“Find something you love to do, and you’ll never work a day in your life” – Harvey Mackay
I have wholeheartedly embraced those very wise words from Mr. Mackay, and I never work. I have found something I love to do and I don’t plan on ever working again. Don’t get me wrong, being a wife, mother and cattlewoman is not a stress free gig, but I love every minute!
When I was employed with the feedlot, I would get up at the crack of dawn, drive thirty minutes, drop off my kids with the babysitter, who lived just a couple of miles away, and start my day tending to the cattle. It could be a blistering 105 degrees or a very chilly -20 degrees. There could be rain, shine, wind, sleet, snow, or a combination of all five on the same day. I do live in Nebraska after all…
The getting up early, the driving and the weather conditions never mattered. My love for cattle and the knowledge that I was helping bring nutritious beef to tables all over the world, made it all worth it. I was living my dream, I had a family that I loved at home and an exceedingly fulfilling job to go to every day. I did not know life could get better, but it did.
My son is in awe of his dad – he is his dad’s sidekick.
In the summer of 2013, my husband was offered his dream job. We prayed on it, and made the move to a ranch in the Nebraska Sandhills. After more prayer and consideration, my husband and I decided I would leave my position at the feedlot and join him on the ranch. My new role is that of full-time ranch wife and stay at home mom. It is the role of a lifetime!
I say I am a stay at home mom, but the kids and I rarely stay in the house. We go as a family to complete the ranch work. My son and daughter have a front row seat to the daily care of cattle. During these winter months, some of our tasks include; making sure the water troughs are free from ice so the cows have fresh water, feeding cake (a cubed protein supplement) and/or hay if the snow is too deep to reach the grass and making sure the cattle are protected from extreme weather should it come in. The kids are so happy when we are out with the cows. And, I use every opportunity to teach them the importance of our job. It overjoys me to see how much they love our life.
When I was a kid, my dad used to tell me, “Terryn, there is nothing like waking up every morning, going outside and smelling the fresh cow poop.” That sounds totally disgusting, but I now fully understand what he meant. He meant that if you love what you do those things that might otherwise seem disgusting, annoying or just down right maddening – they don’t really matter. I love what I do. I love the fact that I get to care for cattle every day bringing beef to tables around the world, and I get to have my family by my side while I do it. That is truly a great blessing.
I never work, nor do I ever plan on working a day in my life.
Hello! I’m Terryn – the wife, mother, food safety enthusiast, Stormy Kromer fanatic who has slightly (okay, a lot) random tendencies, dabbles in photography, and shares (maybe a little too much) here at FFB.