Brett & Libby
got marriedOur Story
Brett jumped in at age 19, to purchase (with the help of the bank) the farm we now live on 😉. He had been working on this plot of land for six years before bringing me to the farm for the first time. I was probably a bit more than he imagined a new bride would be. But really, that’s been me from day #1 — always WAY more than Brett was expecting. What do the kids call it these days? EXTRA. I have always been a bit extra. Or maybe since Brett is so chill, I always just seem over the top to him!
When he brought me here with his plans, my mind went running. I wanted to walk every timber row and every fence line. I longed to name every cow and calf on the place. I thought I was right in my element. I mean my dad had cows, I was my FFA President, and I was in college for Meat Science. I had trained for this! LOL! Oh how naïve I was!
I.Had.No.Clue.
The first summer we were together, I was raking hay or riding in the tractor dreaming about our future children. But, I was also there when cows started losing calves to Trichomoniasis. Let me tell you, that is about the most traumatic way to get a gal into the ranch life! To see the man you are in love with desperate to save these animals. It was intense; and that roller coaster ride has continued for all 16 years. Up and down, round and round we go…..
So here we are 16 years in, and I am here to say that a ranching marriage or farm marriage just seems to be a bit different than others. Not only are we a family, but we are a business. We have to be on the same page at all times. Schedules have to sync continuously. There is a reason why farm families had CB radios before there were cell phones.There is constant communication. Let me tell you, Brett and I can read each other by the way the shop door closes or the way the tractor pulls into the driveway.
Most of the time, like most marriages, we miss the mark. He expects words or apologies that were lost in transit four hours ago. I sit with baited breath for an early dinner, only to reheat it at 9 p.m. Some days are hard. Some years are hard. Cattle prices tank, no rain falls for months, or someone (me) gets the cattle trailer stuck and this year’s best bull dies in the process of the mess. It gets ugly at times. Sometimes we don’t hug it out. Sometimes we go to bed mad and not talking. But we keep trying. That’s the thing all marriages need. The trying. The effort to do it another day. God created us to be with a partner, for life. He wanted us to grow together and to learn from each other, through Him. I think of how easily I could have quit when things got hard. But goodness, SO many awesome moments would have been missed.
When Brett gets home tonight, the house will still be a mess. But there will be a hot meal waiting for him. The kids will be ready to watch a western on television with him. After the kids are in bed, we will eat a bowl of ice cream and I will give him a card. And he will say, “Oh shoot, was today our anniversary?” 😊
Young & Starry Eyed
Libby,
you are an inspiration. I love your story.
What a great story. I think God out you with the man you needed to spend your life with. This should be a inspiration to all new couples starting out. God has truly blessed you both with each other and your beautiful girls. Praying God gives you 16 more and then another and another.
I love this, no sugar coating it at all, just plain real life, ENJOY your day!! Keep on going!
Love your story and your beef is top notch. I’ve recommended you guys to numerous people.
When we were younger, me & my brother would go to my aunt & uncle’s farm in Adrian or a few weeks every summer. One day we were in the field bucking hay. I was about 12 at the time (my brother is a year younger). My brother was driving the tractor and I was helping my uncle load bales onto the trailer. The trailer was stacked about 5 rows high and I was trying to get a bale up on top. I didn’t quite make it & the bale came back at me & knocked me down and the trailer RAN OVER MY ANKLE. My uncle yelled “STOP!” to my brother (which he did – he stopped with the wheel & tire on top of my ankle.) Then “Backup”, which he did, getting the wheel off my ankle. Thankfully the ground was soft and all I ended up with was some bruising (nothing broken). That’s my farming misadventure.