Zac Brown Would Be Proud...

 

If there was a motto for life I think I would pick that one. Maybe "Netflix, yoga pants, and homemade ice cream!" But this one seems a little more motivating.

Lately I've realized my life...is a mess. But a beautiful one. The kind that makes you want the best out of everything, but everything is so much that you can get anything done. So it's a mess. 

And here I am with my messy life and my heart full of dreams. So I want a real house and I want to work on a farm again. So I miss hard work and having real friends and anything consistent, but I've also taken 4 cross country road trips, lived in 6 different cities, in 3 different states, over the last 3 months. Who else can say that?

I know everyone is obsessed with the saying "I've got a gypsy soul!" But there are very few who have jumped on that train that actually have gypsy souls. And I've given into mine 100%! Adventure is out there. It's just waiting for you to find it. 

I'm loving this life. I've gotten to snapchat "Greetings from..." about 6 different states in the last week. And I haven't seen the bottom of my suitcase since I left Paradise. This is the life I always wanted.

As the year whines down and everyone makes a list of what they're thankful for and what they'll change in the new year, I mark these last few months on the top of my list!

I always thought college would be filled with the best memories of my life, but that wasn't even kind of true. My best memories are from my summers in the mountains, my fall by the lake, and my weeks spent in the show world.

It's been a rough couple of months and I'm still hunting for the perfect job and I may never find it, but I decided to invest in myself and found something that's just as flexible as that gypsy life. And right now, that's the best I could ask for.

So I implore you all to step out of your comfort zones, find adventure in your own background, or give into your gypsy soul and fall in love with your life all over again! 

***Insert Fireworks Here***

It's over!!! It's done!

And I have to say, I'm not nearly as exhausted as I expected to be, but I'm super glad for that. These past two weeks were amazing and I can't even begin to write about everything that's happened.

I met so many amazing people, I talked to virtually every professional NRHA professional trainer, made amazing friends, ate terrible food, feel in love with this industry all over again. How many people get to say that?

Not many! I'm sad that it's over! I hope that for once in my gypsy life, the people I met here will be people I see down the road very soon!

So I spent most of the week sitting in an uncomfortable stool and maybe I said the same thing about NRHA rewards over and over again and maybe I spent more time watching the live feed than I did the actual event! But maybe I also I had the best two weeks of my life!!! And I met amazing people and I hope there is an opportunity in there somewhere for me! I met so many different people from so many places in the world and that roommate I was telling you about...she's great! I finally have a place to stay in the land down under and that makes checking that item off my bucket list just a little easier!

Sorry I've been gone for so long! I've been trying to find inspiration to blog and get my life under control. I'm back home for the holidays and the next two weeks are going to be CRAZY. I have tons of ideas and will hopefully be putting them to words soon!!!

It's Reining?!?! Like...

I'm Cats and dogs or horses....

I was so unaware of what I signed up for when I agreed to this. I had no idea that after 3 days of showing I would know so much about reining. After a week, I would know so many people in the industry.

These past few days have been a whirlwind of smiles, handshakes, speeches, donations, and great hair. I am having a blast.

It's been a mess of crazy and the internet sucks and maybe I've kind of forgotten that I become a distributor and maybe I'm the worst sales person ever. And no one is buying what I'm selling, but hey, story of my life.

I'm learning and meeting and sitting and selling, and by the grace of God if people don't remember this hair flower, they must be blind. So it's still fun and I still love the show world, but this just makes me want to get on a horse and make something of myself.

Or maybe some part of me misses the horse life, the gypsy wrangler life, where riding was essential and never complicated. Where you could run and run until you had to stop because the views were busy taking the breath right from your chest. Maybe I miss those four legs underneath you, supporting your bad jokes and being there when the moments are silent. Maybe I miss the outdoors and the silence that horses have always brought.

Look, the show world, that's great and all, and these people are amazing. But horses to me have never made me money and I don't think they will any time soon. These horses just make me miss...paradise.

#AllAboutThatInternLife

Does that mean I get a fancy badge attached to a "I'm clearly new" lanyard and all I do is run around ordering non-fat skim lattees with extra whip for all that are watching their weight?

Yep, that's about it. 

Kidding! So I'm an intern, but trust me, it's a lot more glamorous than it sounds! I'm the Youth, Sire and Dam intern for the National Reining Horse Association's Futurity 2014 show. Well when you put it that way!!! I know, I know, feel free to be jealous.

So this is an opportunity. And it's been 3 days and it already feels like home! I've never been the horse show girl, but this is so much like State and County Fairs and all the judging contests, that I really feel like this is it! So everyone here is a bit more impressive on the showing experience side, but THIS IS AWESOME!

I got this and I was so excited and now I'm here and it's even better! So I'm checking into my hotel and I sign the paper that says I'm staying here for 17 days! How many of you have really stayed in a hotel for 17 days! That's nuts, but I unpacked and now this place officially looks like a disaster, but hey two 20 somethings live here with no rules or dishes! And then I waited for my roommate to arrive.

