Down on the Farm: Father's Day, Country-Style

With Father's Day coming up, I've been reading about a lot of gift ideas for Dad.  Well, I'm going to tell you what I got my husband last year that he will remember forever!

Richard is a cowboy through and through.  He loves riding horses, wearing his cowboy boots everywhere, looks handsome in a cowboy hat, pays a fortune for a custom-made saddle with the swells and seat perfectly fit to him,  he loves to rope and brand cows, especially his, and makes excuses to move the cattle to different parts of the mountain, just for an excuse to ride and work his cow dogs.

Richard and I try to get in a date night once a week, even if it is just accompanying him down to the barn to do chores.  With six kids, twelve-years-old and younger, we don't get much private conversation in when they're around.  I decided that I would get a jump on Father's Day and give him my present on Friday, as a date, just me and him.  Then the kids could do their usual breakfast in bed, signs all over the house, shaving cream, etc.

Before Richard got home from work, I got two horses and had them saddled and waiting.  I then made homemade ice cream, (I will post the recipe tomorrow for my "Tip of the Day,") and bagged it extra heavy, so it wouldn't leak.  You are supposed to toss this ice cream for at least twenty minutes for it to thicken up.  I put the bags in our saddle bags on the back of the horses, hoping that the movement of the ride would be enough to set it up.

I had just changed and spiffied up as Richard pulled in the driveway.  He came in the door and asked if the kids had been riding the horses.  I told him we were going riding and the kids were babysitting.  (I was nursing at this time and figured we had two hours tops to get our ride in.)  He was so excited to get such a surprise.

We headed out on our ride, enjoying our alone time together, admiring the beautiful mountain scenery, grateful our kids were getting old enough to watch each other for a couple hours, happy that we could be in the saddle together again, (my first ride out of the arena since I had been pregnant and had my baby,) and me knowing that the second part of the surprise, the ice cream, was still to come.  (Richard loves ice cream just about as much as riding, especially Oreo ice cream, which I had crushed in the baggie with the cream, hoping it would turn out.)

After about an hour, we topped out on the mountain, overlooking a beautiful valley.  I told Richard I had another surprise for him.  He was mildly curious as I handed him a sack.  He pulled out the baggies of frozen perfection.  The ice cream couldn't have come out more perfect!  The Oreo was mixed throughout and it was the perfect consistency.  We ate our ice cream out of the baggies under a tree in the shade, visiting and remembering how this all started.

We finished out the loop around the mountain and back home in just over two hours.  Richard sent me up to the baby with a big thank you and a very romantic kiss.  When I got up here, my little angels were managing splendidly.  The baby was sleeping peacefully, the kids were happily playing.  It was the perfect gift, not only for the most awesome Father of my children, but also for me.