Happy New Year

Where have I been? Well I got snowed in at my boyfriends, who doesn't have Internet. Then we went to the very disapointing Denver Broncos game for his birthday and New Years (my surprise gift to him). I had a post scheduled for about four days ago, but apparently my limited technology abilities prohibited that from happening, somehow.
Anyway, Happy New Year!
The above photo is some of my photography and writing from the last year. A big THANK YOU to everyone for all the support, business, compliments and suggestions. 2011 was a great year for me, and all of you had a big part of making it that way. I really appreciate it!
Very excited to dive into 2012 full tilt, and make it an even better year!

A New Leaf

Things are changing rapidly in my life at the moment.
Last Monday I gave my month's notice at the Roundup, and will be leaving April 30. There were a number of factors that played into the decision, and while I will miss a lot of things about the job, this definitely feels like the right move for me at this point in life.
What am I going to do is typically the next question asked, and what a good one it is. For the next couple months I will be home, helping get a few necessary things caught up on the ranch-God bless my family for offering that opportunity!
During that time I am also planning to get my photography business off the back burner and into focus again, and am going to pursue some freelance/correspondent writing opportunities as well. From there we will see how everything shakes out.
Then there's my house, which I am in the middle of getting rented, and (partially/fully??) moved out of. That is also falling into place amazingly well, all things considered. God, and some quality friends, are definitely helping with this whole thing in big ways.
Things on here may be a little sporadic for a few weeks, but after everything settles into place there will be the usual ag pictures and stories posted on a perhaps not as regular, but often, basis.

Hitting the road

I'm off to conduct Spring Planting edition interviews in the Manderson, Worland area this afternoon, and won't be back to Casper until tomorrow evening. I always enjoy it when my trips include a little extra, and this time that little extra is getting to spend the night with some of my extended family. It will be fun to see them!

Have a good Wednesday!

Three States in Two Weeks

It's been a busy, travel filled few weeks for me, and if my posts have seemed a little sporadic, its due largely to my ever-changing schedule.
Since the first of the year I've been to Denver on two separate occasions - once for the NWSS, and once for the NCBA Convention and Trade Show. I've also been to two bull sales, and a number of meetings, conventions and other gatherings around the state.
After being south of Torrington once earlier in the week, and prior to heading for Denver the second time last week, I drove to Torrington again for Torrington Livestock's Customer Appreciation Day. Then I headed south, and was in Denver from Tuesday night through Saturday morning. I drove back to Casper Saturday, and fortunately the roads were great until Douglas. I slept 13 hours Saturday night and stopped by Christy's for her Superbowl Party briefly on Sunday.
This week I headed west to Riverton for the Fremont County Farm and Ranch Days on Wednesday morning, and drove back to Casper that evening. Thursday I rode to Veteran (near Torrington) for another bull sale, then went back to Casper that evening.
Friday I got to work early, then left work early and drove to my parents.
Saturday morning my dad and I drove to Newcastle, Sundance, Aladdin, Belle Fourche, South Dakota, and finally to north of Sturgis where we looked through Blair Brothers bulls and bought our quota for the year.
Then we met my mom in Lead, and Holly and I drove home and my parents stayed for their Valentines date.
This morning Holly and I fed, and right now we are waiting for our pizza to cook for lunch.
This afternoon I have to drive back to Casper.
Tomorrow morning I head to Cheyenne for the Farm Bureau Legislative Meeting, and might be staying the night to cover the Interim Ag Committee Meeting on Tuesday. I still have no idea if I'm attending this in an effort to get articles for the paper, or if I am just representing the Roundup. I also wish this trip had been planned a little better - it would have saved me quite a few miles if I had been able to go straight from my parent's house to Cheyenne in the morning. But, despite some last minute changes, it should all come together without any issues.
Next weekend, and for several following, I will be back home. But, other then that I'm hoping the traveling slows down for a couple weeks. I really like attending different meetings and conventions, but am starting to wear down. I don't have time to wear down too much, with a guaranteed busy March looming in a couple weeks, so I'm hoping my work calendar stays as open as it is right now for the upcoming weeks!
One great thing about all the things I've attended is the vast amount of information I've been exposed to, and the great people I've met. Friday evening I caught my parents up on the latest trends, issues, concerns and outlooks I've heard at all these events. Saturday my dad and I had lots of time to discuss some of them more in-depth as we covered the miles.
Despite all the positive aspects of my travels, this weekend has been a much needed stop between work trips to see my family and cattle, and to get out of town - for a few hours at least.