She is literally the best. It's been 3 and a half days and I think we're officially on the same wave length. Except...here's the best part...She's AUSTRALIAN! When working out becomes "gymming", a lot becomes "heaps", shady becomes "dodgy" the world just opens up!

This is the best, everything she says becomes suddenly more fun because she has the coolest accent. Yay me! So we started Saturday and I'm so excited we're roommates! As a fellow Economics nerd it makes life a little easier when you're just as interested in being efficient as you are in the Law of Diminishing Marginal Returns.

We've gotten to the point where we have inside jokes, finish each others sentences, can spend hours not speaking and it not be awkward, and we agree without even saying it out loud! Today someone asked how long we had been together, in reference to my Facebook official relationship, she responds..."Us!?!? Like 3 days!" So we're also dating now. I know it's only been a few days, but I feel like it could get serious! I really like this one.

These two weeks are going to amazing and I can't wait. We might have stuffed 1200 contestant envelopes with 14 different pages and 1500 swag bags, but we had fun doing it and we are the A team! I can't wait to see what the rest of this internship brings!

How is everyone else's Thanksgiving week going?

That Time I Got a Job...

Well kind of, I wouldn't exactly call it a job job, but I'm supposed to get paid and I think I'm using parts of that degree I worked so hard for.

So I've been desperately searching for a way to make a little money from home. It's been a long 9 months living without Prince Charming and this summer was a God send! It was everything I could have asked for in our relationship. We saw each other 18-22 hours every single day.

Now if you can work with your significant other and then go home and be friends with them and want to spend time with them, I think you should get a prize. It's hard to have the same job and expectations and do the same dangerous things and not fight with each other about it. But we made it through the summer and now I'm ready to spend sometime with him away from work. So I've decided to become a camper queen and find something to do with my spare time.

I found just that! I followed a few people and did a little research and found this amazing woman who blogs, is a nurse, is a loving wife and mother and had an opportunity for me! So I decided to sign up.

I'm now officially a distributor for a health and wellness company called It Works! Global. Which sounds a little like I'm here to sell you something and I'm going to spend this post convincing you that all these products are amazing and work wonders. From what I researched, they do, but I'm not going to do that!

I'm sharing with all of you my opportunity! I'm finally doing something for me where I can make spending money, live in the camper and finally make it look like a home, and be with my favorite person! And I don't even have to leave the comfort of my sweats!


So if you're interested in those crazy wrap things or getting your body back for only $23 a month comment! Tell me you want to hear more. Or just go to my website and help a newly independent girl out!

http://tatyanaz.myitworks.com/

Have you ever wanted to try sell through the internet businesses?

Link Your Ink!

The lovely ladies of Sage the Blog and Sew My Soul have come up with a wonderful link up that I'm super excited about!

Link you ink! A friend of mine once told me "Tattoos are a thing of our generation." I grew up in a family where tattoos were a big no-no, and still are. It's just not something you we should ever think about getting. As my mom would say, "You can't love something so much that you need it on your body forever." I'm not so sure I agree with her.

I was always nervous about wanting a tattoo and every time I saw someone with one I assumed that they were rebellious and not someone I would be friends with. But my first summer at Sombrero all that changed.

The first girl I ever met there was this hippie from Chicago who rode English style and was full of rebellion. She had a tattoo across her forearm of 5 birds. She said it represented all the people in her family. I was like "who is this girl, she thinks shes so cool." Then she became one of best friends! And that tattoo was just so her!

As the summer progressed, it seemed like getting tattooed and pierced was the thing to do with our spare time. In my two summers at Sombrero somewhere around 10 of us got a tattoo, piercing, or both!

I was inspired! I knew after I left that second summer that I was going to get one, it was only a matter of time. And I went through this rebellious stage my senior year of college where I didn't care what anyone thought or what the consequences were. So one day on the off chance that my best friend also had the day off we went and got inked up! Ironically both on our ribs!

I was beyond nervous, I knew exactly what I wanted to get and it meant so much to me I didn't even feel like explaining it too anyone. I knew it was going to hurt, but only for about 10 minutes. I was SO EXCITED!

Finally after ten minutes of pain, several pictures of the process, a small chunk of change, and a rush of rebellion, I was finally in the #girlswithink club!

So my tattoo is so small it's actually irrelevant, but it means a ton to me and I want to add to it very soon.

My tattoo looks like ancient hieroglyphs to the normal person, but to anyone in the horse world, they know it's a wild mustang brand. The BLM brands all of their caught mustangs with a coded sequence on the left side of the horses neck. They show up white because they are freeze branded on. {I went for black because I wanted it to show up}

How to read the BLM Brand:
-US
-1st two: Year of birth
-Next 2: State they were found
-Last 4: Personal ID number

How to Read My Brand:
-US
-My birth year
-Colorado's State Code
-Estes Park Zip Code

My brand reads: United States 93 180517


I got this tattoo for a few reasons. 

