Nine days?

Has it really been that long since I've posted?

As you probably assumed, things are still keeping pretty busy around here, with looking after the paper, preparing for baby and everything else that tends to come up in the normal progression of life.

In the last nine days I've been out of the office to Sheridan and Buffalo, gone branding out at Trav's west of Casper, attended a couple more baby classes at the hospital, put the finishing touches on the Roundup's State Fair Edition and finished waxing and putting the final touches on the baby furniture, which is all moved down to the baby room, as of last night! I really like how it's coming together.

This is a little taste of what we were up to this evening, following a morning of some cow work at the ranch, like branding several late calves and turning our bulls out. Tonight we went to the short go - or final performance - of the Central Wyoming Fair Rodeo. It was a gorgeous night to be out and about.

I promise I will take some baby room pictures tomorrow! Now that the major furniture work is done, it's time to start sewing...

It's already Friday!

The thing about working at the Roundup is that weeks tend to pass very quickly. That can be good, in that time doesn't drag at all, but it can also be bad, because some weeks there aren't enough office hours to get everything accomplished.

This week was one of those where things were busy, and my 29th week of pregnancy is gone before I know it.

On Tuesday several members of the Roundup staff traveled to Buffalo, where we attended the 2011 Environmental Stewardship Tour on the Fieldgrove family ranch - that's one of their Red Angus cows in the photo above.

Each year the Wyoming Stock Growers Association and other partners select a Wyoming operation for the Leopold Conservation Award. The award is named after Aldo Leopold, one of the first to champion agricultural conservation, although many operations had been implementing "conservation" practices long before they were recognized as such.

Anyway, the Fieldgroves were this year's focus, and about 125 people went to their ranch for a tour that highlighted their conservation practices, which include managing a burned area for sagebrush reintroduction, dealing with water development left over from coalbed methane production and a goat herd used to control an awful leafy spurge infestation, which had existed ever since Ryan Fieldgrove's days growing up on the ranch.

The weather was gorgeous, the tour was intriguing, and a good time was had by all. :-)

Then, on Wednesday I was in the office, before heading down to the Wyoming High School Rodeo Finals in Douglas on Thursday.

There I just took some photos and interviewed some kids for an article in this week's paper. My interviewees were Wiley and Kellee King of Casper. Wiley is competing in saddle broncs and bull riding, while Kellee's events are barrel racing and goat tying.

So that's about all I've been up to... I've been getting more tired in the mornings and evenings, so I haven't got as much accomplished around the house as I would like, especially on new projects, but I have managed to maintain the regular everyday housework and some cooking. :-)

hello there!

sorry, it's been a busy few days, and i haven't taken the time to post anything on here. currently i'm back in the denver airport, waiting with scott for our flight back to casper, which was delayed about an hour.

on friday we got married! as you can imagine, it was a simple ceremony, and we were only accompanied by our meeteetse friends buck and shelly.

this photo is in mckay park in pendleton. we thought it would be neat to be married in pendleton, oregon at the 100th anniversary of the pendleton roundup, and that's what led to this idea that's been ongoing since the end of july, when it was hatched as a very tentative plan. following that, we contacted the umatilla county courthouse in pendleton, exchanged some letters back and forth, including a waiver of the three-day waiting period for a marriage license in oregon, and scott's speaking to my dad about marriage when my parents were in wyoming on their visit - that was a big component.

the tuesday night after i got to pendleton i went and visited with the minister and his wife to go over the ceremony and pick out our vows, so that's exactly what took place on friday afternoon. it was a nice little affair, in a pretty park under a willow in the sunshine. buck took photos for us afterward, and there was this neat bridge going over mckay creek.

following the ceremony scott and i went back to the courthouse to finish up the paperwork. we'd gone there first thing in the morning - during the parade featuring 1,500-plus horses - to get the initial paperwork done. buck and shelly went to the rodeo with the media passes that afternoon while we finished up our business, then scott and i went a few places like the pendleton woolen mill outlet store. christmas shopping! :-)

saturday we went back to pendleton in the morning after eating breakfast with buck and shelly before they left to drive back to wyoming. in pendleton we went to an old saddle shop outside of town, then went back in for the rodeo performance - the short go that determined the champions. kelly timberman of mills, which is connected to casper, tied for champion in bareback riding. after the rodeo we headed back to pasco instead of walla walla so we could be right next door to the airport this morning. we returned the rental car, went through security, flew over several states, and here we are, still hoping to get on the plane. initially they had told us take-off at 4:44, but it looks doubtful, if not impossible, that will happen....

