Top Take-Aways from the MonaVie Event

Top 11 take-aways from the MonaVie event (I couldn't pick just 10)

11.  MonaVie is a vehicle for people to make their lifestyle and income align with their passions.  My passions are God and health.  God has called me (and our family) to be a part of bringing His army to good health.  Not a week goes by that I don’t hear someone talking about how sick they are – or their close family member or friend.  Sometimes it’s a bad flu bug.  Sometimes it’s cancer diagnosis or a cardiovascular incident.  Often it’s something in between.  God made our bodies to heal themselves – we don’t have to be sick.  Between Bible studies, natural farming, and MonaVie, our family will get to be a part of God answering some people’s prayers.  So exciting!

10.  Wealthy people have multiple streams of income.  As I've talked with many millionaires over the last 5 weeks, the people whose income is most stable don't rely on just one source of income.  Of the people I've talked to, all of them have residual and/or passive streams.  It isn't our goal to become millionaires, but it is our goal to be like the faithful servant Jesus talks about in Matthew chapter 13.  We want to return to Him 100-fold what He's given us financially and spiritually.  We are started on the right path...I’m glad Travis does Family Heritage.  I’m glad I do MonaVie.  I’m glad God made me love to write.  I’m glad we are being called to farm.  I’m glad we have other investments in businesses and in people.  We could stand to learn much more in this area.  We'll learn as we go...

9.  I work with a stupendous team of people.  They are dedicated, hardworking, and fun.  “Quit” is not in their vocabulary.  Positive thinking and speaking positively of others are characteristics of these people.  I’m thankful for my upline, downline, and friends cross-lined.  I might work for myself, but I’m not by myself.  I can trust the Roush’s and Wilson’s, the Gilmore’s and Totten’s, the Robinson’s and Kalb’s and so many more to do what they say they are going to do.  That is a gift.

Me (left) & Emily Wilson (right) - just one of my stellar team members

8.  Leaders don’t have power…they empower.  Jesus has the power to do all things.  In every miracle He performs, however, He invites and empowers us to be a part of, and in an earthly way, lead it. We have the gift of being intricately involved in His miracles and it makes us appreciate the miracles and Jesus more.  Similarly in business, as we invite and empower others to lead and become more intricately involved (instead of me trying to do it for them), they become more appreciative of the outcomes and our relationship deepens.

7. Self-talk will be this year’s game changer.  Proverbs 18:20-21 tells me, "From the fruit of his mouth a man's stomach is filled; with the harvest from his lips he is satisfied.  The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit."  I’m smart, hard-working, and encouraging.  I love people.  God made all people unique and put them in my path for a reason.  I’m excited to find out what is special about them.  I’m a winner and I see myself living out God’s will by helping His army get healthy.  I’m a great problem solver and I eat ridicule for breakfast.  My kids are a huge help and motivator in my business.  (I’ll keep thinking…)

6.  Seek and you shall find.  (Matthew 7:7)  This is God’s reoccurring message to me this year. God has entrusted me with a lot of things – being a wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend, homeschooler, business owner, church member, and soon-to-be farmer.  Over this last year as we’ve searched for a farm, I’ve crumbled under the idea of all God has put in our lives.  I kept telling myself, “Only God can do this - this is too much for me.  God can do anything. He wouldn’t give me anything I can’t handle.”  I believe all of that, but it all still felt overwhelming.  My verse for this year will be Matthew 7:7. If I’m looking for excuses of why something won’t work or can't happen, I’ll find them.  If I’m looking for ways to make it happen, I’ll find those too. I will seek a way, not an excuse.  I will seek His presence, not reasons why I feel alone and overwhelmed.  I will seek His will and not mine.

5.  Read books.  I read and study the Word daily.  That’s the best book I can be reading.  But I’ll spend a few minutes each day this year reading other positive books.  It will help with the self-talk goal and keep my focus forward and upward.  We got lots of good recommendations at the event.

4.  MonaVie is trustworthy.  They always put the right people in place at the right time.  (North American Vice-President Katy Holt-Larsen is a perfect example!)  They listen to the sales force and make changes accordingly.  They always have fabulous, new, top-quality, relevant, beneficial products.  MonaVie is debt-free, therefore unlikely to ever ‘go-under.’ 

