Today I woke up in a less than wonderful mood at 6AM when I realized that all the plans I had for the day would be changed when I suddenly remembered I had signed up for a time management workshop and would have to spend the whole day out of the office! This really put a bug in my "you know where" because I simply did not have TIME to attend the time management workshop. On second thought, maybe I better make sure I was there!
Time management just might be an issue for me. I finished my taxes at 11:50 pm April 14th this year, I turn my ketch pen articles in with just hours or even minutes to spare, and I know I could scrounge up many more examples. However, I like to think my time management issues can be blamed on two things: the government and environmentalists/activists. In fact, maybe I will just send the government a bill for all the time I am spending trying to undo all the propaganda they have been throwing our way.
Spend your time wisely these days. There are a LOT of issues in agriculture that need our attention. When someone sends you an email or tells you about an issue that needs your concern voiced, spend the extra 15 minutes drafting a letter or email and let people know you are out there and paying attention to what is happening. Every minute of our days count and if we don't spend a few minutes educating others on our trade now, we may not get a second opportunity. This week alone Bank of America has been listening to cattlemen's concerns over their new HSUS card program and I am thinking positively that senators across the country are starting to rethink how they will vote on the clean water act. Get involved because trust me, no-one in this country is fighting our battles for us.
Let us manage our time well!
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Friday, June 26, 2009
Take every moment to educate yourself!
So I am definitely not doing a blog based on my experience, knowledge, or wisdom in the cattle industry. Because lets face it, I don't have any! I'm a young pup, that can not be argued. However, I do try every day and everytime I get the opportunity to broaden my horizons, think beyond my capabilities, and take everything I hear from more experienced people and use it to form my own opinions. My opinions in life may strongly vary from yours, but those of you who know me, know that doesn't cause me to back away from having them nor sharing them! :)
Last night when I should have been thinking I was instead reflecting on some of the tools people in my life and those much wiser than me have shared with me. I have been lucky to have people in the cattle industry, friends and family share sites, books, tools to help me become a diversified thinker. Others may not be as lucky to have a support system that constantly challenges them to always be thinking. So, I am going to share with you what they have shared with me! :)
Websites:
www.wabeef.org - Washington Beef Commission great resource for producers and consumers with recipes, nutrition facts, and more. The "Producers Only" section provides producers with Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) compliance information, a "tool-kit" for dealing with herd health issues and much more! Great website to remember to send consumers to!
www.beef.org -links to all the beef websites including the NCBA website, Beef Board, BQA, BIFSCO, Beef Nutrition, Beef in schools, Cattle Learning Center, Cattlemen to Cattlemen.
www.beefmagazine.com - lots of articles on herd health, economic outlooks, nutrition, etc.
www.farms.com/markets -live commodity prices
www.washingtoncattlemen.org - updated information on government regulations and news, environmental regulations, legislative updates and calls-to-action, etc.
http://www.consumerfreedom.com/index.cfm
-"Promoting Personal Responsibility and Protecting Consumer Choice" GREAT site to try and find out what's really "true" and what's not. Especially helpful when animal activist groups put out false information and advertisements!
http://www.cattlefax.com/ -Economic outlooks, predicitions, market reports on all segments of the cattle industry. Tools, charts, graphs, etc.
http://www.aginfo.com/index.cfm -Online site of the Northwest Ag Radio Network. Features transcripts and recordings of what you would hear on the radio. Great features on agriculture issues specific to the Pacific Northwest! Also has weather, commodity prices, etc.
http://www.biblegateway.com/-So its not specific to the cattle industry. However, it does talk a lot about how to remain hopeful during famines, floods, droughts, illness, job loss, etc! Sounds like what is happening all around us. :) Great tools for passage look-up, key-word search, chapters of the day, you can look up verses and chapters in every version of the bible: NIV, AVS, KJV, etc.
Periodicals:
(I like to read factual information as well as lifestyle-type articles. Range and Western Horseman are some of my favorite to read about what rural/farm-ranch people are doing in their lives.)
