The First Thing You Should Know...

PHOTO: LOOK HOW FRICKING HAPPY I LOOK!

I grew up riding horses and for most of my life there were more days on horses than there were not. After college I didn't get a chance to ride much and this past February I got to start again. It changed me in all good ways.

In March, my sister Nicole sent me a link to a cattle drive in Montana and asked me if I wanted to go. Definitely yes. For a week in June we were a few hours outside Bozeman, rounding up cows and moving them between pastures. As a young rider I always fantasized about making horses my way of life, but as I got older and other interests set in, the financial reality weighed in heavier. Unless you have a lot of money anyway, horses "as work" is a tough life. As a kid I was always the working student and would do just about anything around the barn to stay there longer. In college we had an equestrian team and I was lucky enough to get a good spot on it. After college, though... I just couldn't find a way. It was horrible. Until I started back up this year I had only ridden twice in the past 7 years. But when Nicole suggested a cattle drive? Totally. Git 'er done.

I am a good rider. But I wanted nothing more than to be good at wrangling. And I think I was. I wanted to badly to impress the cowboys and girls, to show them I can ride, be the hero who could round anything up and chase every stray back to the herd. I wanted to haul ass and look good doing it. I can't remember ever in my life wanted to impress... a state (?!... more than I wanted to impress Montana. I fell actively in love with the way everything looked and smelled and felt.

This feels like a horrible junior high crush. Does Montana even know I exist?