3.  My family is stupendous.  My husband is funny, wise, God-fearing, and loving.  I completely respect him for leading our family, for making most of his decisions outside-the-box, and for challenging me in my ways of thinking. He protects us and he’s provided an extraordinary life for us.  I can’t tell you how grateful I am!  I hope I never have to do life without him.  And my children are fun, funny, good listeners, smart, inquisitive, obedient (usually), and really cute.  I'm so grateful God has entrusted them to me. 

2.  God is amazing.  I’m so thankful for all He’s given us – especially the outrageous experiences and unbelievable relationships.  He’s provided for every need and surprised us with so much more.  More than anything, He’s given us an inner peace that surpasses even our own understanding.

1.  I have a really great life (well, our whole family does).  God’s reoccurring message to me in January of 2013 was Ephesians 3:20-21.  I couldn’t have even imagined this life.  It’s amazing!  And we are still living in Ephesians 3:20-21.  But if He took it all away, I’d be totally fine with that.  It would just mean that He’s got something else in store for us and I’d be excited to find out what it is.  To Him be all the glory!

Vegas :-$

Nobody wanted to leave Oregon.  We had been globe-trotting our way southeast for a couple days and every time we stopped, turned, or an obstacle arose, one of the kids would say something like, “Well, I guess we better go back to the Ferré’s,” or “Oh, good!  Are we turning around to go back to the Ferré's?”  As much as everyone loved the ranch, Travis and I were committed to our voyage to Vegas. 

“Can we listen to our devices?” asked the kids along our 11-hour drive from Boise to Las Vegas.  From all the information we’ve gathered about electronics, Travis and I have decided to limit the amount of screen time/device time our kids get.  Now that we have two functioning spare smart phones we’ve given the kids for listing to audio shows, audio books, music, and for taking pictures, they ask us daily if they can use them.  At home 30 minutes is the daily screen time limit.  On the road we only pull them out when we are driving more than three hours between cities…and one hour of device-time has been the limit.  Until our desolate drive between Boise and Las Vegas.  That Wednesday they got two hours.  Lucky them.  

Taite usually listens to his motivational audio books (love it!) or Adventures in Odyssey.  Calla has two favorites – Adventures in Odyssey and the Kid’s Music or Christian Music playlists in iTunes.  When she chooses iTunes – get ready!  Inevitably a musical favorite will pop up and she will belt out the lyrics like she’s Big Daddy Weave herself.  She is as talented at singing as Travis and myself.  Thankfully God gave us these skills (or lack-there-of) and apparently enjoys listening to our songs.  I’m confident He’s the only one who enjoys them.

They are good sharers

Parker's ear buds are red

Lincoln's ear buds are yellow

Parker listened to the Kid’s Disney Radio music downloaded to iTunes.  Because she couldn’t judge her volume as she listened, Parker kept yelling at people, “Hey (insert name)!  It’s your favorite song!  Do you want to listen?”  I guess Lincoln took her up on it one time.  He was using another device to look at the stored pictures and videos.  He cared more about the videos so he watched all of them over and over again.  I’m sure those videos coincided nicely with Parker’s music as they each listened to one ear bud from both devices. 

While in Oregon the subject of screen time came up.  Peter mentioned that as his kids got older they wanted more time to play games or watch shows.  They had a family meeting.  He had his kids do research on technology – the types of technology kids use, the time they spend on it, and the affects of technology on kids.  Their assignment was to write a paper about their findings and ultimately offer an amount of time per week they thought would be appropriate to spend behind screens.  They discussed the findings as a family and came to an agreement.  I love the idea!  I’ll be sure to publish my children’s findings when I have them do that project.  ;-)

Near the final moments of our drive home – as we saw Vegas from the distance – I had the itch to take our kids to a Vegas family-friendly show Thursday night. I did a little research, made a call, and voilá! I had 6 tickets to the Mystére Cirque du Soleil show.  I was so excited!  I’ve been to a couple of Cirque shows, but this would be the first for the kids.  Normally this Cirque show is at minimum $103 per ticket.  It just so happened that Mystére had been on a 2-week break and the weekend’s only available tickets were for the dress rehearsal – and were only $35.  (A very pleasant surprise when you are buying 6 of them.)  Once I had paid for the tickets the customer service guy gave me the confirmation number, then he reviewed the times of the show.  It was for Friday night.  Arghh!  I had plans for Friday night already (a MonaVie event).

