Helene and Sarah are back at it again for another round of #totalsocial
and this month they want the scoop about our 9 to 5 j-o-b.
Well here's some details for ya on that...
I work for University of Illinois Extension.
Extension was established 100 years ago as an outreach organization to bring information discovered at the University to people throughout the state.
We offer educational opportunities in five areas: health, food security/safety, environmental stewardship, wise use of Illinois agricultural land and maybe our most well known, 4-H!
I proud to say that I actually use both my animal science (BS) and agriculture education (MS) degrees.
I generally roll in to work at about 8:05am and only work 'til 4:30pm. You can bet that I'm out the door at 4:30:01!
Each day is different, sometimes it's meetings, programs, meetings, programs, but other days it's just brainstorming for the coming months.
I work with some awesome people, one of which I'm related to!
My favorite programs to bring to the community are horse related (obviously) or ones that introduce people to something they might not have ever learned about without our input! Recently, we've had huge success with backyard beekeeping, encouraging women to take a more active role in farming and local foods and small farm tours!
I wasn't into boys, I was more into geldings. And a few mares I suppose.
Since before I can really remember, horses have always been my thing. There has never been a time in my life where that passion ever diminished. It wasn't one of those activities that I would 'grow out of' once I discovered boys and to this day it still hasn't been replaced by some other hobby!
I've been blessed to call a lot of good horses mine over the years...
But the first, the very first was Big B.
B was white with specks of brown, horseman call that flea-bit grey. He wasn't a fancy horse show horse or anything of the sort. If I remember right he was just a grade horse that my parents bought from some friends of theirs.
What was he though? Safe. My parents were sure that big ol' grey horse was going to take care of their baby girl! So maybe there was that one time that he took off at a dead run for the barn and I had to duck against his neck or risk being plastered against the side of the barn as he flew into his stall... That memory is forever etched in my brain! My poor mom was hysteric, but I survived!
Time passed and my family sold B, but there were lots of other wonderful horses that came through our barn.
If Big B was my first love, my horse Fred would probably compare to everyone's favorite elementary teacher. The one who taught you so much and who you will always be grateful for.
Fred was the first real barrel racing horse I owned. He was the best! My parents bought him for me when I was in seventh grade and I competed at every county fair, open horse show and rodeo I could find. He was a gorgeous red roan that put up with a silly adolescent girl who was convinced all her tack needed to be purple and his mane must be braided. A little glitter on his hair never hurt either! Poor guy was probably always questioning his manhood.
Fred is gone now. Buried at my family's farm. He was one of the few horses that lived out his life with us. I sobbed like a baby the morning my dad called to tell me he was gone! I look at all the pictures of us over the years and I'm still so thankful that he was mine!
Then there's Six.
As much as I love this horse, he was and still is a bit of a challenge. Always a bit spooky about silly stuff like a dried up corn leaf blowing across the road, but in his day he was a damn fine barrel horse. He also put up with me wanting to ride him in western pleasure classes and teaching him showmanship. To this day, I could probably pull him out of the pasture at my parents and he'd kick some butt in showmanship!
Two years ago, I made the decision to retire him from competition because I couldn't keep him sound. That's horse speak for he was sore and the medicine to make him feel good enough to run at the level we had been at was just too expensive to maintain. Currently, he's happily munching grass at the farm. When I go home to visit, I always make a point to stop and see him. 9 times out of 10 the little stinker will run away from me in the pasture! I love you too, pal!
And now, as you know, I have Louie.
He's certainly got some mighty big horseshoes to fill, but he's well on his way!
I'm linking up today's post over with Carly for Thankful Thursdays.
And also Helene and Sarah for their first #TOTALSOCIAL.
I was tickled positively pink when I read that Brianne from Lamm to the Laughter nominated me for a Liebster award last week! My mouth literally fell open. Talk about a surge of pride! Brianne and I met through the Ultimate Blog Party last month. Since then we've become blog pals who share a mutual love for horses!
