Words cannot describe the beauty seen from the top of a mountain. It seems as if you can see the whole world from up top on that mountain. The beauty and love that God put into making this land is incredible. Peace is up there and it surrounds you and wraps you up tight like a blanket. Take a minute to close your eyes and imagine walking a trail in the mountains. Imagine the sun rising up over the mountain tops and bouncing off the lake hidden in a valley. The birds are chirping and flying around and as you glance over you can see a herd of elk grazing peacefully. Now just take a moment and let it all sink in. Let that peace come over you and settle way down deep inside you. I know I did.

My trip to Colorado was one of the best trips I have had in a long time. Any trip where you get to meet with your CattleWomen friends is awesome, but this one was different. I took the time to appreciate all the amazing things around me and came back with that peace. I came back knowing that there is so much more to life. There is so much beauty around you but people fail to see it as the daily grind overtakes them. Take that time and see that beauty and find that peace.

In Colorado, I attended the American National CattleWomen meetings. I love going to these functions and meeting and learning from all the women across the United States. It is so motivating to see how many passionate women there are who support the Beef Industry. Many of them are Ranchers themselves. One of the exciting new programs that they have out is the National Collegiate Beef Advocacy Program. This is a wonderful program that takes Collegiate Leaders and helps them develop their leadership skills as well as giving them educational opportunities. An added bonus is introducing these young people to industry professionals. This is one program that if you are in College you do not want to pass up. There is even a scholarship associated with it. If you are wanting more information on this program be sure to check out ancw.org and click on the “Programs”. The deadline is October 31^st, so make sure you get your application in soon.

Needless to say, I was not ready to come back home. I was not ready to get back into that daily grind. I was having a hard time (again) adjusting back to the daily grind knowing that there is so much more out there. This time I decided to do something about it. Do you know how powerful it is to watch the sunrise every morning? Taking in all that beauty has really grown on me and I do my best every morning to make sure I am up to see that sunrise. It puts a whole new perspective on my day and something that I am very grateful for.

This past week the Texas Aggie CattleWomen, held our annual Steak Dinner and Dance the night before Beef Cattle Short Course began. The event turned out to be everything I hoped for and more. The Texas A&M Hall of Champions was immaculate. We more than tripled our attendance from last year, and as always, the food was amazing. Nolan Ryan himself supplied the tenderloins and he was kind enough to attend! My fellow CattleWomen gave me the honor of being named, “Texas Aggie CattleWoman of the Year.” It is truly an amazing feeling to be acknowledged for doing something you love. However, every one of the girls from the officer team deserved this award as well. We all put in a lot of hard work and not because we had to. We did it because we love doing it. We have this passion for the Beef Industry that is indescribable. It is a fire that burns deep down in our bellies and all we want to do is teach and educate people as well as learn ourselves. This week was a great opportunity for learning. If you have never been to Beef Cattle Short Course and you want to learn, this is the best place to go. The classes are all spectacular and they feature some of the best speakers in the United States. This course happens once a year and will be held again in August 2018. I was unable to attend the classes this year, but I was there as a displayer and I loved every minute of it. The people you meet are brilliant and the networking opportunities are endless.

No matter which path you take in life, make sure you find something that you love doing. Make sure you make time to find that peace and to stop and appreciate the beauty around you. Take a chance and watch that sunrise, I know I will be.