15 Passenger

So, for those of you who don't know me, I have a confession: I am a scrap booker! I mean, I keep everything from movie tickets to banquet booklets to newspapers. Today, I was catching up on some scrap booking from last fall, and I came across a few pictures that really made me tear up.

 After spending a few minutes pasting pictures, I sat back and relished the memories I've made over the past four years. (I had to pick up my cap and gown yesterday, and that was super depressing. Ever since then I've been thinking back to my years of college and how FAST they go).

Of all the memories I have, some of the sweetest are from the inside of a 15 passenger van, cruising the country with self-proclaimed livestock enthusiasts, not really knowing if we were searching for a trophy or just wanting to see history in the makings.

I found a picture I have on my phone of pitch black darkness. At first, I couldn't remember why it was still on my phone. Then, I remembered the night I took it - intentionally. We were driving to Austin, Minnesota, it was awfully late at night and my team was singing 1970's country songs in the van, as we were driving through the open fields of Iowa. I remember thinking how blessed I was and that nothing in the world could have been better than sharing the inside of that 15 passenger van that smelled like hog poop. 

To some, it's a big white van with a school logo on the outside. To livestock judgers, it's signing to Elvira, sharing a prayer, wiping a tear, and filling blank pages with the words of your heart. It's learning about each others passions, while discovering your own.

I know for those in junior college, your season is over. My one word of advice would be to continue onward. Don't stop after junior college, judge on into senior college if your heart pulls you that way.

Finally, here's a poem one of my teammates wrote about another "odd" object that means more to judgers, the steno. Happy Thursday!

The Steno

By: Bo Hutto

The steno, a 99 cent purchase from a local store,

A 99 cent investment, worth so much more.

The steno, comes in different sizes, shapes and hues,

It doesn't know it, but it'll soon be abused.

It'll get wrinkled, crinkled, weathered and smushed,

It'll be dropped in the mud and stuck in your tush.

The steno, use a clip so your pages don't flap,

You'd be lost without it, but you still treat it like crap.

It's use is unrestricted, it's use for more than just notes,

It can stir ewes, drive hogs, and straighten up stantion fighting goats.

The steno, a judgers best tool,

Used for evaluating critters with hide, hair, and wool.

The steno, can't blame it for a loss, but it's vital for a win,

It's infinitesimal wisdom relies on who holds the pen.

The steno, from all over the country, it's seen some stock,

Yet, it travels in your suitcase next to a dirty sock!

It's traveled many of hours down i-10,

And stayed many of nights at the Holiday Inn.

When you work up your set, it'll keep you honest and true,

It'll get you strange looks from a stranger or two.

Moral of the story, treat the steno with class.

Keep it close to your heart, even when stuck in your....tush.

Sweet Sunday: Psalms 145:9

"The Lord is good to all."

-Psalms 145:9

Good afternoon friends! The Sunday verse comes from the book of Psalms - and what a riveting verse it really is. Our pastor this morning at Aldersgate Church read this verse and inspired the congregation to stand up and begin to tell their story about their Christian journey, so this Sweet Sunday blog is dedicated to a glimpse of my journey the past 4 years.

Before moving on, I want to promise everyone this will be one of the final blogs I will post about livestock judging. Why? Well, I need to get on with my "Farm Girl's Fight" for agriculture, and also, because livestock judging is officially over. That's right, last Tuesday the awards were announced, the title was given, teams were happy, teams were sad, but in the end, everyone loaded up, caught a flight home and moved on with their lives.

So, in case you didn't know, the Texas Tech Red Raiders were unable to grasp the National Championship (contrary to prior belief...in the Texas Tech Daily Newspaper....oops!). 

It was a misprint....they simply forgot the word "Reserve"....no big deal.

We actually ended up second behind Texas A&M. Now, at the banquet, I will confess, it was not easy seeing the Bronze Bull in the hands of another team - and for everyone except Texas A&M (and my teammate Lane Halfmann who was high individual - way to go Lane!), it shouldn't be the happiest moment ever - after all, we're all competitors right? Well, after coming home, reflecting back on my years of judging and thinking about how God is always good, it got me thinking about everything the Lord has done for me.

