Ellie's Campaign

Ellie is running for student body president of her middle school this week.  She told me last week that she wanted to run and I tried to talk her out of it.  It sounded like a bunch of unnecessary work.  Why would she subject herself to that??

She convinced me so this week I've been helping her with her campaign.  Her posters have all been based on the Campbell soup idea - "Voting for Ellie is a SOUPER choice", "Campbell Can!!!!"  and so forth.

She had the idea to get these little jars of candy and tape a Campbell soup label that reads "Vote Ellie" so we were all working on the last night.  This morning she set up a table outside the school to pass out these little candies to all the students.  

She's doing a skit for the student body and this afternoon they vote.  Stay tuned tomorrow for the results!!!

It's really been such a pleasure to help her.  She's so grateful for all the help she receives and keeps thanking me, and the rest of the family, for helping her.  Her little friends have been involved too, helping to hang posters and hand out the candies this morning.  She has a really nice group of friends.  

Ellie is SO different from her brothers and I am so grateful for her!

Grandpa Dick's birthday

Heather and I flew to Mesa this last weekend for Grandpa Dick's 90th birthday party.  It was SO good to see Dad, Rae, Amber, and Tonya.  And Reese!!!  We stayed at Dad's house.  He and Rae are always so welcoming.  On Saturday, we went and had lunch and swam at Uncle Jimmys house and then dinner and pictures in the park with the whole family Saturday night.  It was good to see the cousins, some of which I hadn't seen for years.  It's amazing how big the family has become.  I don't even know which children belong with which families.  

It was a great weekend and made me excited for the cruise coming up!!!

First Milking

Oh my laws, the day is here.  It's finally here.  May 10, 2017.  The first day of milking in the new barn.

Craig was pretty nervous.  We both had a gut ache that something was going to explode, something was going to catch fire, cows were going to fall off the turntable, equipment was going to fall off....  Craig went to the store and bought himself a new pair of milk boots in honor of the occasion.  

The new boots must have been a lucky charm because nothing bad happened!  It went well!

Between Craig and Hayes and the kiwis and the NorthStar guys and Mark and Mundo and Jorge, there were about twelve or thirteen people in the barn, watching and helping.  I watched them try to get the first cow onto the turntable and it took about four guys pushing it on to make her get on.  I thought, "Oh, no, if every cow takes this much work, it's going to take forever to get done."  But she was the worst.  Once she was on, the other cows followed much easier.  They weren't super excited about it, and some of them took a bunch of pushing.  They were nervous and pooped ALL OVER.  That nice clean new barn doesn't look so nice and clean.  Everything took about three hours but Craig says that it will get quicker.  

We think it went really well.  Nothing exploded.  Everything worked pretty much the way it was supposed to.  Craig is pleased.  I was so relieved and happy watching those cows go around.  That's the first time in a long time that I've had any kind of positive emotion towards the new barn.

This day has been a LONG time coming!

Cows in the barn, and Hayes hanging from the rafters

You see that thing in the barn??? No, not Hayes, the other thing.  That's a COW.  In the BARN.  

Craig wants the cows to get used to coming in the barn.  We're still milking them in the old barn, but once they are done milking, the gates are set up such that they have to come through the new barn in order to get back to their corral.  They don't step onto the rotary, they just walk through the holding pen and then out.  They like to stop and look around and sniff the new gates.  Some of them take their time, looking at all the new sights, and some of them hurry right on out of there, before the barn boogey man can get them.  It's fun to watch them.

And the other thing is Hayes, hanging from the rafters.  He said that the wash pipe needed securing and he readily offered his rappelling services.  

Barn is almost finished

Hallelujah, the barn is almost finished!  Craig thinks we should be milking cows within the week.  I hope so.  We have the kiwis back to install the equipment, along with about ten other people coming and going to finish plumbing, wiring, gates and fences, and other stuff.  It's a beehive of activity.  Yesterday Craig, Brigham, and Mac brought the cows into the new holding pen to get them used to it.  The cows were skittish and weren't sure about coming in.  I think we have a big job in front of us, trying to get the cows used to the new barn.

Craig

Hallelujah, Craig is sleeping better!  Two weeks ago we got his back injected and this time it seems to be helping.  We had done it three times before with no success.  We started seeing a new doctor and asked him to try it, thinking that maybe he would have a different technique or something.

