Hugs from Heaven

Mom: noun. a woman who loves unconditionally, leads by example, and puts others before herself.

As I scroll through social media today I see lots of posts about beautiful women who are the glue of many families, those who claim they have the “best Mom ever” and I’m sure they aren’t wrong, but I can’t help but think that mine is pretty special too. Although she is not physically with me, I can’t just pick up the phone and call her for life advice and I haven’t felt her hug or heard her voice since I was 11 years old, I know that she is always in my heart and smiling from above.

I’ll be honest some days suck, and those holidays whether it is Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Birthday’s etc. hurt a little more when you’re loved one is no longer around to celebrate with. It’s on these days that we should cherish the memories and continue to celebrate the way they would want us to.

To all of you with a loved one who is shining from above never forget that when the wind blows, it is their gentle touch sending hugs from heaven, when the sun shines through the clouds it is them smiling and reminding you that they are still there and that through the darkness you should always find light.

All that I am or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother.

To those who are hurting today, hugs to you and hugs from heaven.

New Year, Better Me

New Year, New Me Better Me:

Life is short, if there has ever, a moment to follow your passion and do something that matters to you, that moment is now. 2018 and all of the “ new years resolutions” are upon us, but I’m not going to try to change myself in a matter of a few days or try to stick to one particular thing. This year I am going to work on bettering myself. In a world with an abundance of opportunities I plan to grow personally because I am the one in charge of my future. 

Here’s to 2018 and goals to a better me:

1. Do what makes your voice shake – I heard this on The FarmHer Podcast with Brooke Clay and it is something that really stuck out. Speaking of Podcasts, I don’t know why I waited so long to listen to them, but definitely going to tune into more on my 2018 adventures.
2. Step outside of my comfort zone– Sometimes you have to push fear aside and I am a creature of habit.
3. Find a new hobby
4. Sending more snail mail – this seems to be a thing of the past but I still love hand-writing thank you’s and notes.
5. Do more random acts of kindness – big or small I want to do something to make someone else smile
6. Volunteer and give of my time, valuing experiences over things
7. Picking up the phone and calling someone I haven’t talked to in a while
8. Learn to appreciate the moment – Sometimes we just need life to slow down
9. Focusing on myself and not worrying about others
10. Make less excuses for myself
11. Push back my alarm clock one minute every day – allow myself to start the day on a positive note and read my devotion.
12. Unplug from work and email once in a while, it can wait
13. Think about 3 things I am grateful for at the end of each day
14. Make every day count – Wake up every morning with a Grant mentality. #54 (Read more here)
15. Let go, and let God by praying more and worrying less
16. Not forget that I am the way that I am, not everyone is the same
17. Invest in myself
18. Accept myself, imperfections and all – easier said than done, but nobody is perfect.

 

If you haven’t already, set some goals, smash them and then clap for your dang self! After all happiness is not trying or finding, its deciding.

Cheers to 2018. Wishing you a year filled with good health and happiness.

Searching for Happiness in a World of Heartache #54

I saw a quote the other day “Age is irrelevant. Ask me how many sunsets I’ve seen, hearts I’ve loved, trips I’ve taken, or concerts I’ve been to. That’s how old I am.” But the more I think about it, in my 22 years I of life I have seen more changes, and events happen than I ever expected. Now don’t get me wrong a lot of those have been good, but there have been far too many negative things for my liking. I wonder what this world will be like 20 years from now. What will my kids live through? As I opened my daily devotion this morning it was about “Unhappiness” and it truly made me wonder, “are that many people in this world are unhappy enough to hurt others?” However, as I put my book down, I looked down at my beads and instead of thinking about this, I turned my focus to the positive things in life. After all each day is truly a blessing.

We are a nation that seeks the good life, to “grab all the gusto” we can, but sometimes we look beyond the simple things for that happiness and the “good life.” The more we look, the more elusive happiness seems. In reality happiness is right in front of us. No matter what there is always something in life to smile about. You may be wondering what beads I am referring to which is a bracelet a sweet friend sent me in the mail sharing her friend, Grant’s story–

I had saw Grant’s story on social media and always wondered what #54 meant when friends would post, but it brought a smile to my face and a tear to my eye when I was given beads of my own. They serve as a simple reminder to thank God every day for simply being alive. Each morning I get up and I’ll admit there is some days that I would rather crawl back in bed but as I flip my daily calendar I look down and see those beads and am thankful that I have another day.

 

 

As I sit here writing I get a notification on my phone from one of my favorite apps, Sprinkle of Jesus, “God didn’t add another day in your life because you needed it. He added it because someone out there needs you.” If that doesn’t hit home I don’t know what does. So as I wrap up my thoughts I leave you with this question.

