I Have *Zero* Complaints From 2013

All in all, 2013 was a pretty darn good year.  I can't complain at all.

I actually learned new stuff this year.  I shouldn't say "actually" like I'm surprised, should I? I love to learn new stuff.

Jay, Mez, and I went to SHOT Show in Las Vegas, where I met a lot of great people, saw a lot of new products, and got to shoot my first fully automatic rifle.

Daniel Defense .300 Blackout

I got to play with my friend's cattle on branding day.

I placed an ear tag

Helped with the squeeze chute and back poured the meds

I even vaccinated her beautiful mare

I took a carbine rifle class in April and managed to hold my own against a bunch of guys who were much younger and in much better shape.  The best part of the class?  It counts as "research" for my books, which makes me giggle.

Also in April, my Para got a facelift and is beautiful now.

Unfortunately, we spent Jay's birthday in Logan, Utah for his grandma's funeral.  We did stop in Jackson Hole, Wyoming on the way (even though it's not really on the way) and it was beautiful.

We saw squirrels...

...and bears!

Jay and I had a great "staycation" in May.  We took a trip to Southern Colorado and visited the Great Sand Dunes and Zapata Falls.

July brought me a lot of heartbreak, when I lost Estes.  Two weeks later, I headed down to Southern Colorado to work on the Horse Master with Julie Goodnight crew and I always learn so much during the week we're shooting.

RIP Sweet girl

The crew at the wrap party

Julie's ranch is beautiful

There's a lot of this when filming

Our cameraman and producer will do anything to get a good shot

My Robs had her triplets in the beginning of August, the same day Asset busted her arm.  The triplets were much more welcome than Asset's broken arm.

Baby A

Baby B

Sweet little Baby C, the bonus baby

Asset pre-surgery

In the fall, I got a wild hair up my ass to learn to can.  Since I didn't have a pressure cooker, we were limited to things we could can using a water bath.  Our first attempt was green chile base, essentially our own version of 505 green chili.  With the success of our first batch, I bought more roasted chiles and we made a second batch, thinking it would hold us through the winter.  I was wrong, we only have a couple of pints left.  I also made Jay make up bunches of his soup and we froze several quarts.  It is awesome!  Mom gave me my great-grandma's pressure cooker a few weeks ago, so we'll be able to can shelf-stable soup.

I published both of my books.  What a learning curve that was!  Ugh, learning to format and convert about made my head explode, but it was worth it.  Jay got his children's book published and is working on his second one, which I can't wait for.

Published August 31

Published December 1

Published November 2

Oh man, so much happened in 2013 and my family is truly blessed.  Digger started school, Ashinator got a "grown-up" job, and Monster moved to Kentucky.  I can't wait to see what 2014 holds for us.