1. I spent two summers in Rocky Mountain National Park and those were the best 6 months of my life. You don't understand unless you were there living it.

2. I met my best friend, my other half, and my better self there.

3. It's the most beautiful place in the world

4. Mustangs are my favorite. I plan to adopt several one day and I am a huge advocate for the treatment of wild horses.

They say you shouldn't get a tattoo that has something to do with how you're feeling at that moment or what you're into at the time. So I got a memory, something that will never go away, a time in my life that I never want to forget.

So my tattoo is small and looks like scribbles to the average customer, but it means more to me that I can even describe and I'm so glad I got it. I just can't wait to add to it. If I could add on, I would add 3 purple mountains with white tops. I would add Long's Peak {naturally}, A mountain, and I'm not sure about the last one, maybe it's somewhere I haven't been yet.

Do you have any crazy ink that only makes sense to you? Or did you have traditional parents too that didn't believe in the power of ink?

Camper Living Hacks #1: Making your RV, Home!

So I decided to start a new series on the blog, Camper Living Hacks!!!  I recently just decided to take on the life of a pipeline girlfriend full time and I'm so excited. Prince Charming has been welding on the pipeline for about a year and a half now and after our short summer adventure, we're back on the road living it up in our 28 foot traveling home.

Since I'm spending the rest of the year enjoying my lack of a job, I decided to throw myself into this blogger series.

There a million and one hacks scattered across the pictures and links of ever so dedicated Pinners and I have creeped and researched most of them not finding exactly what I want when I look up "Camper Living Hacks", so I decided to share my own Camper Living Hacks with you all.

Throughout this series I will include, Tiny Kitchen Tips, Small Bathroom Solutions, Making a closet without a closet, Storage, Wifi and Cell Service Solutions, and Camper Kitchen Baking.

My favorite part about moving into any new space is decorating, so I decided to start the series with just that. I moved every year of college and with each passing year I accumulated more and more things. Eventually I was equipped with enough decoration to satisfy my inner interior designer. And after 1 dorm, 2 apartments, and 1 house, I decided I would be qualified to decorate our new camper.

With canvas pictures stating "Real Men use Duct Tape" and forest camo pillows, I decided Prince Charming got no say in the decoration process, I think it's only fair. So in my packed car I made sure decorating essentials were the first in there...so here goes:

Making your RV, Home:

1. Pick a theme for the whole camper. Or color scheme. 
With such a small space as the camper rooms tend to mold into one another, making decorating each space different nearly impossible. So pick a theme or a few colors that will work well in every part of the space. 

     {Shockingly enough, our theme is western with some Native American influence. We used a lot of tribal print blankets, this pillow, and bright colors, with lots of pencil sketched western pictures}

2. Pick one item to build the theme around.
I picked this pillow above because it has lots of different colors and goes excellent with our theme.

3. Utilize all the colors in this item.
Picking something with a lot of color may seem overwhelming, but if the item has a lot of neutral color, like my pillow has 3 different browns, it makes it a bit less eccentric. 

4. Don't be afraid of using all these colors.
 If you pick a few basic colors or a theme, don't be scared to utilize all these colors, even different shades. As long as the colors are the same it doesn't matter if the colors match exactly. 

    {I picked red and blue for the kitchen. I have dark red towels and a lighter red table cloth. The shades are different, but the colors work well together. For the living room I picked blue and brown. The pillow has all the colors of my camper, the blanket has lots of the same colors as well, and there are many shades of brown in the different pillows.}

5. Personalize!
This is your space. Don't get too stuck on trying to make everything match and forget to put a little of yourself in the space. 

    {I love all of my art work in the camper, but each side of our bed has little of our personality in it. These are spurs I used at every summer working on a dude ranch. Clearly the matching fish pillows were on the latest episode of Design on a Dime!}

Hope these tips were helpful!

What are your interior design tips? Any camper hacks I should add to the series?

My Guilty Pleasures

Good morning world, its a good day to be a camper queen. {Is that a thing? Today it is.}

My life...it's up in the air. The only consistent things are my dog, my new car, and my other half. Tomorrow I could be half way across the state or even the country in search of the next pipeline. I'm trying to get a handle on that fact, so I'm taking out my stress and anxiety on this blog! I'm going to share in the next few weeks my life hacks for living in a trailer, how I survive the stressful life of a trophy wife, college graduate. 

So if you're just tuning in, you're unaware of the fact that I am a recent college graduate with two dogs, a prince charming of my very own, a camper, and a love of agriculture. Sounds pretty appealing doesn't it?!? Well up until now, I didn't think so either. Come on, I just graduated college and it's been 4 months and I still haven't managed to find a job, what?!?! We've been prepping for our whole lives for this moment, when we finally get to be whatever we want, we're real adults now. And I'm busy marathoning TVD. It's unfortunate, right?!?! WRONG!!

