Oh, another birthday...

So, I am 49 years old today. Since I've been a little cranky the last few days, I suspect this birthday is bothering me. Crazy, isn't it? Life keeps getting better; there isn't a single time in my life I would turn the clock back to; yet I feel sad and a little defeated at turning another year older.

Some of this, I think, is the challenges we have faced in our church family. Today will be an especially hard day - it's our quarterly meeting which includes the biannual vote on whether or not to renew the pastor's call. Because of recent events, I suspect it will be a close vote and there may be hard feelings for the "side" that doesn't "win". But I know any time a church is spiritually divided, the only winner is Satan. So, he's been doing pretty well at Grace the past year or so.

My birthday blessing is that Tiny Ninja & Danger Haley & Willie are all here to help me celebrate, and we will be at church together in Nemaha (with Mom and Dad, minus Wonderful Husband who has to be at Grace to prepare for the meeting). Tiny Ninja is leading the worship service and sharing about her trip to Honduras. Danger Haley might give the children's message. I will be worshipping God with the people I love most (WH and I are always together in spirit even when we're apart), and you never know what moment God is going to use to break Dad's heart and bring him to the cross - maybe today. I will never give up faith that He will be called, but my chronic impatience wants it to happen yesterday, already! ;-s

WH and I have had an amazing weekend of togetherness. We worked the red calves Friday and chored, then worked the black calves Saturday and chored. I may take vacation Monday so I can help get the mixed lot from pasture three and work them. I love working cattle just about as much as anything I do in my life with WH. First, we have to get all the mommas and babies from a particular pasture in the catch pen. Then we have to drive the mommas out while keeping the babies (most are 400-600 pounders) in. The babies get loaded into the trailer (usually two trips) and unloaded in the working pen at his folks' house. Then they get moved one at a time down the "alley" and into the chute, where we worm (squirt-on stuff) and vaccinate (three shots this time - I got to give one of them!) and turn them loose. We didn't brand this time, I think just in the interest of time. The babies get turned out into one of the other lots to make room for the next batch.

Oh, my amazing and handsome WH is awake now, so I'm going to spend my birthday morning with him...

(Transferred from Xanga)