Here's the scoop on the Liebster, it's an award given to small bloggers from other small bloggers. It's sort of like a pat on the back! As one of the bloggers that Brianne nominated, I answer the 11 questions she's dying to know and also add 11 facts about me you may or may not know. Finally, I then get to nominate up to 11 other bloggers and pose 11 questions to them.
Brianne's Questions:
1. What is one thing you just will not blog about?
I just can't bring myself to write about 'Our Love Story'. I just can't. Yes, I will talk about Matt and may mention our wedding or anniversary, but I'm just sort of 'eh' about putting every last detail out there. Are you really that interested? Also, I follow the rule of 'Would I be embarrassed that my family read this...'
2. What is your favorite music video?
The first one that pops into my mind is Beyonce's Single Ladies, followed shortly after the parody they did on SNL...
3. Tell us about your favorite charitable organization.
Local animal shelters. Donating to the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) is not the same thing! Not even close. If you want to make a difference in the lives of animals donate your money locally!
4. Have you ever tripped and fallen in an excitingly embarrassing way? In high school, it was a right of passage that the freshman would inevitably trip up the stairs. One instance that comes to mind was when I was hustling to my next class and the toe of my shoe caught the riser of the next tread and bam! Books, pencils, etc. went flying. And of course it was in front of a host of upperclassmen who couldn't help but giggle.
5. Don't tell me what's in your bag. Tell me what's in your fridge.
Wine. Beer. Eggs. Fresh veggies. Homemade pickles, salsa and mayo. Almond milk. Cows milk. Iced tea. Deli meat. Leftovers. Bacon.
6. Your readers are eskimos. Sell them ice.
"Well sure. You have lots of ice, but my ice comes in all different sorts of shapes and sizes! Small squares. Rectangles. Crescents. And you can't even imagine the magic that is 'crushed'"
7. Have you ever traced your family history? Do you have any interesting relatives?
I know that I come from German, Irish and Scottish heritage. I had to call my mom to see if she knew of anyone exciting in our family and she said that we did have a relative who played in the NFL back in the late sixties/early seventies. I'd like to say that I was related to author Alice Munro, but I can't be sure.
8. What is your craziest dream (sleeping dream)? I know it probably doesn't make sense, but write it out anyway!
When I was little I used to have this reoccurring dream that I was with my mom at her hairdressers house. Mom and Mendi were sitting in wicker peacock chairs and I was hiding behind them because this HUGE cat, like the size of a bus... was coming down the road and I was certain it was going to get me!
9. If you could call a summit of any 5 people that ever lived, who
would you invite and where in the entire world would you choose to meet? My Grandpa. Annie Oakley. June Carter Cash. Adam Petty. Abraham Lincoln. I'd want to meet around a home cooked meal served on my dining room table. We'd talk for hours and drink good wine.
10. Tell us about a time when you flubbed an interview question as bad as Miss Teen South Carolina.
Um, wow! I couldn't even watch that whole video. Painful. Thank goodness, I don't think I've ever botched an interview question as bad as that poor girl.
11. Write a haiku about your favorite non-blogging pastime.
Yes, I totally Google'd haiku. I'll save you the time... it's a non rhyming three line poem that has five syllables in the first line, seven in the second and five in the third.
Louie is screwy.
He is one ornery horse.
But I still love him.
11 Facts About Me:
1. I'm the bossy older sister.
2. If I won the lottery I'd pay off any debt my parents had before my own.
3. ESFJ. To a tee!
4. The first concert I ever went to was Destiny's Child.
5. I bought a car with a manual transmission before I knew how to drive a stick.
6. I only burn candles that smell like I've been baking all day. For instance: pumpkin pie, cinnamon swirl, sugar cookie, etc.
7. Matt and I will be married four years in October and we've never bought any of our wedding photos. We even have a credit for pete's sake, but it's always something that just get shuffled to the bottom of the to-do list.
8. Generally I'm a red wine drinker, but I love a cool sauvignon blanc on a hot summer day!
9. My very first horse's name was Big B. I've also had ones named Brandie, Charlie, Joey (x 2), Fred, Six, Cody, Sammy, Scotch, Leo and now Louie.