Travis took the kids by himself.  They dropped me off at my meeting then went home (to the RV) to change clothes.  They mini-golfed at Circus Circus.  Dinner was at Pho in Treasure Island.  Then they were off to the show (also in TI).  They loved the show!  They said they liked it better than STOMP!  STOMP would be hard to beat.  It was a highlight for everyone.  And, according to the kids, the dress rehearsal for Mystére was even better!  Travis said, “They were both amazing shows with very talented people in them – very different from each other.  I liked them equally.”    Apparently it’s a must-see next time you are in Vegas. 

Parker is the official flag holder

Taite, Lincoln, and Dad play a competitive game of mini-golf

Here we go...

Another Vegas must-see is Red Rock Canyon.  We went rock climbing Thursday afternoon.  We did this last year, but we had Lincoln and Parker in backpacks then.  This time they were both on their own.  After our skiing experience – and Parker only skiing the bunny hill three times then deciding she didn’t want to do that anymore – I was concerned with how rock climbing would go.  It was a long way up!  A treacherous journey for a four-year-old. 

Mountain Goat?

Spiderwoman?

Sherpa?

Can you see Taite up ahead?

Sir Edmund Hillary?

By the end of our expedition I was sure Parker was part mountain goat and Taite had a little Sir Edmund Hillary and Daniel Boone in him.  Parker looked like Spiderwoman!  She shimmied up those rocks like they were a bar stool at the ice cream shop.  She had no fear.  She listened to instructions.  And she quickly implemented Travis’ pointers.  Taite led the team like he knew where he was going.  He didn’t want to wait for the rest of us so he’d wander ahead then call back to us the best route.  I imagine him retiring from his football career as a trail guide or some sort of outdoorsman.  And his little sister will meet him regularly for wilderness expeditions.

Taite

Lincoln

Parker

Calla

Rock climbing was a highlight for me.  I loved climbing as a family to the highest point we could find in the canyon.  When we arrived at the top we just sat, ate a snack (of course, because moms always have snacks), and looked out over the expanse.  Nobody complained the entire climb.  In fact, everyone wanted to keep going further.  Sometimes a walk to the park can cause leg cramps and sore feet!  But this experience was a challenge unlike any other.  I bet this won’t be the last challenge our family will welcome.

We just did that!

Surprise! Boise!

“What was your favorite part about our time in Boise?” Taite asked at dinner Tuesday night.  I like this line of questioning.  He asked Lincoln first.

Epi's owner Chris and our fam

“Um…this dinner?” Lincoln responded, sort of in the form of a question.  We were visiting Epi’s, a Basque food restaurant.  Basque Country a region that is located around the western end of the Pyrenees Mountains to the coast of the Bay of Biscay, and straddles parts of north-central Spain and south-western France.  Basque people have a unique dialect not founded on Latin and a unique palate.  Travis patronized Epi’s with three friends (John, Rich, and Nate) last time he passed through Boise.  He considers it one of his top three all-time favorite restaurants.  We arrived in Boise Monday to find that Epi’s was not open on Mondays.  We changed travel plans to stay for an extra day.  Travis really wanted to share Epi’s with us.  It was delicious.  Chris- the owner – is fabulous.  And we all recommend it! 

The question continued around the table.  “The police man place,” said Parker.  Tuesday afternoon we took the kids to the Old Idaho State Penitentiary. The prison was opened during the time of (and because of) the gold rush.  There were too many 49ers moving west – and not enough of them were honest.  The prison closed down in 1973 after functioning for over 100 years.  We saw where and how inmates were kept.  A 15-minute introductory video gave us a vivid picture of life for the jail birds.  The prison held over 13,000 inmates during its 100 active years.  Over 500 inmates escaped, but only 90 of those got away.  (Doesn’t that make you feel better?!)  Ten of those 13,000 were hanged for their crime.  The most common crime for women was forgery, for men it was theft. That was our first (and hopefully last) visit to a prison.  It was a pretty cool stop.

