Mrs. A

I don't know what has gotten into me lately. I felt like writing again today. There must be something in the water I've been drinking. I reluctantly got out of my warm bed this morning, got ready for the day, and jumped into my car for the trek across the desert. I tried listening to a couple of normal radio stations with no avail, reluctantly attempted NPR's Morning Edition and soon realized that political analysis was not going to hit the spot either. I even tried a book on CD that I had started a couple of days ago; It was just too slow for this morning's commute, and I soon found myself yawning. Then I remembered that Cowboy had put four CDs into the  player. I knew they were going to be great... Let me introduce you to Don. His straightforward yet smoot h base-baritone voice, soft tones, and an imposing build earned him the nickname "The Gentle Giant" of country music. (Wikipedia) His lyrics are simply delightful... I know some folks aren't i...

Hey A, I want to remember this. That's why I'm writing it down. I had a busy Halloween full of commuting, jr. High dance preparations, teaching a normal day of school, figuring out which students were academically eligible for the Halloween dance, enduring the dance, commuting, finding candles for Cowboy's amazing cowboy pumpkin creation, making dinner, doing laundry, enjoying trick or treaters, doing dishes, watching an episode of Duck Dynasty (totally hilarious), getting ready for bed, saying prayers (especially for the future of this country), getting into bed, reading my scriptures, and then being touched by this.... And now I, Moroni, proceed to give the record of Jared and his brother. For it came to pass after the Lord had prepared the stones which the brother of Jared had carried up into the mount, the brother of Jared came down out of the mount, and he did put forth the stones into the vessels which were prepared, one in each end thereof; and beho...

Dear Readers, I had to say goodbye in the last week, and it was harder than I thought. I had been up and down and all around in my car, but the time had come to wish it farewell.    You see, I am a serious commuter. I drive close to two hours daily on this road...  which happens to be where these fellows roam and play...    Cowboy was worried about this happening.... so he decided I needed something bigger, higher, and stronger. He has had issues with Subaru cars and the stigma that comes with them as long as I've know him. He almost thought twice about dating me, because well, I drove a Subaru. Silly Willy! Well, after considering all of our options and thinking about which vehicle might fit our needs the best, we ended up at the Subaru dealership. We are now very 'proud' owners of this gem...  I know it doesn't look bigger, higher, and stronger...but oh, it is. It single handily changed cowboy's mind about ...

Here they are. It was a cold, windy, wonderful, memorable, family filled, long awaited, perfect, wedding day.  These were taken by Rebecca Zufelt. She's excellent. You can call her Professor Z if you want...

It's really raining outside, and Cowboy's pressure washing his pickup, because he saw the pressure washer just sitting on the lawn at his parents' home after we did chores. He has the hood propped open, his hood and work gloves on, and is totally loving it. Right now he's working on spraying the engine section. I bet fun treasures are flying out with the highly pressurized water. My favorite part about this whole experience is that we have to drive on a muddy, puddled road to get home. Sincerely, The Accidental Country Girl

Nope. I just live in Arco without internet, reliable phone service, and some other things. No big deal. I am working hard, physically hard. It's summer, so I am not currently teaching. I'm just taking care of the homestead. I go to bed every night with some new ache - it's great! My hands are cracked and bleeding, I am getting more brave at tackling anything cow related, including the actual animal, I am discovering I can actually cook something, learning about SHOUT for Nick's jeans and manure, I am learning about taking care of and keeping up a lawn with massive flower beds, and I am roping the buford while sitting on a horse. I even ran the horse out of the box, while chasing the cow. I will include pictures just in case you don't have a clue what I am talking about. the buford  the box - the chute is the blue part where the cow comes out. that's what I do, run the chute. yes babe, you can be proud of my cowgirl lingo. I am doing some ...