-RANGE Magazine
-WCA Ketch Pen :)
-Beef Magazine
-Western Horseman
-Capital Press
Books:
(Some of these I have read and some are on my list to read BUT come very highly recommend by family and friends! Some are "life-building" books and some are just to take your mind away from daily life!:>)
-Bible
-Send Fresh Horses
-Liberty and Tyranny
-What happens when women say Yes to God
-Horse Whisperer
-Any John Grisham Book
-Facing Your Giants (A David and Goliath story for everyday people)
Last night when I should have been thinking I was instead reflecting on some of the tools people in my life and those much wiser than me have shared with me. I have been lucky to have people in the cattle industry, friends and family share sites, books, tools to help me become a diversified thinker. Others may not be as lucky to have a support system that constantly challenges them to always be thinking. So, I am going to share with you what they have shared with me! :)
Websites:
www.wabeef.org - Washington Beef Commission great resource for producers and consumers with recipes, nutrition facts, and more. The "Producers Only" section provides producers with Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) compliance information, a "tool-kit" for dealing with herd health issues and much more! Great website to remember to send consumers to!
www.beef.org -links to all the beef websites including the NCBA website, Beef Board, BQA, BIFSCO, Beef Nutrition, Beef in schools, Cattle Learning Center, Cattlemen to Cattlemen.
www.beefmagazine.com - lots of articles on herd health, economic outlooks, nutrition, etc.
www.farms.com/markets -live commodity prices
www.washingtoncattlemen.org - updated information on government regulations and news, environmental regulations, legislative updates and calls-to-action, etc.
http://www.consumerfreedom.com/index.cfm
-"Promoting Personal Responsibility and Protecting Consumer Choice" GREAT site to try and find out what's really "true" and what's not. Especially helpful when animal activist groups put out false information and advertisements!
http://www.cattlefax.com/ -Economic outlooks, predicitions, market reports on all segments of the cattle industry. Tools, charts, graphs, etc.
http://www.aginfo.com/index.cfm -Online site of the Northwest Ag Radio Network. Features transcripts and recordings of what you would hear on the radio. Great features on agriculture issues specific to the Pacific Northwest! Also has weather, commodity prices, etc.
http://www.biblegateway.com/-So its not specific to the cattle industry. However, it does talk a lot about how to remain hopeful during famines, floods, droughts, illness, job loss, etc! Sounds like what is happening all around us. :) Great tools for passage look-up, key-word search, chapters of the day, you can look up verses and chapters in every version of the bible: NIV, AVS, KJV, etc.
Periodicals:
(I like to read factual information as well as lifestyle-type articles. Range and Western Horseman are some of my favorite to read about what rural/farm-ranch people are doing in their lives.)
-RANGE Magazine
-WCA Ketch Pen :)
-Beef Magazine
-Western Horseman
-Capital Press
Books:
(Some of these I have read and some are on my list to read BUT come very highly recommend by family and friends! Some are "life-building" books and some are just to take your mind away from daily life!:>)
-Bible
-Send Fresh Horses
-Liberty and Tyranny
-What happens when women say Yes to God
-Horse Whisperer
-Any John Grisham Book
-Facing Your Giants (A David and Goliath story for everyday people)
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Where does ambition end and dreams begin?
I heard two incredible quotes tonight that I hadn't heard in a couple of years. They come from the movie "The Pursuit of Happyness". Anyone who is in need of a motivational boost and a push to get you out the door and on with your life, see this movie! Remember no matter what God has thrown your way, I guarantee someone else out there always has it worse than you. Its not about what happens to you in life, its how you handle what happens. You don't have control over what life throws your way, BUT you do have control over how you choose to react!
"Don't ever let someone tell you you can't do something..."
"You want something-go get it! Period!"
~The Pursuit of Happyness
Hope that leaves you with desire and ambition to go after what you dream of. The only person who can stop you is YOU! :)
Jenna
What does the future look like?
