I was raised on small farming operation in Northeast Iowa where we had some farm ground for row crop and a 1200 head feedlot. I have been riding horses my whole life and started rodeoing as soon as I was old enough to enter, mostly participating in barrel racing and pole bending. Through Junior High and High School I was a part of the Wisconsin High School Rodeo Association and qualified for national’s in barrel racing. 

My fiancé Garrett Farran was raised in south central Missouri where his family own a cow-calf operation working cattle all on horseback. He started riding horses bareback when he was 4 and anywhere his dad went he went, just learning the lifestyle and how to be a cowboy. His brother Dillon and him grew up roping with each other going to team roping jackpots and rodeos and were a part of the Missouri High School Rodeo Association through high school.

On April 17^th, 2021 Garrett surprised me while we were riding horses that afternoon with a ring and the question “will you marry me?” It was a complete surprise and I had no suspicion of any of it. I obviously said, “yes!” Our wedding date is set for June 22^nd, 2022in my home town of Cascade, Iowa.The plan is to have our western wedding in one of my sister’s pastures where she runs her cow-calf operation.

Garrett and I met at a Junior College called Black Hawk College East Campus in Galva, Illinois. We met at a get together with a bunch of friends and other college students. Garrett was out front with some friends swinging a rope and teaching everyone how to Cowboy Joust, when I saw him I immediately thought, “Oh my goodness, there is another rodeo kid here besides just me”! I introduced myself and we learned that we were both on the horse judging team. He was on the Sophomore team and I was coming in on the freshman team. We hung out the rest of the night, but did not talk to each other much besides in passing because I had a boyfriend at the time. Fast forward about 7 months, what we call Aggie Idol was coming up and Garrett had learned from some of my friends that I could sing pretty well. He pulled out his charm and talked me into competing at Aggie Idol, he told me he had a bet with some friends that I would win which made me feel bad if I did not compete. After I had one the competition I asked how much the bet was and that is when he told me he had lied and just wanted me to compete because he knew that I would win. A couple months later my boyfriend and I at the time broke up and Garrett said he knew that with the school year coming to an end if he wanted a shot with me he needed to take it right away. He started talking to me more at school and would come find the study area that I was at every day between classes. Garrett eventually asked me on a date to go ride horses and get supper after. Needless to say after spending an afternoon with a cowboy who showed me what a real gentleman was he stole my heart away. We talked and went on dates for a couple weeks and with graduation on the horizon we had a deep conversation on whether or not we both wanted to try to make this work. Garrett was fixing to graduate and move to the Panhandle of Nebraska for a summer internship at JMB Feeders and then move to Stillwater, Oklahoma to finish his Bachelor’s. I was going back home to work for the summer and still had one more semester at BHE. We both agreed that we saw a future with each other and wanted to make it work. The rest now is history sure it was hard being 12 hours apart from one another for over a year but in the end it is what has brought the two of us closer to each other. Garrett graduated with his Bachelor’s Degree in May 2021 and is now working on his Master’s in Ruminant Nutrition and then on to his PhD in Ruminant Nutrition, while also being the Graduate Research Coordinator at the Willard Sparks Beef Research Center for OSU. I will graduate in May 2022 with my Bachelor’s in Accounting. Garrett working to be a consulting nutritionist for beef cattle feedlots and we hope to be able to settle down in the western part of Nebraska or Southeast Wyoming where we will own a ranch and raise our children in the western lifestyle we were raised in and believe is the best lifestyle to be fortunate enough to be apart of.

Her Shirt: Cavender’s
Her Jeans: Kimes
Engagement ring: @cs_customsilver
Navajo rings: @the_prickly_pearl
Turquoise ring: @z.bars.jewelry 
Small turquoise necklace: Rose Layne Boutique 
Her Shirt: Vintage wrangler
Her Jeans: Kimes
Her Hat: American 
Her Chinks: Pfi 
His Shirt: Cavender’s
His Jeans: Kimes
His Shotguns: Kelly Tipton 
His Hat: Dry Creek Hatters
His Spurs: enthegravecustoms
His Shirt: Wrangler