Power

"I have always been a reader; I have read at every stage of my life, and there has never been a time when reading was not my greatest joy."-The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield.

That quote from my current novel describes my passion for words. I have always loved reading. In kindergarten I ate up each new picture book, and today my secret dream is to work in a Library. I listen to a book on tape during my workout. I simply love the knowledge to be found in a good book.

The written word is not my only passion. I also love speaking. Sharing ideas, stories, and jokes is perhaps my "greatest joy." In fact, I enjoyed speech team and public speaking. Luckily, I no longer have the #1 fear in America, the fear of speaking in public.

Why are words so exciting to me? Words are power. The first person to call the red fruit from trees "apple" had the power to define that fruit. Words describe the human heart it's good (I love you) and evil (I hate you). Think about a time when something someone said put a smile on your face, and brightened the entire day. Words are fluid. Their meanings change depending on the decade, person, or simply the pitch at which they are spoken. There are few absolutes with words, and they can never be "wrong." Simple words have become the foundations of relationships, businesses, and even entire nations.

Words must be handled very carefully. One wrong one can give the wrong impression or destroy a friendship. I have learned the hard way that words spoken without thought don't disappear. I will be the butt of one joke for years because of one simple word slip-up. On a more serious note, words once read or spoken can not be taken back. Understand the importance of that.

When speaking with your family, friends, or consumers, know what you are saying. You never know what the consequences will be. After all "speaking your mind is an awfully dangerous thing to do. Choose your words carefully."-Rick Beneteau

'till the cows come home,

Ellie

Moooving In

I have a rule, it's an easy and fun rule to follow. The rule is that everything hung on my dorm room/apartment room wall has to have a story. I refuse to buy posters or pictures for no reason. I won't have a "design" for my room, but rather like to decorate it with items that bring back fond memories. I have started thinking about packing up my stuff for the move down to college. (I haven't started any actual packing). I have begun deciding what will make the trip down and what won't.

Among the things to pack to decorate my room are my husker posters, pictures from london made into posters, and my cattle drive poster from the Winter Conference, a cow clock, pictures of friends and family, and a foldable chair from a cattle show. As I consider these items that are a part of my "interior design" I laugh. It will definitely be a cow theme, especially if I include the painting of an Angus herd that I received. I can just hear the comments from friends, "she couldn't bear to leave the barn at home."

(My 300th Nebraska Sell Out poster will hang right above my Angus Chair)

I have long been known among my friends as the cowgirl. In fact there was where my ambassador work began, and is still going on. As my friends asked questions about what a cattle show involved, or why I had to get up so early, I answered honestly, and with a joke or two. These fun back and forth conversations have grown not only my friendships, but also their knowledge. My "city" friends (they hate that term) know about PETA and HSUS and their agenda to hurt my family and others like it by eliminating animal agriculture. They also enjoy good beef, and are looking forward to evenings when I prepare Beef it's what's for dinner recipes.

Advocating is about the connections and conversations you have with the people you already know. You don't have to become a traveling spokesperson who devotes all their time to debunking myths, but rather, chat with a friend, and be willing to answer their questions. In fact that picture on your wall would be a great place to start.

'till the cows come home,

Ellie

Summer sunset...

I'm old, ok not really, but today I feel old. I'm reminiscing about how fast this summer has gone, and the impact it has had on me. In just 2 short weeks I will be back at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and starting another year as a college kid. The summer's adventures have taught me some key lessons, and since I'm a big fan of lists here are the top 10 things I learned this summer.

10. The real world does operate from 8-5. When I get a real job that will most likely be my schedule. It's not a bad thing, working 8 hours a day, it's a reality.

9. Sleep is good, get it when you can. It may mean leaving a party early, or telling your friends that you're staying home tonight. That's okay, they will still be your friends.

8. Sleep isn't that important. If it's waking up early to spend a day with the folks you haven't seen in a while, or staying up late to have a crazy Skype or phone chat getting rest can wait. People are more important than your beauty sleep (trust me, it's not working to well anyway).

7. Act your age. At 20 whining is never appropriate, and won't leave a good impression on the folks around you. On the other hand, a mature conversation at a dinner table of adults will win you some points.

6. Don't act your age. A Nerf war or water fight is a good idea. The art letting loose and acting immature around your buddies and family is the best therapy, and helps me appreciate the little things, like a good laugh.

5. When one door closes another opens. I spent much of last summer moping about the state FFA officer disappointment. I regret that, but this summer has been the polar opposite. I have been excitedly serving not just Nebraska, but the whole United States as a National Beef Ambassador. I have traveled to neat places, and met the most interesting folks, and I wouldn't trade anything for those experiences.

4. Have a plan. It is a good idea to know what you are going to do or say before you have start. It makes things a lot simpler.

3. Don't have a plan. In London, we weren't sure what our experiences would be, so we didn't plan any outings until we got there. It was a blast! For at least part of every day we didn't have a schedule to worry about, and instead did our own thing (like seeing 2 musicals!)

2. Invest in the people around you. I have seen countless individuals involved in various organizations this summer miss the chance to have an impact on the people around them because they were too wrapped up in their own "group." I too have been guilty of this, but in a van/taxi ride to the Denver Airport, I chose to open up to the strangers around me. Not only did I get to share my story, but was enlightened by theirs too.

1. "You might as well jump!" Nothing is perfect, nothing goes exactly as planned, and nothing will be fun 100% of the time, but go ahead and jump in. Get involved, be engaged, and work. You may find something like co-hosting a national event is a lot of work, but also a huge amount of fun. You can't judge the temperature of the water by standing on the edge, you have to just jump in!

The Water was cold in Dover, but I'm glad I jumped in!

Those are the things I will be carrying over into my college experiences this fall. I would like to thank anyone who helped me out, cheered me on, or just listened this summer. Turn the radio up, roll down the windows, and sing at the top of your lungs, because:

"days go by...

I can feel 'em flyin'
Like a hand out the window in the wind.
The cars go by...
Yeah it's all we've been given,
So you better start livin' right now
'Cause days go by..."

'till the cows come home,

Ellie