10. I'm incredibly particular about my cowboy boots. I can't stand 'fashion' western boots. Be looking for a blog post about this in the near future.
11. I've never met a flavor of ice cream I don't like, except butter pecan. Not a fan.
My Nominees:
I read so many different blogs, but these gals have been so wonderful to me over the last few months that I want to share the love.
Jessi's Design
Jessi is incredibly sweet! I just want to sit on her porch and drink a bottle with her while our labs play in the yard!
Old Blue Silo
I'm pretty sure Kelly and I are cut from the same cloth. We're both very proud of our role in agriculture and we both love our mason jars!
Wine and Words
And who would have thought it was so easy to find a fellow Saluki? Sure, Megan lives in Texas now, but we can reminisce about the good times we both had in college!
Carly Blogs Here
I love Carly's blog for her make-up reviews and posts about DC travel. If it hadn't been for Carly I would have failed to know there was a monument in DC dedicated to FDR. And she loves Harry Potter! My Questions:
1. Are you a five mph over the speed limit kinda girl or do you set your cruise at the exact speed you're supposed to be traveling?
2. Tell me about the one gift that you didn't feel the least bit guilty returning.
3. What your go-to karaoke song?
4. How do you express yourself creatively?
5. What was the last book you read and why should I read it?
6. How do you describe your sense of humor?
7. What is your favorite candle scent to burn?
8. Describe the last time you were truly excited about something?
9. What's the one thing that your spouse or significant other, God bless 'em, does that drives you bat shit crazy?
10. How many times do you wear your jeans before you wash them?
11. What are five things you can't do--that you would like to do?
Today I'm joining up with Brianna at Endlessly Beloved for her Ten Favorite Things link up. This months topic is travel. I love going new places and seeing new things so I'm splitting my ten into five places I've been and loved and five places I really want to go! If you've got any insight (must eat restaurants, exceptional hotels, or travel tips) on the five I've not been to I'd love it if you'd share them with me!
Ten Favorite Things About: Travel, the places I've loved...
one: Fort Collins, Colorado
Matt, Bella and I road tripped from our home in Illinois to Fort Collins to visit my friend Allis and her family. I was won over by the scenery, hiking, the overall cleanliness of the town, bike pathsand all. the. BREWERIES! I'd give just about anything for an Odell Easy Street Wheat right about now!! I'm headed back to visit again in July and can't wait!
two: Disneyland and Disney California Adventure
I felt like such a kid exploring all things Disney when I went to California this winter to visit friends. And if it's okay to be a big kid anywhere, I'd guess Disney would be that place!
three: Europe. Specifically Germany and France.
My friend Kira lived in German several years ago and I had the opportunity to visit her. We had a lot of fun traipsing around Europe! I fell head over heels for Polish pottery, spätzle and French champagne.
four: San Juan, Puerto Rico
I still get warm fuzzies when I think about my recent trip to San Juan! It was such a wonderful time filled with sun, sand, drinks and amazing food! I'd head back in a heartbeat...
five: Savannah, Georgia
I've been to Savannah on two occasions (once for St. Patrick's Day and once just for giggles) and would be up for another trip. Who wants to go? Things I love to do: stroll the cobblestone streets down by the water, drive out to Tybee and hit up Jen's and Friends for Happy Hour!
And the places I know I'd love... six: Santorini, Greece
I've been dropping not so subtle hints to Matt that I REALLY want to go here in the near future and he's been purposely ignoring me! Santorini looks incredibly beautiful in every. single. photo I've ever seen and I really want to experience it in real life!
eight: The Wizarding World of Harry Potter
WWOHP or bust. I can't tell you how many times I re-read this series of books or seen the movies. I'm DESPERATE to experience everything that this attraction at Universal has to offer! Too bad I can't apparate and just be there!
nine: Napa Valley, California
Wine country. Need I say more? ten: Scotland
My ancestors on my Dad's side are originally from Scotland and the family castle, Foulis Castle is still standing and available for touring. It would be so neat to fly over and check out some of my family history!
