"Experience Every Season Together"

It was some of the best advice I received from my mother.  

This was after Brett and I had been dating for about 4 months and I told her I thought he was the one. 

"That's great" she said, "but.....you should really experience every season together before you decide for sure."

"Um, what?!  You are telling me that my heart is not for sure?  Isn't that what they tell you?  When your heart feels right, he is the one?"

"Just trust me," she said.  

And as moms are usually right, I decided to take her word for it.  

So Brett and I got to know each other pretty well after meeting each other in December and then that spring when I was traveling and he was busy with seed sales.  Then summer came....that summer....the summer.  

Well, it started out great!

We always enjoyed the farmers' market in town selling beef that he raised directly to customers and having conversations with them about agriculture.

Then going to New Orleans with fellow corn and soybean growers from around the country.  And we had a true swamp experience.   

And then there was the drought.  The drought of 2012 when I threatened to do rain dances after hearing thunder in the middle of the night and when tough choices about the farm and animals had to be made.  

That was rough....the worst season for us thus far.  What was supposed to be the most beautiful time of year (in my opinion) was actually not so beautiful that year like it had been in the past.  

We got through it, hand in hand.  Supporting each other and having the respect to understand each other's stress with his family farm and my family farm; both of which seemed to miss rain every single time a drop even thought about hitting the precious ground where our crops stood, or tried to stand.

But we weathered through....together.  And experienced our first Purdue football game together that fall where my family friends gathered and pretty much accepted Brett into our "Village". 

And when we celebrated that day together.....it poured.  I don't know if it was God or my dad sending the rain drops down that day, but feeling that rain made me have little hope for the years to come and the hope that it would all be okay because we would be together.

And then winter came and it was time for holiday parties with friends and family along with lots of Glick home brew and fancy wine. 

And the next thing you know, we have experienced every season together.  It happened just like that.....that first season together and then our first year together and then our first year of marriage together--just like the blink of an eye.  

And we are ready for more--more of all the seasons and anything they bring to our lives.  No matter if there is a flood or drought or a market crash or tragedy, triumphs, successes or more hidden packages on the porch....

One year down and many more to go!

And we are ready to continue our commitment to each other to experience every season together....whether we are standing together or sitting down in the grass that I ran barefoot in as a child on my family farm or leaning on the hitching post his dad built on his family farm.  We are always doing it together.  

Give a Little, Take a Little and Commit to A Lot .......

.......For-Ev-Er.

Remember that line from The Sandlot?

Well, that's what I committed to on July 12, 2013 in the Colorado mountains with a few family members while we were a little closer to heaven.  I committed to the man I plan to be with for the rest of my earthly life, and forever and beyond if God allows.

That week we had to give a little and take a little.  Give up a little of our personal time to prepare and plan for our wedding for a hectic week of him wrapping up wheat harvest and me advocating for agriculture in
Washington D.C.

We took a little from giving a little too, knowing that we worked really hard for our family farm and the industry we are so passionate about, agriculture.



But that's what we do and "that's just part of it" in our busy, crazy and beautiful life that we live and experience together.  We were both pretty busy before we knew each other, but I think we have gotten busier since meeting each other.  But that's okay because we love to live it, live this life that was so graciously given to us.

And even though we are busy in that big world out there, we are now living in it and exploring it together.  Even though we aren't together for every little work trip or adventure, we are always there in each others' hearts.



And I always make sure to give a full report of my trips/meetings/days/adventures via a presentation with my hands flying everywhere.  And he, well, he only gives me updates when I ask questions about his trips/meetings/days/adventures.

I give a lot of information, and he takes a little in.  He gives a little information, and I take a lot in.  But we always commit to a lot and all of it together.

And we always hope to find treasurers of home while we are on our adventure, called "life", together.

Like how we got married next to a barn made from Indiana barn wood!

Or how our love of horses turned into Brett and his brother taking off their belts to wrangle two horses in for some photos and for the kids after our wedding ceremony.

And then there is giving a little bit of your fanciness up for your country ways when you need to get back through that fence, to get another glass of champagne and head to your wedding reception.

And there is Brett, taking a little demand from me and being ever so kind, as he is, to help his new bride through that old fence.

And even though we are just those farmers, we sure do like to commit to it--commit to our farm lifestyle and our agriculture industry and our adventures and our passion for life.

 And usually, I do it fancy and he does it country.    

All while giving a little to each other, taking a little from each other and committing to each other Forever.

And always toasting along the way. 

The Women in My Life: Our Fancy Pants, Our Guns and Our America

This coming Saturday will mark one year of marriage to my wonderful, smart, kind and thoughtful farmer husband.  But before him, I had my girls.  And while I am with him, I will have my girls.  And it if God calls him home before me and there is an after him, guess what?  I will still have my girls.  

That's why, over a year ago, on a sweet April day we got together for a #FancyintheCountry party which was a wedding shower and a slumber party all wrapped into one.  

