Hey, My Darling Siestas! How’s your weekend been? You guys that keep up pretty well know that I blogged last on Wednesday while we were on our way six hours northwest to our acreage in the middle of nowhere. We are now heading back to Houston so once again I’m writing you from Keith’s truck. My man of 31 years is driving next to me, singing to 60’s music and our two dogs are snoozing in the back seat. (He just stopped me and held my hand for a minute because the song was so sweet that he felt romantic.) We got to be away for four nights. The perfect amount of time! I wish I could say it was vacation but I had to take a ton of work with me. That’s ok. At least it was from a different venue and that can help a lot.
(I just got a text from Travis with a picture on it of his youngest son who just lost two teeth. Just living a little life here. Had to stop and text back and tell Levi how cool he looks.)
My heart is full where you are concerned and full with the last four days of life out in the country with Keith. And that’s why I’m going to share a little of it with you: because I love you and love how we can share so many parts of our lives with one another. This is going to be one of those posts when the girls (Amanda or Melissa) might say, “Are you sure you want to share that? You might get hit by somebody for that.” We, the girls and I, provide checks and balances for one another. If we’ve written anything at all besides your garden variety kind of post, we usually run it by one another. Sometimes we talk each other out of an entire post because we’re afraid someone will get offended or out of sorts or just take the opportunity to be ugly or critical. It happens in the blog world which many of you know from your own blogs.
Other times we just talk each other out of a few sentences or a paragraph or two. Most of you should wish you’d seen Melissa’s original Song of Songs Valentine post before I talked her out of a whole chunk. (Yes, we did have a few little words over it. Not a fuss. Just a good, healthy discussion. All four of us are strong willed and opinionated. We just speak our minds back and forth, work through our differences, and, a whole lot of the time, end up making a private family joke out of it.) Those who wouldn’t have wished to see Melissa’s original post are the reason none of you did. (Laughing and with much love.) There was nothing wrong with it. It was just extra colorful – kind of PG13 – because the Scripts happen to be extra colorful – kind of PG14 – in that particular book.
I’m not complaining one iota. To tell you the truth, we get so little ugliness from our commenters. You guys really are so loving and encouraging and patient and understanding and leave ample room for several generations to express themselves here in very different ways. We think we have the most amazing community in bloggerville but we’re not immune, of course. Sometimes we just flat out ask for it and don’t even realize it. Other times we expect somebody may take exception but we just decide it’s worth the risk.
This is one of those times. I’m about to show you guys some pictures – poor quality ones just off my i-phone – to give you a small taste of Moore life out at the acreage our family has. I know in advance that I’m setting myself up for someone to say sarcastically “Must be nice” but I’ll just sigh when I get it and, if it doesn’t get too ugly from there, post the comment anyway and wish she hadn’t misunderstood. The thing is, I love biographies. Glimpses of people’s real lives. Parts of their stories. For instance, every time I talk to Georgia Jan, I wish I could see her surroundings so I could picture her better. Know her in her own world. Every time Mom of Eleven (actually has 12 now, we learned at the SSMT celebration) comments I wish I could see a picture of all of them. It’s one way we, scattered all over the place, take a virtual stroll through a mile or two of one another’s worlds.
Actually, the world I’m about to share with you really isn’t my world. It’s my man’s. But once a couple has been married over 25 years, you really can’t know the one without knowing the other. You can no longer tell for sure where one stops and the other starts. This isn’t land I would have chosen in a thousand years but it’s what my man chose and I chose him. SO, when I talk about us heading to what I call our cactus land, this is the kind of place I’m talking about. I’ll describe it a tad first then I’ll stroll with you through some shots.
It’s a place where your cell phone won’t work and your land line is likely not to.
It’s the kind of place where Keith and I use (or misuse) English in a way we’d never do it at home. We don’t do it to make fun. We, for those few days, say it like we mean it. Like that’s who we are. Like, for instance, just this morning on an early ride with Keith in the old jeep, I heard myself say, “We ain’t seen deer one.”