I know that I can't be the only gal who craves the days where you can slip on your sunglasses, open the sunroof, roll down the windows and crank up the tunes on the radio!! Last Friday was one of those afternoons for me. I couldn't bare to be cooped up at work any longer and was counting the minutes until I could bug out and feel the warm wind hitting my face as I belted out some of my favorite songs!
This got me to thinking about the songs that I absolutely LOVE to sing (although not well) along with. There's definitely an underlying theme to the songs listed, I was raised on country and it's still my favorite, but there are few randoms thrown in for good measure!
I Was Country When Country Wasn't Cool by Barbara Mandrell
As a young girl who struggled to fit in, I was certain this song was written for me!
She's In Love With The Boy by Trisha Yearwood
This was one of the first cassette tapes I ever had and would put in in my red My First Sony Walkman and listen to it over and over and over again until the batteries died.
17 by Cross Canadian Ragweed
"You'll always be seventeen in your hometown." So true.
Livin' On A Prayer by Bon Jovi
Who doesn't love to crank this one up and sing along? When God Fearin' Women Get The Blues by Martina McBride
Even now, one of my old college roommates and I still text each other when we hear this song on the radio! It was one of our favorites back in the day and we can repeat it word for word with or without the music.
40 Hour Week by Ala-freakin-bama
For me, bands like Alabama and songs like this truly speak to working class Americans who get up everyday, work hard and don't expect a lot in return.
Fancy by Reba McEntire
I was singing this song as a kid in our family car long before I even understood it was about a girl who grew up to be hooker! It's also a classic karaoke song for my girlfriends and I.
We're Not Gonna Take It by Twisted Sister
Not only is this great to jam out in the car to, but it's one of my favorites to run to. I may throw a couple fist pumps in as I'm pounding the pavement.
Rodeo by Garth Brooks
Growing up attending and competing in rodeos makes it an easy choice!
Airstream Song by Miranda Lambert
This song, which never got much radio play, is probably one of my all time favorites that she sings! And if I could pick one celebrity BFF, it would be Miranda. I'm certain we'd be besties!
Party In The USA by Miley Cyrus
Don't hate. It's a fun song!
Dixieland Delight by Ala-freakin-bama
I pretty much love anything that Alabama sings, but this song brings back memories of many nights in the AGR house swing dancing and singing at the top of our lungs!
Old Time Rock and Roll by Bob Seger
Classic, right?!? Right? I'm not sure we can be friends if you think otherwise.
Sk8er Boi by Avril Lavigne
There's not much alternative/punk music on my list, but I really like this song!
Delta Dawn by Tanya Tucker
I just can't restrain myself... "Deeellltttaaa Dawn what's that flower you have on..."
Harvest Time by Luke Bryan
This is another obscure song from a really popular (or you could insert hot, attractive, unavailable, etc.) country singer! It really shouldn't come as a surprise that songs about small towns and farming are some of my favorite!
That Girl Is A Cowboy by Garth Brooks
"Man she's something when she's one of the boys, but something else anytime she's not." It would be such a compliment to have someone say this about me!
Don't Stop Believin' by Journey
In college there was this epic 80's tribute band called Hairbangers Ball that would play several of the local bars and the whole place would go crazy when they played "Don't Stop Believin'"!
Love Can Build A Bridge by The Judds
I love me some classic, belt it out ballads!
Famous In A Small Town by Miranda Lambert
I'm just don't think it's possible to really understand small town life unless you've lived it. There's really nothing like going to school and having teachers who also taught your parents. Or riding around town on the back of a firetruck after winning the big game. And there was also the speed at which the news/gossip spread from the gas station to the corn elevator to the coffee shop.
A while back, Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone were on Ellen doing a promo for their new movie, The Amazing Spider-Man 2. There's no doubt in my mind that there are tons of you out there who love Emma as much as me! What clinched it for you? House Bunny? Easy A? The Help? Crazy, Stupid, Love. with hottie Ryan Gosling? For me it was Easy A, but The Help solidified her on my list of favorite actresses!!
As I was watching, I got to thinking 'What would my superpower be?' Hmm.
Flying? Useful, yes.
Invisibility? Oh the possibilities.
Mind control? Gracious.