My dear mother agreed to allow several girls to sleep over and allowed her house and deck to become fancy and her front yard to become country.  

We had some Fancy Pants wine and plenty of champagne. 

My beautiful, creative sister created a "museum" in our parents' dining room full of photos of the weddings of the generations before us and my mom's wedding dress.

And announcements of my great-grandparents and parents from our local hometown newspaper.  

And the cake topper from my parent's wedding in the 1980s. 

There were even fancy catwalks from guests upon their arrival.

My mother made some of her classic foods such as "MLT's" pickles and SOS (shit on a shingle or Polish mistakes, whatever you like to call it.)  I made sure we had my many favorite fancy cheeses and meats.   

And DON'T forget mom's famous sugar cookies.  The favorites were the cows but she did make some fancy lipsticks too.

We gathered in groups for pictures.  These are my Alpha Chi Omega sorority sisters.  The girls that were there for me when I started my college and sorority adventure, that were there for me through those crazy college years and are still by my side even though many of us are miles apart. 

I opened a fancy, thoughtful gift from my sister that was wrapped in my fiance's, family's seed company sack from the early 1900s.  Sarah collects seed sacks and had a handful of Glick ones on hand before Brett and I ever knew each other! 

I gathered all my girls from my hometown.  One I was in kindergarten carpool with, the others I met in classes or student council or by accident.  But the bond between each of these girls and myself is individually special and collectively beautiful.  

We were wrapping-up our time taking photos that took us back to prom when your face and mouth got sore from smiling too much for long periods of time when.....

.....this guy showed up!

And he said, "get your guns and let's do some shootin'!"  

This neighbor boy, who I have known almost his whole life, was invited to my party to help teach my girlfriends how to shoot and maybe entertain us a little.....

So we got the guns and the boxes of ammo.

And then they lined up on the porch with their fancy champagne and wine drinks and I showed them how it's done.  Hitting a clay pigeon on my first pull!

There were jewels, and guns and fancy things in that front yard in the country.  Oh and my mink, Nelson & Co., that I inherited from my great aunt.  (He's a staple in my life, you'll meet him again.)

Some of my girls really brought their "America" to the afternoon party.

And some decided to stay fancy while in the country.   

But hey, a girls got to learn how to shoot in her boots and her dress!

For some of them, I got so excited that they hit their target that I laughed, cried and kissed them.  Just like the targets or goals they make in their lives, I always laugh, cry or kiss them (or do all three at the same time) for their failures and their successes.  

Because that's what you do for and with your girlfriends.  Before, during and after the guys come along.

At one point I decided to sit and enjoy the moment and those that surrounded me with their screams, laughs, cries and conversations.  I knelt down in the grass that I ran barefoot in as a child, in my fancy dress with my boots (that had a little bit of cow manure on them) with the string to pull the next target in hand.  

I kept thinking, "are we always going to be able to hit all the targets in our lives?  All the goals we have set for ourselves and for each other?"   

If we do or we don't, at least we had one day in our fancy pants and an afternoon with our guns in our America where hitting the target is very much possible for all of the women in my life.  

Especially if I have these girls there to shoot with and protect me!

So the next day, as we woke up in several rooms of my childhood home and sat at the kitchen table and on the kitchen floor as we ate our homemade breakfast, I felt fully prepared to get married.  I had enjoyed a true Fancy in the Country day with many of the women in my life and felt more comfortable that they all had practiced target shooting so that I could go and get married and not have to worry about shooting for them anymore!  But even if I have to someday, I will be there before, during and after the guy to help them hit their targets....whatever it may be.

P.S.  Thanks to my wonderful and talented friend, Lindsay Jean at Jean's Boots Blog for all of these wonderful photos!

I'm On An Adventure....A Pie Adventure

I see life as a journey--long for some, short for others.  Crazy and fabulous for many and screwed up for a lot.  Along this journey called life I like to seek adventures.  I'm not talking backpacking through the wilderness or running a marathon type of adventures.  Someday I might do those crazy things, but the types of adventures I like to take are simpler than that.  Taking me back home, back to my roots, back to the basics.  

My Pie Adventure 2014 started back in January, and someday I will tell you about that dreadful, first made-from-scratch pie crust that consisted of tears, yelling, jumping, wine and my wonderful husband running to the store to buy a pre-made crust. 

For the #pieadventure2014 I am making a different type of pie every month and making my own crust.  First mistake I made was not having more in-depth conversations with grandma about the crust.  So in the month of June, my birthday month and half way through my adventure, I decided to head home and learn some basics from Grandma in her kitchen where apparently kids not only eat for free but take free baking lessons too.

I arrived to this scene.  Fresh flowers from her yard,which she always has, along with the pie pan and recipe book open and ready for a Sunday afternoon of baking. 

She had already made the crust which had been in the fridge for two hours. 

