There are no words that can express how much this past weekend meant to me. I was a whirlwind of emotions from frustration to being on the brink of tears multiple times due to the overwhelming feeling of joy. There is nothing like putting your heart and soul into a project and then it turns out even better than you had hoped.
Texas CattleWomen hosted our first “Women In Ranching” event at the NRS store in Decatur Texas. This is the same store that I have talked about multiple times. I am telling you, you definitely need to check it out. While I was hoping to arrive Thursday night, sometimes God decides you have other plans. He definitely keeps me on my toes. I was finally able to arrive Friday evening. Boy, I was like a kid on Christmas Eve! I was so tired and drained from all the emotions going on, but I was excited as well. It’s very hard to get to sleep under these conditions, but I finally did it.
Saturday morning started out early and with a bang. I loved checking everyone in! I was finally able to put a face with the ladies that I had been talking to. Dr. Gill started out the morning with his amazing cow handling abilities. He is such a Rockstar to watch. I learn something new every time I hear him speak. It is almost like magic how he is able to move the cows around on horse and on foot. The afternoon was a favorite part of the event for many ladies. I, however did not get attend this part. When Mother duty calls, I have to go. I drove back to College Station to watch Mattie at her dance recital. She did awesome! She is definitely a talented little girl. After the recital I drove back to Decatur, Texas to make sure I was there for the next morning. Yes, that is a lot of driving but when you are that passionate about the things going on in your life you do what you need to do.
I am glad that I made it back. The drive was definitely worth the thanks and gratitude and the pure joy in the faces of the ladies that attended. The event was a special one. It was the first event that Debbie Gill and I put together. WIR is our “Baby”!! We are stoked about the outcome of things and we are already planning our next event.
Today as I was driving I was thinking and God has been amazing to me this year. I can not thank Him enough for that. I really believe that if you are on the right path and you give thanks and praise to the right Man upstairs, He will continue to bless you and you will experience happiness. Yes, life is always full of ups and downs, but that is life. The way you look at things determines the outcome. You only get one life…… Live it to its full potential.
As always share some love, we all need a little more love.
These past few weeks have been splendid. I’ve met new people and felt like I instantly connected with them. I know that having them in my life is going to be a great thing. I’ve reunited with friends, the ones you have not seen in a while and how you can just pick up where things left off. God sure does have an exciting plan laid out for me and I am beyond stoked to see what the future holds. It is amazing how things seem to start falling in place when you thoroughly enjoy life. It is kind of crazy how one girl at A&M who wore a Texas Aggie CattleWomen t-shirt, pretty much changed my whole life around. Gretchen, I thank you by the way if you are reading this. I am so blessed to be able to have so much passion and love for an organization that I can actually participate in. Another thank you “Shout Out” to my parents for helping make that possible as well.
Burlington, Colorado. A new place that I had never been before. I went to the American National CattleWomen Region IV meeting. While it was a little drive to get there, it was exactly what I needed. When you are on the road for that long, you get time to clear your head and look at all the spectacular things in life. Burlington was a different side of Colorado that I had not seen yet. There were lots of pastures and open spaces and hardly any trees. The weather could not have been more perfect. I was a little worried as there was a rain storm forming but it turned out phenomenal. Being with my CattleWomen is never a disappointment and I continue to look forward to every meeting that I have with them!
Life can be really funny at times. Sometimes you get those curve balls thrown at you and you just expect the worst to happen. You get ready to put on your brave face and your big girl panties because you can get through this just like you have gotten through everything else. All the sudden, that curve ball you were thrown actually turns into a really great thing. All that stress and the questioning of things that you thought you needed to do, didn’t really need to happen at all. At times like this, I just like to sit and chuckle. Yes, you read that right, I sit and chuckle to myself. God has to have an amazing sense of humor.
While I was working myself through this curveball, I took some time to sit and reflect. You see, I have been told that at times I can have tunnel vision. I did not believe this at first but then I took some more time to think about it. I can get so focused on certain people or projects in my life that I forget to stop and smell the roses. The last four years have been some great ones at A&M, but this year, 2018 has been the best so far.
What do you do when you don’t know what to do? I believe everyone has reached this point at some point or another in their life. What do you do when it seems like you can’t go anymore? What do you do when it seems like every time you take a step forward, you end up taking two steps back? What do you do when you finally decide to take a chance and open your heart up for someone only for them to walk away? How can you carry on when you have a heart so big and so much love to give? What do you do when you begin to question yourself on every decision you have made so far? What do you do when you don’t know if you are on the right track? What if you feel stuck and wonder if maybe you should have taken a job instead of going to graduate school? What do you do when all you want is to make sure that your kid is happy and has more and better opportunities than you do? What if you don’t know if you are doing anything right? I hate it when life gets hard and the days come when you just don’t understand. What if you know what you want in life but you don’t know which step to take to get there? What do you do when you don’t know what to do?