One year anniversary

...at my job that is. Today is the one year year mark of working at the Roundup. I'm not sure if I was more tired, stressed and overwhelmed then or now...well it was probably then to be honest.
I had just photographed two friends weddings on the two weekends leading up to the big first day of work. In fact, I drove from my parents to the second wedding in Pine Bluffs with all my stuff packed for the move to Casper. I Photographed a beautiful ceremony for Lesley and Heath, then stayed with a friend in Cheyenne prior to driving to Casper on Sunday.
I met my boss in the parking lot of his daughters apartment, which I was renting by the month until I found a more permanent residence, and got the keys to the one bedroom, kermit the frog green, third story walk-up apartment with a very leaky window in the bedroom. I packed my truck full of necessary items across the windblown, ice packed parking lot, up the three flights of stairs, and unpacked them on a frigid Sunday night and Monday. I also furiously edited on the almost 2,000 pictures I had taken over the course of the last two weekends.
There's nothing like just diving in, and that's how I started. My first official day of work was spent at the Wyoming Stock Growers Convention, which is one of the busier conventions we attend. I was handed a laptop (a mac, of which I have mixed feelings about), a recorder and a name tag and told to go record a water meeting and try to type notes as it was going.
I can say with complete confidence my note taking skills have increased exponentially since that first day.
I was introduced to about 15 Jims and 10 Johns that day, given a lot of directions and sent home exhausted at the end, with instructions to have one article typed by morning. I think that first article probably took me five hours to write, then I edited pictures.
The next day was vaguely similar. After the convention I settled into my new desk, and spent a couple weeks learning the ropes during the day and editing pictures at night prior to Christmas break.
Just before the break was the office Christmas party, which included more liquor than half the college parties I've ever been to.
At this point I was seriously wondering what I'd gotten myself into. I was worn out, trying to absorb everything being thrown at me (I might ad that I had never written for a paper before in my life), and was still editing pictures, with the first bride asking regularly when her's would be arriving (I did have them to her within 3 weeks of the ceremony I think).
Things really didn't slow down after that, and the last year has included a lot of stuff, including:
-Getting stuck, and unstuck, regularly in the snow and ice packed apartment parking lot in my 2 wheel drive, diesel truck.
-Walking into the school across the street from the apartment to ask if I could plug my truck into their exterior plug-in, because last winter was miserably cold, and being stopped at the door and informed you can't just walk into an elementary school unless you have a student attending. Ok....now what...a teacher in the parking lot informed me she didn't think the school would mind, so long as I was gone by 7:00am so the janitor could park there. So, every night I would drive my truck across the street, plug it in, walk home in sub-zero temps, then go back every morning shortly after 6:00am, start it up and let it warm up for 20 mins in the cold, then drive it across the street before getting ready for work for the day.
-Living in a third-story walk up apartment right at the corner of two of the busiest roads in Casper, and being paid back in full for every single time I even thought about revving my loud truck.
I was really loving Casper at this point...
-Getting chewed out by someone that quit working at the paper in a sneaky way, and for something only my real superiors should chew me out for. That was a big first there...getting chewed out by someone that doesn't even work with you in a way only a boss should.
-Finding out the Yellowstone Cutthroat trout is a threatened, not endangered, species after listing it as endangered in an article.
-Trying to buy a house, and having one bought by someone else within the realtors agency a couple hours before they had to tell me if they accepted my offer.
-Meeting guys at the Beacon in Casper...you understand if you've been through it, and it's worse than Laramie.
-Learning how to put a flipping book online, and classifieds online, and pictures with classifieds online, and various other things about websites I never knew before.
-Getting approved for a loan, and having an offer accepted on a house.
-Packing everything back down the three flights of stairs at the apartment.
-Having my divorce finalized at 11:00 am, and my house closing at 4:00 pm, all on the same day. Also moved into the house with parents help that night, and spent the first night in my house on the pull-out couch.
-Having my wallet and purse stolen out of my truck in my driveway.
-Getting it all back, and trying to deal with delinquent teenagers responsible.
-Furnishing and decorating house throughout the year.
-Various photo jobs, including the largest I've ever booked for a 2-day event near Alcova.
-Traveling home probably about half the weekends to keep sane.
-Sanity is in question not only for all the reasons listed, but from sitting at a desk for extended periods of time, which I've learned I hate.
-Transcribing hundreds of hours of notes for work, which I also hate.
-Driving all over the state for hundreds of interviews, and meeting some amazing people and getting to see some great country, which I love.
-Driving over 1,000 miles a week for a lot of weeks...which I'm not sure how I feel about. I do know I like them better when they start in a town with a coffee shop most mornings.
-Attending a variety of informative meetings and seminars, and meeting and visiting with people at them, which I love.
-The paper moving to a new office in July.
-Going from being able to write one article a day to whipping out five if I have to.
- Weeding out a number of "friends," and finding out who my real friends are in addition to making some new ones.
-Trying a number of churches in Casper.
-Moving Emmie and Pearl to town, which I could write a whole separate blog on.
-Trading my pickup off for an Acura car, by myself, and not enjoying the process.
-Running most evenings all summer and finding I don't mind it.
-Starting this blog
-Purchasing a new camera and camera equipment after all the photography jobs.
-Attending my first weekend party in Kaycee.
-I'm sure there are many more, and they may come to me later, but you get the idea.
So here I am today, trying to have an additional 13 articles done by Friday, in addition to everything for the regular paper, gearing up for Wyoming Stockgrowers next week, and taking my sister to a concert tonight for her Christmas present. I have guests coming to my house this weekend, and a mountain of Christmas shopping to finish.
I feel so very blessed to have a job I enjoy so much of the time, and for all the opportunities it has afforded me in the last year, but I am also missing the days of feeding calves, chopping ice and taking pictures I lived prior to starting my job last year.
We'll have to see what new, fun and exciting things the next year brings! I'm sure it won't be boring : )