It’s a place where men are not limited to inside facilities…but I’ll not elaborate on that.
It’s a place where our favorite show is “The Duck Commander.” We laugh our heads off…and, perhaps most worrisome to some of you, totally get it.
It’s the kind of place with a VERY small town nearby that I have fallen head over heels in love with. It has one real grocery story, a “Super S,” and just yesterday while I was picking up a few items, as I live and breathe and without one hint of exaggeration, the woman at check-out got on the microphone for the store and said over the loud speaker, “Mr. Brown, your wife called and wants you to pick up a bag of potatoes.” Ain’t no doubt in my mind he got some. I was so happy I nearly got some, too.
It’s a place with a LOT of these, hence the name:
It’s a place where a woman (even a non-hunter like yours truly) sometimes dresses like this on an early morning ice-cold jeep ride (with no windows in it) with no make-up on:
It’s a place where, if the temperature’s right, a woman would be wise to wear snake boots like mine:
It’s a place where your man’s taller than usual and where manliness can sometimes be gaged by how old and beat up your vehicle is: (For those of you who can’t fathom it, that’s a corn feeder on the front of the jeep for feeding wild life. You guys just have no idea what my life is like at times. Or his, because of mine.)
It’s a place where your man’s favorite hot rod looks like this:
It’s a place where the gate might latch with a horse shoe:
It’s a place where that tiny one hundred year-old German farm house that I told you about in So Long Insecurity resides. My man went to great pains to restore this thing back to its original look. Every window and door in it is a century old.
It’s a place where the sunrise this morning from my little porch looked like this and this one’s not even an especially good one:
It’s a place with, I reckon, my favorite place of all tucked right in it. I swing here and think about all sorts of things and sing hymns and pet Star:
It’s a place where a woman can take her spirals and practice them loud without a single soul hearing or caring:
It’s a place I wish all of you who wish you had one, did. Maybe one day, when you’re older like Keith and me, you will. It’s a place others of you might be bored out of your mind. Maybe your wish list would be a tiny little bay house instead. It’s just all a matter of taste. Sometimes not your own.
It’s a place where my man seems to love me a lot.
So it’s a place I love to go.
Restored Flower 
Beautiful and blessed! That's what that special place brought to my mind!
I'm like you, I like to see glimpses of life in blogs and thoroughly enjoyed this one. It reminds me of my great uncle's place out in Lipan (Ever heard of it? Kind of near Stephenville.) where we go every year for family reunions. You really need a telescope to star gaze out there with no city lights around.
I think the way you have approached life and finances in a godly and Biblical manner speaks volumes and you need not worry about "judgement" from us about having a piece of land to which you can retreat.
I so enjoyed reading about this fantastic place in SLI and it's just generous of you to let us have a peek here. I adore things/places with a story and past so I love that this is yours. . .and now the stories those walls could tell will be all the richer and more beautiful because of your sweet love filling up the place.
Thanks for being a beautiful wife and mother. Truly, it's who you are and how you live as much as what you teach that inspires me to the core.
May Duck Commander memories send you into hearty laughter in the middle of your day. . .
Beth~you are so loved! 🙂
Thank you for taking me to a place like I dream about. For just a few minutes in my hectic and unproductive day I was outside and my soul was free to commune with God (instead of this very cantankerous computer) I may program computers for a living but my soul dreams of the outdoors with a camera in my hand.
Beautiful!!! Absolutely Beautiful!!!!