How we will you live your life? Will you live like Grant did?

Have a blessed week everyone and prayers for Texas and our country!

 

Judging Life: more than marking a 50, busting a class, talking sets or winning a contest

Who would ever guess that after spending 3 ½ years in a smelly, uncomfortable 15 passenger van that you would miss something so much? Christmas break has come and gone and for once I could leave right after finals and didn’t have to be back at school early for winter workout, but truthfully I sort of miss standing outside all day judging until we couldn’t feel our fingers anymore. Because looking back those were some of the best times of my life. There’s no doubt we often complained of how tired we were, how we didn’t want to talk any more reasons or we were hungry, but you know what we survived.

Sorting through the countless stenos scribbled with notes, faded writing and wrinkled pages, the memories came flowing back. The early mornings, late nights, hot days, and the hours spent in the van driving thousands of miles across the country will always hold a special place in my heart. I can’t even begin to explain the friendships, networking, and life skills I have gained over the past few years. I’m sure you can often relate to all of the questions from family and friends who don’t quite understand why we do what we do. My friends thought I was crazy for moving several hours from home to attend a “community college” to judge livestock. Was I a little crazy? Probably so, but you know what I think some people who run all over the country for sports are crazy too, and this just so happens to be our sport.  A sport where we look at 4 animals and often over analyze things, bust classes, get yelled at by our coaches or walk into give a set and get some interesting looks from the reasons taker. But after 4 years of “Eat, sleep, judge, repeat” I have learned that is not the number of classes that you 50 or the contests you win, judging truly helped me grow as a person. When it is all said and done the ribbons and plaques will most likely collect dust, and not everyone will remember the classes you took a pair switch on or all of the contest results in detail, but what you will remember are the crazy van stories, the good times with teammates, the friendships made and the places you visited.

I can’t thank my coaches and teammates enough for everything they did, they truly are my second family. Being a college judging coach is often a thankless job and they dedicate

2016 Livestock Judging Team Oklahoma State University

their time and talents to helping their team succeed often spending time away from their family. So don’t forget to thank your coaches and show your appreciation for everything they do for you. I was lucky enough to have 2 incredible coaches who I will forever be grateful for, they believed in me and pushed me to become a better evaluator and person. Two things that will always stick with me from the one and only Blake Bloomberg, “The best thing in life is kicking ass. The worst thing in life is clapping for everyone else” and he always reminded us that “Average is closer to the bottom than it is the top.”

To those of you preparing for Denver this week, best of luck and remember that wool socks, hand warmers, and vitamin C are your best friends. Talk your sets short and simple, don’t over think things and just enjoy yourself. Don’t panic when it comes to sheep either, I will never forget Callie’s prayer before every contest, “Lord, let the market lambs be easy, and the cattle classes be fun.” Enjoy your time in Denver, it was one of my favorite trips and always fun walking through the yards and seeing good stock. For those of you who are in senior college this is your first national contest, the beginning of it all and let me tell you it goes by quick. Seems like just yesterday we were working out on the way to Denver and now it is all over. For you sophomores who are trying to decide your next adventure in life and maybe a struggling to decide what university you will attend next fall don’t stress it. Yes, it is a huge decision, but enjoy the moment and your last semester of junior college because it goes by all too quickly. I’ll be honest I would go back to juco in a heartbeat only because classes were slightly easier, books were a lot cheaper, you didn’t have to pay for a parking pass and life was a lot simpler.

Oh what I would give to be back in that 15 passenger van. Enjoy it while it lasts and cherish the memories. Good luck to everyone this spring!

Sisterhood of the Traveling Beauty Swap Box Part II

It’s hard to believe that another year has come and gone since I last participated in Crystal Cattle’s Beauty Swap. Not sure what a beauty swap is? Check out my blog from last year’s swap here. Last year I was fortunate to be paired up with Miss Lexi Marek of Iowa who passed on the famous “silver sparkly” box. This year I signed up and was eager to find out who my next swap partner would be. I was lucky to be paired up with Miss Sonja Lapak from Michigan who also shares a love for agriculture, turquoise and Ulta. We also discovered that we had both met Crystal in a similar way and followed her on social media as well as both participating in 3 previous swaps. We got to know each other a little via email and discussed how we both have pretty basic daily routines, but we have a few must haves and for both of us that was our Naked Palette. I put together a few of my favorites and it was ironic that we both sent each other Neutrogena Make-up remover Wipes (which is pretty much a beauty swap essential). When I got back home to South Dakota I found the cutest little package that was all festive. Inside I found a sweet card and my favorite candies, it’s like Sonja knew that Reese’s trees and Dove chocolate were my favorite. Sonja definitely spoiled me. As I unwrapped the tissue paper I found eos mint lip balm, make-up remover wipes, eye-liner, mascara, Benefit blush and a smashbox eye shadow palette that had beautiful neutral shades (my favorite). Below you will find some pictures of my box of goodies I received.