It all started in 2008, our 4-H team attended the Texas State 4-H livestock judging contest. It was my first time to attend State and I didn't do too hot! But, I do remember the one person that did do good. That person became my role model for the next year, and later became my coach, thanks for everything Brady. So, after State, I prepared all year for the next State contest. I specifically remember (I'll probably never forget) getting down on my knees and praying the night before the State contest "Lord, if you want me to judge collegiate, open the door tomorrow." Well, the next day I was high individual at the 2009 State contest. Alright Lord, I got the hint - thanks! Don't we wish He made every decision that clear?!

So, I made the decision to attend Butler Community College in Kansas and met some AMAZING people, cherished my time with the team and grew closer than ever to the Lord, thanks to some God-fearing roommates that are still my best friends today.

Flowers from my Butler roommate the morning of my last contest! Golly she's a keeper!

Now, here's the juicy part. So, growing up an hour and a half from Texas A&M, I was hell-bent and dead set on becoming an Aggie my whole life. Check out my closet full of aggie clothes and oh - my dog named Aggie, in case you need clarification. But, in January 2012, the Lord started working on my heart. At Denver, I contacted the head coach at Texas Tech, to this day I seriously have no idea why, that was totally a God thing. I made the trip to Lubbock in February, and prayed non-stop the whole drive down, and week surrounding my TTU visit. For some reason, my heart felt led to Texas Tech, I knew the Lord was calling me to Lubbock, so, I committed. Confession: committing to Tech was originally against my own will. Yep, no lie. I still wanted to be an Aggie. I knew nothing about Texas Tech, except the wind and dust (which graciously blanketed me during my visit, only making it that much more memorable). But, I knew the Lord had something special planned, so I followed His direction.

My fantastic parents who DROVE from Texas to Louisville. They're wonderful.

I told myself, well, Texas Tech has a record of winning National Championships in livestock judging (2007, 2008, 2009, 2011) maybe this school will be alright. Upon coming here, however, my vision and perception of this place was drastically changed. I cannot begin to express how covered in Christian passion our Animal Science department at Texas Tech truly is. We have the very best coaches and advisors and supporters that give as much religious advice as they do academic. Which, is needed 110% of the time. The more time I spend in Lubbock, the more I grow in love towards the people, atmosphere, and school.

Nick and I receiving 9th and 10th high individuals. This silly boy was high individual at Fort Worth and Houston!!

Isn't it funny how God works. I came to Lubbock, defying my lifelong Aggie dream, thinking I would be a part of a National Champion team. In the end, it ended up being the reverse. But you know, I wouldn't have it any other way. This statement is by no means degrading to A&M. They have a wonderful school, a great program, and they won Louisville fair and square, they flat  had a good day, therefore, they won.

Having only attending one school, I can't speak for the others. But, I can speak for mine. I have been so blessed by the Lord to be a part of the team that stood second at Louisville 2013. Our team prayed before and after every single contest, we read scripture in the van, and took time to pray silently on our own on the road trips when we needed it the most.

Two of the most influential men in my life - who taught me so much more than hogs, sheep and cattle.

"The Lord is good to all." The Lord was good to me. I am forever grateful that I followed the Lord's will and attended Texas Tech. To do it again I'd come here a thousand times over and over to be blessed with a team that only won two contests, but won my heart in every way.

The Lord is good to all. And dang He proves it each and every day if we take the opportunity to open our eyes and see the goodness He has surrounded us with.

Sweet Sunday: Philippians 1:3

"I thank my God every time I remember you." -Philippians 1:3

Well folks, we've reached the end. The end of livestock judging, that is. After tomorrow, myself and approximately 150 other livestock enthusiasts will be unable to compete in livestock judging contests again. We can coach, we can judge shows, we can look at livestock until our hearts content, but never again compete. So, brace yourselves for a lengthy blog post: here it goes.