Time Travel? Intriguing.
Teleportation? Ding, ding, ding. We have a winner!! I mean seriously, how cool would it be that in one instant you could be somewhere else entirely?!? I would obviously use it to travel the world! Wanna see the sights of Santorini, Greece? BAM! Head back for a quick trip to Disneyland? BOOM! The Grand Canyon? BADA BING!
What about you? If you could choose a superpower to wake up one morning with what would it be?
It's time for this month's Ten Favorite Things link up with Brianna over at Endlessly Beloved. The topic for April is blogging. As a new blogger, I was afraid I'd struggle to come up with enough items, but I'm pretty happy with my list!
Ten Favorite Things About: Blogging
one: connections
Getting to know people from all over that I have a genuine connection with is pretty freaking awesome! So far I've connected with other agriculturists, Labrador lovers and one girl who went to the same college as me... Hi Megan!
two: memories
Blogging gives me the opportunity to put some great memories out there that one day I can look back on and smile at.
three: thoughts and opinions
I can get out my thoughts and ask for yours on all different sorts of things. I also find it very valuable avenue to get restaurant suggestions and cities to visit!
four: freedom of speech
So maybe it's not really speech, rather type but it's my place to post what I choose. Certain posts will reflect that I'm a proud farmer's daughter and agriculturist, but the next day it could be about seeing the world differently than Matt or even a request for hair and beauty advice.
five: showcase talents
I love reading tutorials on blog posts! The craftier the better. Blogging gives us a place to show off hidden and not so hidden talents without coming across as a narcissist!
six: product reviews
Not living in town or close to one for that matter, I don't have the opportunity to buy all the latest and greatest trends that hit the beauty scene. But from reading the reviews that y'all post I know which ones I'll definitely be picking up to try the next time around.
seven: championing others
This goes along with making connections through blogging, but it provides you with your own personal cheerleaders! Everyone lifts you up when you're down and cheers you along as you succeed.
eight: reading other blogs
I was a blog reader long before I was a blog writer. I still enjoy reading other people's stuff now that I'm blogging regularly. It's sorta like a pen pal throwback, I dig it!
nine: the recipes
There are some AMAZING food bloggers out there that literally have me drooling over my keyboard with just their photos!
ten: learning something new
Whether I'm the one learning or I'm educating someone, blogging provides a platform to educate.
This week quite a few of my friends shared an entertaining web link, 30 Signs You Grew Up on a Farm or Ranch, on Facebook. So many of these are true for me, but I want to highlight five of my most favorite for today's Five on Friday post!
ONE:
Your front door was always unlocked...even if your entire family was on
vacation. And the keys to your car or truck were always in the ignition.
We NEVER locked our door growing up on the farm! Seriously. I know some people can't fathom this, but it just wasn't necessary. Between farm dogs and neighbors, you didn't worry about people actually getting out of their car or you knew someone would stop and see why a stranger was poking around.
TWO:
You fear hearing the words, "Cows are out."
Ugh. Seriously, it didn't matter if this was at the crack of dawn oras you were just getting out of the shower, everyone threw on a pair of boots and headed out the back door to lend a hand!
THREE:
You could drive a tractor before you could drive a car. And you drove a car before you ever attended a driver's education class.
I was sitting on my dad's lap driving our John Deere tractors (See #4 on the list.) around the farm long before I could actually reach the pedals. Then at about 10 or 11, my grandpa had me driving him to town for errands. More than once, someone would see us tooling around and call my mom to tell on us! Busted.
FOUR:
When you went to college you learned other kids had more students in
their home room than you had in your entire school. And you didn't know
what a home room was.
I've mentioned it before, but I only had 12 people in my graduating class and 60 students enrolled in the whole high school. Yes, it was a public school! So no, we didn't have home room.
FIVE:
The county fair was considered the social event of the year.
The third week in July was sacred growing up! For most farm families, the fair was our only vacation. Not only did it give the kids a chance to exhibit our 4-H projects, but we were able to run amuck with friends that any other week would be spread out all over the county. Good times were always had and the memories we made are often reminisced about!