Beth,
I so appreciate that you are so real. That is one thing I think endears you to so many hearts to allow you to minister for God. Thank you so much for sharing with us. I just think it is so sad that we must filter what we say and share with people based on what others may think because of their jealousy or insecurities. I am only 32, yet God has blessed my husband and I and our children with many wonderful things, and we have worked very hard to have them. I so get what you are saying because there are so many times that I want to share things in my life with the people around me and don't because I know that it will just be seen through "green" lenses. This is so hard for me to understand because when I find myself jealous of someone, I find I am only wanting to have that same thing, but still so gloriously happy for that person to have what they have. The main thing I think that people miss though, is the very end of your post. My husband and I have had our share of issues in our relationship, so I know, that no matter what "things" you have, it means nothing if you are not loving and being loved when you are enjoying those things. My heart is so full for you because I know just how I feel when we have a chance to really be in tune to each other, and it is at those times where I also feel "it is a place where my man seems to love me a lot, so it is a place I love to be." Thank you again for sharing. God bless you and all of my Siestas. You are all loved, no matter what you have!
What a fun post! So fun to see a little glimpse into the ranch. Looks so peaceful!
And, how cute are you in your camo? Hilarious!
Lastly, I think the last line was my very favorite.
I love Texas because you live there Beth 🙂 My family came down in July, to Mission TX to visit my in-laws…my father-n-law died unexpectedly when we were there. Heart-wrenching to say the least and 110 degrees was a shock to this Mainer's system! Coming in January to the SSMTC was a redeeming trip 🙂 My two best girlfriends with me, a pool-side hotel room, 70 degrees and seeing you. I loved reading this post…thanks for sharing!
"It's a place where my man seems to love me a lot.
So it's a place I love to go"
It warmed my heart so to read that. I am not sure why and at the same time have lots of reasons why. I guess the main one is this, If my ipod were a record, it would have a deep grove where the "Marriage, Priority Practice of Forgiveness" is. I appreciate so much how you share your heart in your talks and especially in your blog. I just start feeling like if Mamma Siesta can make it so can I!
God has been good to us as well and has taken two broken people and somehow kept us together for 14yrs. And because sweet Beth, you have been no small part of my healing, you have been a part of my marriage healing as well. So thank you. Thank you for sharing your heart, it is a sweet blessing.
Oh how I loved to see your cactus ranch today!!! Up here in northern Michigan, winter is seeming to last a lifetime. It did my soul good to see a beautiful sunrise, and green things (I may need to have them reidentified to me when we thaw out here in oh I think June!!!) Made me smile and I needed that on a cold cloudy day!! Thanks!!
Kimberly in Northern Michigan
My husband is a pastor and loves to get away to our little place in the country for his down time. Loves to ride the tractor and breath in fresh air laced with diesel! Totally refreshing for him, and yes, I ride on the fender!
Thanks for sharing!! I think it is beautiful!! That is a place I can so relate to!
My husband's family is from right outside Abilene, so your shots brought back a lot of memories. The cactus and snakes I can do w/out. But that swing and those sunsets….heaven!!
Thanks for sharing!! I think it is beautiful!! That is a place I can so relate to!
Dear Melissa,
If you don't want to post this, I understand. Thank you for deleting the mean-spirited comment from Anonymous. I was shocked when I read it, and wanted to respond, but wasn't sure how. Please know that all your siestas love hearing about your lives and sharing in your joys and heartaches. And we know all you Moore girls put Jesus first in all you do and say.
Love to you and your mom,
Karen in Yorba Linda, CA
What a great place to go. Here in Iowa we still have 15 inches of snow on the ground, so cactus' or not, it's not snow.
Beautiful! I love it. Mostly for your last two lines.
It's exactly my kind of place!!! Thanks for sharing…even the pic of you without make-up. I try hard not to put you on a pedestal, but I really do adore you. So very much of the blond moments you have or just your silly quirks remind me of myself. I have a pic of you and me from way back at the Wedding Reception of John the Beloved Disciple. It's one of my most cherished items. Thank you for loving Jesus so openly and for teaching us to do the same. Much love and blessings from a fellow big-haired Texan! ; )
Even Jesus retreated to lonely places (aka quiet places) – seems like a pretty good example to follow. We all need an escape from time to time and if those 4 days restored you, your husband, your marriage and even your dogs, then it was time well spent. Kudos to you for sharing, by example, what balance is. I don't have enough balance in my own life and the reminder is timely. God bless and I'm glad y'all made it back safely! Cindy
Thank you for sharing. It does make me feel like I know you like a friend as well as a Bible teacher. I understand what you are saying about the property – a sense of freedom, peace and a place where you are closely surrounded by sights of God's wonderfully created earth with all its uniqueness. Enjoy!!!
