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