got engaged!

* Almost had a 100% calving percentage

* Celebrated the PI's 100th Anniversary

* Hosted our 1st (maybe annual?) 4th of July BBQ

* Met and made so many new friends here in our little corner of the world!

* Thanks to Lindsay, I learned what a "blog" was and this one was started.


What a year 2009 has been...and hopefully 2010 will be just as memorable.

How was 2009 for you? What will you reflect on as the clock strikes midnight?

Ugh.

Last night I headed home, ready to fix a quick dinner and get settled in to watch the OSU Beavers take on the Brigham Young University Cougars in the MAACO Bowl.

I got home a little after 5:00, grabbed the remote, sat down in my recliner and turned on the game.

Flipping to ESPN, I saw that the game was already a little into the 1st quarter and that the Beavers were up 7 to 0.

I leaned back, pretty confident that this was going to be a good game for the Beavers.

...........................

For those of you who watched last night, let us all collectively say "Ugh."

And for those of you who didn't watch it and are Beaver fans....be thankful you didn't. It was kind of ugly.

Like 20 to 44 ugly. Now a score of 20 to 44 doesn't sound too horrible...except that going into the fourth quarter, the score was 7 to 30.

I don't know what happened last night....but one thing that didn't happen was OSU offense.

Congratulations BYU - you played a methodical and paced game.

..........................


Not to be a negative nelly, I'd like to congratulate the Beavers on their victories this season.

Tying for 2nd in the Pac-10 isn't any to be ashamed about.

We'll still be here next season, cheering on the Beavs!