Talk about being spoiled!

How beautiful are these colors? It is also the perfect travel size!

Of course I had to try everything out so what better way to test it out than to wear it out on Christmas Eve. And did you really wear it if you didn’t take a selfie? 😉 I absolutely love the blush, it is light but still noticeable without being too dramatic. I already have rosy cheeks as it is so I used to not wear much blush.

This swap may have been one of my favorites since it was co-hosted with Marji, the creator of FarmHer in celebrating Crystal’s debut on RFD-TV. FarmHer was founded in 2013 to begin to change the image of agriculture – to include women in that image through photographs and stories. It quickly became clear that women in agriculture not only appreciated FarmHer, but they needed it. And they asked for more. Today, FarmHer has grown into not just a gallery of images that are changing the way people perceive a farmer, but also into an online community built just for women in agriculture. This community is a place where this imperative group of women can experience stories about others like them. A place where they can connect with and learn from others in a safe and positive environment. A place where women rise to the forefront of agriculture. FarmHer has also created GROW, an event to inspire and empower young women in agriculture and I am excited to have the FarmHer team bring GROW to OSU here in a few weeks. If you are interested in attending make sure to get registered before tickets sell out! You can sign up online.

Happy New Year, may 2017 be filled with many blessings. God Bless

-Amy

Sometimes You Win — Sometimes You Learn

The livestock industry, a place where we all want to do the best and be the best. It takes a lot of hard work and dedication to succeed, but chances are if you put in a lot of effort you will be rewarded. In today’s day and age we often get caught up in how many banners we win or who we were able to beat, and we lose focus of what really matters. By that I mean the memories, the friends we make along the way, and the skills that we gain.

As you pack your trailers and hit the road this summer whether it is junior nationals, a jackpot show, or even the county fair may you remember these 6 things:

1. Winning is great, but sometimes there is more to winning than the banner or buckle, bragging rights and title

2. Not happy that you didn’t win? Don’t make a scene, respect the judge’s opinion and show class and sportsmanship

3. DON’T LET A WIN GET TO YOUR HEAD OR A LOSS TO YOUR HEART.

4. People are watching you whether it is in the show ring or back in the barn, set a good example for others.

5. Parent’s, it is the kids project, so don’t be too hard on them, instead give them advice and help them to improve.

6. Kids, thank your parents, family, breeders, mentors and everyone who supports you because without them it would be impossible. They are the ones that devote their time to help you whether that is early morning chores, rinsing cattle, walking pigs or just hauling you to the show, they do a lot and deserve some appreciation.

When it is all said and done at the end of the day win or lose just remember that you are very fortunate to be involved in such a great industry.

Here is a great blog that circulated a while back by Miss Kahler that is a GREAT reminder. An open letter to the judge that didn’t pick me: http://kahlermade.weebly.com/agvocating/archives/12-2015

 

-You Should Be Here-

Mother’s Day is a time to remember an incredibly important individual—moms, but for some of us it is an unfortunate reminder that the special lady in our life is no longer with us. Today, I am reminded that my mom is not physically here, but I know that she is tucked away deep down in my heart and shining from above. Life isn’t fair and instead of crying, I smile because I know that is what she would want. I honor her life in the best way possible, by living my life to the fullest. Sometimes the best way to heal is to remember.

In just 11 short years my Mom taught me so many lessons, loved me unconditionally and always put her faith and family first. She was the best role model and I hope to someday be half the women she was. No matter if she was having a bad day she always had a smile on her face. She had one of the biggest hearts and put everyone before herself. I can remember that she didn’t particularly care for Mother’s Day because she didn’t like to be in the spotlight. There are often days that I think, “If heaven only had a phone…” She gave the best hugs and always had the right advice.

To those of you who are missing a loved one as well remember you are not alone. They are watching from above and always with us. So today I hope you cherished the memories, celebrated, started a new tradition and live the rest of your life to the fullest.

To those of you who are fortunate to still have your mom make sure to not only honor her today but every day. Moms are the most selfless, caring people who always go above and beyond for their children. So tell her how much she means to you and thank her for all that she has sacrificed and done for you.

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To all the women in my life who have served as role models and given me unconditional support I cannot thank you enough. Happy Mother’s Day to all Mom’s out there.

