Thankful by The Pioneer Woman

Life on the ranch has not been dull. Ladd and I went to College Station to see Alex at Texas A&M ten days ago. She received her Aggie ring, which is an honor Texas A&M students get to realize once they accomplish 90 credit hours. Aggie rings are spotted all over the globe, and to say it is quite a brother/sisterhood would be an understatement!

People are nuts about those Aggie rings, man.

 
 
I love this photo of Ladd and Alex. He loves her so much.

So immediately following the ring ceremony, Ladd and I had to dart back to the Houston airport and catch a flight back home…

 
Because Bryce was playing in his football game at 7 pm Friday night and we couldn’t miss it, either! Weather delayed us a bit, but we got there in the second quarter and got to see the Huskies beat the Panthers.

Go Huskies!

 
Oh! And that day also happened to be our anniversary. We celebrated by finally falling in bed at 11:30 that night and passing out. Ha. But we touched feet while we slept, which means all is right with the world.

 
But the most significant thing that happened on that day was that we received word that that Edna Mae, Ladd’s precious grandmother, had passed away early that morning. We knew it was coming, but of course it’s hard when a loved one’s life ends—especially after 94 years on this earth.

 
Edna Mae was an amazing woman. She grew up in a small Oklahoma town, and got married and raised a family on a ranch a mere 20 miles from there. After her kids were raised and she divorced, she up and moved to California by herself to start a career. I always think of the courage that must have required. She retired back in Oklahoma to enjoy the family she loved so much.

That same courage was on display in the two-plus years my mother-in-law Nan, Edna Mae’s oldest child, battled cancer. She was there for Nan when Nan needed her mom the most. It’s almost as if Edna Mae willed herself to wait until after Nan was gone. These things are a mystery, but it’s hard not to think about timing. It’s been difficult to lose two important women in our family so close together.

 
But we know we have a lot to be thankful for.