The first of many preserved buildings in the penitentiary complex

“Either the Birds of Prey Center or Tango’s,” I said.  Tango’s was our lunch restaurant – another Trip Advisor winner.  (We owe Trip Advisor some reviews.)  It was an Argentinian restaurant called Tango’s Subs and Empañadas.  The safe thing would have been to order subs.  But, “When in Rome…”  We tried some empañadas.  None of us had ever eaten one.  They went over like sweet tea on a hot southern summer day.  Everyone loved them!  In fact, we ordered four to share, then went back for three more to share, then got two dessert empañadas to share.  Delicious!!!  Calla said, “If I lived here, I’d eat here everyday!”  Winner.

She couldn't even stop to say, "Cheese!"

As you can tell, I think we’ve eaten out more during this past month of traveling than we did the entire previous 11 months.  Maybe that’s exaggerating, but we have had some stupendous meals prepared for us these last four weeks.  In New Mexico we stopped for the highly recommended enchiladas at the Grand Motor Inn.  Our drive-though in Buckeye, Arizona, brought us back to Ciao Grazie – an excellent pizza place.  In Newport Beach Taite found his new all-time favorite restaurant, The Melting Pot, and we ate on the Balboa Pier at Ruby’s Diner.  In L.A. we enjoyed The Farm multiple times, Yard House – probably my favorite restaurant of the trip, Lawry’s Carvery (super yummy sandwiches!!!!) and Wahoo’s Fish Tacos in Beverly Hills.   Travis says his favorite restaurant so far (besides Epi’s) is the Outlaw Café located in Van Nuys, California.  Malibu Seafood wins the Location Award.  Bankok West Thai in Santa Monica was a delicious Thai treat where Tim VanSumeren (who has lots of Thailand experience) gave us meal suggestions.  After our time in the national parks we enjoyed the Sequoia Brewery in Fresno.  In Wallowa County, Oregon, we ate at Mason’s favorite restaurant, La Leguna.  On the way back to Boise we stopped in Baker City, Idaho, where we found another Trip Advisory recommendation called Crave-a-Bowl.  It might have been my second favorite restaurant.  It was like a mix of Noodles & Co., and Big Bowl.  Finally, in Boise we were treated to Tango’s and Epi’s.

Usually New Year’s resolutions include losing weight.  With each restaurant meal I’m finding another addition to the tattoo that will eventually rest plainly across my waistline saying, “Fatty Tatty.”  (Here’s where I puff out my cheeks and belly and make a spitting noise.)  I'll consider weight loss when the trip is over.  (Thankfully I have an 'in' with some excellent weight management products and methods. ;-))

I digress.  “The Birds of Prey Place,” was Calla’s answer to Taite’s question.  Early last summer we, along with our friends the Barbato’s, took a trip to the National Eagle Center in Wabasha, Minnesota.  Tuesday we took our kids to the World Center for Birds of Prey.  Like the Eagle Center, it is a raptor conservation center.  We saw lots of California Condors during our trip to the Grand Canyon last winter.  At that time, the tour guide told us about the endangerment of the California Condors and the efforts to increase the population.  This is the world’s leader in California Condor conservation.  They also had lots of other raptors.  We watched a short show on the center and the presenter brought out a bird on her arm.  “Does anyone know what kind of bird this is?” she asked.  There were about a dozen people in the room.  

American Kestrel

Taite was the only one to raise a hand.  “An American Kestrel,” he answered confidently. 

“That’s right!”  Later she asked if someone could name the unique traits of a raptor.   

Taite raised his hand again.  “They have talons, a curved beak, and excellent eye sight.” 

“That’s right!”  I was envisioning Taite leading the bird show someday. 

We saw owls, a bald eagle, some unusual and unfamiliar birds, and a peregrine falcon – the fastest animal in the world.  Thanks to Wild Kratts, the kids know all about the peregrine falcon, and they gave us a peregrine falcon education.

Lincoln seem to really enjoy the center as well.

Parker found a mommy and baby bald eagle

Home of the Blue

Now it was Taite’s turn to answer his own question.  “This dinner,” said Taite.  “And the blue field.”  While we were in Boise, we of course had to stop to see the first non-green football field in the world.  Boise State’s football field is blue.  You may have seen it on TV.  It’s just as blue in person.  Boise State's record at home is 93 (wins) and 4 (losses) since 1999.  Now that they can wear their blue jerseys at home next year they’ll be even harder to beat.  They’ll be like chameleons on their home turf.  