The Big Man has a Plan (Let Go & Let God)

Whatever you are going through in your life know that you are not alone…

We all have those days where we want to throw our hands in the air and ask God “Why?–why me?” In fact I had one of those days a few weeks ago. A friend called to tell me that one of our friends was called home to the good Lord. I was immediately in tears and thought it couldn’t be, because he was such a good guy. He was so young and had his whole life ahead of him, he loved his family, farming and put his faith first. We may never know why, but for now we know he is watching from above and will be our guardian angel. That night after I found out the terrible news I was still pretty sad and so I went for a drive to Walmart to get a steno before leaving for a judging trip the next day and as I got in my vehicle the song “Die a happy man was playing” and the lyrics really hit me and the next song was “Tonight I wanna cry” and I started to tear up because God sure works in mysterious ways and I could hear him telling me that everything would be okay because he has a plan.

“Cast your cares on the LORD and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous be shaken” (Psalm 55:22)

With that, I once again find myself pondering life and how fragile it truly is. Every day is a gift from God and my goal is to live each day to the fullest and I challenge you to do the same. I know we all say this, but now is the time to follow through…not tomorrow or the next day…right now. You never know what life might throw at you and the big man upstairs has a plan. You may think your life isn’t where you want it to be but I promise it is right where God wants it to be. You may not understand now but trust God’s purpose. Don’t stress over the little things, instead rejoice and appreciate those things. Take a moment to tell someone how much they mean to you, call a friend you haven’t talked to in a while, drop a note in the mail, or even buy a random persons coffee. It is amazing how much more happy you will be if you realize that although you are in control of your life ultimately God is the one with the plan, and if you just live for the moment instead of continuously racing to the next you might enjoy life a little more.

On a similar note, I have also come to the conclusion in life that there is no such thing as perfect and while we may look around and be jealous of others, I am sure that their life is far from perfect whether you see it from the outside or not. So, why worry about what others think of you— there is no reason to please everyone. We all face our own battles and if there was one thing in this world I wish I could do, that would be to make everyone happy and healthy. We all wish for a lot of things but sometimes we just need to let go and let God.

I often wonder where God is taking me in this life and what he has in store for my future, but whatever that may be I am assured that he knows best. So as you face the week ahead and find yourself struggling, take a moment and reach out to someone, and remember God is always listening.

“Sing praise to the lord. You holy one of his. Give thanks to his holy name. For his anger is but for a moment. his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may stay for the night, but joy comes in the morning. As for me, I said in my prosperity, “I shall never be moved.” {Psalm 30:4-6}

Sisterhood of the Traveling Beauty Swap Box

Have you ever heard of the novel/movie “Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants”? Well I have a little twist to that– instead of pants I was fortunate to receive the famous “sparkle box” from my fabulous Beauty Swap partner Lexi Marek. For those of you who are pondering to yourself “What is a Beauty Swap?” let me fill you in! Crystal Blin of Crystal Cattle hosts this makeup exchange allowing Ag enthusiasts who love makeup to get to know other people from across the country and share some of their favorite products. This was the 2nd Anniversary swap hosted by Crystal and Myla of the Purple Front Door! However, this was the 3rd time that I have participated in the swap and I absolutely love it!

How it works:

People have the opportunity to sign up and Crystal pairs everyone up and sends out an email letting everyone know who their fellow partner is. We get to know each other through social media/blogging/emails etc. and then we swap products! Whether it is our favorites, something new or whatever it may be we put together a box of goodies and mail it out.

This year I was paired up with the only and only FarmHer Advocate, Bacon Lover, Show pig woman extraordinaire, shaker & mover, pageant queen, you name it, she is it….the one and only…Lexi Marek of Iowa! Some of you may be familiar with Lexi as she is very active within the industry. Lexi and I had the chance to meet and get to know each other a little this summer through my internship with Team Purebred and her serving on the NJSA board, so it was perfect that we were paired together! Lexi attends Iowa State University, so we’re both busy college girls with a lot in common. Lexi is truly an inspiration, she is such a great voice for agriculture and is so fun and full of life. I could go on about her leadership abilities and how much of an amazing young lady she is but I’ll get back on track of the swap itself.

I am a HUGE Ulta fan and Lexi loves Sephora, so we discovered that we had more than just a love for pigs and agriculture in common. I ventured to Ulta and picked up a few of my favorites to send to Lexi. One of my favorite brands is Urban Decay, their Naked Palettes are a MUST HAVE! Anyways I got her some eye primer, makeup setting spray and a few other little things! I also told her about my obsession with Ipsy and suggested that she sign up! If you aren’t an Ipsy subscriber and  love getting something in the mail or trying new things I highly recommend that you check it out! (This is where I have learned about several of my favorite products and in fact a lot of my current makeup is from my monthly Ipsy package!) Oh and I couldn’t pass up a little chocolate and a cute pig Christmas ornament to throw in her package!

