I am back in Wyoming, and loving it, after spending a few days in Washington D.C., lobbying and discussing issues as a representative of the U.S. Cattlemen's Association (USCA). My boyfriend and I were fortunate enough to represent our great state at the fly-in, and it was a fun, intense experience. Hopefully I will have a few minutes to sit down and share several of the issues we covered, as they are all very important to everyone from producers to consumers.We were also able to spend a day seeing the sites in D.C., met some great people from across the country that were also representing the USCA, walked many many miles, drank lots of coffee, went through a lot of security, and started our trip home at 2:30 a.m., MST yesterday. I feel like a zombie as a result.Today I am headed out to check on our yearlings, tomorrow we are turning out the last of our bulls with the cows and beyond that I do not know at this point...These pictures are from my mother's Columbine flowers, and were taken right before we headed to the nation's capital, and were waiting when we returned.
I am still experiencing some technical difficulties, and am unable to upload photos at present. So, in lieu of photos, here is a little update on what I've been up to.This week started with moving and attempting to brand at my uncles, but being rained out. Following that I drove to Basin Sunday evening to see my guy, and to learn how to AI from his mom. Then it dried out, and I made a last-minute drive from Basin to Newcastle to brand on Tuesday, then drove back to Basin the same day. I can report that the snowpack in the Bighorns is still very deep, but that the drive from Ten Sleep to Buffalo is still a personal favorite of mine!Once back to Basin we took CIDR's out of heifers, practiced AI'ing on some reproductive tracts and various other spring tasks.. We also saw the new Pirates of the Carribean movie, went swimming in the hot springs at Thermopolis, and I met his grandma.On Thursday I drove back to my parents. Friday morning I gathered up, cleaned and organized my photo equipment, and drove to Cheyenne to be a second shooter for a friend of mine who was photographing a wedding. Friday night we attended the rehersal dinner, and Saturday we (she took the vast majority of the photos) worked for just under 12 hours. It was a big day, but a great experience for me, and the perfect chance to get back into taking more technically correct photographs. I really enjoyed the experience!This morning I drove back to my parents, armed with a venti latte with an extra espresso shot and my ipod. Tomorrow we are shipping pairs to summer pasture, Tuesday we are sorting and moving more cattle. Wednesday we are branding any late-calvers. I think Thursday has a few spare minutes right now : )Then on Friday I am meeting my guy in Casper for a doctors appointment and some last minute shopping. From there we are going to Denver, and flying to Washington D.C. on Saturday to represent Wyoming at the U.S. Cattlemen's Association's fly-in. To say I am excied would be an understatment!Hope you all had a great weekend!