I have no idea how Taite got this picture

Now Travis got to answer Taite’s question.  “My favorite part of the day was the fact that we hadn’t even planned to be here right now.  I love that we could change our plans last minute and spend an extra day here.  It’s been a great stop."

The best part of Tuesday – and possibly of the entire trip – was when a woman in Tango’s stopped at our table just to tell us what great kids we have.  She said they were beautiful and extremely well behaved.  That was the second occurrence of its kind since we left Vegas last Tuesday.  I agree with them both.  Having well-behaved children sure makes adventures like this easier and more fun. 

That’s not to say there hasn’t been any whining or fighting.  In fact, Monday night Lincoln was torturing his sister by taking the ‘toy’ she was using.  “BOOM shaka laka!!!!  You don’t do that!!!” was Parker’s way of getting her brother to stop.  When fighting sounds like that, how can you not laugh?!  Oh, and I say ‘toy’ because Parker (like most children) can make a toy out of anything.  Lately Parker has been finding my Bible (or anything that looks like a Bible), and preaching to her koala…or herself in the mirror.  “…And we love God.  And God loves us.  He is big.  And God is very good…”  It goes on and on.  I imagined her koala to be a little like my dad snoring during mass on Sundays.

It was an unexpected, great part of our trip.  Now we head back to Vegas so I can attend my MonaVie event this weekend.

A Visit with the Ferre's in Northeastern Oregon

Geothermal energy.  Solar energy.  Guest apartment.  Open living space.  Small bedrooms.  Energy saving lights…that are cute.  Motion-sensing faucet in the guest bathroom.  Water-saving toilet (flushing #1 or #2).  In-floor heating.  Convection ovens.  Induction stove.  Large pantry.  Root cellar.  Garden.  Orchard.  Barn.  Giant underground rainwater cisterns.  Chicken coop.  Workshop.  Bunkhouse.  Horses.  Pigs.  Chickens.  Sheep.  Six hundred seventy acres. 

Our dream property is right now located in Wallowa, Oregon.  And it’s not for sale.  We visited our friends who live there, the Ferre’s.  Peter Ferre´ owns Legacy Service, LLC, which is how Travis got involved in Family Heritage.  For seven years Peter was Travis’ boss.  Travis has visited the Ferre´ Ranch and tried to describe the complex to me.  It’s something you just have to experience to understand.  We took the rare opportunity to do so, and I’m very glad we did.

We arrived Wednesday afternoon just in time to help Peter with ranch chores.  I didn’t know Peter as a rancher.  I only knew him as a businessman.  Wednesday he wore Carhartt trousers, Patagonia vest and coat, Danner Pronghorn workboots, NorthFace winter hat, and Carhartt work gloves.  He had tousled hair, a 5 o’clock shadow, and no beer gut.  At the young age of 47, while living in Nashville, Tennessee, Peter sold the labor-intensive portions of his Legacy business to five capable, willing directors (Travis being one of them) and started a new chapter in his life.  While living in Nashville Peter designed, what I’ll call, a green home.  It is arguably one of the most energy efficient homes in the nation.  He hired as many Wallowa County builders and contractors and purchased as many local building materials as possible.  Construction began in 2009.  From 2009 to 2011 Peter and his family lived in a cute little bunkhouse built on the south side of the property or in their Nashville home.  In 2011 Peter sold most of his Legacy business and his home in Nashville then moved to a completed home in Wallowa, Oregon.  Now he and his three children live there.  Peter is literally living his dream.  

The intention wasn’t to be self-sustained.  It was to be as environmentally responsible as possible.  The property is located high in the mountains on a dirt road eight miles off the pavement in Wallowa, Oregon (a recommendation from his knowledgeable brother).  It takes at least 20 minutes to get into town, and the town is small.  The population of the entire county is 7,000.  It’s about an hour to LaGrande where you’d find the nearest Wal-Mart, movie theater, and natural food store. The nearest major airport is 3 and a half hours away.