Yes, I have a place in mind myself – in my imagination still as I haven't found the physical version of it yet. But some of the fun is in looking.
Oh Beth! Your Keith and my Vic seem to be cut from the same bolt of cloth. My dear hubby longs for a place as far away from people as possible, not in TX country, but on a lake in "up north" in Minnesota. But, financially it's not possible right now. Especially since we're raising us a crop o' gorgeous young girls (our crop is 5). Hubby does as much fishing and hunting as possible, so I'm never without venison, fish or homemade venison sausage. If someone would have told me at 18 that I'd be living the life I am, I'd have laughed and told 'em they were crazy. However, when God brings you together the way He did hubby and I, there's no turning back (not that I'd want to). Anyway, this post made me smile and long for a quiet place for hubby and me. Someday! Someday!
Thanks for sharing. It makes me feel special.
Just remember we each have exactly what God wants us to have. If we all needed a little cactus land complete with snake boots, we'd have it.
What got me the most excited was the tractor! Does he get to cut grass with it or more important does he let you? That sounds so delightful to me.
Oh Beth, thank you for the treasure of being there in pictures. I wish I could just sit for awhile with you on that swing and talk about "things". However, I know heaven is going to be something like that … a wonderful place to laugh, love and fellowship. We have a lakehouse north of Atlanta and oh … the stars are so amazing there at night and my man can't get enough of the land and quiet. Thank you again for taking the time to share your life with us.
We live in a mesquite and cactus-land ourselves…Tucson, AZ. When my 4 year old saw the first picture he said, "oh, isn't that pretty." We love our beautiful and "lush" desert. Thanks for sharing yours.
We've had a lot of rain this winter so maybe we'll have some wild flowers when you're here later this month. Can't wait!
Beth,
I just loved this post. My husband & I, for the past several years, have been taking lots of four-day trips all over Texas. We don't have our own place, but feel attached to many – we have one of those (gasp!) travel trailers, of which you are not so fond(that was a long ago post.) We love to take the tiny back roads and find the little out of the way towns. Often I find myself crying "Delight! Delight!" and this is one Okie girl who really has fallen love with Texas! (Don't tell my OU sooner born & bred family) Thanks for sharing!
Janis
Ardmore, OK
Loved the whole post. Thanks so much for sharing it – for sharing another part of your heart with us. : ) The pic of your spiral (I memorized that scripture too!) made me get teary. don't even know why. : ) It felt like a breath of fresh, rest-filled air.
Thanks Mama Beth!
Wow, can I ever relate. The outdoor plumbing made me laugh out loud. My sister wants to "brain" me when I have her son. He's 10 and we live way out and like to sit around by the fire at night. His biggest thrill is to "put" the fire out, all by himself, at the end of the evening, you know my drift!!! His sisters want a fire for smores, he wants a fire to "put" it out!!! We are a little red-neck! Your pictures, my husband would call heaven on earth!!I am such a visual person Now I feel like I'm there! Thanks for sharing, Loved IT!!!!!
I love you guys for being you.
Tracy L.
Richlands, NC
My man and I are only just entering our thirties but have already started dreaming and planning for what our own little place "out side of cell phone range" will look like. That country of yours looks mighty peaceful. We may some day cut a slice of that for ourselves. I'm thankful God has seen fit to bless you as He has dear Beth.
THANKS SO MUCH FOR SHARING!!!! it was so heartfelt and honest. i love reading your post about the acreage. i feel happy for the two of you and the time you had. i could even smell the rural, remote country in the picture of you in the camo coveralls, boots and earmuffs. we are soon to have some acreage of our own, by the end of the month! it is a blessing by God and my man needs to have his own spot of land too where he can, umm, just breathe, think, and do. there isn't a sarcastic tone to my post at all, just a happy one. i think it's cool too that you don't have to wear makeup for the early morning rides in the jeep. very cool.