This is literally the best thing ever. It's been well forever since I can remember what it was like to just have free time. No obligations, no homework, no bottle feeding to be done, NOTHING! Read it, NADA! I have nothing to do with my day but feed my dogs, shower, eat, and occasionally do yoga! How relaxing does that sound?! So relaxing that I'm going to spend all my time indulging in My Guilty Pleasures. 

Top 10 Guilty Pleasures: 

1. CWTV.com, hello The 100, TVD, and The Originals whenever I want. I've never been one to watch shows while they're actually on TV, but I've become so unhealthy obsessed with TVD that I have to know what's happening this moment, hence, cwtv.com

2. Netflix. Need I say more?

3. Yoga at home. My life has been so up in the air lately, I haven't been about to find yoga anywhere. I fell in love with it last semester at the gym and now I can't stop. I've been youtubing it up trying to find the perfect workouts.

4. Skipping yoga. Because I'm lazy and enjoying doing nothing.

5. Have a car that drives. Larry, 1994 Dodge Spirit, may he forever rest in pieces. I love my new Chevy.

6. Wearing my hair up. I wish it was socially acceptable to wear my hair in a messy, just rolled out of bed and I don't care bun, everywhere. I'm sure it might be for some occasions, but I don't look as cute as the Pinterest models do, so I'll just rock it inside the four walls of my camper for now.

7. Straws. I wish every cup and drink everywhere came with a straw! It makes drinking so much more fun and care free. {We see how this doing nothing has had a slight effect on my brain.} So like a 5 year old, you will never see me without a straw or sippy cup of some form.

8. Cooking. So that might make me sound a little crazy, but after 4 months of the same food every week, it's so nice to be able to make whatever disaster meal I so chose to create!

9. Work out clothes everywhere. Yoga pants...I love them. And occasionally I use them for actual yoga, but I also spend most days at the house decked out in spandex of the colored variety!

10. Instagram. Who isn't totally obsessed with checking their Instagram 70 times a day...or more!?!? I love it! And I've been able to cyber stalk, find more amazing bloggers out there! And able to start my Agvocate Baton! 

Well maybe it's not all bad, but I think we all need to take a little time for ourselves and indulge in the things that make us guilty. 

So what are your guilty pleasures?!? 

That Time I Moved...

TO OKLAHOMA!!!

I know, big move right? 16 hours later, I'm officially a resident of Native America. So now, my new car, my fattie dog, and my person now currently reside in the better side of the Oklahoma-Texas line! Prince Charming was excited! And I can't even handle life right now I'm so pumped!!!

I know we're all supposed to pack up and leave the nest eventually, but this just seems like something that doesn't happen in my family. And now I get to say I flew from the nest! Go me!

In addition to getting to see Prince Charming everyday, I get to finally experience FALL. That one season where the leaves change color and the weather is cooler and it rains, at a normal temperature not like a warm shower. That season where Pumpkin Spice Lattes can be consumed without the need for ice, soup is a regular dinner staple, and the words "sweater weather" actually has something to do with a need to wear a sweater, not just the time of year.

Being from the hottest state in the world, I realized you people take these season changes for granted. You are all so prepared and used to the changes in temp, that you rarely take a second glance at the numbers 45 on my car's degree gauge. This is all so new and I'm so excited! All of those long sleeve shirts I have only worn with shorts to make sure I don't die of heat exhaustion, those sweatshirts I bought from every city I've visited can finally be worn outdoors, not just in my car with the air on full blast. And this is the best part, I think I might actually be able to purchase a pair of winter boots!!!

So this place is great and I love living in the down-home, red dirt, small town, trailer living state that truly makes me feel like my life is a country song. I hope you're all jealous. Things are finally starting to fall into place and in two weeks I will be officially employed for two weeks to help with a futurity horse show and I am BEYOND excited! Wish me luck!

Don't forget to sign up for THE AGVOCATE BATON on Instagram! 

Life in State Fourty-Eight!

So I've officially been back in the Grand Canyon State for almost a month. Woot! Although it's been super nice to be home and lazy and do nothing all day, I'm ready to see Prince Charming like now.

After spending 20 hours together everyday for four months, it's hard to just pack up and leave and not feel like you're missing something. So this summer was an eye opener and there was a lot of love-hate to my experience, but I do miss my friends and the weather.

It's almost November and it's still 90 degrees outside. And everyone wonders why I'm leaving. I'm leaving! I'm packing up my life and moving! For like ever.

I so can't wait to move to Oklahoma and find a job that I really love. I can't wait to live in a 5th wheel with Prince Charming. But I can wait to say goodbye to my family and friends again.

