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Thursday, Jan. 10th, 2019

Our day started with a trip to Wichita to get Jasper enrolled under Pake’s insurance. The trip was quick, but the wait time at the office was looong. We finally got back home around 3. On the way home, I got about an hour-long nap. It wasn’t one of those naps you wake up feeling refreshed and ready to conquer the world; oh no, this was one of those naps where you wake up wondering if you actually slept or just spaced out and you feel 10 times more tired than you did before your nap. So promptly after arriving home, Jasper and I took a nap to get over our car nap. Not a lot was accomplished today.

Let’s meet the rest of the gang! We’ll start with Rooster and Dobby.

Rooster going to the vet! 2018

We found rooster down at my mom’s house fending off one of her dogs. He wasn’t much more than a hand full but was full of attitude. He’d be about a year and a half now and weighs over 10 pounds. I don’t know how he’s so fat. He’s really more like a dog then a cat.  Every morning he waits to be let outside (he doesn’t like the litterbox), and he’ll stay out until we call for him in the evening. Awhile back he came home with what looked like talon marks on his back and all we can guess is an owl or a hawk tried to carry him off. Luckily his chubby butt was too heavy to be carried very far! Even though he’s a pretty cool cat, he still has his annoying cat habits; like jumping on the counters when he thinks no one is watching or clawing the couch. The good outweigh the bad in his case.

Dobby and Renzo “cuddling” 2018

Dobby, on the other hand, is a menace. Pake found dobby last summer, he was very little and almost dead, but don’t worry we saved him. I truly believe this cat has some sort of brain damage. He’s not the brightest crayon in the box. He’s Pake’s cat 100% and his goal in life is to annoy the crap out of me–he does it well. Now I love all animals, but he pushes the boundaries. He gets in to the trash and terrorizes the dogs because he knows they won’t retaliate, but if they do start getting to rough with him instead of just running away, he starts making this awful noise that sounds like he’s dying. Every morning he hides in the house, so he doesn’t have to go outside. I secretly think you wants to be an outside cat, but Pake makes sure he comes inside every night. Sorry I kind of got off on a rant. He’s an ok cat…sometimes.

To end the introductions, we have Elmer, Chubbles, Maui, and Nobody– the rest of the pot belly pig clan. (There’s also sugar and star, our two horses, but there more pasture ornaments at the moment.)

Elmer wondering why I’m not scratching his belly, 2018

So long story short, we took in Elmer and Nala (Nala is no longer with us), Napoleon’s parents, after their owner had to move and couldn’t take them with her. I mean what’s two more pigs, right? He wasn’t very friendly at first and honestly, I was concerned having a boar on the place. I even went as far as telling Pake if he ever got aggressive with us, we’d have to put him down. However, he turned in to the most chill pig we have! He now loves to have his belly scratched and has better manners then Napoleon. I am worried he’s going through an identity crisis at the moment though. He spends all his time out in the wheat feed with the cattle.  I think they’ve excepted him as their own. He’s going to be heart broken when they leave. Hopefully he’ll convert back to his pig ways…

Left to Right: Chubbles, Maui, and Nobody, 2017

Now the other 3 came to be when we found out Nala was pregnant… She had a total of 7 babies, that’s right, 7 pig babies. This brought our total up to 10 pot belly pigs. We officially crossed over from being semi classy folks to being backwoods hicks with pigs sleeping under our porch. We were able to find homes for 4 of the babies, but the last 3 still remain. They’re more wild pigs that just happen to call here home and eat the food we put out. Other than that, they merely tolerate our present.

A funny little side note, every evening I holler “here kitty, kitty” to get Rooster to come in and all 5 pigs come running. I guess they think I’m yelling “here piggy, piggy”. I’m sure they’re disappointed every time I don’t have food for them. Poor piggies.