Beth – that was beautiful…made me long to have a place like that…cactus and all.
Blessings,
Jennifer
To "Anonymous posted at March 1, 2010 at 7:46 am": Dear sister, thank you for your heartfelt words of honesty and repentance, I can relate to much of what you wrote. I pray that God in His fullness will restore toy ou and your sweet husband the years you have lost and fill your lives to overflowing with many spiritual blessings!
Thanks also to "Warm in Alaska " for pointing our the above post I would have missed her testimony had you not drwn attention to it.
I think it's awesome that you have a place like that to retreat to with your Honey!! Thanks for sharing even more of your life with us … you are so down-to-earth!!
PS ~ just received the DVD on "Insights for Marriage" from the Focus seminar … I've already watched it twice and *WOW* has it really touched my heart! There were many things that the Lord knew my husband & I needed to hear. Thank you for being so candid!!! May GOD continue to BLESS your ministry!
Denise
Albuquerque, NM
50's
Married
Thank you for sharing your "special haven". It's an honor to be invited. I myself have been recooperating "very" slowly from a lower back injury (not as exciting as 4-fun-free days at your cactus retreat, but just as real). We live at the base of a mountain range in the middle of a desert (no pun intended), but thanks be to God from whom all blessings flow, He's here with me just as He's there with you and everyone else. Our God is an AWESOME God!
P.S. I enjoyed the Song of Songs message.
Beth,
Thank you SO much for sharing this most special place with us! I am so happy that you have a place to retreat to with your man! (this is so important for you both) I pray you enjoy many more hours of "down" time and are able to go to your farmhouse and rest! Being a pastor's wife, I can relate to how important it is to "get away" at times. Let me just say that you are such a blessing to me! I am so thankful that I was able to meet you this past month at a book signing. It was a dream come true!! 🙂 Thank you for all you do and for your faithfulness to the LORD!! YOU are loved! 🙂
Love you!
Elisabeth
Amen Sister! Thanks for sharing. Love the pic of you in your cammies. Too much!!
Beth, thanks so much for sharing this peaceful corner of your life with us. It's actually just as I imagined it would be … it made me smile a lot !!
Love, love, LOVE getting to share some of your everyday, down to earth life! Your "get-away-house/farm/place" is nice. My everyday life is a little like that. Only not for 4 days at a time! For every day….day in and day out. My man picked out 80 acres out in the middle of nowhere (at least that's what most of our visitors say! ha)about 34 years ago now and we've lived here ever since. Sometimes it's hard. Sometimes it's good to be away from the crowds. Was a good place to raise 3 kids and now the grandkids love to come and run around all over.
Your Daniel Bible study is surely affecting/effecting me! Can't wait for Session 4 early in the morning!
Marilyn…in Mississippi
I know that there is another siesta that thinks that you wrote this post for her but she's wrong…just outright wrong.It was me Beth and I can't tell you enough how much I appreicate you openin' up, showin' and tellin'.
When you wrote "This isn't land I would have chosen in a thousand years but it's what my man chose and I chose him." my heart tendered. You see we have a great place in Colorado. A place far away from Florida but a beautiful place. I'm so thankful for it! The sunsets against the Rockies and you see God. But it's cold there Beth, very cold and this Florida girl is just ready to be wearing sandals in March. I don't want to go for long periods of time. My oldest is graduating from college at the end of the summer and my baby is graduating from HS this Spring and heading off to follow his dream of playing baseball in college. That leaves me and the Mr. and he has every intention of taking this girl to the mountains. Loadin' me up like he does his belongins' when heads out to hunt and fish.
I got girlfriends here in Florida,my church and my oldest baby boy…you get the scenario. I can hyperventilate just thinking about being gone for a month at a time.