Left: the box I received – Bottom Right: Box I sent Lexi

I came home one day to find my package from Lexi and I was ecstatic to open it. Lexi had previously gotten the Sparkle box from the last swap so it was her turn to pass it on to me and boy was it filled with lots of goodies! This box has made its way across the U.S. and in the lid is a list of names of all of the fabulous ladies who have given/received the sparkly box (pretty neat huh?!). As I opened the shiny silver box I discovered several new beauty items. She told me how much she loved dry shampoo and so she shared her favorite, Detox- by Drybar. She also included Body Oil, Chi Hairspray (I told her how I love Big Sexy Hair well she loves Chi–so we swapped!), Elf Mineral Eye shadows (The Celeb

Lexi knew me well!

rity color is my fav), a exfoliating body towel, soft lips, and a few Mary Kay samples! Oh and how could I forget–Orly Nail Polish! It might just be my favorite! I’m currently wearing it!

Happy Holidays to y’all! May you enjoy time with friends and family, stay warm and have a blessed New Year! God Bless!

-Amy

PS–if this sparked your interest be on the look out for future swaps! Also take a minute and check out what other people got, Lexi’s Blog, Beyond the Barn and Crystal Cattle! They are some of my favorites!

Turning Setbacks into Comebacks

Never let a stumble in the road be the end of the journey. Let’s face it—we’ve all been there, the times that we want to give up and just let go. We’ve all been told the old saying that winners never quit and quitters never win, well it is true. If we continue to push forward, pursue our goals and dreams and find a little bit of faith we can get past the point of frustration, and wanting to give up.

This past weekend I had the opportunity to attend and help put on the 2015 National Block & Bridle Convention hosted by OSU and it was an awesome weekend, not only did I meet new friends, network with industry leaders, but I had the opportunity to hear a man speak who really put things into prospective. I’ve attended a lot of leadership conferences and meetings and have heard a variety of people speak, but this one was unique—Gus shared his life story and captivated the room of 450 people making them laugh yet so silent at times because of his heart-touching message.

Gus is a man who has turned personal tragedy into triumph. Gus was raised on a farm in Nebraska and at the age of 9 years old lost his right arm and shoulder in a tragic farm accident. Although this didn’t stop him from being a standout basketball player in high school and college. His coaches told him that he would never make the team or be out on the court but he proved them wrong because he was determined to be successful. After recovering from the accident and hopping around the farm on one foot shooting hoops Gus would spend countless hours practicing. He would stay up during the night thinking and scheming up ideas of how he could make the team. Needless to say he surprised everyone when he was able to spin the ball on his finger, shoot hoops and play just as any athlete would. Unfortunately he faced many injuries in college playing basketball blowing out his knee several times but that didn’t stop him from playing the game. He was a man of determination and one who was never going to give up because his family raised him right. His dad said there were two simple keys to life:

1. Never Give Up
2. Have the courage to face the next challenge

His dad also told him that it was like a garbage truck in that he could either be dumped on and smell like the garbage and not do anything or he could take what was dumped on him and turn it into something good.

Gus graduated college with high honors, started his career being an entrepreneur and sold numerous businesses. Just when things were going well again Gus faced another obstacle in his life, suffering from a stroke and having to learn how to talk again. Today he shares his story with others while being a husband and father to three children. Gus is no larger than life hero but just a big hearted man that connects with people and recognizes that everyone has struggles and challenges in their lives.

During his speech he invited 3 people to come up and he had one person try to tie a tie with only one arm, someone tie their shoe and another zip up a jacket only using one arm and it was interesting to see them struggle with everyday tasks that we take for granted. Two of them did manage to get their shoes tied and jacket zipped but didn’t realize how hard it was. Gus then demonstrated and acted like it was nothing.

Gus is a man that is over 6 foot, has one arm, one foot that is a size 15 and the other a size 9, one leg that is longer than the other however he doesn’t let that affect him. He continues on with everyday life and turns each setback into a comeback. So next time you think you have it hard just remember it could always be worse. So never take anything for granted and never give up–

We may not see the struggles that everyone faces because people put on masks but deep down inside there is something. So I challenge you to not only set personal goals for yourself and never give up but if you see someone that is facing setbacks or wanting to give up—support & motivate them, guide them and give them hope.

Happy Monday and have a great week!

Want to learn more about Gus check out: http://fullyarmed.com/meet-gus/