Peter and his kids have made friends all over the county.  Friday night the Ferre’s hosted a dinner party with some local friends.  Kory and Dave are ranchers.  Mary is a farmer (I don’t actually know the difference between ranchers and farmers – they both planted gardens and raised animals, right?).  Cam was a writer and fisherman/fishing guide.  David and Jessie owned a logging mill.  All of them were independent entrepreneurs.  Peter is a perfect addition to this county.  His attitude is not ‘what can the county do for me,’ rather, ‘now that this is home, is there anything we can do to help the county?’  His creative business mind is in full force.  With a desire to have a restaurant with good food closer to them, he’s purchased a rundown tavern in the next town over and partnered with capable restaurant-businesspeople to make that happen.  He’s invested local friends' business to help improve profit margins.  He participates in a non-profit organization called Slow Food (instead of fast food) by donating, hosting events, and brainstorming ideas.

Peter has also donated building materials to Fergi, the local ski hill.  As we drove up Sunday to Fergi the girls, Jordan and Riley, said, “…and there’s the wood Dad donated to repair the ski rental shop.”   In Minnesota we had a fair amount of snow before we left and our friends, the Lewison’s, invited all our kids to ski with them at Buckhill (the local ski slopes).  Amy and Steve are great teachers and gave the kids skiing and snowboarding lessons.  All the kids loved it.  Travis and I are not – and should not be – ski instructors.  Jim (Travis’ dad) told us the story about their family ski trips.  They nicknamed Travis “Kamikaze” because of his dive-bombs down the mountainsides.  I, on the other hand, have spent even less time than Travis on ski slopes over the last 10 years – and most of it has been on the bunny hill. 

The view from the bunny hill

Fergi was a great place for our family.  It was small.  Taite knows how to ski better than I do and was confident enough to go off on his own.  A few times I spotted him at the bottom of the hill, only to find him on the T-bar headed back to the top.  He loved it.  Calla and Lincoln liked it too.  They spent the majority of their time between the two smaller runs.  They figured out how to use the T-bar and the tow rope (or as they call it in Oregon  - the rope tow).  Lincoln had no fear and got right back up every time after falling.  He just kept going.  I think if Amy or Steve would have been with us, they would have had Lincoln skiing the black diamond hill before the end of the day.  Calla is a very good skier.  She made her pizza slice and weaved back and forth on the hills.  She was hesitant and almost never fell (which I’m glad about because there was a bit too much drama when she did fall).  

Calla's snowplow

Lincoln weaves along the slope

The rope tow takes Calla up

The chalet was just as shabby-chic as the rental shop

Parker skied the bunny hill three times and was done.  (Sigh.)  That was when I was most pleased with Fergi.  She could sit outside the small chalet at a picnic table and watch all of us.  I could see her from anywhere as I continued to ski with Calla and Lincoln. 

Riley

Sunday was the perfect day for us to ski Fergi.  We originally planned to ski Saturday, but the morning weather wouldn’t have it.  Lincoln requested we wait until Sunday anyway.  “Let’s go Sunday 'cause then Riley can go with us.”  Riley, the 12-year-old middle child and second daughter, was arguably Lincoln’s favorite person in the house.  Lincoln and Riley met Wednesday night when Riley returned from basketball practice.  She is athletic, studious, and beautiful.  She is charismatic and loves animals – especially horses.  Lincoln was drawn to her.  

Jordan

Parker shadowed big sister Jordan.  She is the oldest daughter and at 14-years-old, Jordan takes great care of her dad and siblings.  She is also studious and beautiful (she probably has the best hair I've ever seen!).  Parker loved following Jordan around the house and the grounds outdoors.  Jordan loves the outdoors.  She takes on lots of agricultural responsibilities.  She enjoys participating in FFA (Future Farmers of America).  She loves to backpack and travel as well. 

Traveling is in abundant supply at the Ferre´ house.  Peter loves to travel and loves to provide experiences for and with his family.  One thing Peter did with Jordan (and will do with the other kids) is take them on a special 13^th birthday trip.  Peter pays for it.  The 13-year-old chooses where to go and navigates the trip.  Jordan chose a two-week tour of Greece and Turkey.  She is very interested in Greek mythology.  Peter and Jordan traveled their hearts out together last year.  Talk about creating memories! 