Cowboy and I are hitched and living the life in the big A town. It's been a transition to say the least. I thought I would share some interesting facts about the big A town:     It was originally know as Root Hog. It has a population of 995 people. I don't know how many horses or cows reside in the area. There is a river that is sometimes present and sometimes not - thus the name Lost River. Arco was the first community in the world ever to be lit by electricity generated by nuclear power. There are a few bars that line the streets. It does have a grocery store called the A&A. There is one blinking light.  You have to plan ahead because everything closes early. We live in a small, old house that has its advantages and disadvantages. We are just renting for the time being till I decide if 'we' or should I say 'I' can handle Arco. There are a lot of nice cabinets in the kitchen along with tiles adorned with depict...

i have a lot of feelings zooming in and out of me right now. yes, there is anticipation. yes, there is excitement. yes, there is some nervousness. yes, there is some anxiety too. it's a fun challenge to keep up with it all. one of the greatest lessons i've learned from this experience though is this - people are oh so good. i am so grateful for people who have been so kind and gracious to me. it's humbling to soak in their kindness. in the musical les miserables there is a line that states, "to love another person is to see the face of god." i've thought about that often, because there have been wonderful moments where i've felt so close to my heavenly father, because others have loved me the way he does. i'm sure His face and His countenance are seen in each of our own faces, especially when we take the time to love and serve unselfishly. it's a neat gift. i might cry some the day i get married. just saying. tears might have arrived during the bri...

today was library day in junior high. we walked down the hall, worked on checking in and checking out books, and then the shenanigans occurred. i turned around and 7th grade boys were rubbing the cologne samples all over themselves that are found in the magazines. the library was suddenly infiltrated with smelly, sweaty, hormonal boys covered in tacky cologne rubbed off of magazine pages. they thought they were studs. -Miss Dunn

so this engagement period has been interesting. cowboy and I got engaged at the end of january and suddenly we're in the middle of march. today i get to go pick out flowers and finalize reception center pieces. the dress is ready along with the shoes, the temple date and time are set, and the house stuff is moving along better than imagined. that all being said, it hasn't been an easy process. i have never been engaged, so i didn't know what the experience would be like. it's been a good challenge. i know i am doing an essential thing that will be life changing and wonderful, but i've also caught onto the challenge of it too. the first week i was engaged i felt like i had been punched in the stomach. i didn't know what was right or what was wrong, and i wondered what i had gotten myself into. i never doubted my love for cowboy; i just doubted myself being in the position that i was. people around me were excited about wedding plans and I wanted to crawl under my...

cowboy and i are trying to figure out where we are going to live when we get hitched. it's a tricky thing. not only am i marrying a cowboy, i am also marrying a man who owns a few horses, a large and shiny horse trailer, a monster truck, a car, a couple of snow machines, a snow machine trailer, and some other large items. needless to say, rexburg and its tricky parking are not working out in our favor. we need parking, some sort of barn, and some dirt to play around in. so, nick's mom mentioned that there was a neat place for sale in the big A town of arco, idaho. we saw pictures online and decided we wanted to go out and see it. we also needed someone to take engagement pictures, because the other arrangements fell through. come to find out nick has a friend named boone who does it all - he took our pictures and was the realtor too. we snapped some shots, looked at some property, posed for some other takes, and discussed placing an offer. folks, this is what i call being effic...

1. yes, that's the ring. it's rose gold. a student at school told me it looked like a ring someone could get out of a gumball machine. i might have burst out laughing. i adore it still. 2. march 3o, 2012 3. i'm scared out of my mind. 4. his name is cowboy nick. he doesn't like pictures, or else i'd show you one. he's from arco, idaho. we met in our singles ward. we are two independent, strong souls who happened to need each other. i'm probably more tender than strong. maybe. 5. the proposal - he tried really hard to be patient and creative, and without knowing i halted every attempt he made. i was one sick girl. that's why i halted his attempts. that being said, he had the ring for a week previous to the big moments, and it was burning a hole in his pocket. he also was working a lot during the week, and he works long days folks. the kicker was though, my father was m.i.a. nick couldn't find him to speak to him. so, after several unsuccessful trips t...

well folks, it finally happened. he picked up the ring, he popped the question, he talked to my dad, and i said yes.

it's my birthday today, and i find myself all alone in the world, or at home. i got slammed with the sickness yesterday, so i guess i'm not the most enjoyable person to be around. in reality, that's partially true, but there were important things to be done by the people in my life. my grandma dunn is turning 80 this coming week, and there is a party for her tonight in logan. only her kids were invited. i'm not one of those. i figure 80 trumps 29, so my mom and dad went there, and hanna and brady tagged along to play with the packers. ty is at targhee today enjoying the fresh powder, evan is at work, and nick worked last night and needed to sleep today. as i sit on the couch, in my maroon robe that can wrap around me three times, constantly blowing my nose to the point where it is now raw , i realize that this is what life is folks - completely ordinary. i'm okay with it too. i think we live in a world that expects unrealistic standards all the time, or maybe even t...