Our Story

Being an event venue was never part of the plan for the 181 Ranch, but you can’t fight fate! I am often asked “how long have you been doing this?” and it is the hardest question to answer! So, here is our story of how The Ranch came to be!

When I was 12 years old, my dad bought 20 acres on 181st street in Bixby. He built a beautiful home for our family and moved us out South. He had grown up with horses around his entire life, and was excited to have the space to enjoy them again. He brought home a beautiful Palomino named Daisy, and I was in love immediately. I spent my teenage years traveling and showing. My dad soon found himself in love with the world of Cutting Horses. He had acquired the land next to our home and in 2004/2005 built a top-of-the-line Cutting Horse training facility. He named it “181 Ranch” because it was on 181st street (no points for creativity here!). It operated with live on-site managers and a barn full of horses in training for over a decade. During this period, I graduated High School, and then college (GO POKES!). I was hired by my high school English teacher as a wedding photographer and I spent many years working for her on the weekends. During the week, I had a wonderful career at a local car dealership.

In 2010, I married the love of my life, Bo, and in 2011 we welcomed our first child. I had intended to return to my full-time position at the dealership after maternity leave, but once she was here, I quickly changed my mind. I was able to transition to a part-time event planning position with the dealership. I organized and hosted customer appreciation banquets, women’s seminars, shopping events, employee holiday parties, and more. But, I still had to figure out how to make ends meet. 181 Ranch was still operating, and I had a few ponies and horses that lived out there. So, I decided to start doing birthday parties for little kids. I would give horse/pony rides (with the help of the family living on site at the time), kids would play in the dirt in the arena, and we would play little games and crafts! It was just enough to help our young family start building a life.

In 2015, I found myself pregnant with our second child, my dad had retired from his full-time job, I left my job at the dealership, the Ranch manager/horse trainer moved to Texas, and we found ourselves at a bit of a crossroads in life and with the ranch. We had another family move in to stay for a while and keep the facility up, until we could decide what needed to be done. I continued building the “party business”, while living across town. The momentum picked up quickly and I branched out into some camps, “unicorn photography”, small events for friends, and even a wedding (all on a dirt floor!). I spent most my weekends driving out South to work. I NEVER intended on moving back out to the country or living at the ranch. But one very specific “date night”, my husband and I were eating at our favorite sushi restaurant, and I don’t know what came over me. All of a sudden, I had an over-whelming desire to move to the ranch. This would mean substantially downsizing our home, having a much longer commute into town, leaving our neighbors who we had grown to love so much, and drastically changing a lot about our lifestyle. But, we both were in total agreement. I saw a future there, even though I wasn’t sure yet exactly what it was. I trusted God’s voice and knew we were meant to keep the ranch in our family, and I was supposed to raise my family there. My years of wedding photography and event planning were about to come in super handy…and I didn’t even know it yet.

We spent all of 2017 renovating the home on site. December 2017, I had an idea for a fun Christmas event. It was a couple hour Santa meet and greet with pony rides, a petting zoo, and about 8 vendors in our stalls. I called it “Christmas at The Ranch”.  In January 2018, my husband, our two kids and I moved home. I continued with birthday parties for all of 2018. We had our second Christmas at The Ranch that year, only it was a full day and we had 45 vendors. Early 2019, I told my dad that I could really see some potential with this place and expressed my desire to lay a wood floor over the dirt arena. We moved forward with the floor (and mourned removing such a wonderful indoor riding arena!) and continued booking slightly larger events. In early 2020, we decided to enclose and heat the barn, as well as build a restroom facility and bar. We broke ground on all these projects in February, based somewhat on the bookings/planned income for 2020. Everything came to an awful abrupt halt due to Covid. However-we decided to have faith and just keep moving forward. We added Rummage at The Ranch in 2020. We had a wonderful 2021, and now things have just taken on a life of their own! We have done more improvement projects than I can even count (with several planned for the future). We have really settled into the farm life and everything it provides our family. Christmas at The Ranch, and our other annual events, are becoming community staples that families look forward to. Couples are starting their lives and making their wedding dreams come true. Hundreds of thousands of dollars are being raised for local charities. Families are celebrating. Memories are being made. All between these walls. It was never the plan. But God laughs at our plans. I am so grateful for 181 Ranch. It is an every day labor of love for me and my husband, with tremendous help from my parents. I am happy beyond words to be able to share this place with you and your families. I hope that while you are here, you feel the love that we all put into it every single day.

Scroll through the pictures at the top of the page and enjoy some of the early days and transformation!