Where did you grow up?

I grew up on a 100 year-old ranch in the mountains of rural central Wyoming. The mountains are beautiful and each of the seasons are pretty in their own way.

Spring has the the snow thawing and the rising of the creeks. The spring rains bring flowers such as sunflowers, wild iris, buttercups, Indian paintbrush.

The summer has more flowers of the same flowers and green grass. In August the grass turns brown. It is the sagebrush that is noticed then. The sagebrush is silver-gray and it looks like a grey stormy sea. That is one of my favorite things to see.

Fall brings hunting season and the yellow leaves of the quaking aspen. Sometimes you have to be quick to see the leaves change, beacause can have an early frost and the leaves will be brown. Drive safely on the road because there will be hunters driving as they are trying to find elk, deer and antelope.

Winter brings the wind. I never really liked the wind, but some days are better than others. The wind blows much more in the winter. This winter the wind must have blown continuously at 50 mph for one entire day. It causes the dust and snow to come in the windows and the shingles to blow off the buildings. Some of the shingles have been for decades and some have not been there very long, so it is interesting to see how the older buildings have been built much better. I do like the snow in the winter. It can get pretty deep and it is fun to ski, sled and snowmobile.

I really enjoyed growing up in the mountains of Wyoming and I make sure I take my children there every chance I can.

Energetic Kids

I would have to say that the best part of my day is spending it with my energetic kids. From the moment they crawl in bed with me in the morning until I kiss them goodnight at the end of the day they are what keeps me going. I have two kids, a boy who is almost five and a girl who is three. My son, Joe, is pure boy and my girl, Sally, is girl all the way. Joe likes hunting and trucks. He will creep around the house stalking elk and polar bears. He spends the afternoons playing with his cars and trucks. Sally likes wearing dresses and playing with dolls. She never wears shirts and pants. Her dolls are always wearing the latest fashions.

They love playing with each other and running races around the house. That is their favorite thing. They have an aunt that runs cross-country in high school, so they like to run races in the house when she is running. Cooking is the second thing Joe and Sally like to do the most. They have pretend food and dishes and they like making people birthday cakes and dinner. They wear their aprons and are always busy doing dishes or laying out them out for the meal Joe and Sally have prepared for me.

I enjoy cooking for them and caring for them every day, with their help of course. We often have our bumps along the road, but the energy Joe and Sally have gives me the energy to get things done. I am doing what I need to do for my energetic kids, so they can grow into energetic adults.