Haute On The Ranch: Those Good Ole [Back to School] Days!

As we look forward at this entirely new season of life known as parenthood and see the excitement surrounding another year of back to school preparation on our social media, we can’t help but take a few minutes to remember the good ole days of our own back to school season. It’s been a while to say the least, but it really does seem like yesterday that we were in Stillwater living up the college life. And while the education we garnered there has taken us far beyond what we ever predicted or even imagined, it’s safe to say that the lifelong friendships we made and the character built along the way continue to be some of the most cherished parts of our lives. With that being said, here’s a throwback to some of our “favorites” from those good ole “back to school” days…

• Wednesday night jackpots in Mustang - I really couldn’t tell you how many of these we went to, but we certainly made our fair share. Fun fact: when we were in Stillwater, there wasn’t a Texas Roadhouse yet (or a whole lot of other things), so if we won money at the barrel race we would stop at the Texas Roadhouse in OKC and have salad, rolls AND a steak… and if we didn’t win anything, we’d still stop for the salad and rolls. College budgeting at its finest.

Shown: Leopard Rose Cap

• Saturday nights at the Tumbleweed - We’ve heard that the Tumbleweed has had its ups and downs over the past several years, but in our time, we can assure you it was a pretty happening place. It’s where we first fell in love with the music of Jason Boland, Cross Canadian Ragweed, Reckless Kelly, Mike McClure and so many more… Time sure has flown, but nothing takes us back quite like the music we two-stepped to during those college years.

Shown: The Loveland dress, Marina Del Rey Warbonnet, Houston Necklace, Kalea Bracelet

• Rodeo hauls - For the record, we’d spend far too much time trying to get our stuff together to make it out of town on Thursday to get to that weekend’s rodeo. We’d load down our laundry baskets (because who uses a suitcase), pile them all in the living quarters and set off. It’s the hours we spent chasing those highway lines where we really became the best of friends. We’d talk about life, guys, the future and all our hopes and dreams… crazy thing is, while it may have taken a little more time and lot more trial and error than we had planned, they’ve really all come true -- right down to getting to work together and raise our babies together. So for those of you still trying to “figure it out” or “get it together”, be patient and keep working at it. You’ll be glad you did. ;)

Shown: Vintage Belt Cuff

• Limeys at the Copper Penny - So basically, take a limeade and add some booze (cherry syrup if you wish) to a 32 oz. styrofoam cup and you have yourself a limey. They’re a Stillwater staple and still around seeing as I try to make it by for one each year on homecoming weekend… The flavor options have expanded, but a good ole cherry limey is where it’s at -- and I assure you we tried enough of them to be an adequate judge. Just watch the count… they go down pretty smooth.

Shown: The Ranch Cactus tank, Marina Del Rey Warbonnet, Concho Necklace, Rock Springs Earrings

• “Extended” Weekends - 98% of adulting is not conducive to weekends that start on Thursdays at 11pm and wrap up around 2am Sunday morning. We’ve caught ourselves remarking more than once in the past 10 years that we don’t think we could survive that time in our life again… but occasionally we get half a mind to think we’d like to try for just one weekend. And then the reality of Friday and Saturday and responsibility sets in and… Moral of the story -- if you’re living up the college life, enjoy it because it certainly doesn’t last forever.

Shown: Rosette Earrings

• The Barn - The Barn was great for a lot of things, but something about their fountain drinks were just “better” than anyone else’s. After a full day of class or before heading out to the arena to ride for the evening, nothing beat a quick drive thru at The Barn for large Diet Coke (also something we no longer drink as adults).

Shown: The Brimley tank, Kalea Bracelet, Royce Lariat

• Holiday “Breaks” - Looking back, it seems like we had a break for nearly everything when we were in school… and typically a pretty decent one. Christmas Break, Spring Break, Fall Break, etc. Now? Not so much. And while we partly miss the break itself (because there are certainly no breaks in owning your own business), I think we miss the quality time we got to spend with family and friends during those built in breaks as much as anything. Summers spent at home living and working with our families, ski trips or beach getaways with our friends… the type of quality time that it’s just SO much harder to come by when they aren’t built into the year for you.

Shown: Kempton Necklace

Now, I know what you’re thinking… None of these “favorites” really revolve around our “major” and class schedule. But despite the occasional all-nighter (because we were masters at procrastination) and mediocre geography paper, we made through that part of our “back to school” season just fine, as well. These other parts -- as random as they are -- will be what we remember for years to come. They will be what we tell our kids about someday when we visit them for homecoming weekend or when they set off for one of their own college rodeos. They are the parts that built character and friendships that will last forever… and for that, we’re eternally grateful for those “back to school” seasons and wish everyone a GREAT start to the new school year!

Til next time,

Sammie & Ryley