So my life! Recently has been a blur of emotions from sad to excited to stressed to beyond joyful to stressed again. But the things I set out to do here are almost done, the piles are made and guess what?

I bought a new car! That's right kids, you're looking at the proud new owner of Dolly or Lorretta, the 2004 Chevy Malibu Maxx. Okay, so she's not new, but she's newer than Larry {My old 1994 Dodge Spirit}. May he forever be remember as the car that broke down in the desert 40 miles outside of Tucson, 4 times, in one trip. So I loved Larry, but oh man, I LOVE this new girl. It's so nice to have automatic anything!

And with the purchase of this new motorized device, it's been decided, I'll drive back to Oklahoma with my fuzzy co-pilot  in tow! And my mom. Can anyone say, "Road Trip?!?" It's a short 16 hour trek that we're going to accomplish in one day! We're the adventurous sort, we know. I'm so excited to put my first big road trip on my new car and head to my new home. I'm not so sure how Rocky is gonna handle it, but he has a new, puppy, brother waiting to terrorize him!

In addition to buying a new car, I found a job, kind of! I;m an intern, what, for a horse show in OKC in November!!! I'm so excited for this opportunity and I can't wait to get there.

So I bought a car, found a kind of job, looked through everything I own, made a pile for all my Oklahoma bound items, and traveled the state. It's been a busy month!

I'm so excited to be heading out on the road! I can't wait to see what the next few months bring and I can't wait to see Prince Charming! Hope everyone's month hasn't been as relaxingly, stressfully, busy as mine was.

How was your October!?!

#CCBeautySwap

Was that yesterday?!? I'm the worst! I've been so unorganized on my staycation! But I'm here and I'm sharing and it's only a day late! My life has been non stop travel these past few days and I've been a little lazy!

This was AWESOME! Go Crystal for setting this whole thing up. She is a goddess for her ability to handle all of this and set everyone up with the perfect swapper! {Is that a word?!?}

Anyways, I found out about this swap from some serious cyber stalking. I'm not ashamed! And I'm so glad I creeped as long as I did, because I found a world full of amazing agriculture women who love sharing their stories! 

So I got paired with myself two years ago! A fellow livestock judging team member and lover of all things fuzzy. Kidding about the last one! But there were so many similarities! I had so much fun getting to know Amy Lynn! A fellow Oklahoma enthusiast made the conversation flow and the beauty swapping began!!!

The package arrived and I was literally tearing it open as I walked in the door! I was so excited!!! And I was even more excited after I opened it!!

My Box:

1} Sally Hansen Xtreme Nail Polish: Sparkling gold, need I say more! I was so stoked when I opened my box and discovered a new shade of nail polish I would never buy for myself. I'm in love. The polish hasn't chipped in the week I've been wearing it, which is a serious plus. And I'm just obsessed with the color! It's subtle enough that it doesn't look like I'm a pop star, but sparkles just enough to be super fun. Another bonus, Cosmo told me it was the best nail polish! 

2} Not Your Mother's Leave-In Conditioner: Since my swapper knows me so well she got me leave in conditioner, but not just that! It's Way To Grow! I've been trying to grow my hair out for like ever, but haven't we all! Anyways, I've recently become obsessed with this lengthening process and this is just the cherry on top to help me in my pre-crazy Miley hair goals!

3} Urban Decay Eye Shadow Primer: When I saw this, I was freaking out. I opened the package and used it right away and it was awesome. I put it on underneath my normal eye shadow application routine and somehow all of my make up seemed to look better. My eye shadow was brighter and stayed on way longer than normal! I wore it all day long and went out that night and still had to scrub to get it off that night.

4} Peel Off Masque: I have an obsession with face masks. A collection, if you will. I love DIY at home masks, the individual ones, bottled, any kind I can get my hands on. I try to do them as often as I can. I love how it feels once you've wiped it all off! And I can't wait to use this one! I've used this brand before and I love it. It's for sure one of the best.

5} Ulta Nail Polish Remover Pads: Convenient- Check. Travel-able- Check. Something I always need, but never have- Check! This is the ultimate in beauty accessories! I always wish I have nail polish remover when I'm in the mood to mani it up, but I never have it. Between traveling during the summers and packing up apartments at the end of every year, nail polish remover tends to be one of those items that never makes it to the next destination. But that's not a problem here! They come in a small box that will fit in purse and I will always be able to keep on  me or store away for later. Can't wait to use these when I re-paint my nails shinny gold, again!

6} They're Real Mascara: Coming in a peite package, I was more than satisfied with the results of this dramatic eyelash helper. The small bottle makes it the perfect size for my ever growing makeup bag. It doesn't clump at all and my lashes are dramatically longer than any other mascara I've used before. It last all day and long into the night without flaking or clumping! Score!