So he still has pain and still has to wear his brace and take his meds, but he is definitely sleeping better at night!  Up until two weeks ago, he couldn't sleep longer than a couple hours.  Then he would have to get up and walk around.  I would find him in the morning on the couch, on the floor, in another bed...  It was terrible.  He was exhausted.

I am so grateful.  I think that if he can sleep and if he can exercise, maybe there is some hope that we can get this thing healed.

A really good day on the barn

Okay I'm going to write out this whole day so we can remember it.  So bear with me.

On Monday Craig was absolutely beside himself.  Relationships with our equipment dealer have been going bad for months.  This isn't the supplier from New Zealand; everything is great with him.  It's the local dealer who is supposed to receive shipment of equipment and install it from us.  It has become apparent to Craig over the past year that they have no clue what they are doing and are generally dishonest.  Last summer he told them to leave and not come back.  We've been trying to establish a new relationship with a new dealer but it's been very problematic because these old dealers, Mountain West Dairy Service, say that we owe them money still and they are keeping the rest of the equipment until they got the money.

Craig has been trying to work it out.  We've sought help from our attorney and also his dad Evan and brother Josh have been helping us.  On Monday, he got some emails from Waikato in New Zealand and also from Mountain West.  It was looking like things were close to working out so we could get our equipment delivered.

But Craig had had it.  He said that he absolutely couldn't deal with it anymore.  The way he was talking, I was truly worried about him.  At Evan's encouragement, I decided to step in at that point.  I got on the phone with Mountain West and sent some emails.  I reviewed the settlement and signed it and faxed it.  I arranged for a delivery time for the equipment.  And I prayed.  I prayed a whole lot.  Evan and Joshua were a big help to me, helping to review the settlement agreement and coaching me.  They said they would come yesterday and be there when Mountain West came.

Yesterday Mountain West was supposed to deliver the equipment.  The two guys from New Zealand are here to install the equipment and without the delivery from Mountain West, they might as well have packed up and gone home.

I sent Craig away.  I didn't want him anywhere near the farm when the two guys from Mountain West showed up.  I made him an appointment for a massage and adjustment at the chiropractor and told him to not come home until he got the okay from me.

Mountain West was supposed to be here at 2:00.  Evan and Joshua showed up at 1:30 to give support and make sure that everything was okay to hand over the money.  Cohen and Brett from New Zealand were ready to inventory the equipment and make sure it was all there.  I was so jumpy and nervous, praying that everything would work out.  I was so grateful Evan and Joshua were there with me.

At 3:00 nobody had came yet.  3:30, nothing.  I texted the secretary from Mountain West to ask where everybody was and he said they were running late.  At 4:00, nothing.  4:30, the Mountain West secretary said it was going to be closer to 5:30.  By this time, I was getting distraught.  Were they going to come at all?  Craig was texting, "Is it okay to come home?"

At 5:00 I was out in the barn with Evan, watching the rain outside.  Dad called.  I was surprised to see his name on my phone, surprised that he would choose that exact moment to call.  I decided it was a sign that everything was going to be okay.  I talked to him and he helped calm me down.

At 5:35 Mountain West pulled in the driveway.  I went out to greet them and make sure Joshua didn't bite their heads off.  Pat from Mountain West was cordial and jolly, like he always is, and Craig Johansen was silent.  They pulled up to the barn and started unloading boxes, passing them through the bay to Joshua and Evan and Cohen.  The boxes started piling up and Cohen went through them.  He was happy and said that he thought everything was there that he had been looking for.  Josh talked to Craig Johansen and Pat a minute and then told me he thought it was okay to make the payment.  I went in the house and wrote the $44,611.18 check and brought it out to them.  After a few pleasantries, they drove away.

I was so relieved!  I called Craig and gave him the go ahead to come home.  I talked to Evan and Josh and minute and then they left.  I was so glad and relieved!

Last night and this morning, Craig has seemed so excited and happy.  He's been working on this , on terminating the relationship with Mountain West and getting the remaining equipment, since July.  He says that things can really move forward now and he thinks there's a chance we could be milking in the new barn in two weeks.

We both feel like there was divine intervention and help yesterday and I am so grateful.