If the future looks like either of these pictures then I say our future is pretty bright! Could you
imagine if this country was run by the cattlmen pictured here? This picture speaks for itself. It shows the respect and awe of a nation that was built on morals, principle, and common sense law. There is hope for our future. There are people who steal believe in the fundamental laws of the constitution, who have a set of values and a hard work ethic that was instilled in them by their parents.
The future young cattleman in this picture is already starting along the right path. He was just drawn to all of the men on our YCC trip. He couldn't have picked two better men than featured in this picture
with him to follow around that evening in Kansas. They are good men with strong manners and a strong desire for doing the right thing and seeking out leadership opportunities.
When life is getting you down, take the time to look around you and see all the prosperity that life holds. Chances are you will be able to find that hope and prosperity in the people around you! These pictures are examples of the hope we can have in the future!
imagine if this country was run by the cattlmen pictured here? This picture speaks for itself. It shows the respect and awe of a nation that was built on morals, principle, and common sense law. There is hope for our future. There are people who steal believe in the fundamental laws of the constitution, who have a set of values and a hard work ethic that was instilled in them by their parents.The future young cattleman in this picture is already starting along the right path. He was just drawn to all of the men on our YCC trip. He couldn't have picked two better men than featured in this picture
with him to follow around that evening in Kansas. They are good men with strong manners and a strong desire for doing the right thing and seeking out leadership opportunities.When life is getting you down, take the time to look around you and see all the prosperity that life holds. Chances are you will be able to find that hope and prosperity in the people around you! These pictures are examples of the hope we can have in the future!
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
YCC Sponsors Thank You
Special Thanks for sponsoring Jenna on the 2009 NCBA Young Cattlemen’s Conference:
Benton County Cattlemen’s Association
Teddy
Dick and Paula
John and Fran
Grant County Cattlemen’s Association
Northwest Farm Credit Services
Lyle & Louise
WCA Allied Industries
Washington CattleWomen’s Association
This amazing opportunity could not have possible without your generous financial contributions, support, and encouragement.
Thursday June 11, 2009-Young Cattlemen's Conference
On our first day of road travel on the trip we departed Denver after 2.5 days of classroom days. We headed towards Ulysses, Kansas but we stopped for dinner at the Smith Ranch in Sharon Springs, KS. After getting done with our trip, I still feel It was probably the warmest welcome and most relaxed environment we encountered. The high school cheerleaders were recruited to help serve our ice cream and most of the girls were just entering high school this upcoming year. We ended up passing a hat for them and raised over $1,000 dollars for them within about 20 minutes. Our group alone raised over $700 of that. They did a few cheers for us, although they had only practiced together for a week. It was a pretty awesome moment that $1,000 was raised for these kids that we didn't know in a very SMALL town, and we only passed through for a few hours! None of us will ever forget that nor will we forget that evening! The NCBA new CEO, Forrest Roberts also attempted the zipline in the backyard. He made it successfully across the pond and raised $1,000 for the NCBA Political Action Committee in doing so. It was an evening filled with great food, great new friends, and more importantly great generosity! Our night in Kansas will continue to touch me and remind me of the good people and generous spirits that continue to represent the cattle industry no matter where you are!
Monday June 8, 2009-Young Cattlemen's Conference
Please review the newly posted pictures. On this trip I visited Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, South Dakota, Illinois, and Washington DC. I had never been to any of those states except for Colorado. I saw a lot of great country, learned that just because a place like Virginia is greener than any land I’ve seen it doesn’t mean it makes the best cattle country. I learned that in no way do the folks in Washington DC know the meaning of customer service or being friendly. However, the folks in Kansas will take you in and treat you like a member of their family, so much so that it will bring tears to your eyes. The one thing I learned the most though was walking around late at night through Washington DC in silence. Man, woman, or child would be hard pressed not to see the WWII memorial, or at the Vietnam Wall which is littered with letters and pictures from family and children and see what matters in this world. This country has been fought and died for thousands and thousands of lives over. Those men buried in Arlington Cemetery or the lives lost at the Battle of Bull Run, will we allow what they did for us to be tossed to the wayside? It is up to us to preserve what so many have fought for. Would you have what it takes to line up face to face on a hill in Virginia and fight for your way of life? The day is approaching us once again, will we have the strength and courage that those before us did?
