Hi. My name is Jessica, and I’m a dairy farmer’s wife.
I did not grow up in the country. Though in the name of full confession, I did not grow up in a city either. I was born and raised in Holland, a suburban home to roughly 35,000 Dutch reformers on the shores of Lake Michigan. That being said, I have always preferred skyscrapers and sidewalks to wide open spaces and dirt roads.
But this all changed when I met the Dairy Man. He was a business major trying to decide if he wanted to move to Chicago to work in the stock market (yes yes yes!) or go back home to the family dairy farm to make a name for himself. As you’ve probably surmised from the title of this blog, he chose the latter.
So here we are—one farmer and one urbanite—on a dairy farm in the middle of rural Michigan trying to build a life together. I traded my stilettos for rubber boots and am slowly learning what it means to be a modern farm wife. The nearest Starbucks is 45 minutes away from this Smalltown, but wouldn’t trade my life with the Dairy Man for the world.
So come along. But mind your step. Yes, that is a cow pie.
*These gorgeous images (our engagement pictures) were taken by the talented Paul Carlson. Check out more on his website!
Love your stories; keep up the great writing!
Thanks, Peggy! I’m glad you stopped by.
Great stories, read about your blog in a farm magazine today
Im a Farmers Daughter here in WI. Are you familiar with the Pioneer Woman? She is a ranchers wife, she started out in the city and has taken to ranching 
She also has a blog http://www.thepioneerwoman.com great stories a lot like yours! Is your blog findable on Facebook? Hope the weather in MI isn’t near as hot as it was here! Keep up the great stories!
Steph, this is very belated, but THANKS! I do occasionally read the Pioneer Woman, though I try not to do it often so that my writing stays personal and fresh. Yes you can follow MFW escapades on FB – as long as you’re into cute pictures of border collies and posts about thrilling subjects like manure management.
http://www.facebook.com/modernfarmwife
Hello,
I finally found someone who is hip, young and stylish that I can relate to. My name is Mindy and I am engaged to be married to a western Pennsylvania dairy farmer next summer. I completely understand many of your blog entries, especially the vacation ones. I never set foot on a farm before until I met my fiancé, but I am becoming quite comfortable helping out! I love your pictures on this page. Are they engagement photos? If so, they look similar to the ones we took on the dairy.Will be checking your blog daily!
Mindy, aren’t farms crazy? It’s been such a learning experience for me. I’m glad to be called hip and stylish, even in the midst of all this corn and manure.
What sort of things do you help out with on the farm? And yes, those are a few of our engagement pictures! They are certainly coming in handy now, eh? Thanks for your comment!
Wow, do we have a lot in common! I’m married to a dairy farmer, too! I started a blog when I had my baby because I was craving some contact with the outside world and needing a creative outlet. I saw your twitter feed about washing your car being futile and I can totally relate! It’s very nice to meet you and know that I’m not the only one going through a tad bit of a culture shock, haha!(I like your sense of humor, too.)
Thanks! I love getting to explore this whole new world of blogging farm woman/wives. It’s like a secret club.
I’ve added your blog to my Reader and can’t wait to see more. Thank goodness farming isn’t as isolated as it used to be. What did people DO before the internet?
Your blog is delightful! So happy that you found an amazing man! So did I–I’m 46, a native Chicagoan who married her Kansas farmer in December 2010 (first marriage for both of us) and finally got everything in Chicago settled in November 2011, and am finally living in Kansas! I’ve chosen to write a book, and I send emails out about every other week to a group of my friends and relatives. This material will be fodder for my book. If you can see my email, and would like to receive these emails, please send me an email, and I’ll add you to my list! Keep up the happy, humorous writing!
Thank you, Dawn! Isn’t this life crazy? But wow – I can’t imagine the transition of being a Chicago girl for most of your life and then moving to Kansas, of all places! Good luck out there in the Sunflower State. I’ll keep an eye out for your book!
I just spent an hour reading your entire blog, it is wonderful! I, too, married into a rual life after being raised in the suburbs. It is a fun, but bumpy ride! http://raisingruralkids.wordpress.com/
Glad to meet you! It’s nice to get to know others in this exclusive farm wife club.
I’ll be sure to check out your blog!
Hi Jessica,
It is great to “meet you” through your blog. I too am a Dairy Farmer’s Wife born and raised in the big city. I’d love to join the ‘exclusive farm wife club’! I just started blogging and my most recent posting exposes my thoughts about being a dairy farmer’s wife. Feel free to stop by for a read http://aplusme.wordpress.com/
~Jadine
Jadine, yes please, join the club! The more the merrier. I really enjoyed reading your blog as well. I thought it was stressful having *one* FT job, a farmer, and a puppy, much less 2 jobs, a farmer, and children! Hats off to you.
Love your blog! I just married a dairy farmer this past summer. It’s so nice to read about someone’s experiences that so closely match my own. Thank you!
Thank you, Esther! And congratulations on your dairy union! It’s a crazy life, but I hope you can find some solace in the knowledge that you’re not alone.