Well…today is the day. The first anniversary of my 29th Birthday. This day has been on my mind for the last 6 months at least. Mostly I just panicked. I was obsessively thinking about what I am going to do? Is this the end of my world or something? Overly dramatic I know. I felt panicked because I am not married yet, and not even close to it. Panicking because I am still in school. Panicking because I do not have my own place to live in yet. Panicking because another year is coming which means my baby girl is getting another year older.
Holy Cow, that is a lot of time spent panicking over something that is bound and determined to happen regardless of how I feel about it. This last year, I put a lot more stress on my life than I needed to. I spent so much time worrying about things that honestly do not really matter in the grand scheme of life. Most of my worries are just things that need to happen in this chapter of my life in order for me to take the next step.
So, who cares if I still live with my parents? Who cares if I am still in school or if I am an unmarried woman with a child? I know that I am doing the best I can right now for this chapter of my life. The first anniversary of my 29th birthday…. It is upon me. Funny thing is, I feel like these are going to be some of my best years yet. It is incredible how much such a small thing, like surrounding yourself with people you aspire to be, can change your thinking on things. Take some time to surround yourself with people who love you and lift you up and only want the best for you. Take some time to sit and listen; Whether it be in a church pew or your special place at home. Make some time to think about things and listen. THE message will hit you when you least expect it. Also, learn to love music. Music for me cures almost everything. What music does not cure, laughing sure does. So, laugh loud and laugh often. Yes, even have some of those laughs that involve tears streaming down your face. The big 3-0 year is going to be one for the books, I can already feel it.
As always spread some love, we could all use a little more love.
Man oh man! My trip to Phoenix was simply magical!! This was my second year to attend the American National CattleWomen (ANCW) annual meetings, but this was my first year to attend the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) annual meeting. First and foremost, wow. Just WOW! I did not realize how big this event was or how many attended this convention. Even if it is only for one day, the trade show is worth it. In the market for a job? The trade show is where it is at. So many different companies were represented. From equipment companies to insurance companies to feed companies; Whatever your interest in agriculture is, there was a booth for it.
Besides meeting new people and being nominated to serve on the Board of Directors for ANCW, I had one more piece I really enjoyed. Believe it or not, I loved being able to hear Colin Woodall speak. He is NCBA Chief Lobbyist on Capitol Hill. He is an astounding speaker and has given me the drive to become more knowledgeable about the current legislature affecting our agricultural industry. If ever given the chance, I highly recommend attending any meetings where he is speaking.
I wrapped up my convention by attending an emerging leaders luncheon. This is an incredible opportunity for college students and the youth coming up in the industry. We were able to sit down with some of the more knowledgeable people in the industry and learn what it takes to succeed. There was also a notable speaker there by the name of Bruce Vincent. He is an impeccable speaker, so please make sure to check him out as well.
As I sat looking out of my airplane window, a lot of thoughts went through my head. First, I have this minor birthday coming up which makes me another year older…… Yikes!! Second, I truly needed to get home and see my baby. I thought about how much I need to really start working harder on my goals and making a name for myself. I work pretty hard now, but you can always work harder. I pondered about how much the Women In Ranching program is so special to me. Most of all, I thought about how fortunate I am.
This past year has been an amazing ride and one where I became more and more involved in an industry that I love. I went from being just a member in a collegiate organization to the Vice President of Texas CattleWomen. From there I am now privileged to serve on the Board of Directors for American National CattleWomen. As time has passed, I have gotten to meet more and more people who are just as passionate about the Cattle Industry as I am.
Graduate school. My next big step. Grad school officially started last week and I was a big ball of emotions. First of all, I was relieved that I was accepted. I was also ecstatic that I can continue my education in the field that I love and am passionate about. I was nervous. I am the new kid on the block so to speak.
Almost on cue, I began having the “questioning” feeling. Am I doing the right thing? Am I supposed to go to graduate school? Is this all part of my plan? While I pondered my whole ball of feelings last week, I was really stuck on this last feeling, questioning. I sat down and decided to write out my goals and dreams. Here is a trick I learned from Gary V……… Write out the top goal you have, no matter WHAT it is. From there, work backwards until you get to the present time. You then have somewhat of a schedule or agenda on the steps you need to take to get you to your ultimate goal. After writing everything out and working through it in my mind, I do feel that graduate school is a step in the right direction for me.
I know that all of the decisions I have made in the past have led me to right where I am today. However, I feel that this is exactly where I am supposed to be. I am super excited about the amazing things that are coming this year and I know He has so much more planned for me.