First, I would like to confess, that after figuring out blogs can be pre-written, saved, and uploaded automatically, this blog post was actually written a couple weeks ago, we all know the day before Louisville judging is not the best time to write a blog post!

So, onto my main point. For ten years now, I have been a part of a livestock judging team. I started as a member of the McLennan County 4-H team, then a Butler Grizzly, and ended as a Texas Tech Red Raider. I had an oh-so-typical livestock judging career. It started out with humble beginnings at age 11, not really knowing what to do, then a passion developed,  high school got real, judged in junior college, and ended up judging senior college under the coach that coached my high school coach (yeah, this is real life).

As I mentioned, this blog was written a few weeks ago, meaning at the current time, we know (or are about to know) who is and isn't marking for Texas Tech at the Louisville contest. So, let me fill you in, in case you don't know what this means. Marking at Louisville in senior college is like being on the starting lineup kickoff at the Super Bowl, it's like winning a grammy, it's like setting a world-record at the Olympics. I'm not sure why the Louisville "bull" (aka the trophy for winning Lville) isn't broadcasted as much, it's certainly of the same caliber.

Back when I wrote this, I got to thinking, what verse can I automatically set for the day before Louisville? Something impactful. Then, I thought of Philippians 1:3. "I thank my God every time I remember you." Because, every time I think of my teammates, from ten years ago, to the four years I spent traveling with Butler and Tech, I drop to my knees and praise the Lord for the precious time I got to spend with them.

Livestock judging brings out the competitive side in us all. It's a firey passion that drives a 15 passenger van 18 hours across the nation to look at bow hocked hogs, practical every day Hereford bulls, framey rams, and sometimes, even elite livestock. It's a love affair for a steno page filled with pencil scribbles, it's an addiction to a smirk on a cattleman's face in the reasons room. It's a heart pounding, moment of stress, "two minutes left", mark your card, take your notes and move on addiction that we all strive to be the best at.

I'd like to say at the end of the day that the memories I've made, the relationships I've built with future industry leaders, and the sheer love of judging will override anything that happens tomorrow. In the end, I think it will. But, let's be real: winning Louisville is a big deal. In our world, mediocrity isn't awarded. Not everyone gets a trophy. Only one team comes home with the bull, only ten individuals carry that pride for their lifetime. I'll shake the hand of whoever is holding the bull on Tuesday morning, but I sure hope it is my teammate.

I'd like to wish good luck to all who compete tomorrow, especially to the five who compete for Texas Tech University. You bet your britches I hope I have the privilege of being one of the five. But, even if I'm not, "I thank my God" for the time I spent learning, loving, and growing. I wouldn't trade the past ten years of preparation for anything. 

Tomorrow, may your brain be sharp, your shirt collar crisp, and dang - Fight Raiders Fight.

Be Jealous

If jealousy is one of the seven deadly sins, and you do not want to commit a deadly sin, please do not read this blog.

All right, if you're still reading, you're a rebel, way to go.

So, this weekend, after realizing that livestock judging is basically the best thing ever, our football coach, ehemm, Kliff Kingsbury (that's right ladies, the Ryan Gosling look-a-like that stands heroically on the Texas Tech sidelines during our football games) invited us to a pre-Louisville pep talk.

Our team (and the meats judging team) got a tour of the Football Training Center, then got a pep talk by THE Kliff Kingsbury himself, and also received a complimentary Texas Tech Football under armour t-shirt. Let's go ahead and establish Texas Tech is the best school ever.

You know, just the TTU All-American hallway.

The different uniforms that will be worn by our valiant athletic stars this season.

 

 

 

 

Kliff Kingsbury's helmet on the Pro-Football wall of TTU players that became BIG TIME!

Kliff doing his football thing

Our judging team in front of the Pro wall. There's a reason we are positioned here. We're destined for greatness too of course.