When I grow up...

This conversation with my parents a few days ago was pretty good. It made me think too.
My dad: Well, he's still trying to decide what he wants to be (in reference to my brother)
Me: Yeah, I think I'm going to be a writer, maybe take some pictures on the side.
Dad: Laughs, You know, you might be on to something there. Tells my mom in the background what I said
Mom: Maybe you could even get a job at a newspaper
We all laugh

Writing for a newspaper was never on my list of what I wanted to be when I grew up. Being a photographer in any capacity didn't make the list until college either.
In my younger years I was convinced I would be the next Shania Twain or Leann Rimes-sad but true.
Then I switched to a vet, until I found out vets have to euthanize pets for people. That was the end of that job aspiration.
After that, at about the ripe old age of 10, I started thinking something involving cattle genetics was more my style.
That one stuck. At about 12 I started buying bulls for our operation and selecting our replacement heifers. This led to researching genetics, meeting great seedstock producers and learning a lot about what can be accomplished through genetic selection.
I did take rolls and rolls of cattle pictures throughout my childhood and teen years, but beyond the fact that it was fun I didn't think anything of it.
Then I went to college and realized that most people my age hadn't known for eight years what they wanted to do with their life. Friends switched majors like they changed socks, others selected degrees that would result in a job that would pay well and provide adequate vacation.
I stuck with animal science-and learned some lessons. For instance, it's a whole different world when your job is to teach and you sit behind a desk and get paid every two weeks as compared to when you're out in the real world trying to make cattle pay the bills.
I did learn some important things during my college experience, but overall it wasn't as wonderfully fulfilling educationally as I had hoped.
Halfway through I decided to pursue a double major half-way through and added ag communications. This was a whole new world and I learned a lot about all aspects of communications. It was a bit of a let-down when I found out my double major was actually a double minor-after I graduated- but that's alright. I did learn a lot from my communications classes, and they came in very handy when I got my current job.
College was also when I started working for the Branding Iron Newspaper as a photographer and later as the photo editor. This is also when photography really took off for me. The job led to my first wedding and the start of my business. Today I take wedding and senior pictures and have the opportunity to see several of my photos published in the Roundup and a few other publications from time to time.
And now here I am, writing away for an ag newspaper. It's so fun an interesting to see where God takes my life. It's rarely in a direction I have planned, but that's half the fun. I do love that my job allows me to spend time on my cattle genetics and photography interests and that I get the opportunity to write about topics I enjoy.
It's also very interesting how so many of the seemingly little things I have experienced fit together and aid me in my current position. All those opportunities, conversations, people met, classes taken and places visited have converged into a history that is constantly benefiting me in the present.
I wonder whats next...

Ice cold Pepsi

I had a Pepsi in place of my usual tea or coffee this morning. I was running late, and it was sitting there in my fridge because every time people come to my house they seem to leave pop behind. I rarely, if ever, drink the stuff unless it's in a mixed drink. I also don't drink beer, so most of the pop was donated by nice people who know I will not be having a cold beer with them, so they support my whiskey habit and bring coke, pepsi, 7-up or other caffeinated beverages for me. I have enough pop to keep me going for months, easily.
There is one exception to my, "rarely, if ever" pop drinking. That would be branding day. After a day of tasting disinfectant (I cut calves, and will explain this and other branding tasks in the near future) and standing in the sun there is nothing, absolutely nothing, better than a Pepsi or mt. dew pulled from the depths of an icy cooler. My aunt is the best and keeps them right at that stage where there's almost a little slush in them.
It's amazing, and just washes all the grime, dirt, blood (yes, there's blood) and smoke taste right out of your mouth. Ah.. It's even better if the disinfectant used was lysol. If you've ever cut calves and had this concoction on your hands or in your mouth all day you know what I mean!
As I was sipping on my cool Pepsi this morning it brought all those memories back. Next week is the first branding of the season for my family and I can't wait to ditch the office for a day of working outside with my family!
My disclaimer on this post is that I am only referring to hot, sunny branding days and not the cold, wet, miserable ones. On those days the only beverages consumed are the hot variety out of a thermos!