Welcome to Kelli Out West
Welcome! Thank you for visiting my home on the internet.
Digital hospitality should mirror in-person hospitality, right? Can I take your coat? Would you like a glass of water? Hilarious Kelli…
Still, with great intention, this website was designed to help you:
Find what you're looking for
Create a comfortable place for learning, exploration, curiosity, and some giggles.
My name is Kelli Kissack. Like you, I wear many hats.
Cowboy Hat
One of the hats I wear is a cowboy hat. My husband, Dane, and I live on a small ranch in the Black Hills of South Dakota with our little boy, Kross Elijah.
Dane's first career was as a tie-down (calf) roper in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA). He and I met in June 2014 and married in May 2015. Our whirlwind romance had a few people scratching their heads. One nosey fellow even asked my mother-in-law, "So, when's the baby due?" The joke is on him because we waited seven years to have Kross.
Dane and I met when I was assigned to write a magazine article about him. Like any reporter worth their salt, I researched and discovered he was a faithful follower of Jesus and also very good-looking. These revelations convinced me to do the interview in person rather than over the phone. We went on our first date that night. By the second date, we knew the relationship had long-term potential.
Dane proposed on New Year's Eve 2014. We bought a property in Texas in March, went to California for rodeos in April, got married in May, and hit the road for the summer rodeo trail the week after our wedding. In a future blog, I'll delve into the full story in greater detail.
Fast forward to spring 2020, when Dane prayerfully decided to retire from full-time professional rodeo. He started his second career as a business owner and Farm Bureau insurance agent in September 2020 and has been going 100 miles per hour since.
That's one of my husband's best qualities. Whatever he commits to doing, he gives it 100%.
We still own several young roping and barrel racing prospects and enjoy molding them into nice performance horses others can eventually purchase and enjoy. I train them on the barrels and poles and Dane ropes on them, a lovely arrangement for all.
Mom Hat
In March of 2022, God gave me one of my most treasured hats as Kross's mama. How I love that little boy! He's a giggly, sweet, determined, fun, and kind-hearted little man with my nose and eye shape and his daddy's hair and eye color.
Motherhood is an incredible, challenging, sanctifying, yet immensely gratifying journey. Mama life is one topic I plan to write about often on here. I love sharing suggestions, products, insights, and wisdom from other mothers further down the road.
It's fascinating how quickly you can connect with another mom over high chair brands, tongue ties, or where they found those grain-free puffs.
Writer Hat
Another of my hats is "writer." Writing has been my profession since my sophomore year of college. My first published article was about Thunder Shirts for dogs. Not kidding.
I've come a long way since writing about apparel for anxious pets. I am thankful for opportunities to write for magazines like Western Horseman, American Cowboy, Barrel Horse News, Western Runway, Quarter Horse News, and others.
In the spring of 2019, I expanded my writing business to include book publishing. Today, I serve as Throne Publishing's lead writer and work with authors all over the country to ghostwrite their next non-fiction bestseller. I work from my home office as part of a remote team spanning three states and two time zones.
Why I Started This Blog
Most of my waking hours are devoted to books and babies. When I'm not writing or keeping an eye on Kross, I enjoy cooking, reading, researching holistic health, forcing myself to finish my latest organizing project, or window shopping for horses online. That last one is more like an addiction.
I've had the itch to start this blog for at least five years, craving a place to share all that I'm learning, products that are helping me, and life hacks, strategies, and tools I've put to the test.
Have you taken the Clifton Strength Finders? If you haven't, it's worth the $55 investment.
My top five strengths are:
Strategic
Futuristic
Input
Ideation
Relator
God designed me with a love for learning, researching, strategic thinking, ideas, and crafting a vision for the future.
My poor husband. We've been married long enough that I know to say, "What I'm about to say is for the future. I don't expect this to happen right now…" on the front end of any big idea or life vision I share with him.
I find joy and purpose in researching tools, products, and strategies and sharing what I've learned with my friends and family. I get a thrill from discovering a simple, small change that offers a significant impact. Simple little tricks that make it look as if you spent hours preparing, who doesn't want that?!
For example, if you wish to "up" your salad game, cut your cucumbers at a 45-degree angle. Boom, instant eye appeal, and you look country club fancy.
While it's not always as simple as slicing cucumbers, elevating our everyday lives does matter. Special occasions, date nights, and vacations are lovely. Yet, the tapestry of our lives is woven from the threads of the everyday.
The more we treasure our simple, daily rhythms, the more likely we will peacefully enjoy the present. I believe we can better steward the precious time given to us by God when we seek ways to infuse our daily lives with a bit of class, adventure, joy, and peace.
Thank you for joining me in this new endeavor. Here's to many years of exploring, learning, refining, and growing together!