7} Runway Glamor Eye Shadow: I'm obsessed with crazy colored eye shadow. It's rare that you see me in just the neutrals, unless I'm being lazy. But I never just use one color and I pretty much always use some shade of purple! So when I opened this pallet I was so excited. It's filled with all shades of purple and light browns that match perfectly with my eye color and makeup style. This shadow is super light and it only takes a little to go a LONG way! I love the colors and how long it lasts. 

So that was my box, how jealous is everyone?!?! 

This was so much fun and I'm so glad that I got a chance to meet a fellow livestock criticizer! I'm even more excited about all of the new products I get to incorporate into my make up routine. I'll keep you all updated on my new obsession, don't worry!

Make sure you head over the Crystal Cattle and see all of the other lovely ladies that participated in this beauty swap!

The AGvocate Baton

So I've been trying for a while now to turn my little old blog into something more. I started blogging about a year ago and I have had nothing but fun with it ever since. And the more I blog the more wonderful people I find that are scattered all over the internet. So with a little inspiration from Mason, like the Jar, I'm going to try and bring those people a little closer together and create my own baton of the agriculture variety. 

If you haven't read the All About Me section, you're not only missing out, but you're really confused. Quick recap: I grew up in the middle of a city and early in high school I realized the city life wasn't for me. I feel head over heels for the world of agriculture and all that the industry has to offer. Eight years, three wrangler summers, and a Bachelors in Agriculture Business Economics later my life has become nothing but agriculture. So I decided to share that life with all of you via this blog and let you share back with me via the AGvocate Baton. 


Tuesday-Thursday of every week a different Instgramer {I just made that up}, will take over The AGvocate Baton Instagram account for the day. This is your chance to show Instagram and the hashtagging world all about your life and how you #agvocate every day. You don't have to be a farmer or rancher or blogger to participate. Just have a genuine love for anything agriculture.

Here's the Rules:

1} Follow Destination:ME via Facebook and @TheAgBaton on Instagram so you can stay up to date. 

2} Tell all your social media outlets that you will be holding the baton for that day. The more people know about the AGvocate Baton the more people we'll meet and get to follow. And share your experience afterward on your blogs or other outlets

3} Post all day long! Please don't post more than 10 photos a day. 

4} Be yourself. This day is all about you and we want to see what your life is really like. Try not to post to many selfies, but feel free to edit pictures and post collages. Make your photos interesting and unique. Don't be shy use all the hashtages, emojis, and tags that your caption can handle.

5} Make sure to tag yourself at the end of each post so we can follow you! {Photo by @mynameisbob}

Let's Just Not:

1} Post inappropriate content, meaning no profanity or nudity or advertising. Let's keep it PG-13 and remember this day is about how you agvocate not what you advertise. 

2} Leave the followers and account setting alone. Feel free to follow yourself, but try not to follow anyone else or unfollow anyone. If you have a problem with the account contact me and I will fix it as soon as possible. 

*The AGvocate Baton reserves the right to remove any photo that doesn't follow these rules. 

Sign Up: 

To sign up, please email me at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/XDJGR5S and include the following information:

1. Your Name

2. Your Instagram Username

3. Your Blog URL {If you have one}

**I will give you a date at a first come, first serve basis. 

The day before you hold the baton, I will email you The AGvocate Baton account information so you can start posting. 

So what are you waiting for?!?! Head over to @TheAgBaton on Instagram and get signed up! And come check out my person account @Chacheana while you're at it!!!

I can't wait to see how amazing we make this!!!!

#OldPeopleVegas

So there are an alarming number of people that take the time to #OldPeopleVegas in reference to Laughlin, Nevada. But if you've ever had a chance to attend, you would do just the same.

This place. For those of you have never been or never heard of it, Laughlin is much like Vegas in that it is strategically placed in the middle of nowhere desert. Though it's not quite as large and glamours, it offers many of the same amenities, ie lots o' casinos and cheap hotels!

I've never been of legal age to consume alcohol while in Vegas so I can't give a proper comparison, but I can give you a few tips and tricks about how to conquer the sister city of Sin City.

5 Tips for Laughlin Getaway: 

1. Go to every casino you can and sign up for their rewards programs. I went to 7 casinos and I got $5 free play at all but two of them. The Tropicana doesn't give you free play, but if you loose more than $10 and up to $100, they will send you that money back in free mail, via snail mail. The Aquarius only gives you some valuable coupons of the BOGO variety. I went to the Riverside, Edgewater, Colorado Belle, Pioneer, and Golden Nugget to get me free play.

2. Buffet is your best bet. There are a multitude of buffets spread across the entire main road of this desert oasis, but the best bang for your buck is to pick one of them. I ate at the Colorado Belle for their breakfast buffet and for $8 you can't beat their made to order omelet bar and fresh fruit selection. I also ate at the Riverside Buffet and with a BOGO offer, it was $15 for two people. They had every type of food you could want from salad bar, sandwich station, to Mexican and Chinese. And the dessert options were endless.

