Hey guys!

It is Abbey & Taylor again. It has been a little while since we have updated y’all with the latest happenings. It’s been a crazy couple of weeks, but we managed to survive! Hopefully each of you enjoyed Jr. Nationals as much as we did, and have caught up on all your missed sleep; pretty sure we are still working on that part! We just wanted to take a minute and share with you guys some of our favorite parts of the week and thank everyone for making the 2016 National Junior Shorthorn Shows & Youth Conference a huge success.

Taylor:

It is hard to believe my time in the office is starting to come to an end. It seems like just last week I was starting my first day at ASA, nervous, and excited for the summer to get started. Now, here I am a few weeks away from being done, Jr. Nationals behind me, and only KEY Conference standing before me.

Jr. Nationals was a whirlwind and one that I will always remember. A lot of inside jokes, funny stories, passionate exhibitors, and great cattle come to mind when I think back on the week. It was awesome to see the hard work and preparation leading up to the event all come together. I have a lot of favorite moments, but I think the icing on the cake would be all the friendships I made. I actually had the chance to put a face to the hundreds of names I have read over & over. I got to work with some pretty awesome Jr. Board members, go on a round up with the sidekicks, and even drink some tea with the lassie princesses. On top of it all, I got to be a part of Gwen’s last Jr. National and if you know her, you know just how special those juniors are to her. To see her pour her whole heart into these kids is something I will always admire her for.

I may be a little tired still, my feet are still sore from wearing boots for hours, and I may still have to unpack, but my first Jr. Nationals was certainly one for the books!!

Abbey:

I have to reiterate a bit on Taylor’s thoughts. How is it even possible that we only have three short weeks left as the ASA interns? It was so wonderful to experience my first Jr. Nationals. I know my experience working it is nothing compared to those of you that exhibited. However, y’all are absolutely awesome. Seeing so much passion for the breed from the junior members, and the enthusiasm everyone has for what they are doing was simply the best.

While it is hard to pick a favorite moment, the team fitting contest is definitely up there in my book. The way everyone (and it really was everyone) helped to move the intermediate contest into the cattle barn to keep everyone safe was phenomenal teamwork. Again, like Taylor said, finally putting faces to names was a great thing. For me it was being able to meet all the outgoing members that took their time to help me out and showcase them in the exhibitor folder.  I’m sitting here trying to think of something to add about Gwen, but I think we will have to write another entry in a few weeks dedicated to her. She deserves one all about her because her dedication to her job was all about you members.

I don’t think Taylor and I were really prepared for what the week would bring, we had an idea but it ended up being so much more! A big thanks to all the exhibitors, parents, volunteers and staff that helped keep the week an amazing experience

#ShorthornLove

-Abbey&Taylor