Happy Valentines Day Wild Bill! I know this is past due but we were business busy yesterday:)
“It’s amazing how you can speak right to my heart
Without saying a word, you can light up the dark
Try as I may, I could never explain
What I hear when you don’t say a thing”
“The smile on your face lets me know that you need me
There’s a truth in your eyes sayin’ you’ll never leave me
The touch of your hand says you’ll catch me if ever I fall
You say it best when you say nothing at all”
“When You Say Nothing At All” By Alison Krauss
The day we met was the beginning of a life long love affair…36 years ago today!
In front of the kitchen window…summer 1980…married four years:)
We raised three kid between us…the boys and I doing Thanksgiving dishes about 1984 in the old kitchen of this house and looking out the same kitchen window.
Now we have several grandkids…we started having kids when we were 10 years old…or maybe this year we will celebrate our 75th birthday….either way we were young!
This picture was taken in 1964 up at the mountain cattle ranch and this is what my parents gave to me…the commitment of marriage and love…respect and honor. Mom was a city girl raised in a good life…Dad was rough and tough…he also was raised in a good life here…he was a cowboy and had survived some serious health issues…and he loved my Mom with every breath he took and she him. I thought of my parents as “John Wayne and The Lady.”
I remember writing stories about my parents before I was in school…I was an only child and for some reason writing was natural to me. I am rusty now…I gave up writing after loosing both my parents within a year of each other…I felt like I was 80 years old…the innocense of life disappeared…I have not written since 1998 until now this year…lucky you:)
I asked my Mom once in High School how she could stand my Dad as at times he was not a fun person to be with…don’t get me wrong…he was a great Dad and husband…but he was human. She smiled and told me this gem of wisdom…she said and I quote, “MJ, you make two lists…one has the bad points and one has the good points…as long as the good out weighs the bad, then things are ok…nothing is ever perfect but if you have more good than bad all is ok…”
Hot Rod Cowgirl in 1970 on her colt Stormy…waiting to meet Wild Bill.
I love how you love me Wild Bill!
No matter how tough…
Or rough….
I am with you always WB with lots of love and faith.
We will laugh and goof every day I promise…as much as we can!
Even when we are on TV:)
And when our Hot Rod over heats…we will tensely smile.
I will be quiet for a minute or two…then I will nervously laugh and smile:)
Or when we are providing vehicles for a catalog fashion shoot…a rather famous one.
I will smile because I am with you WB:)
I love you WB…I love our life together:)
Happy 36th Valentines Day!
Yep it’s true he is a Hot Rod Cowboy and I am a Hot Rod Cowgirl…we were made for each other:)
I love you forever WB…I will stand with you and always find a way to smile…cuz I love you:)
Happy Forever Day…36 years to the day that we met:)
Hot Rod Cowgirl 
Feb 16, 2012 @ 15:10:52
A very Lovely Tribute to your life together. I totally get what you mean. I have my Mikey! Love my Mike 24 years and counting. 🙂 Love him more now than before.
LikeLike
Feb 16, 2012 @ 15:34:17
Thank you and yes it is funny how fast time passes…seems just yesterday that we celebrated the 20th. Congrats to you too with 24!!!I know we do love each other more as time goes.
LikeLike
Feb 16, 2012 @ 15:36:51
We are blessed women! 😀
LikeLike
Feb 16, 2012 @ 13:21:54
How magical this was your 36th Valentine’s celebration together….your story and accompanying photos were just like thumbing through a family album….very personal and sweet and obviously you two are very happy and always have been and always will be. You’re kind to share your “love story”…..I’m sure your Valentine’s Day was wonderful – ours was too.
Hugs, Pam (and Sam)
LikeLike
Feb 16, 2012 @ 13:57:14
Thank you:) It was fun to put it together…and it does not seem that long ago…maybe 20 years….so time goes by fast!
LikeLike
Feb 16, 2012 @ 12:59:56
Sweet, sweet, sweet!
So I have to ask about the street rods?? All of them yours?
Is that blue one a 32 Ford? We have a yellow 32 Ford Vicky Coupe. And my first car was a 64 Mustang.
Fun post – congratulations on a long lasting love!
LikeLike
Feb 16, 2012 @ 13:45:31
Thank you much 🙂 The various street rods and cars are ones we built for customers. My hubby is a builder and often will be building 8-10 street rods or classics etc.at once…we employ three men to work with him. I grew up totally a 100% cowgirl here on the ranch where we live…my folks and I moved to the Blue Mts. every summer to take care of my Dad’s herd of Black Angus…he had 800 Mama cows…so my life was about horses and cows. When I met Wild Bill he was driving a 66 Corvette…he had grown up in his father’s autobody shop and painted his first car when he was 16…our entire marriage has been involved with some kind of cool car..after farming and ranching Wild Bill built a 8500′ shop ten years ago and now his main work is building customer vehicles…we attend several large car shows each year taking customer vehicles to display etc. Wild Bill was very much a cowboy when we met but he liked his cars too…we have a web site http://www.holtonsecretlab.com Your hubby may like looking at it…it is in the process of being updated…I have lots of photos to upload yet on it. Our current build is a 1928 Dodge Coupe with a V-12 Jag motor in it…that is why we call my hubby Wild Bill!
LikeLike
Feb 16, 2012 @ 14:48:00
I will certainly show that web-site to my hubby. He builds high performance engines (thus the name Motor Man!). So our life, too, revolves around cars..and boats…
LikeLike
Feb 16, 2012 @ 15:31:55
Dianna it is nice to meet a fellow Hot Rodders wife:) We would love to own a boat again too…love the feeling of peace that you get on the water:) I am sure our hubbies would have lots to talk about:)
LikeLike
Feb 16, 2012 @ 05:02:09
Awesome pictures and congratulations! Family is everything! You two are a funny mix! 🙂
LikeLike
Feb 16, 2012 @ 08:14:27
Thank you for stopping by 🙂 Truly does not feel like 36 years…it was fun to put it into both picture and word 🙂
LikeLike
Feb 16, 2012 @ 03:33:10
This was … wonderful! What a beautiful story you have – the pictures were fabulous – and who can resist that Alison Krauss song? Not I?
Happy (belated) Valentine’s Day …
Cheers!
MJ
LikeLike
Feb 16, 2012 @ 08:20:36
Thank you so much 🙂 I enjoyed finding the old pictures…somehow 36 years flew by…wow time seems to rush at light speed anymore! I love Alison’s song too….when I am writing; music seems to go hand in hand…..and I enjoy that 🙂
LikeLike