Somethin’ about barns.

What is it about barns? When I see them I swoon. You know what happens when little girls see puppies? That’s me with barns. I’m always hanging out the window snapping pictures as we drive by them. I would live in a barn. I would cuddle up to my old mare and sheep and goat and I would be smelly and happy. So happy.

I don’t know how or when my obsession with these buildings started. But things are getting serious. My family knows to slow down or stop when there’s a barn in site. I just can’t get over them. Is it their appealing gambrel or gothic architecture? Is it the memories of chasing wild barn kitties? Or is it the history…of how these buildings helped settlers survive out on this lonesome prairie? I mean, people built their barns before they built their houses.  I think it’s all of the above.

I've been thinking about barns lately, and I want to start this wonderful month off right by sharing some of my pictures I’ve snapped over my travels! Enjoy!

Near Bozeman, MT

Rainbow Trout Ranch, Antonito, CO

Southern CO

Spearfish, SD

My brother and I in front of our barn.

And here are some barns that I will somehow, someday see:

Cute horsey!

Park City

Spokane

SO PERFECT!

Someday I will have a barn. And there will be parties. And square dancing. I will call it my Homestead Hootenanny.

Found this on Pinterest. One of my top ten favorites. Will hang in my house forever.

Happy November and start to the HOLIDAY SEASON! Hurrah!

 

Why I Travel

I found this picture during one of my hour long pinterest fixes. Okay, let's get real...it was more than an hour. But I loved the quote and picture and it just fit me so well so I wanted to share it with you. It's my new motto now. This is why I travel.

Inspiration in the Weirdest Places

Tis the season of change! Man-oh-man have things been changing! It’s finally cooling off around here and the leaves are turning gold! I think the Manfriend is sick of me going off about getting to wear scarves and boots again. At least his level of patience hasn’t changed yet haha…

My family will also be moving soon, into a much bigger house on a much bigger piece of land that’s surrounded by a MUCH BIGGER range of landscape for me to explore and photograph and be inspired by. My little business is doing well and I’m super excited to have my first ad in COWGIRL Magazine this month! Yeedoggy!

One thing that hasn’t changed is my addiction to traveling. Holy buckaroos do I go. I just got back from a GIANT 10 day trip with my Mum and aunt and two cousins. Let me show you a map of where we went:

 

Yes we trekked from little town North Dakota all the way down to Santa Fe, NM and back again. And we survived. And even got a little turquoise along the way. Yeah, I’d say the trip was a success! There’s so many things to tell you about what we did…it would take forever! So I’ll just show you some of my favorite things in pictures…

Our cabin we stayed at near Antonito, CO

They have humming birds all over down there!

Grand scenery everywhere you look!

Ate lunch at the Historic Strater Hotel in Durango, CO

We saw a UFO Lookout Tower and all the cattle signs had something extra!

Taos was really cool! I don't have any pics of Sante Fe :(...I must've been in awe and forgot to snap any!

My favorite part of the trip was finally getting to see the ranch that my cousin works at. Rainbow Trout Ranch, Antonito, CO. Beautiful!!! I even got to use it as a backdrop for another photoshoot. It was perfect...

Gosh the Southwest was so amazing...I got so many ideas for things to make! I even snapped pictures in the bathrooms I was in. That sounded weird. But I had to! I think I will have to make an "Outlaw" jewelry line inspired by these two pics I took in random bathrooms:

Hard to read (darn phone camera!) but it says "When freedom is outlawed, only outlaws will be free"

Who doesn't love vintage Indian portraits? AMAZING!

There's nothing better...

There’s nothing better than taking off, and getting away for a while. Especially when one of your great friends is involved! This weekend I trekked across the border to Vida, Montana, where my buddy from high school lives.

I packed up my mom’s big spiffy camera, my new leather goodies, and hit the pavement. I’m so lucky to have friends that are supportive of my new little business and that are willing to help me. Did I mention they are also all very modelesque? I couldn’t ask for a more perfect combination! My friend B agreed to help out with my photo-shoot for my next ad in COWGIRL magazine. The ads I get to create are even more special when they have the people I am close to in them!

Plus it’s so much easier doing a shoot with someone I know. We all know how awkward I am! But the shoot turned out great, and the pictures are amazing! I really will have a hard time choosing. Here are a couple example of ones that might show up in my ad…

Of course this weekend wasn’t just about taking photos…we needed some girl time too! We got to talking about my upcoming wedding and how I am NOT EVEN CLOSE to being domestic. Cooking is out of the question for me when I have a sister that went to culinary school and who cooks scrumptious meals every night! But eventually that will catch up with me, so B decided I needed a few lessons.

 

I was taught how to cook a delicious pork loin, how to make the best cheesy potatoes, and I even got to wear one of her magical aprons. You know how I love aprons…

Overall it was a much needed mini vacation. She even sent me home with one of her cook books! Pioneer Woman to be exact…I need to start studying!

Our little helper, Deuce!

 

What have I been doing lately? I don't know either.

Okay, this is getting ridiculous. I need to get a handle on things before it becomes December. I cannot believe that it’s the middle of stinking August. The summer is almost over! I haven’t even been to the lake yet! I haven’t had a picnic, went camping, or rode horse. WOW I need to get it together! Pretty soon I’ll be complaining that I didn’t get to sled, throw a snowball, or give my little brother a whitewash. I think I need to slow down and smell those proverbial roses everyone keeps talking about.

I’ve got so many things going on that I’m about ready to burst at the seams. There are so many ideas bouncing around inside my skull that I have to write them all down so I don’t forget them a couple minutes later. It happens. Like right now. What was the point I am trying to make? Oh yeah….roses….right.