Next month the Ferre’s are traveling to Costa Rica…for the entire month.  Of course they’ll get to practice their Spanish-speaking skills.  As of right now, their plan is to arrive and get traveling suggestions from the locals.  The only solid plan they have is to participate in a surfing school for the first week.  Peter, Jordan, and Riley will particpate in the surfing school.  Mason says the farthest he will go into the Pacific Ocean is 10 feet.  His plan is to sit on the beach and watch.  He has no intentions of letting a shark get him.  Ha!

Mason

Mason, the 10-year-old is the youngest of the three kids.  He says he has a fear of snakes and sharks…as everyone should.  He is also a comedian.  We all went to cheer for Riley as she played in two basketball games Thursday night.  Afterward we went to La Leguna – a Mexican restaurant in Enterprise (a neighboring small town).  Last time Mason ate there he got free fried ice cream for dancing in the middle of the restaurant.  This time he made his best attempt at singing Feliz Navidad and La Cucaracha.  When the lacking renditions didn’t cut it for the restaurant owner, he did a headstand.  He is a very confident kid and kept us laughing almost the entire time.  Mason loves basketball and is constantly spitting out NBA stats and history.  He even challenged Travis to a heated game of basketball.  Taite helped Mason shovel the ice and snow off the driveway one evening so they could play basketball outside.  When the ice was too thick and he couldn’t complete the task, Mason returned to his dad and asked for a blowtorch.  Commitment.  Skiing, surfing, horseback riding…not for Mason.  He’ll stick with basketball.  

Daisy and Parker smile for the picture

She is too stinkin' cute

Horseback riding might not have been for Mason, but everyone else was fired up for it!  Wallowa schools are only in session Monday through Thursday.  Friday morning Jordan and Riley treated our whole family to some arena riding.  We all helped bring the  horses to the tack house, brush them, saddle and bridle them, and walk them to the outdoor riding arena.  The dynamics of the horses was interesting.  They were like children.  One of them, Rodeo, was slower than the rest.  The other horses usually chose not to hang out with Rodeo.  Daisy and Brownie always had to be near each other.  Lily didn’t like to be left out.  I trotted her in the arena one time.  When she turned and saw the other horses on the other side of the arena she bolted for them.  Lily also doesn’t like Zeus – the hundred-pound yellow Labrador Retriever/Great Pyrenees mix.  As Lily and I made our way back to the tack house we had to walk by Zeus.  Lily freaked out and nearly bucked me off.  I felt a little like I was on a mechanical bull.  An English saddle doesn’t have much to grip.  I stayed upright.  The Ferre girls asked me if I ride a lot.  I'm feeling pretty confident since I stayed on a horse who practically dumped me twice.  ;-)  

Parker and Rodeo

Lincoln patiently waited for his turn on rodeo

Me and Lily

Taite rides Brownie while Calla rides Daisy

Calla starts on Brownie

Calla wasn’t so fortunate.  Daisy decided Calla wasn’t sitting correctly in the saddle and bucked her off.  Once Calla landed Daisy stepped on Calla’s leg.  The benefits of horseback riding in snow are: 1) snow breaks your fall, and 2) your leg can sink a little firther in the snow if a horse tries to step on it.  She didn’t get injured, just scared.  It took a few minutes, but Calla got back on Daisy – that horse that bucked her off – and continued to ride.   

Taite, who seems to always be naturally good at anything sports-related, rode multiple horses and enjoyed every minute.  He even trotted Brownie and Daisy with no problems. 

Lincoln and Parker took turns on Rodeo.  Parker started and Travis led Rodeo around the arena in line with the other horses.  Then it was Lincoln’s turn.  “I want to do it by myself.”  He didn’t want anyone to lead his horse.  He wanted to ride like the big kids.  Well, he was on Rodeo.

“Ok.”  I let him do it.  Rodeo was a perfect horse for an novice 5-year-old rider to try by himself.  One thing we’ve learned about our kids is if one does it, they all want to do it.  So, of course, when it was Parker’s turn again, she wanted to ride by herself.  Rodeo is the perfect horse for my little ones.  After a couple of hours we returned the horses to their corral and threw down some hay flakes from the hayloft.  From there we all walked up to the house. 

