For some reason, my best thoughts seem to come when I am flying and plugged into music, or in the middle of the night because waking up in the middle of the night is always fun. The last three weeks have been an incredible experience. The first week at my new job was definitely one for the books. I was able to go to Lubbock and learn about cotton. Who would have thought? The first day I was very nervous, one, I didn’t know anything about cotton. Two, I had never worked the video camera before. Granted, I was not there by myself nor was I working it by myself but it was still an eye-opening experience. The day started out great but the terms and lingo of cotton just flew right over my head. However, by the end of the first day, I had learned the whole process cotton goes through to get from harvest to yarn. The second day we started on our road adventure and headed home making a couple stops on the way to video some producers and Co-op owners. My favorite part of the trip had to be the road trip back home. You never know where your GPS is going to take you! At one point we ended up driving down a back road and when I say back road, I mean a gravel road with no stop or street signs. Instead of panicking, we went with the flow and got to see the beauty that surrounded us.
The week rolled into the weekend and Jeffrey and I spent the weekend with all the kids. We went to a Safari Tour which was pretty interesting. I almost panicked when we got there though, the lady checking in the people had a huge snake just hanging out around her neck letting people touch it. I had to be brave and fight not running away! The weekend was special as we were able to get in some family time before I had to leave again for Denver.
I was headed to Denver for the American National CattleWomen meetings. I love these meetings. I am always able to meet someone new along with catching up with everyone else from across the nation. The ladies have some exciting things in the works and I am anxious to see how it all turns out. I normally do not get to attend the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association summer meetings but this year, I stayed an extra day to be able to go to some of their meetings. It is important to know what is going on in the industry at the National level. Everything that takes place there has the potential to funnel down and impact the individual producers. For more information on American National CattleWomen be sure to check out ancw.org.
The weekend flew by as we got ready for the Texas Aggie CattleWomen Steak Dinner & Dance. The event was successful and went off without a hitch! I was able to step into place as the new Texas Aggie CattleWomen President! I am beyond stoked to see how this year is going to turn out. This years officer team has some great ideas and events planned. The next few weeks are going to fly by and I will have a big first grader. Now that is coming that I am not quite ready for!
As always share some love, the world could always use a little more love!
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.
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.
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.
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.