Mud, Cacti and Tears

(Guest Post by our Daughter, Caitlin)

Sounds like a country song doesn’t it?

First let’s discuss the mud part. I know my mom already talked about the mud but you really can’t believe how much mud there is until you see it. Believe me when I tell you there was a TON of mud. I mean a TON. So much so that Mom and I were worried we wouldn’t make it down the road because of the amount of mud… in fact Mom has to take a couple deep breaths before we attempt. We did make it, it was scary making it through all the mud puddles but Mom (and the truck) were troopers and we made it through. Luckily Dad was there waiting to take pictures of us going through the last big mud puddle.

Now the mud eventually dries and it turns to dirt and it really does get everywhere! My slippers and pajama bottoms all had an orange tinge to them… Mom and Dad do a great job of keeping the house clean as it can be, props to them! I would have just given up and gotten mud and dirt everywhere!

Onto the Cacti. One of the first things I noticed was that Texas looks exactly like Kansas except for the Cacti. Good thing they have Cacti otherwise I would have felt like I traveled all morning and ended up back in Kansas. Texas is flat, with lots of trees, dirt and cacti and that’s about it. It was fun seeing big ‘ol paddle cactus, I have never seen a cactus not in a pot before.

Lastly, the tears. I felt like I cried a lot on this trip. First Mom and I both cried when I finally got off the plane. When your used to see your parents all the time it’s hard not seeing them for 4 months! The second set of tears came when we got back into the truck after lunch in San Antonio and my luggage was gone. Unfortunately, somebody popped the lock on the driver’s door and took my suitcase. Luckily my Nook, cell phone, charger and wallet were all with me inside and there wasn’t anything of value in my luggage. Sadly, my parents Christmas presents, all of my cloths, toiletries, etc… were in there and we had to make a trip to the store to get some essentials. We quickly decided to get over it (okay so it took almost the whole drive back to Cotulla) but we decided we wouldn’t let that person ruin our time together too! The third set of tears came when I opened my last present on Christmas day… my Nana’s pearls. I immediately started crying and thought it was the best present ever! 

Dad got out the camera to take pictures and when he was done we saw that he too had started crying… he may act tough but he can be a softy at times! 

The last set of tears came on Wednesday when it was time to say goodbye. Although there wasn’t much going on at the Ranch I still loved hanging out with my parents and could have stayed a lot longer! No matter how old you get it’s always nice to be around your parents, and I will never out grow being the baby!

My time at Yarbrough Ranch was very uneventful but I still managed to make some new friends (hope Mom is feeding them – they were running low on carrots and apples by the time I left), those horses got used to getting some treats everyday and a good ear scratch. 

Despite all the mud and tears it was still a great trip, no matter where they are I am just happy I got to spend  4 whole days with them. 

SHOUTOUT: Snickers and Skittles – even though they can’t read I thought it was only appropriate as they were just as excited to see me as my Mom and Dad!