Sunday June 7, 2009-Young Cattlemen's Conference
I made it back to Pacific Time Zone hardly any worse for the wear late Friday evening. After a full day of flying from Washington DC with three flight changes I was greeted at the lovely Spokane airport by a dear friend with a sign reading, "Welcome Home Jenna I BEEF!" Now that is a good friend for sure! After getting a crash course in airports, big cities, charter planes, charter buses, and LOTS of miles in the sky I have an even deeper appreciation for small, quiet airports! You just can't beat 'em. I moseyed on into work yesterday for a few hours and am headed back in there today. Not only do I hate being behind, but anyone who works with other people will understand how much easier it is to get work done when you are the only one there!
Well, I won't sugarcoat it for any of you. My morning Friday was one of the most somber, tough days I've had. I knew it would feel like such a lonely day knowing that I would no longer have 54 people around me, a sea of cowboy hats, laughter, booming voices, and enough jokes and sarcasm to even get Hilary Clinton to crack a smile. I awoke Friday Morning to an empty hotel room. My roommate for the DC leg of the trip had been Nevada Cattlemen's Assoc. Executive Director Meghan Brown. We had a great time staying together-although we really only saw each other for a few minutes each morning. We had different roommates in each state we stayed in, and I enjoyed each one of my roommates thoroughly. My first roommate was Amanda Dyer from Texas. She and I hit it off great and I have high hopes we will remain friends for years to come. We are trying to plan trips to get me down to Texas to her parent's beautiful ranch in West Texas and she wants to see the Northwest and we'll get some mountains in her eyeline! She is a commodities broker in Fort Worth for Producer's Trading Company. She also worked in New York City for 2 years as a stockbroker so she is glad to be back in Texas. If anyone is looking for a commodities trader I would highly recommend giving this gal a call. She is as sweet as the come and sharp as a tack-just drop me an email or phonecall if you are interested in contacting her!My roommate in Chicago was Sabrina White of the Ponoholo Ranch in Hawaii. She and I had some mutual friends and acquaintances going into this trip and we built a good story to take home with us. June 1, 2009 saw us arriving in Chicago way behind schedule after our charter plane company reported us having a security breech and someone bypassing security so we sat on the tarmac for 2 hours as they hand searched every piece of our luggage! Apparently someone on our trip had their name pop-up on a "list" so we had three police cars waiting for us in the GRAND airport of Garden Springs, KS and about 5 cars with police waiting for us at our gate when we arrived in Sioux City, Iowa! So with that chaos behind us we all enjoyed a great family style dinner at a restaurant in Chicago hosted by the NCBA with drinks and local cuisine of Steak Philly's and Chicago hot-dogs! We all loved our meal and it was one of the most relaxing, fun meals we had as a group. It felt like sitting down with old friends! After enjoying drinks at the John Hancock tower in a reserved room on the 96th floor, we hit a local bar Shenanigan's! We lit the place up with dancing, the manager let us control the music all night and the place was lively the entire evening. Getting back to our room in the wee hours of the morning Sabrina and I discovered we had no hot water and NO water pressure. Considering we danced all night AND toured Tyson Fresh Meats Packing Plant AND their tannery facilities, and had to be at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange at 8AM sharp the next morning-A shower was a must! So at 3AM we repacked all our bags and trucked it around the hotel to a new room. Ahhhh....life on the road, never a dull moment! :)
More to come on Rod and my DC visits!
Jenna :)
Friday June 5th 2009-Young Cattlemen's Conference
Hi Everyone!
