b'Cowgirl With A PenMy Perks of Marrying Young AND MARRYING A COWBOYBy Naomi LoomisPlease follow me on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook @thecirclelranchVisit our website at thecirclelranch.com and send any comments to Loomis489@yahoo.com. I would love hearing from you.M y Cowboy and I met at a religious convention in5learned that it is so important to put us before them. A Great Romance. Love stories can happen at any age, Wyoming. While it was love at first sight for him, itbut when you marry young you get to run the wholeWe have learned that if we neglect our relationship while took some time for me to know that I wanted to spendcourse, from young and stupid to old and wise, together. Itraising our kids, we slowly grow apart. I also believe that it the rest of my life with him. Our love story started a couplemay be crazy and wild at times, but my Cowboy and I workis important for our kids to see their parents spending time of years later when we met for the second time at anotheron our love story every day. Our love story has been a greattogether. We need to be good examples to our kids and it is religious convention in Kansas. We married when we wereromance, and I would not trade it for the world! Lookingokay to close our doors and have some quiet time with each both nineteen years old, and 24 years later, I am still in loveat our four beautiful kids, the ranch we call home in theother. In addition to this, children gain a sense of security with my Cowboy. In honor of Valentines Day, I have comeSandhills of Nebraska, and our love story, I would say that Iwhen they know their parents are happy.up with a short list of some of the many perks of gettinghave been blessed.married young and or making a life with my Cowboy. Marrying Cody was the best decision of my young life, and7 Dont Go to Bed Mad. On our wedding day,my grandpa, who was in his 90s, gave us this advice.1 Growing Up Together. Since we got married just outI do mean that. Neither of us has a clue how its possibleHe was so right.of high school, we had a lot of growing up to do. I wontthat 24 years have come and gone already, and I feel more say that it has all been flowers, but I know that I am a bettergrateful than ever that we have built our own story. The8 It is Okay to Have Differences. Differences actually person because of my Cowboy. We got to grow up and nowtruth is, I have fallen in love with Cody and out of love withcan be a blessing. We are different; Cody is quiet while get to grow old, together. I cannot think of anything betterhim but we never give up. In 24 years we have managed toI am not! Cody is reserved and I am outgoing. Cody is a than to have my Cowboy by my side. make it through buying a ranch, taking over Codys parentsplanner and I tend to fly by the seat of my pants. You see, ranch, 4 pregnancies, deaths, and are kind of rocking thewhile sometimes our differences may cause a little conflict, 2twin parenting and teenage boy thing. We really havewe try to pull each other out of our comfort zones. Our Accomplishing Milestones Together. Most couples get to go through milestones like becoming parents, jobnothing to complain about. differences make our life interesting, and exciting and cause promotions, and buying their first home, but my Cowboyus to grow. I think that it is a blessing.and I get to experience different sorts of amazing milestonesHERE IS WHAT IVE PERSONALLY LEARNEDside-by-side. Graduating college, buying our own pieceAFTER 24 YEARS OF BEING MARRIED 9 Dont Try to Change Each Other. Ever tried to of land, living in an old house, saving up for a nice horse,Lesson number one: Cowboys really are from Mars! change someone? It does not work. The only person purchasing our own cattlethese are awesome experiencesOkay, Ill get to the real list. (But seriously.) I have to saythat can be me is me. The same is in a marriage. Dont try my Cowboy and I get to share in addition to becomingthere really are more than these 20, but this is obviously ato change your spouse. One of the turning points in our parents. narrowed-down list. These are in no particular order. marriage is when I figured out that I should support Cody, not change him.31Make Time for Date Nights. You dont have GO Learning That There is Power in Prayer. One thingMarriage is Not a 50/50 Type of Relationship. This about being married to a rancher/Cowboy is that I haveone was something that I had to learn the hard way. You10 learned to pray more. We know that God is in control. Isee, this belief caused us to fight a lot until we figured outOUT on the town, a simple alone time is considered know that by having God at the center of our ranch life, thethat we both must set aside selfishness and give everythinga date to us. We go horseback and 4-wheeler riding, we go years will be much more fulfilling. we have, over and over, to make our relationship successful.check water together and sometimes we just put the kids We both have to give 100% each. to bed and have a glass of wine together. If you think about 4Stay Humble, Stay Kind. We all are imperfect, right?it, the main purpose of dating is to get to know someone, Finding the Adventure in Every Day. Every day at the Circle L is an adventure! Sometimes jobs on2enjoy his company, have fun, and nurture the relationship, the ranch can get repetitive and mundane, but if a personYes, we are, and we need to be humble enough to admitright? So why would you stop dating when you get married?can find a spark of adventure in the day, or share a laughit. It is our human nature to be right all the time, but we all together, it can turn the day around for the better. We knowknow that is not ever going to happen, making humility11 Dont Talk Bad About Each Other in Front of not every job is fun, but if someone makes a joke while weessential. When Cody and I have a situation we dontKids, Friends, and Family. Talking bad about each are working it is more fun for the whole family if we canagree on, I have noticed that my attitude can change ourother will do more harm than good and to be honest, it laugh together. disagreement from a fight to just a talk, especially if I canreally gets you nowhere fast. This also includes calling admit that I am wrong, we find the solution a lot faster. each other bad names. I want to add to this as well, dont compare other marriages to your own marriage.3Money. It is important to get on the same page about Im Busy. Hes Busy. Everyone is Busy. But never be too busy for each other. 12 money. Finances break up a lot of marriages. If you 4both commit your hearts to God and follow His leading by Communication. We have learned that communication is so important. Chat with each other.releasing, in your heart, your money to Him, then you will I cannot assume that Cody can read my mind and I knowmove forward together.that I cannot read Codys mind either, especially working cattle! We have learned that if something little is bothering13 Laugh, Smile, Be Silly. Laughing together can us and we let it fester, then we eventually will have a hugetake the edge off many stressful situations. Doesnt it disagreement. Communication whether it is good, bad, ormake a day go by faster when you can laugh, smile, and be ugly, talking is so important in a marriage. silly? You bet it does. Just having a good sense of humor is critical. Learning to lighten up about life in general, makes 5life happier.Listening. Communication is a two-way street where you have to listen as well. Understanding where each other is coming from is important, and that can only14 Compromise. We have learned that we never get happen if you stop and listen. anywhere if we are both not willing to bend. We are different, so we must rely on compromise. It is not a matter 6of whos right. It is about meeting in the middle between Marriage, Then the Kids. This one is a tough one because our maternal instincts come out, but we haveour differences.14 February 2023'