3. Gamble. Not only can you use your free play to win lots of money, but the more you gamble the more you get. Drink wise that is. All drinks are compensated for those who are using the machines and tables. So drink away because it's free.

4. Don't pick your hotel for the views. So this marvelous city is stationed parallel to the Colorado River and many of the hotels sell you on their river adjacent views. But for the best deals, don't buy for the view. If you go during the week you are likely to get a decent room for around $18 a night. I stayed 3 nights during the week and payed a little over $63 for all 3 nights including tax. I didn't have a river view, but I found the river walk just as exciting.

5. There is always something to do, cheap. So if you're not a big gambler or like me, you only came for the free play, there are plenty of other things to do in this sprawling city. There is an outlet mall just across from the Edgewater filled with great deals. There are several movie theaters, a bowling alley, and a classic car showroom (Riverside). There are comedy shows on the weekends for around $10 a person and plenty of well know entertainers that grace the stages surrounding this retirement crowd haven at a decent price. There is the river itself which offers plenty of amusement for those who enjoy the water. There are water taxis, dinner inclusive boat rides, and jet ski and kayak rentals.

So no matter what your preference, this city has it all. Just a 3 hour drive from Phoenix and you're on your way to 65 and up paradise. On my trip I didn't gamble too much but with all of my free play I only spent about $10 on the machines. Next time you're thinking of hitting up Sin City, take a second and see if you'd rather save and hit up her sister city.

Oh Hey There AZ...

I see you're still ten million degrees in the shade. I almost forgot why I left.

Welp, I'm back home. And as much as I don't enjoy the hot sun that seems to be pointed directly at Arizona all the time, I did miss it a little bit.

Sometimes I forget that I just got back from three months in the Wyoming mountains, everything feels the same and I really just feel like I'm on summer vacation. Then I remember, my life is a summer vacation. I thought that graduating would be awesome and cool and everything I ever wanted. I was so excited to start a life and be out of the Dirty-T. But honestly, being an adult sucks.

Thus far I've learned that, I'm unemployed, broke, and have no realistic goals for the future. Wait, what? I thought the future was just supposed to work itself out...guess not.

So I sit here typing away this post, listening to Dolly Shine for the 5th time this morning, avoiding looking for jobs. Instead I'll Facebook my used to be friends and day dream about my perfect job.

Any advice here? 

I started being domestic again, which I was in college, but it seems so much more like I can legit #domestic now because I'm not cooking with Ramen or Pasta Roni and scrapping the bottom of my fridge looking for groceries that don't exist. I'm being a real live person, making real live meals, and baking. Woot. So fun. Remind me again why I'm not more excited about this?

In between looking for a job and figuring out my life, I'm trying to get back in shape from all the desserts, all you can eat lunches, and butter filled dinners I consumed at the ranch. I love working out....NOT! But with YouTube and Pinterest as my secret weapons, I think I can put the marshmallows away and do some sit ups.


All in all, being home is great! I love being able to drive my car again, not some shady ranch truck. I had an adult like dinner date with the best friend last night, which was much needed. I even went and got an adult horizontal drivers license yesterday. I love the DMV almost as much as job hunting. I  love knowing where I'm going and driving on familiar streets. Seeing my fam bam has been awesome! And seeing my other graduated adult friends gives me a small amount of hope.

But tell me this, why is it that as a recent college graduate people are talking to me about benefits. I know it sounds childish and futile of me, but I think that I can go out into this world and be excessive and ridiculous and find a job that doesn't have good benefits, because guess what? I'm 21!!!!! I don't need to find my forever career right now! I want to find a job I love and I want to meet amazing people and do fun things! I want my life to be as exciting as it seems on Facebook. Hence why I spent my summer in the mountains. I want to see the world. I want to wake up everyday and do fun things and live the life I love. Not one filled with 401k's and insurance coverage...

Anyone with me?


So end rant. And this is where I leave you, because the soundtrack to Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron just started on my Spotify and I have to jam.

Three-Ingredient Dog Treats

Since my life of living in the saddle and never having to cook is now behind me, I've decided to change things up both in my life and on this blog! After 3 months of no kitchen time, I realized I missed it and I have been a cooking queen ever since! From pantry cleaning Mexican food to poor mans Chinese, I've been on the look out for more kitchen involved ideas.

So I was searching Pinterest when I found an idea for homemade dog treats. I've always wanted to try this, so I did! With one quick stop to Hobby Lobby for Dino shaped cookie cutters and one quick stop to Wal-Mart for the ingredients, I was off.

