After I graduated from high school (class of 99), I went to Ricks College in Rexburg, Idaho. I majored in horticulture, and learned that I'd be required to take soil science and tractor driving classes as part of the curriculum. My dad "warned" me that with classes like that, I would likely meet, and marry a farmer...which I did- one year later.
I didn't meet Ben at class. I met him when he and some roomates were visiting my apartment complex, and within 10 days, I wrote in my journal that I wanted to marry him...a very wise choice for an 18-year-old, if I do say so myself. I thought he was amazing in every way- he came from a big (8 kids!) family, and had grown up working on his family's dairy farm. He was a very hard worker (he did janitorial work every morning on campus before going to class- waking at 4 or 4:30 every morning). He was honest and hard working. Very quiet and reserved with people he didn't know very well, but hilarious and fun when he was comfortable. He drove an old, long cadillac around campus, until it broke down, then drove a farm truck until he bought a car. I liked pretty much everything about him, and thought I was possibly the luckiest girl in the world that he wanted to be a dairy farmer.
We were engaged in the spring, and after the school year ended, I stayed at Ricks for the spring term, and Ben returned home to work on his family's dairy farm in American Falls, Idaho. Ben left me his car so I could drive the 2 1/2 hours to visit him every weekend. At that time, Ben occasionally did the night milking at the dairy, and one night, I drove down to surprise him. I showed up, unexpectedly, and helped him milk all night. The next morning, I drove back up to school, but missed a class or two to catch up on sleep.
We were married on August 18, 2000, honeymooned in San Diego for a week, then packed up the few things we owned, moved into our tiny apartment in Provo, Utah, and started classes at BYU two days later. Ben majored in Animal Science with a minor in Business; I majored in Landscape Design with a minor in Business. I finished all my classes in December 2001, had Tyler in February 2002, then walked with Ben in graduation in April 2002. The day of graduation, we packed up and moved to American Falls, Idaho, so Ben could work on his family's farm with his older brother, John.
We were there from April 2002 until June 2003, and moved to a condo in Tremonton, Utah. We had been looking to expand our business, and found a dairy to rent in Bear River City, Utah (about 15 minutes from our apartment). Starting up the dairy in Tremonton was a very, very difficult experience (to put it mildly). Putting together a herd and a workforce were just a small part of the battle. Ben and his dad, and at times, one of his brothers, came and worked 16-20 hour days- day after day for weeks. It was a really tough, stressful time (for all of us). After a few months, things were a little more under control at the dairy, and our second son, Trey was born on September 26, 2003. When he was five days old, we found out that he had HLHS, a very serious heart problem, and our life was elevated to a whole new level of chaos.
In April 2005, we moved everything- ourselves and the cows- to our new home in Idaho. The family business had purchased a dairy- a place where we could expand- with a home right on the property. We have LOVED our home here- we have a house that is perfect for our little family, a huge yard, and the dairy in our backyard (literally), which means that we get to see Ben a lot. Our kids love it here. We love having Ben close. And although I wasn't thrilled at first with the idea of cows in my backyard, I love having Ben so close.
If being a good dairyman's wife means helping on the farm, driving tractors, and milking cows, then I have got to be one of the worst. I do almost nothing to help on the farm. I do know how to drive a tractor (actually, I've driven several kinds of tractors- I got an A in my college tractor driving class), and I do know how to milk a cow (but- and this is very embarrassing to admit- I have never milked a cow by hand). When we moved here, a woman in our ward, a widowed dairyman's wife, warned me to NEVER show my usefulness on the farm, or they would ALWAYS need me. I've taken her advice to heart, and although I am willing to help out when needed, that help usually comes in the form of being a free tool rental service, occasional errand girl, computer tech support, or dairy photographer (because we actually do take pictures of some cows).
Although I am not much help AT ALL on the farm, I do think I'm a great dairymanswife in the sense that I support my husband in doing the job that he loves. I love my life here. It's open and quiet and a very happy place to be. I love it. I love having Ben close by. I love having so much space for our kids to wander. I love having a place where we can teach our kids to work.
Being a dairy farm family is not an easy life style. Ben works 7 days a week- most days he "only" works about 11 hours- with a 10-15 minute lunch break. Other days, he puts in many more hours. He works every weekend, sometimes during the night, and many more hours when the weather is wet or snowy. He gets very stressed out by any moisture (keeping the cows comfortable and healthy is one of his main concerns). I am a person who LOVES any type of rain, sleet, hail, or snow- any bad weather because I LOVE to be cozy and warm inside. Ben, however, has to be outside- all day, every day, despite the weather, so I try not to show my excitement when the weather report is bad.
All in all, I feel very blessed to be a dairymanswife! Really though, who wouldn't love life if they had these ladies starting at them every time they went outside?
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