Traveling Around

A lot has happened since my last check in.  I have been all over the US and out of the country!  Well, maybe not all over, but here is a recap of where I have been:

August 18-20: Baltimore MD with my HS girls!  We had fun, saw the aquarium, went out for dinner, etc. 

August 29: AI and Reproduction training in Renselear IN

August 31: Midwest Pork Conference in Indianapolis.  No Dad with me again and I met the former NBP president!

September 12-14: Pork Leadership Academy meetings in DC.  This was great!  I got to meet a bunch of young people in the industry and learn about how to be a spokesperson for agriculture and I got to do some lobbying with my dad when I wasn't with the PLA.

September 23: Matt and I went to lovely Adrian for the sale of his G-ma's house and land.  My parents came also and my dad purchased the house and land!  Overall, it was a pretty good day even though it was kinda rainy.

September 25-26:  Leman Conference in Minneapolis MN for a conference about pigs.  It was really good.  My dad didn't go but I was still able to talk to some people.  I'm getting to know more people now.

October 3-4: Purdue Career Fair; working on recruiting interns for the summers and full time people!
Oct 19-20: Michigan State Career Fair
Oct 24-25: Iowa State Career Fair
At each of these career fairs, there would be at least one adult either from the school or another company who would go up to Tim, our trainer, age 56 who has worked for us for 4months, and talk only to him about the farm until Tim would defer to me and then after about three questions directed at Tim and deferred to me, they would catch on that I'm Tim's boss and not the other way around.

October 31-Nov 6: Cancun MX with Matt for PLA.  I learned about exports.  Matt learned that if he goes to meals with me at these things, men think he is the pig farmer!  Serious!  Old men do not think that women can work on a pig farm!  Did you know that Mexico is the second largest importer of US pork followed by Japan?  The beach was beautiful!  85 degrees and rainy most of the time, but enough sun to lay on the beach every day.

That brings us up to now!  I'm trying to get my farm work caught up now that I'm pretty much done traveling, although I was asked to do more lobbying in Washington DC so we'll see if that happens!  Also, today we interviewed some intern candidates and will have more to the farm Friday.  We are moving forward!

Some days I just feel stuck.  Unfortunately I gave someone a verbal warning this morning for a couple different things.  So that is never fun.  Then I was doing undercover work and got a phone call from someone who hates working for us.  It really makes me want to cry because I want our farm to be a good place to work.  It would seem that some of our managers have low integrity or they are just getting caught up in the heat of the summer and are losing focus.  But part of it is my problem because we don't have a training program in place.  There are so many things that I should be doing but I don't have time for... or don't make time for.  But it is hard to balance things when fires are always popping up. 

On a lighter note, we just went on vacation to Pigeon Forge, Tenn.  It was so beautiful in the mountains.  Pigeon Forge and Gatlinberg are huge tourist traps, but we avioded them for the most part.  We stayed in a beautiful lodge with my dad's side of the family.  Thankfully Matt and I had our own room so we could get away from people when we were getting stressed by all the noise!

We played golf with my dad and uncle and I tied my dad!  He played with Matt 2 days later and played even worse, so I think I could probably beat him if we played again!  Woohoo!  It was fun.

Today I lived the life of the rich and famous... haha!  Okay so not really, but it was a fun day.  Matt and I went to church this morning--good service about community and the trinity.  We came home and hit some golf balls in the back yard, which was a lot of fun.  We are taking golf lessons and they are really paying off.

So the rich and famous part... For lunch we headed out to Lake Mackatawa to see/ride my parents' new 46 foot boat!  (My dad's midlife crisis purchase of last summer)  It was actually pretty cold but it was a lot of fun.  I have to admit that I was pretty against the boat, but I can see where it would be a lot of fun.  It is really spacious and it's fun to spend time with the family.  My parents, Jenna, Joe and his gf Heather, and Joel, Joe's friend who is living with them for the summer were all there.  Rachel was a birthday bash and kept calling to tell us what act was on.  Cara is in Israel/Turkey with RVL.

Then Matt and I went golfing.  I did a lot better than I have in the past!  Neither of us got upset or mad or cried- which is a big accomplishment on my part!  It was a beautiful day for golf.

Maybe not so rich and famous, but it was rich in fun and not so much famous I guess.