Travis and I lagged behind.  “Should we round up the sheep?” he asked me.  We arrived Wednesday just in time to help Peter move a ram from the trailer to the pen next to the horses.  The goal was to breed the ram with the two ewes.  We watched Peter, Jordan, and Riley unsuccessfully attempt to wrangle the ewes previous day.  Jordan tried to bribe one of them with treats in an attempt to put a halter on it.  Riley had a rope to lasso the second sheep.  Now Travis was asking me to assist him to do the same. 

“Um, I think I’m the wrong person to help you with that,” I responded, baffled that he’d ask me to perform that task.  I’m all about lending a helping hand, but I don’t want to be messing with unfamiliar animals whose owners can’t even wrangle them.  Travis has a lot more ranching confidence than I do. 

We continued to walk up the hill.  The ram saw us and shouted out to us…as if to say, “Hey!  I’m here!  Remember me!”  We didn’t know what to say – we didn’t even know the ram’s name.  He didn’t have a name.  At dinner Saturday night I was informed that the ram didn’t have a name because we hadn’t yet name it.  “Yeah.  The Wilson’s are supposed to name it,” confirmed Jordan.  Really.  I went around and asked each of the kids what we should name him.  Everyone was stumped until…

“I think we should name it Lincoln,” said Lincoln.  We laughed about it.  Peter suggested the shortened version of “Linc.”  We continued to eat our delicious dinner of locally-raised chicken, Ferre-garden-fresh potatoes, and salad. 

“Lincoln, eat your salad, please,” I requested.  Lincoln picked up one lettuce leaf at a time and started from the bottom, chewing it into his mouth.  Like a sheep…or a ram…named Linc.  Unbeknownst to him, Lincoln sealed the deal.  The Ferre ram is now named Linc. (Or maybe Link.)

There are a couple more things forever changed at the Ferre´ ranch because of our stay.  Travis helped Peter put up some fencing Thursday and Saturday we all went out in the back woods to do some tree thinning.  Taite, Lincoln, and Calla all had saws and worked hard.  (They’ll be great farm hands!)  Parker’s feet got wet and she became the self-appointed supervisor about ten minutes into the event.   It was a beautiful afternoon and the snow was melting.  Everything was wet – including all of our feet.  We have snow boots, not slop boots. We all could use some Bogs and SmartWool socks. I see a wise purchase in our near future. 

Parker eats the snow

Lincoln saws and moves trees

Calla saws trees.  Taite's in the background cutting them down.

With 670 acres, the small patch of thinned trees and the small amount of fencing our family helped with are barely noticeable.  The Wilson’s may not have made much of an impression on the Ferre´ ranch, but our time at the Ferre´ ranch has greatly impacted us. 

Sunday night we said our goodbyes to Jordan, Riley, and Mason.  They had school the next morning.  I brought our kids up to our guest apartment to read the day’s devotion.  More tears.  Our kids had so much fun they didn’t want to leave.  There hadn’t been enough time to skeet shoot or horseback ride again.  “I would like to live here,” said Taite.

“Really, Taite,” said a surprised Travis.  “Would you rather be here or in California?” 

“Here.”

In a previous conversation we told the kids about the Ferre’s upcoming Costa Rica trip.  “Wouldn't that be great?!  To get to travel Costa Rica for an entire month?!” I asked the kids.  Sounds like a dream to me.  (Maybe next winter?...)

“No.  I’d rather be here,” Taite replied with certainty.  Personally, I don’t think he knows what he’s missing.  But I’m glad he enjoyed the ranch so much.  I think he’ll enjoy a Minnesota farm just as much.

Our family has been impacted forever because of our experience at the Ferre´ Ranch.  Thank you, Ferre’s, for the invitation!

Exploring the ranch on the Mule

We stayed in the guest apartment above the garage

The view from the highest point on the ranch

That horse is huge!

Who loves horseback riding?!

Cute girl goes skiing

Cute girl feeds the horses

I really love horses, Mommy!

Self-appointed farmhand Taite feeds the pigs and chickens and collects eggs

Could we explore the ranch on horses?

All 7 kids playing a heated game of Farmopoly (of course), only to be followed by many other games