Jog Down Memory Lane

I'm a true west Texan, born and raised in Midland, who somehow ended thousands of miles north in Washington State. I grew up appreciating the beauty of mesquite trees and prickly pear cactus's, and knew the smell of crude oil meant daddy was making money! While everyone else complained about gas prices rising, we were celebrating at the dinner table growing up. Good ole Midland, TX. Where the sunsets are the most beautiful you've ever seen and where you can watch your dog run away for days! Now I'm surrounded by rolling hills, or in my opinion mountains, and I get lost along the winding Snake and Clearwater Rivers. So much water everywhere. I miss my family every day but I am enjoying this adventure I am on way up here! I am Jacy, the third and last born, and obsessed lover of dogs.

My family didn't buy the ranch in Coke County until I was a senior in high school but I have been connected to Robert Lee for as long as I can remember. You see, Memaw and Pepaw (my dads parents) had a lake house on the once impressive, but now merely a puddle when it rains, Lake EV Spence. I remember when we would pack 20 plus family members in the lake house. Beds tucked in every corner, even on the porch, and pure chaos any where you looked. Beautiful, passionate, and completely crazy Greer Family chaos. What else would you expect when your dad is one of eight children? I remember hearing Memaw's heavy steps at sunrise heading to the kitchen, then being woken up by the alarm of sweet, sizzling bacon. Heck bacon, sausage, eggs, chicken fried steak, biscuits and gravy....I could go on! Memaw made a mean breakfast but that's because she knew we all needed fuel for the big day ahead of fishing, swimming, and tubing! We were all loaded on the 1987 "Party Barge" by 8:30 and we sometimes didn't stop until sunset. Man, those were the days. At the Paint Creek Marina gas pump, I witnessed Pepaw's finger get cut smooth off by the boat motor when one of the grand kids turned the key too soon. But Pepaw was such a prankster we all just laughed and laughed until he finally convinced us that he really needed to go to the hospital! Holy cow, we were shocked! We were wondering how he hid that much ketchup from us! I remember Aunt Sherry telling all of us kids ghost stories about the mean old man missing a foot and the only way you knew he was coming was by hearing the "thump-drag" of his bad leg. We shook on the porch swing numbed by terror and then didn't sleep a wink at night. To this day Aunt Sherry is the best story teller and prankster I know. I remember Uncle David getting hooked with a fishing lure but Aunt Sherry telling us it was a water moccasin bite and he was doomed. She made us cry before telling us the truth and then we were all mad for days! "Us" being the cousins I grew up with. Us cousins who were thick as thieves and inseparable during the summers! 

Ok, I got a tad side tracked but hopefully you enjoyed my little jog down memory lane! Those are some of my most cherished childhood memories that I still hold close to my heart to this day. 

Back to Robert Lee, Coke County, the ranch. Yes! That was my point. I was a senior in high school when my parents, Gam (Judy) and Pop, bought the ranch. I remember this day like it was yesterday. The realtor, a rough and gruff ranch man himself, Tom Lee, pulled into the gate and up the hill towards the house. When we laid eyes on the quaint log cabin we all simultaneously said, "This is it!" My parents dream finally coming true! For the next 11 years (and still to this day), our family spent almost every single weekend together at the ranch. You see, this ranch is more than a plot of land to us. This ranch is where we have bonded, shed many tears, screamed at each other, and laughed until our bellies were sore. This is where families were created and grand babies were introduced. This place is home, no matter how far away I am, and I cant wait to get back. 

People outside our immediate family remark about how close knit we are and it's 100% true. Blood runs deep with us and we will fight for each other until we can't physically fight anymore. I'm so grateful to have been taught such a true and unfailing love. My mom is the foundation of our family. She is the strongest and most selfless woman I will ever know. My sister is my best friend, my person, my partner in crime. My brother and my dad are my role models, my heroes, and the men I hold everyone else up against. My husband, Blace, had big shoes to fill and boy did he fill them. I'm such a blessed woman to do life next to him!

I tell you all of this so you can understand where our passion and grit comes from. We are more than a few ladies who sell clever t shirts and jewelry. We are a family with deep roots and love for what we do. We pour our heart and soul into Black Angus Boutique. We create each t-shirt and hand pick every piece of jewelry with careful consideration. Does this pendant speak to us? What story does it tell? What legacy does it leave behind? Those pieces with history are the vintage pieces we long after and we hope you see the beauty in them that we do! We spend hours feeding cows, checking fences, counting deer, and blading the already pristine roads on the ranch just so we have an excuse to drive around and talk for hours about everything under the sun. These are the times the ideas for the t-shirts are born and when the photographs are taken. These are the moments I will treasure forever. These are the moments I live for.