Here is the recipe for 3 ingredient Dino Dog Treats:

Prep: 10 minutes   Bake: 20-25 minutes

Servings: About 20 

Ingredients:

1 cup of whole wheat flour

1 (4oz) can of baby food {chicken, carrot, banana, etc}

1 tablespoon of peanut butter

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

Mix all three ingredients into a bowl until they form a thick dough

Use a floured surface to roll the dough flat

Cut into pieces with cookie cutters, pizza slicer, or knife 

Place on greased baking sheet

Bake for 20-25 minutes {top rack}

Store in a paper bag

*They should come out with a cracker like consistency 

**Feel free to double the recipe if you need. These only last about two weeks

***Make sure the baby food does NOT have onions, grapes, raisins, or added sugar in the ingredients.

Final Goodbyes and New Beginnings

I thought I was ready for this.

I was, I still am. I'm so happy to be home and it's been great being around people I know. Of course I'm not really home yet, but this is close enough. But as we crawled over the top of the driveway for the last time and I rolled the window down for one last snapshot of this place that's been my home for the last 3 months, I was sad. This summer had it's ups and downs, but I made some amazing friends and even better memories.

Breakfast was filled with a line of hugs from my favorite people. It was a bitter sweet farewell as they all had 4 more days of working here in this place while we got to go home and be normal for a minute.

So we're here. We made it home. As home as a camper park is. I've never really mentioned this on the  blog before, and now seems like a perfect time to start.

In our off time when we're not traveling to different states and being cowboys, Prince Charming and I lead very different lives. Up until May, I was in school full time and working for the university's farm. Prince Charming was welding, on a pipeline.

Pipeline welding has it's perks and it's something Prince Charming loves. But for me the situation is a little different. He welds for so many months at one location then moves to some other RV park location.


We're currently residing in Oklahoma. And I'm on the hunt for the next step.


I head home in the next three days and until then I will be attempting to train the new puppy, Oh yeah, we picked up an 11 week old Catahoula puppy on the way home! He's a hooligan! I miss Rocky! And being domestic! So if you need me I will be over here baking and cleaning!

Goodbye Paradise, Hello Real Life!

It's over, it's done. The summer, gone.

How absolutely terrifying. The three months here are gone like the wind and I still have no clue what to do with my life. But I don't think any of us really do anymore.

Besides the fact that I have no future career plans, I am beyond excited to say that I'm going home in a week! I get to soak in the hot sunshine, feel the sweltering heat of the Arizona fall, and SEE MY DOG!!!! I'm super excited to see my fam bam, but let's be honest, I love that little guy more than anything in the world.


Anywho, my life is packed. Four months of clothes, souvenirs, cowboy attire, tack, pictures, etc is backed into the back of PC with a Southern Accent's pickup! We're heading down the road to see some familiar faces and even more exciting places. 

This summer has been the ultimate test; for both myself and our relationship. Prince Charming and I went from seeing each other every month or so to spending 18+ hours a day together, 7 days a week. That's intense. There were some moments where I wanted to kill him, but others where I was beyond reassured that I want to spent the rest of my life loving this one man.

It's been a summer for the history books. One that I will always remember. Will I ever come back to this place? Hell no. But did I love being here. Yes! I met some amazing people and friends that I genuinely believe will stick around for the long run.

So it's been a good run. I had a lot of fun. Rode some crazy fun horses and fell in love with the mountains all over again, but it's time to pack up and head out. I need some cell service, real food and familiar faces.

Roots or Leaves?!?!

Okay, so maybe I over estimated my abilities. Maybe I think I can do more than I really can. Maybe my pinterest board is the most glamorous part of my life right now. And maybe I'm okay with that.

If you would have asked me 4 months ago, I would have said let's pack our bags and go somewhere, anywhere. Let's leave this place behind and see the world that's out there waiting for me.

But now, 4 months later, I'm ready to do nothing more than go home. I ready to go to bed every night snuggling my dog. I'm ready to eat home cooked meals. I'm ready to not share a bathroom with 10 other girls, or a washing machine, or a living room. I'm ready to have a house not a room. I want a kitchen, a car, a TV, cell service. I'm just ready to have familiar things in my life again.

I always thought that I could live a gypsy life. I have always wanted to travel and see the world and have memories of amazing places. And I guess I have done a little of that, but I wanted big and grand and I was ready. Now, I think I'm ready to have a life. Be someone, not somewhere. 

At this moment in time I want to be a lifestyle blog failure. All my hopes and ambitions of becoming a traveling blogger are dwindling with my need to be home.

This summer has been both amazing and terrible all at the same time. Yes, being a wrangler is the ultimate job, but this wasn't everything I thought it was going to be, but what is really?

The big issue here is that not only do you have to wake up every morning and work all day long, you have only a 100 yards from the barn to your room. There is no escape. Every meal, every moment outside of crew housing is spent smiling, inquiring, laughing, and being nice and right now I'm exhausted. I just want to eat Hot Pockets in my sweatpants. I want to open a real fridge and make a meal. I want to hope in my car and drive to a Fry's. I want to be in civilization.

Maybe it's less that the nomad life isn't for me and more that I want adventures and memories, not bunkhouses and mindless chores.