2019: A New Year

So the entries are going back in time to the 1st of this year. I started this on OneNote, not really sure I wanted to go public (its very intimitating), but here I am! So here goes nothing…

January 1st, 2019

My Husband and I have been married for 3 years as of December. We live on my small family farm in a 480 square foot house; the house may be tiny, but the land and view make up for it. My husband is self employed, making one of a kind workout maces and clubs. He also runs a small Jiu Jitsu gym and is a Combat Engineer in the Army Reserve. I work as a receptionist/vet assistant at the local veterinary hospital in town (I absolutely love my job). We just recently became parents to the most precious baby boy there is, Jasper Dale. We were never the type of people to really talk about having/wanting kids until recently, and let me tell you it was the best decision I have ever made. I never thought I would love being a mom so much; he is the most perfect thing I have ever seen.  Along with our small human family, we also have a circus of animals: 4 dogs Dixie (Lab/German Shephard), Tucker (German Shephard), Renzo (Cane Corso/Pit), and Petey (your guess is as good as mine, he’s white/brown); 2 cats Rooster and Dobby (plus a few barn cats); 5 potbelly pigs Napoleon, Elmer, Chubbles, Maui, and Nobody; and lastly our 3 horses Star, Sugar, and Oakie. We have big plans in the up coming future for our little family and farm and I can’t wait to share it along the way! We’re living the dream on our little slice of heaven!

I want to start keeping track of my years better, not only for myself but for my now 5 week old baby, Jasper. The last 5 weeks have flown by SOOO fast, hopefully by starting this Journal I’ll be able to look back and remember all the good times we had! Eventually Jasper will be able to look back as well and really get a sense of how crazy (and awesome) his parents are/use to be.

And don’t be fooled this isn’t the first journal I’ve started, life just always seems to get in the way and after a few days they start to collect dust. I’m not a “new year, new me” type person, but I do like to set goals for myself and family and what better time to set goals for yourself then the first of the year. One of my goals this year is to keep this journal going!

This first entry, I want to use as a recap of 2018 and also my new goal list for 2018. Let’s start with 2018 (they’re listed in no particular order).

  • We welcomed our first child into the world on 11/26/2018, Jasper Dale McNally! This was by far the worst pain a have ever went through but it was the best day of my entire live; I can’t get enough of this sweet baby boy!
  • In March, I had been an employee at Redland Vet for 1 year! This is by far the best job I’ve ever had and my bosses are awesome bosses/people.
  • Pake was able to quit working for other people the first of July and focus solely on his new business, Become Stronger Industries. Business has been going extremely well, and I don’t see it going anywhere but up! He’s shipped items all over the world and has been able to support our family while I’ve been on maternity leave.
  • In August, we adopt are fourth and final dog (for awhile…), Petey. He is the mouthiest little dog I’ve ever owned and he fits right in with our crazy gang. I can’t imagine not having him. He’s also very taken with Jasper. I think the two of them will find plenty of mischief to get in to together.
  • We went on several trips this year.
    • I tagged along to Colorado with Pake. He took part in a ruck march while I went to Barnes and Noble. I was already pregnant by then, so it wasn’t as fun as it could have been, not saying I can’t have fun without drinking, but it helps.
    • Again, I stowed away on a trip Pake was taking. First stop was Topeka for a Jiu Jitsu tournament, and he also had a booth set up. Then we were off to Emerson, NE  to deliver a cemetery sign Pake made for his good friend Eric. It was a long trip with lots of  road time but it was fun spending time together. We also had Renzo and Petey with us so it was a full car!
    • Then there was the Branson trip….. This time it was my mom, my nephew, and I. The plan was to spent a long weekend with family, go to Silver Dollar City, see the sites, etc. It turned in to the week from hell! Our car broke down on the way to Silver Dollar City. It took us until Tuesday to get our car fixed and get home. I now despise that town…
  • We had plans to add on to our 480 square foot, one bedroom house but being owned by multiple members of my family, we ran in to some issues so we’ve had to delay the addition.

Now on the my personal and family goals for 2019:

  • Start a Journal/Blog: I would like to make daily entries, but lets be realistic, I’m going to shoot for weekly entries.
  • Start running again: I would like to participate in one or two 5k’s this year.
  • Continue making improvements to our house and land.
  • Get a chicken/turkey coop made.
  • Buy chickens/turkeys for said coop.
  • Be more active in Pake’s business: I would like to start helping more with advertising, invoicing,  really anything that’s not making the actually equipment; even though, I do help hold handles occasionally.
  • Start a garden and learn to can vegetables.
  • Breastfeed Jasper until he’s at least 6 months old.
  • Make more of an effort to get together with family and friends.
  • Start back to work on a part time basis, so we can keep Jasper out of daycare until he’s older.
  • Be the best possible mother I can be.

I’m sure there will be more to add to both list over the next week, but this is a good start. So, here’s to the new year!