Now that I have everyone jealous, and now wanting to be a member of the Texas Tech livestock judging team, have a wonderful Monday! May your mornings be bright, your football team #winning, and all your sins forgiven. Amen!

Sweet Sunday: Philippians 3:13-14

Happy sweet Sunday! Today has been a day full of church, pumpkin picking and judging practice! Life on a judging team - it never ends! A couple days ago I stumbled upon this verse and found it entirely too fitting for the next 28 days we have left as collegiate livestock judgers. (I told y'all my blog would be filled with judging this fall - didn't I?)

Today's verse comes from Philippians. I know - Philippians again, don't hold it against me!

"Brothers, take hold of this one thing: forget what is behind and strain towards what is ahead. Press on toward the goal to win the prize, which God has called you."   -Philippians 3:13-14

There are things in our lives that are overwhelming. For myself and my team, it's livestock judging, in the fall when we are oh so close to clenching a national championship (go team!). But, then God sends us reminders that there are things greater than the present. Taken literally it's pushing harder and working longer to win the national title; taken as the bible puts it, we have a heaven and God waiting for us, loving us continually.

Only 28 days left following our passion, living the dream, and holding a team bond in our hearts. Time to soak it up, love what we have, and push onward.

May your voice be smooth, your pumpkins the biggest, and bible crisp this fine evening!

The boy and I at the pumpkin patch this morning! He wasn't nearly as excited to sort through hundreds of pumpkins as I was....must not be in the fall spirit yet....

The 38th Floor

The first blog. Whew, what a relief! I set my blog site up a couple weeks ago, and have stressed for two weeks as to the topic of my first blog. Then, I realized that I was just going to jump in and write whatever I was feeling.

So here it is. It's not an "about me", hopefully through my blog posts y'all will get to know me, and all about what I stand for. I hope this blog will be an informative place to learn about beef, agriculture products, and the general life of a farm girl fighting untruths about agriculture. But, first, a couple important parts of my life:

Part 1: I'm from Texas, as evidenced by the "y'all" in the prior sentence - that's a word y'all know!

Part 2: livestock judging. Livestock judging has been such a big part of my life for ten years, now I only have ONE month left judging with some of the most amazing people I know (aka prepare yourselves for sad, sappy blog posts in the preceding months). For those of you that don't know, livestock judging is basically a contest where we evaluate cattle, sheep, goats and hogs based on their market potential, and their efficiency in saving producers and consumers money! Always important! It's also a high stress, high time-intensive, road tripping, steno and pencil required, teammate bonding, memory making, late nights and early mornings love affair.

Recently, we traveled to Tulsa, Oklahoma and Dallas, Texas for two of our last four contests EVER - no, please tell me it isn't true!? Anyway, after the State Fair of Texas contest, our team quickly realized (thanks coach) that we had not set ourselves up to win the contest. In fact, we ended up second - congrats Aggies, we'll get ya next time. 

Losing is never the goal. But losing is what makes the next win so much fun. Monday night, for the awards banquet, over 300 coaches and contestants rode the Sheraton elevator up 38 floors, to the very top where we were greeted with the most gorgeous sight. Surrounding the banquet hall were solid glass walls, allowing us to look out over the lit up Dallas night sky. Talk about taking your breath away!

In that instant, standing over the top of the Dallas skyline, surrounded by livestock industry leaders, and the most passionate group of people, I realized that had to be what life is about! We travel, we do what we love, we may not always succeed, but there is always something to learn, something to love and something to strive for. Whether it is livestock judging, sports, competitions, family, or life in general, we always have to remember to cherish the moment we're in!

 Have a blessed day, may your coffee be bold, your worries subtle, and and your happiness 38 floors high!

P.S. I can guarantee not all my blog posts will be deep and thought provoking! But hey, when the shoe fits, rock it like Lady Gaga.

P.S.S. Because I think it is a sin to post without a picture, check out my fantastic team! This picture was taken a few weeks ago in Illinois (I think) when we "spotted" a spot gilt!