Independance Day at The Ranch

For the 4th of July we headed to Zac's family's land in Oklahoma with Ramsi, Tatem, Scott, and Eliza. It was a fun weekend at the ranch, as they all are, but it seemed like we had some extra adventures this time around. I wouldn't change a thing, as it made for lots of laughs and some great memories, but here are a few of the funny things that happened:
-We got a visitor from a little mouse the first night we were there. I named him Mr. Jingles and we made a pact not to hurt him...just to get him out of the house. Tatem had a good point: he lives there more than we do...we were just visitors for the weekend! :) Haha, you should have seen five adults working together for 45 minutes trying to get this poor little guy out of the house! :) We had lots of laughs, a few squeals, and a few people stood on chairs...but I won't name any names, hehe.
-When we went to bathe Molly that first night, we realized that the cold water didn't work in the shower. It seems like it would be better for that to go out than the hot water, but at least you can take a cold shower...this water was so hot (pretty much right away) that you couldn't even put your hand under it, much less your body! Zac and Scott had a smart idea...to turn down the hot water heater, so that the water would not be scalding, but just warm. The only bad thing, was that the hot water heater is in the storm basement (totally underground! It's Oklahoma-tornado country) which is dark and eerie. I kept thinking that scorpions and tarantulas would come crawling up, haha. Of course they didn't and everything was fine, and the guys' idea worked! :)
-We went to Lake Eufaula for July 4th and it was really pretty and cool! I definitely would like to go back there again! Zac and his family went there alot when he was a kid, so he has childhood memories out there. Surprisingly, it was not too crowded, especially for being a holiday. Part of that might have been that it was storming on our way out there (which might have scared away some people, but not us!). When we got there it was not raining, but it was still pretty overcast. The water was a tiny bit cold, but mostly felt good. It would have been better if the sun was out, but we still got a good little swim in, and some top notch people watching!! One man was swimming in a t-shirt and overalls! I think Ramsi, Tatem, and I were the only girls there above the age of 16 without a tattoo! ha!
-Scott bought lots of fireworks on the way up to the ranch, so that night we were treated to a show! Since it rained that day, the ground was wet, which took away my paranoia of starting a grass fire. It ended up raining again that night after the fireworks, so it was extra safe.
-We spent a lot of time just hanging around the house, cooking, eating and visiting. Eliza was a blast, and fun to watch, no matter what she is doing. It was definitely a weekend I will never forget! I did decide however, that I like the ranch a hundred times more in the winter. It's just so hot in the summer, and there are SO MANY bugs...it's like camping! Molly even got a few ticks, which really grosses me out. Zac had to pull them off of her. Yuk! Also, in the winter you can walk around and enjoy the nature much more because it's not 105 degrees! :)
Tatem, Scott, Ellie, and Ramsi-will you please come with us again in the fall or winter? I promise it will be much less eventful...in a good way! :)
Molly's sniffer goes crazy when we turn onto the dirt road that leads to the ranch!
Eliza and Tatem going for a dip in the pool...
Scooter and Ellie on a stroll...
Me, Ramsi, and Dollar!!!
Eliza liked the horses better when they were on the other side of a fence! ;)
Ramsi and Eliza
Walking amongst the cattle
Best Friends! :)
Molser and the old barn and the pond...she loves to explore!
Uncle Ken, Tatem, and Eliza
If you look closely (you might have to click on the pic to enlarge it) Mr. Jingles is chillin' in the background. We tried to get Molly to help us chase her, but she was like "Me? A rodent? Your kidding, right? I'm going back to sleep!"
Eliza was so super cute at the lake.Best Friends!! (notice the patriotic swimsuit! The bottom has stripes!)
Lake Eufaula
Zac and Tatem love this front porch! It's a great conversation station! ;)
Eliza letting me hold her for a bit. Zac telling Eliza all about Blue. He's the horse that bucked me off! But I still like him. I just like to remind him about what a bad boy he was that day.

Cute family photo with the ranch house in the background.
Molly was a tired pooch by the end of the trip!!