I hope you all are having a great start to the summer so far! I am just sending you a quick email to send you to the Washington Cattlemen's Association webpage http://www.washingtoncattlemen.org/www.washingtoncattlemen.orgI am leaving Washington DC today after being on the NCBA Young Cattlemen's Conference for the last 10 days. I have been posting a blog on the trip as much as I had time to do. I would encourage ALL of you to keep this trip in the back of your mind over the next couple years. We've posted information on the Conference in addition to my blog. It has been a 10 day comprehensive tour of the United States Beef Industry starting in Denver and going through Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Chicago, and Washington DC. I met with the USDA in a private 3+ hour briefing yesterday and with Representatives from Canada, Ireland, and Mexico at the Canadian Embassy.
Thanks Jenna!
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Thursday June 4, 2009-Young Cattlemen's Conference
NCBA chief lobbyist, Collin took us on a walking tour of all the monuments the first night we got to DC. None of us were expecting to get to see any sights so we were so incredibly grateful for the opportunity. Collin is a big history buff and the information we received could not be recreated! It was a 3 mile walking tour unless you chose the endurance tour with an extra mile or two to see the FDR monument, Korean war exhibit and Jefferson monument. I chose the entire tour because you never know when you will get to a place again! The Jefferson monument was my favorite right up there with the Vietnam wall which was incredibly emotional! The new WWII Memorial is absolutely amazing and is a must see! Go at night like we did and you will be hard pressed not to be even more reflective and passionate about how many people have heart and courage in this world and how we need to fight for that freedom they once did for us!
Jenna
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Thursday June 4, 2009-Young Cattlemen's Conference
Our entire group looks like we've been drug behind a semi today! How does anyone sit through 3.5 hrs briefings its tough! Anytime someone nods off, has a head-bob, or falls asleep on the trip they have to pay $5 to the PAC so today when we get on the bus we are all going to automatically give our funds to our funds keeper!:)
Oh Whitestone Farm in Virginia hired an AWESOME band for us. They are "the" elite Angus breeder with a beautiful place with more green pasture than I've ever seen before! Wonderful inviting people who made us feel like family! All 54 people didn't get back till 1am last night but of course I'm a firm believer of taking every opportunity on this trip so I went out for some further socialization after that!
Meeting with the Canadian Embassy around noon
Friday, June 19, 2009
Tuesday June 2, 2009-Young Cattlemen's Conference
Tuesday June 2nd
Just leaving Chicago as I type this. Our charter plane is about to take off to head to Washington DC. We only spent last night and part of today in Chicago but rest assured we made the most of our 18 hour stay!! The Ncba had an awesome dinner for us with good local Chicago food and drinks afterwards on the 96th floor of the John Hancock center. It was downtown Chicago with the most amazing views of the city. Of course our group just can't get enough of each other so we did some more socializing and dancing at shenanigans.
We hit Chicago Mercantile Exchange this morning. A gal on the trip is from Fort Worth and a commodities broker so she had arranged to get to go down on the trading floor while we all looked on from the observation deck! It was a highlight for her of course as was the visit for all of us. After CME we toured Bruss's, a steak cutting business. I saw some local WA BEEF in there that was cut and boxed ready for food service and restaurant use!
We just landed, said goodbye to the charter plane staff that has flown us the last couple days since we left Kansas. I definitely do not think they have ever had a group like us before!:). Oh and we are currently stuck on our bus on the tarmac because Obama and Air Force One are a little ways down! And my last comment is there is only about 2 degrees of separation on this trip instead of three! Another connection I learned of today is a guy from CT has a wife who works with my brother! Its pretty exciting when you come together with people from across the whole country for this one experience and you've never met before and you discover all these connections! We are off to the NCBA office here in DC for a reception with John Deere folks and we get a walking tour of the monuments.
Just leaving Chicago as I type this. Our charter plane is about to take off to head to Washington DC. We only spent last night and part of today in Chicago but rest assured we made the most of our 18 hour stay!! The Ncba had an awesome dinner for us with good local Chicago food and drinks afterwards on the 96th floor of the John Hancock center. It was downtown Chicago with the most amazing views of the city. Of course our group just can't get enough of each other so we did some more socializing and dancing at shenanigans.
