Ode…hahaha I don’t really know what that means…but love letter didn’t seem really appropriate when addressing my sister, so it seemed like a good word to use in my title. 🙂
Olivia…amazing!!! She did so so much to make our time so fun and special while we were in Arkansas! We felt so loved and cared for by her and Cody!
It was so good to meet the people I knew only names of, see the places i had only heard of, and spend some good quality time with the two of them!
I continually looked at my sister and said some times to my self…sometimes out loud “who is this???” She is a cowgirl!! I was so impressed with what she knew of horses, life there, ropings, etc. She could saddle and unsaddle horses, use the special call signals to move cattle, get the dogs to heard the cattle, open and close fences, give her calf shots, get up early to go feed, give directions, knew hours of the stores and the closest ones, knew all the langauge of a roping…
She has not only moved there…she has taken up life there! Embraced things and fought to learn things that once was only foreign language to her! I so wanted to understand the ways…and i asked so so many questions, but still don’t understand all the verbage she was throwing out there as she took money and set the ‘ropers’ up for the rodeo. She is a smart one! I love how she knows it!! I think it would have been so easy to get there…be so frustrated and have the attitude “I don’t get it, I have never had this…I’m from the city” and never try to learn it…and want Cody to just accept her as she is. She has not done that at all! Cody could ask her to do something-and she would do it!! She is “part” of it and not just an onlooker!!
There was nothing the made her stick out like a ‘city gal’ as I am sure every time I opened my mouth it was an onbvious thing for me. I love that she knows life there-she fits right in and I could not be prouder of her! It’s hard to have my sister, one of my best friends, live so very far away…but I think its been really good for her…and for her and Cody. I loved to see them interact in ‘Cody’s world’ and they really have something special.
You two aren’t going to just make it…you are going to be a story that passes on for generations to come. I know I bawled like a baby leaving you two…and that is just because I love you so very much!! I can’t wait to see you again!
I’m gonna have a good cry….Miss you girls!
Goodness – This was the sweetest blog I have ever read. I think on mine, I will now start doing an ode to all of my siblings, and try to make them this nice.
Way to go Erica. And way to go Olivia, because it’s all true.