mid-week happenings

let 'er buck!

as the slogan in pendleton so frequently says.

yesterday i headed down to pendleton mid-morning in the expectation of meeting up with wyoming competitors, but apparently they felt like snubbing me, as they never returned my phone calls, so instead i watched part of the early afternoon performance and did a little shopping. much more fun use of time, anyway!

the things i picked up were a large brown leather bag with a gold felt bucking horse stitched on the side - makes for a little more glamorous camera bag when i'm traveling light. i also picked up a gift for scott, which we will pick up this evening after i get him from the airport, it had to be custom-made. and then i found a living room-sized rug! now, these are usually pretty pricey, and i wasn't planning on purchasing one, but turns out the one i liked best was marked down over 50 percent off, so i went for it. the green rug in front of my couch won't last forever, as the dogs are dethreading it gradually - so the new, higher quality rug will go in that place. it's being shipped to casper.

then i hit the hall of fame gift shop, picking up a pendleton roundup cap and assortment of goodies to bring back to my fellow coworkers. at another booth i was tempted by a framed print that, instead of saying 'let 'er buck,' said 'better luck' and had a drawing of the pendleton cowboy on the ground beneath his bucking horse. i might still have to go back and get that one.... i haven't gone to the woolen mills yet, as i was waiting for scott to make that trip, and also to visit the 'world famous' let 'er buck room beneath the grandstands.

i came back to walla walla before the performance was over, as i wanted to get to work on some things for the weekly paper, and today i've also spent working on the paper, getting things together for fall cattlemen's edition, which is due next friday.

but, for now, i'm off to pasco to get scott at the airport! friends buck and shelly will arrive later this evening. it will be very fun to have company to wander around with!

and... justin johnson just called me back, and i told him he was sol, as i couldn't get down there to talk to him in time to get it in the paper. rodeo cowboys, anyway. and team ropers, no less!

the denver airport

well, here i am with all the other schmucks awaiting their planes at the denver airport. it's 7:26, and mine is supposed to depart at 9-something. almost 10, i think, because i won't get to pasco until 11:08. i'll stay there tonight, then travel the 71.85 miles - according to mapquest - to pendleton, oregon in the morning, before the 8 a.m. start to the meeting, which lasts until 5 p.m. that may sound like a long ways to go to start the day, but it's nothing unusual for one used to driving around the open spaces of wyoming. i'll leave pasco at 6:30 and be there in plenty of time. in theory. the red lion hotel where the meeting will be held is supposed to be right off the interstate - also according to mapquest.

i will spend tuesday in meetings as well, and hopefully dig up a main cover article for this week's paper in the meantime. if i can find a wyoming angle and a good photo before wednesday, it'll be a go. i've come a long way from last january, and being so nervous about having a guaranteed plan for our cover. :-) that's why i'm glad this trip was so far into the year - i'm pretty settled into my new position at the paper, and confident i can cover all my usual responsibilities remotely.

and, i'm excited for this trip, as washington and oregon are two states to which i've never been, so i can check them off my list. and what better reason to take such a trip than a: on business and b: for the centennial of a great rodeo? and it's also the first time i'll have gotten a rental car on my own, since i'm now of age, so that will also be a new experience in a new state, but it can't be that hard.

i will try to keep you updated on the happenings of the week, as it's sure to be an epic adventure.

labor day 2010

we enjoyed our labor day three-day weekend, which was filled with happy hour and an abrupt move friday night for becky's daughter, a trip to meeteetse to help friends buck and shelly with the 98th annual meeteetse labor day rodeo and a visit to cody for lunch with friends marvin and janey at buffalo bill's irma hotel. sprinkled in there were horses and cowobys, country music and dancing, a little pendleton whiskey, a wall tent and a bedroll and several hazelnut lattes and plenty of black coffee. oh, and lots of congratulations on our engagement. :-)

now it's back to work with a short week on both ends. the task is to get the roundup's university of wyoming edition ready to go. then a trip to cheyenne for work friday afternoon/evening, and leaving for pendleton next sunday!

relaxing sunday afternoon after getting back from cody and before heading the few miles back into meeteetse to join the festivities.

let 'er buck!

getting ready for a trip to pendleton, oregon here shortly. coworker jody has been there before, and i'm hearing word of the 'let 'er buck room,' under the rodeo stands, where all the contestants go after the performance, and where only whiskey is served.

scott and i will be right at home.

there are so many things to see and do in our few short days! i'm glad i will be there a few days ahead of scott to scope it out and make the most of our free time.