Then you wrote "It's a place where my man seems to love me a lot." When I read that all of my anxiety seemed to be laid to rest and it all started to make perfect sense to me…that's exactly what happens when we are there together. I do believe I am actually starting to look forward to what the next season holds for us. Even if winter hangs on a little longer than in most places and you can't see my french pedicure through those boots. It's where he is and where he seems to love me alot. Maybe not perfect for everyone including me (at times) but perfect for "us"!
Thank you friend for sharing and thank those girls of yours for not letting you edit those sweet pictures!
I bet I can match you on the "look". Let's just say I have better days in Florida, I hope! I'm not insecure about it or anything…I'm just sayin'!
In Christ Alone,
Theresa
I love to keep people in my "mind's eye" too and I, like so many others, feel very special that you would share this with us. Thank you for that. It has a way of keeping you so real in our lives. What a cool place,
In about 2 weeks, we will head our car down highway 281 from DFW. We always stop in Hico to get diet doctor peppers, and then straight south to bliss.
We sit on a porch in the Texas hill country and rock and rock and rock in big rocking chairs, and talk about everything and nothing and talk to God. We always find joy in that landscape, and in each other.
And we also talk really weird,( it must be a hill country thang.) I don't know why, but we call deer- The deera. As in, look at all of the deera dear. There is a place where we get root beer floats and those are now root beera floats.
Yes we are strange, and you may meet us for a chicken fried steak or root beera float anytime.
Beth,
I just love that you pointed out how our husbands seem to just love us coming into their worlds–the world asks them to come into ours and sweep us off our feet, but just like we're learning in SLI, they can't keep that up either. When we love their stuff it shows we love them because we are willing to sacrifice some of our comforts/desires to just be with them. I love marriage!! It is hard, but it is worth the work 🙂
Thank you for sharing–almost every time I get to meet someone new, I want to know their story–why they are who they are and how they got there. I love not just knowing people, but knowing about them. It makes relating, understanding, and helping out when their hurting so much more natural. I love that we can all be real with each other–in person, and on this here blog 🙂
Melissa, thank you for deleting the predicted comment/s–the rest of us would have wanted to man-up for your momma and that wouldn't have brought out our best. I love seeing how much you and Amanda treasure your mom, and you're right, sometimes kids do disobey 🙂
with much sisterly love,
Audrey
Oh dear Beth, thank you so much for the persoanl response and the prayers for my shoulder.
I was at the dr this morning and another steroid and was told several more months…so I guess it's back to therapy…not what I wanted to hear!
It is discouraging and I will pray for you back as well. I've been there with that and thankfully after starating Turmeric and Glucosmeine it is healed. that was years ago…..and I'm still in my 40's..told my doc I was old and falling apart…..
Have a great week!
What a wonderful place that you and your man have to share together! He shares your world of women, babies, makeup, and hairspray! And you happily share in his world of dirt, boots, miles of land and no one to talk to but each other. I LOVE it!
Thanks for sharing, Beth!
what an awesome post girl you are the genunine real deal. um and I love those red boots stinkin cool!!
Siesta Mama,
You are something special, girl! Letting us view a private place where you Moore's go to relax and spend time with one another is quite a treat!
I live in a pasture–for real! And I couldn't be happier! Seriously, I could go outside naked (not that I would) and no one but wildlife could see me! WHOO HOO! My home also allows my husband to use the great outdoors as a bathroom. Sigh.
Thanks for sharing your life with us. I agree that it just makes you know a person better. You have made me smile today, Sweet Sister!
Prayers and blessings,
Rebecca
Sigh, could you be any more precious? Thanks SO MUCH for sharing this!!
Okay it could be because I'm 8 weeks pregnant, but i just cried my eyes out.. I know what you mean when you say your man loves you alot there. We have a place like that. It's so awesome! I love your pictures! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you so much for sharing. Totally understand your love of people's life stories and wanting to see pictures of their life not for nosiness but to share in the joy of their life. Your times away with Keith remind me of my time away with my husband Jake.