LESSON #1:  Your pie crust HAS to be cold before rolling or it will break down into crumbles and so will your baking soul......

"Katherine" she says, "let's get started.  Now put lots of flour on the counter, LOTS."  

"Now take this rolling pin, it's my mother's, and spread it out.  Be gentle.  Stop, you are pushing too hard."  

Okay, well it's cold......

"Oh stop, I have something else we can use."  

She went into the other room in search of this questionable device in one of her many antique cupboards.  She came back with a little, plastic, simple rolling pin looking thing.  

"What is that?" I asked. 

"It's from Pampered Chef.  It works better than that heavy, old rolling pin when you are rolling out your crust."

"GRANDMA, you seriously use that?!?!  I thought you used this old, beautiful, classic rolling pin?  I can't believe this!"  (As my heart breaks like I have been cheated on.)

"Well heaven's yes, I use this.  It's better." 

Even the oldest and wisest can appreciate technology and little luxuries.  Hey, the pie still comes out the same right?

She DID use the rolling pin to get the pie into the pie pan which boggled my mind.

LESSON #2:  Use whatever method you deem appropriate to roll the crust but DO use a rolling pin to get it into the pan. 

We made a cherry pie because it's my absolute favorite and it's very American and it's almost the 4th of July.  I call grandma before Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter to make sure she has it on her list to bake.  And she always does....not sure why I ask anymore. 

The recipe came from an old Farm Journal Cookbook.  These are pretty much staples in grandma's house.  And hilarious to read the really old ones.  Their thoughts about cooking are similar to ours but the ingredients, gadgets and methods have gotten better over time.  

 Time.....gives us opportunities for more adventures and more pies!

And more time around the table in grandma's farm house kitchen.

 Once the bottom crust had baked a little and the cherries were ready to pour in, she asked me what kind of top crust I wanted to do.  

"Well, I have been afraid to do a lattice top for fear of really screwing it up."  

"Okay then, we will do it.  It's not always easy Katherine, but I'll teach you."

And she did.  And it wasn't very pretty.

LESSON #3:  Everyone can bake a pie but it's not always beautiful.  And it's not always easy.  But it's usually pretty tasty and I think that's all that matters (especially if it's cherry and you know there is ice cream in the freezer).

If you have a good time making it or it teaches you something or someone teaches you something along the way or you spend time with someone, I think that's pretty adventurous all in itself.  

As we let the pie bake and then cool, we caught up over old cookbooks and the usual stack of cooking and home magazines grandma has saved up for me every time I come home.   

All the while my great-grandmother's rolling pin sat on the kitchen counter next to us waiting for the next adventure, pie or otherwise.  

Does Your Freedom Ring?

Are you awake and aware enough to hear that flag blowing in the wind?

When you see that flag do you give thanks for your freedoms?  

Remember, what I asked you a month ago?  Are You a #GreatAmerican?  

Well today, as we approach our Independence Day and celebrate our freedoms with our family and friends ask yourself the question again.

Are you a Great American?

Ask yourself everyday!  Remind yourself everyday.  Challenge yourself to be a better person and a greater American every single day.  

And this week, during this class, I challenge you to learn about our Independence Day.  Learn one thing about how we got our freedoms and how we are able to keep them.  Or put a flag in your yard or say a prayer for our troops who protect our freedoms or give thanks for those that died in those fields, on those beaches, in those deserts or lost their life at sea.

As a child we didn't take many vacations, but when we did my dad took us to a battlefield or a battleship.  He would drag us there when all we wanted was to be on the beach.  But today I give thanks to him for taking us there so we would appreciate it and continue that tradition as adults.  I had the opportunity and honor to visit Pearl Harbor a few years ago.  

Our freedoms allow us to travel where we want and honor our fallen American heroes when we want.  

Our freedoms allow us to visit our forefathers' homes if and when we want like Thomas Jefferson's Monticello.  President Jefferson once said, "We have room for but one flag, the American flag....".

Our freedoms allow us to grow, eat, drink and be merry when we want.  

Our freedoms allow us to wear what we want. 

After a long day with corn growers and working in the American agriculture industry, I have the freedom to wear my red bubble necklace, drink my Budweiser beer and eat my all American hotdog at a baseball game--the Great American Pastime.  

Our freedoms allow me to visit our nation's capital to advocate for agriculture and allow others to do the same on a variety of issues.  When was the last time you used your freedom to visit your state or nation's capital, advocate, call your elected official and express your opinion or give testimony at a local hearing?

And then just a few days after my visits to our nation's capital, I have the freedom to drive my own car to my home and family farm to help run the farmers from one field to another.

And sometimes I don't have the freedom to change from my heels to my boots after driving straight from the city to the farm.  But "that's just part of it".  Part of having the freedom to live on a farm and my freedom to write about my life and your freedom to visit this blog and read about what it's like to be Fancy in the Country.