Alright ladies, have you ever just had one of those days? You know that day, that one where you just aren’t feeling it. As soon as you wake up, you just already know it is going to be a long day. When you are tired before you even get out of bed, even though you had 8 (okay let’s be honest), a solid 6 hours of sleep. When you can feel your patience running thin. When you constantly eat all day, even though you are not hungry. When you just want to scream for no reason at all what so ever. When even though everything in your life seems to be going perfect, you just want the day to end. Hormones, they can be something tricky. That being said… someone told me that the 30’s were going to be some of the best years of my life. Boy, were they absolutely right. Granted, I am only a few months in, but this year has been phenomenal and it is only getting better with each day that passes.
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.
The rest of this month is going to be crazy busy. This coming week The Texas CattleWomen have our brand-new event. It is our “Women In Ranching” Program that we are hosting in Decatur, Texas. I am beyond pumped about this event and this opportunity for women in the industry. Shortly after that my baby graduates Kindergarten. Yes, you read that right, Kindergarten. Time definitely needs to slow down however, I know that it will only start going faster from here on out. Make sure to give those loved ones an extra hug and kiss and tell them how much you love them.
As always spread some love, we could all use a little more love!
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.
Wow! I am having trouble coming up with the words! My trip to Ireland was simply amazing. I do not think it was from all of the beautiful sights or the wonderful food that I tasted. I think stepping out of my comfort zone and doing something new made it exciting. I think being able to disconnect from the phone, social media, people in general from time to time helps. While I did not unplug as much as I wanted too, I did some. I do not think people realize how hard it is to unplug until they actually try and do it. Give it a try, it does put things in perspective.
Hanging out with the locals, meeting new people and just listening to what people had to say made the trip worthwhile. My favorite part on every tour we went on was learning about all the history. Most importantly though, I had the time away to think and re-evaluate my goals, my passions, what I want in life, and what I want for Mattie. While there was no ringing in the New Year, I welcome this New Year with a huge smile on my face!
2017 was one of those years to remember and to cherish. It was a year where I felt accomplishment, many blessings, joys, along with heartache and disappointment. 2017 was a year where I took a chance and decided to step out of my comfort zone. It was a year where I learned that it is perfectly fine and acceptable to not know ALL of the answers. I learned to trust and have faith in a plan that is bigger than me. It was a year full of being able to spend time with the people who mean the most to me. 2017 was a year of learning and discovering my passions, and taking those passions and making something out of them despite how crazy they may seem.
Most importantly, 2017 was a year of a tremendous amount of growth. Growth in being able to look at yourself in the mirror and love the person looking back at you. Growth in knowing that despite the past, you are right where you were supposed to be. Growth in knowing that the future is bright and there is so much more out there for you. Growth in learning to love here, and now, in the present. 2017 was a hell of a year and here is to 2018!
I started 2018 off with a bang and am looking forward too many more new adventures. I’m going to take more chances and continue to step more and more out of that comfort zone. I’ll be taking extra time to cherish all of the little things. Honestly, they are the only things that matter. I’m going to follow my passions, even if it means going against the grain. My passions burn like a fire in my heart and given enough time I can explain why they matter to me. I’m going to laugh every day and multiple times a day. Laughing is good for the soul. If you do not laugh, you definitely need to start. Most importantly, one has to love. Love as often as you can and as deep as possible. And pray. Pray hard and pray often. Only the Big man upstairs knows what plans He has for me. However, I am betting that it is something spectacular.
Smile-Laugh-Love. We could all use a little more love.