It always seems like I’m writing about slowing down, and enjoying life. Obviously this is something I need to do more often. My subconscious is trying to tell me something. More like blatantly scream it at me every day! Helllllloooo this is a sign.

Well I think I’ve come to the conclusion that the only way for me to do this is to travel. Sometimes you just have to go, you know? Usually my only troubles are trying to convince someone to go with me, but I’m usually quite persuasive. Spontaneity is my specialty when it comes to traveling.

I convinced my sister to go to Medora yesterday. Even though we both had to get up in the morning for work the next day (her earlier than I). It turned out to be the most beautiful day, great temperature and even a little breeze! There’s never a breeze when we go to Medora! It was meant to be!!! Of course Medora is the greatest place for my new obsession…INSTAGRAM! So many filters! So many options! So magical!

Here are a couple pics from our trip. We also got to eat the Steak Fondue and go to the musical. It was a great show and I’m so glad we went, even though I can barely type this from fatigue and she is probably asleep on her desk and drooling on her sticky notes as I write this. BUT WE’RE ENJOYING LIFE RIGHT? Yeeehhaaaww!

Bison...always in the way :)...Teddy Roosevelt Park, South Unit

Badlands Bronc Buster, Statue in downtown Medora

My favorite cafe in the whole world!

Sweet taffy to end the day right! My favorite was Key Lime. YUM IN MY TUM!

A Walk in Pictures

A little while ago I got to go on a walk to Birnt Hills Overlook. I still think North Dakota has some of the most beautiful sunsets! Here is my walk in pictures, so if you haven’t been here you can see what it looks like! It was a perfect and still night…

Cattle on the road to the Overlook

Trailhead

And you're off! It's a quarter mile walk to the point.

And this is what you get to see at the end...

Lake Sakakawea

This little guy bid us farewell...

If I could ride the clouds...

Happy May Day! I just love the month of May...besides it being my birthday month (Yahoo!)... it's when I can really tell that warm weather is here to stay and there's no more dreary winter days to put up with. May just gives me the travel bug and makes me want to get going!

Last weekend the manfriend and I made a very quick trip to Bozeman, MT. I wanted to see the mountains so bad, and since it was raining he couldn't farm anyways. PERFECT TIMING for a road trip! It was so much fun to get away from the busy oil boom and to see the glorious Rocky Mountains. Those dang mountains do something to me...there is so much inspiration radiating from every little teeny tiny pebble, I can't stand it! When I was looking through some of the pictures I took I couldn’t help but stare at the clouds. I think clouds make a picture. So…I had to write a little poem to show my love for those fluffy formations. Don’t pay attention to the bad grammar (my writing is terrible), just let your imagination take you for a ride on the clouds…

If I could ride the clouds,

I’d never leave the sky.

I’d wake up every morning,

And watch the birdies flying by.

I’d touch the tips of mountains,

And with the wind I’d sing.

I’d dance with the Northern lights,

How much joy that would bring!

I would call to the wild horses,

And they would whinny back.

There would be no hurry,

No time to keep track.

At night I’d soar up high,

And count the stars all around.

Then catch some fireflies,

As I drifted back down.

If I could ride the clouds,

I’d never leave the sky.

I’d live my life in peace,

Knowing angels were nearby.

C’est la vie!

I have been doing a lot of daydreaming and drifting lately. The New Year hasn’t been very kind to us around here. There have been accidents, dreadful crimes and now winter has finally woken up and we are trying not to freeze our tails off! Sometimes I just have to get away! So my mind has been wandering quite frequently to hills of warmer places, cities across the sea, and cabins up on top of mountains.

A couple days ago, I was flipping through my look book (my binder of clippings and photos from magazines that inspire me) and I came across an ad for the perfume I wear. I remember saving it because, first of all it’s set in Paris, and secondly the colors are amazing. This made my mind travel back in time to when I visited “La Ville-Lumière” or the City of Light. I think my desperate-for-a-vacation mind skewed the memory because Paris was more magical than before! The little cafes, the night time ferry ride and the twinkling Eiffel tower all seemed to be just an image I dreamt up.

It was a very calming day dream, and with it came loads of inspiration! As you know, I’m getting my stock up to start selling on Etsy, so right now everything I see I turn into a piece of jewelry. So I turned on Quelqu'un m'a dit by Carla Bruni and got to work. Here are a few snap shots of my process in making my c'est la vie necklace, and another sneak-peek at what my shop will be filled with…

My ballons in their first state, just out of the oven.

Getting ready to assemble.

Balloons are ready! Had to make them fly a little :)

And it's finished!

Thank goodness for this daydream! It reminded me - C'EST LA VIE! (That's life!)

A piece of ND just for you!

I’m sitting on my colorful quilted bed (almost too colorful to the point of hurting my eyes!) and eating a fresh pear from the local FFA chapter while writing this. My brother is downstairs practicing his coyote call and my mom is cooking spaghetti. Ahh it’s good to be home in North Dakota!

I never realize how much I love home until I spend time somewhere else. I always feel the same excitement leaving as I do returning. I have traveled to a lot of places in this world, but North Dakota always stays with me. I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else. I have scoria in my blood, Badlands in my heart and big skies in my eyes!

As I was musing about North Dakota, I grabbed my laptop and started flipping through all of the pictures I’ve snapped over the years of my home place. I would like to share some of my favorites with you…some of the places I've trekked acres and buttes and trails to capture:

The Badlands are one of my favorite places to photograph...

Windmills always catch my attention.

The sun went down on one of my photography excursions...dirt road in the headlights...

Pretty in every season!

 

You can't fail with a horse in your picture...

I hope you enjoyed this small glimpse at North Dakota...filled with rustic landscapes, peaceful fields and native animals. There is so much more out there to see...I need to dust off my camera and get to work!