We hit Chicago Mercantile Exchange this morning. A gal on the trip is from Fort Worth and a commodities broker so she had arranged to get to go down on the trading floor while we all looked on from the observation deck! It was a highlight for her of course as was the visit for all of us. After CME we toured Bruss's, a steak cutting business. I saw some local WA BEEF in there that was cut and boxed ready for food service and restaurant use!
We just landed, said goodbye to the charter plane staff that has flown us the last couple days since we left Kansas. I definitely do not think they have ever had a group like us before!:). Oh and we are currently stuck on our bus on the tarmac because Obama and Air Force One are a little ways down! And my last comment is there is only about 2 degrees of separation on this trip instead of three! Another connection I learned of today is a guy from CT has a wife who works with my brother! Its pretty exciting when you come together with people from across the whole country for this one experience and you've never met before and you discover all these connections! We are off to the NCBA office here in DC for a reception with John Deere folks and we get a walking tour of the monuments.
Jenna :)
View of Chicago from the John Hancock Tower!
Friday May 29, 2009-Young Cattlemen's Conference
Friday May 29, 2009
Yesterday was the first official day of the Young Cattlemen's Conference. Our day was filled with great speakers and a good start to getting to know one another!
This YCC is a year of many firsts in its 30 year history: - largest class with 54 doing the whole trip - the most women they've ever taken (14) :) which I'm excited to take part in that number -the most NCBA staff to ever attend including the new NCBA president Forrest Roberts is attending the entire trip with us! There are also two of the lobbyists and Dr. Parker all from DC along for the ride!
WSU has a strong representation of COUGS on the trip with Rod, myself, and Ian Murdock from the Oregon cattlemen's. Sabrina White of the Ponoholo Ranch in Hawaii is also on this trip. We have a couple of mutual friends and I was familiar with her ranch through experience with the Hawaii Co-op. We discovered we have both worked at the same guest ranch in Montana. In addition to those connections Dave Felumle from Ohio us friends with Jay Penick, my CEO at NW Farm Credit. I'm on my best behavior after learning that!:) Needless to say no matter how many miles or oceans separate us in this industry you will probably end up knowing someone or share a mutual friend wherever you go!
I have learned so much I am bursting to share it with everyone! A quick take home message for today is please show your support of the NCBA and their Political Action Committee. We are working hard to fight Humane Society of the United States who is doing everything in their power to shut down all animal agriculture in the United States. This group is not supporting local humane societies they are using funds to lobby and pass legislation to try and shut us down. The NCBA PAC is working hard to fight them but we need to support them financially to go up against HSUS hundreds of millions of dollars.
We are having a PAC auction the last night of our trip on a riverboat on the Potomac river! I would welcome any financial support so I can bid and support the PAC
Jenna :)
Yesterday was the first official day of the Young Cattlemen's Conference. Our day was filled with great speakers and a good start to getting to know one another!
This YCC is a year of many firsts in its 30 year history: - largest class with 54 doing the whole trip - the most women they've ever taken (14) :) which I'm excited to take part in that number -the most NCBA staff to ever attend including the new NCBA president Forrest Roberts is attending the entire trip with us! There are also two of the lobbyists and Dr. Parker all from DC along for the ride!
WSU has a strong representation of COUGS on the trip with Rod, myself, and Ian Murdock from the Oregon cattlemen's. Sabrina White of the Ponoholo Ranch in Hawaii is also on this trip. We have a couple of mutual friends and I was familiar with her ranch through experience with the Hawaii Co-op. We discovered we have both worked at the same guest ranch in Montana. In addition to those connections Dave Felumle from Ohio us friends with Jay Penick, my CEO at NW Farm Credit. I'm on my best behavior after learning that!:) Needless to say no matter how many miles or oceans separate us in this industry you will probably end up knowing someone or share a mutual friend wherever you go!
