Happy Now-Easter Weekend

Darren and I returned last night from a very fun Easter weekend.  My dad's  cousins own a winter ranch near Milford, Utah.  Darren and I were invited to spend the weekend with our extended family out at the ranch and had a great time!  I loved being able to spend time with family, enjoy the open space, and see the animals.  Darren was in cowboy heaven. :)

1.  Welcoming Wintches--Darren and I were touched by how welcoming the Wintch side of my family was to us.  I didn't know several of my extended family members on this side of the family, and they had never met Darren, but they welcomed us with open arms and immediately made us feel comfortable and a part of the family.

2.  Wide Open Spaces--I love traveling to big cities that are full of culture and history, but there is something about getting away from everything and being surrounded by nothing but land that is refreshing to the soul.

Me and Darren with some Wintch relatives at the winter ranch.

3.  Cowboy Heaven--Darren's family owns a dry farm in Idaho, and Darren has often talked about how much he would love taking over the farm and making a living from the land.  It was fun for me to watch Darren walk around the ranch this weekend.  He is now totally committed to the idea of owning cattle, in addition to the dogs and horses we have already discussed. :)

These bulls were absolutely massive.  Darren (who also dreams of bull riding one day) actually pet one of them.  Seeing how strong they were with only one metal bar separating us from them, however, I decided to keep a safer distance.

4.  Baby Colt--There were some animals on the farm, however, that completely won me over.  It is calving season, so there were several baby calves at the ranch for us to see--they are much more endearing than the big bulls.  The highlight for me, however, was being able to see a baby colt that had been born two days before our arrival.  It's mother was very protective and kept the baby out of our eyeshot for most of the day, but we were able to get a couple of good shots.

5.  Saturday Picnic--The Wintch family hosted an amazing picnic lunch and Easter egg hunt at the ranch on Saturday.  After eating, while some of the adults were hiding the Easter bags for everyone, Darren and I took a hike with some cousins to a little rock peak.  The view was amazing!  Mary Wintch got this shot of us at the top.  Darren and I are the little dots to the far right. :)

6.  Easter Egg Hunt--It is a Wintch family tradition to hide little Easter bags for everyone on the mountain side on the Saturday before Easter.  The Wintches were kind enough to make me and Darren our own bags.  We had a lot of fun searching the mountain for our bags with the kids. 

7.  Family History--The ranch and it's surrounding areas are filled with history.  I loved listening to my dad's cousin, John Wintch, tell us stories about the history that surrounded us.  The home they live in on the ranch used to be an old train station, and there are remnants of old potato sheds and lambing shelters that my great-great grandfather used on the ranch.  Richard Wintch, another of my dad's cousins, told me I was the 5th generation of Wintch/Sonne's to visit the ranch.  There is something special about walking in the same places my ancestors walked and made their living.

Laura, Dallin, Richard, Darren and me in front of the old potato shed

8.  Old West Music--Mary Wintch set the perfect mood as we drove into the ranch Saturday morning by playing a CD of Old Western Music including songs like "Cold, Clear Water" and "Home on the Range."  It was hard to keep a straight face while listening to some of the songs, but it sure fit the setting perfectly.

9.  Easter Dinner--We returned to the Wintch home in Manti, Utah on Saturday night so that we could attend church and have Easter dinner there on Sunday.  Mary prepared an amazing meal of ham, potatoes, salad, and rolls with ice cream, banana bread, and strawberries for dessert.  Needless to say, we did not leave Manti hungry!

10.  Manti Temple--I absolutely love the Manti Temple.  It is so beautiful.  There is a beautiful view of the temple from Mary's Manti home.  On our way out of town Sunday evening, we drove around the temple grounds.  We didn't get any pictures of the temple on this trip, but here is an old favorite that Mary took of us a couple of years ago when Darren and I visited Manti for the 4th of July after becoming engaged.

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter weekend, as well!

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