I have learned so much I am bursting to share it with everyone! A quick take home message for today is please show your support of the NCBA and their Political Action Committee. We are working hard to fight Humane Society of the United States who is doing everything in their power to shut down all animal agriculture in the United States. This group is not supporting local humane societies they are using funds to lobby and pass legislation to try and shut us down. The NCBA PAC is working hard to fight them but we need to support them financially to go up against HSUS hundreds of millions of dollars.
We are having a PAC auction the last night of our trip on a riverboat on the Potomac river! I would welcome any financial support so I can bid and support the PAC
Jenna :)
May 27th, 2009-Day 1 NCBA Young Cattlemen's Conference
Hi Guys!
I've 0fficially arrived in Mountain Time, making it safe and sound to Denver and even managed to find my way through that crazy airport. The NCBA doesn't leave anything to guess and set us up with a ride to the hotel, just the start of everything they have covered on this trip. If I ever get to go on a personal vacation I think I'll just have them be my travel agent! As you may discover through my updates I am definitely NOT what you would call a world traveler, so this trip will be quite a shock to my system.
I was lucky to have two fellow Young Cattlemen Conference (YCC) attendees on my shuttle. Mary Ellen from Georgia and Branden from South Carolina. With their great southern drawls chattin me up, we were to the hotel in no-time and I made my first two friends. Mary Ellen is actually an Animal Science Professor at a small college in southern Georgia. She happens to be the Student Cattlemen's Association Advisor which comes in very handy for me with my new Student Group venture here in Washington. Mary Ellen and I enjoyed dinner together and I got some great ideas from her and the state of Georgia!
Rod Wesselman is also on this trip as the representative for the American Angus Association. He showed up later this evening and I was certainly glad to see someone I knew. I am so thankful that two of us from Washington are going on this trip together. It's always a great thing to see a familiar face and more importantly I am hoping we can create a strong presence nationally for our state.
This trip is filled with people from across the entire United States all with different backgrounds and experiences. I am trying not to let any intimidation by the highly accomplished folk I'm surrounded by get the best of me and soak in as much information and learning opportunities from everyone here.
THANK YOU to everyone who has made this trip and experience possible. I am greatly thankful. If anyone has anything they would like me to do while on this trip or issues to discuss please feel free to let me know and send me a quick email. I will post each day as I can and hope to have some pictures to share as well!
Jenna :)
I've 0fficially arrived in Mountain Time, making it safe and sound to Denver and even managed to find my way through that crazy airport. The NCBA doesn't leave anything to guess and set us up with a ride to the hotel, just the start of everything they have covered on this trip. If I ever get to go on a personal vacation I think I'll just have them be my travel agent! As you may discover through my updates I am definitely NOT what you would call a world traveler, so this trip will be quite a shock to my system.
I was lucky to have two fellow Young Cattlemen Conference (YCC) attendees on my shuttle. Mary Ellen from Georgia and Branden from South Carolina. With their great southern drawls chattin me up, we were to the hotel in no-time and I made my first two friends. Mary Ellen is actually an Animal Science Professor at a small college in southern Georgia. She happens to be the Student Cattlemen's Association Advisor which comes in very handy for me with my new Student Group venture here in Washington. Mary Ellen and I enjoyed dinner together and I got some great ideas from her and the state of Georgia!
Rod Wesselman is also on this trip as the representative for the American Angus Association. He showed up later this evening and I was certainly glad to see someone I knew. I am so thankful that two of us from Washington are going on this trip together. It's always a great thing to see a familiar face and more importantly I am hoping we can create a strong presence nationally for our state.
This trip is filled with people from across the entire United States all with different backgrounds and experiences. I am trying not to let any intimidation by the highly accomplished folk I'm surrounded by get the best of me and soak in as much information and learning opportunities from everyone here.
THANK YOU to everyone who has made this trip and experience possible. I am greatly thankful. If anyone has anything they would like me to do while on this trip or issues to discuss please feel free to let me know and send me a quick email. I will post each day as I can and hope to have some pictures to share as well!
Jenna :)
Thursday, June 18, 2009
