How Far I've Come!

I found this post in my draft section (and there are many more where these came from)...Maybe that's one reason I didn't post all those months.  I just forgot to finish what I had started.  So, even those these are months old, I'm still going to post them.  Hope y'all enjoy them. :D

                                                                                                                                                 

 How Far I've Come!

Sooo...I've not really posted, so I'm going to endeavor to post now. With nothing to really to post I thought it would be a truly boring post...Such as "Cat had kittens, milk is coming as always, markets are hot & slow, and how yeah I spent four weeks in New York. That's it for the past two months talk with you later!".

It wasn't until I got to the "I spent four weeks in New York" part went the light bulb went on, something to post about! (And you might even get pictures!) So, here goes. lol

This trip to New York wasn't really 'spur of the moment' like last year's', considering it was something I talked about for 14 months. However it was somewhat of a surprise when I looked up and realized that the show was less then three weeks away & I didn't have a ticket yet! Thanks to Southwest Airlines I was able to get a ticket less then four days from my departure date, that was affordable.

In the four weeks I was up north I spent three weeks in New York and one in Massachusetts. In that time frame I went to two shows (one was a week long), Boston, New York (I got to go to Fenway!!), see friends from last year, and enjoy the cooler weather. :D

Going to Nationals was amazing and at the same time overwhelming. It's something I've wanted to do for years, but didn't think I would be able to do. It is as stressful as one would think, but also very enjoyable and educational (after all that is what we aim for here at Swede Farm, right?). From what I've heard of the other Nationals from years gone by, this one was small...Something about people not wanting to drive cross country with their goats, (not like I could blame them. lol).

The time with friends & goats made up for the stress, and the laughs over dinner made locking keys in the car not seem as bad as it was.Made the stress of showing 20 goats in one day bearable (and yes, educational), Driving three hours back to the farm in the rain was made doable after enjoying cheese from all over the country with friends. 

Sure, they weren't MY goats that I helped with, but they were goats that I knew and that I've kids from. Sure it's not my name out there when the goat went best udder in the class, but I was able to help get the goat out there. Maybe in the future I'll be able to show my goats in the Nationals. No, I don't think I'll place best udder in a class, but I will be able to say that I've shown my goats in the ADGA National show and going this year to help a friend helped me to know that if I wanted to I could do it.

Also, being at Nationals made it possible for my family to send our cheese up to the Cheese & Wine Reception for everyone to enjoy. Yes I enjoyed seeing my cheese there, but I also enjoyed seeing other goat cheese makers enjoying it as well.

Through out the entire time at nationals I kept reminding myself--It has 7 years since we moved out to the farm & less that since we got our fist goats.  I would sit in the stands watching goats being shown, simply amazed that I am the goat person that I am.--The girl who was 16 when her family moved out.  The girl who people thought would move back to the city as soon as she can, was at nationals and enjoying it. The girl who doesn't drink milk and who used to have as her claim to fame "going to the most MLB games then any other of her friends".  Was learning more about goats and cheese to help the family business.

No, Not because I HAD to.  But because I WANTED to. I was up there learning about showing goats to a better advantage and dreaming about nationals not because my parent told me to, but because I WANTED to and it plain and simple.  No, I wasn't up there thinking "Maybe if I go to enough shows, learn enough about goats and cheese,  My parents will let me do what I want to do."  No, I was up there thinking "If I learn enough about showing, goats, & cheese.  Maybe it can help me when I have my own  farm!" (If that's God's plans for me.) 

Truthfully as I sat there and thought about, I as I told friends down here about it, as I learned new things each day there.  It boggled my mind.  That I was that person thinking those things & learning those things!  Me the city slicker of years gone by, me who used to have nothing but baseball & reading to fill her hours.  Was thinking about owning a farm for the rest of her life & enjoying the idea.

Oh, yes I've come a long way from that baseball crazed 16 year old!  :D

I've Decided...

That living with one of my blog readers is not the best thing in the world.  lol  Christin's been giving me grief for months now because I don't update my blog and it's no fun waiting for me to blog!  Why don't I just blog once in a while!?!  

Correct me if I'm wrong...Doesn't she live with me?  Why does she need to read my blog?  What would I put on here that she doesn't already know?  Really, what's the point?  Oh, well at least I know of at least one of my readers.  :D 

So, I sit here listening to music off my phone thinking of things to post about and come up semi blank.  :D  Yes, I'm multi-tasking--listening to music, updating the look of my blog, e-mailing people, trying to do some math, trying to write a blog post, and drinking coffee.  And yet some how I feel like I'm falling short of the goal in all this.

Yes, I'm going to make Christin on happy camper by finally posting.  

Yes, the music is edifying, & enjoyable.

Yes, I added the page to my blog like I've been meaning to do for over a year now.

Yes, I've e-mailed the people I need to. 

Yes, the coffee is gone.

But still...

No, I don't feel like this is the post that I should be writing right now.

No, I've not changed the picture on my blog like I've been meaning to.

No, I've not gone & got another cup of coffee like I would like to.

No, I've not started on math like I should. 

Then to top it all off I look at my clock & realize it's past 11 already and I wonder "Where has my day gone?"  

No, to be fair to my self, I've already cleaned my room (but forgot to open the curtains), worked in the processing room, (but still have more work to do), worked on some "school" (but not all that I've wanted to do today), Snuggled & played with my siblings, Had breakfast & bible study with my family (but not my own yet).  But truthfully (as I'm sure you can tell) all that being said I've not done all that I wanted to today and maybe that's why I feel like I've failed.  I start getting down on myself for not using my time wisely and doing the things on my list that aren't that important.

But, then I realize...I still have half the day.  I just needed a break and in that break time I hopefully pleased Christin, and reminded myself that I still have work to do.  :D 

Off to "work" & "school".  Maybe if Christin keeps it u you'll get more blog post like I promised earlier this year. 

HI!

So, It's been over five months since I last posted. I'm really truly sorry about that! In my defense there has been more things then I can count keeping me from posting. Some of them will be covered in this post, while some of them will not be.

I'll do my best to post over the next week or so to bring everyone up to date on what's been going on in my life. I promise it's been nothing majorly huge & life altering. All right I will take that back, since the beginning of October nothing has been huge or life altering. Where as the wildfire that caused us to evacuate for a week was huge & in some areas of life it was altering. But I promise I will talk about it all. :D

Right now my main accuse for not posting much will be my laptop screen. As if I wasn't having enough trouble this year with my first laptop getting dropped in whey, my laptop trails had to have something added to it....

Yep, that's the screen to my laptop. This happened early in September while we were evacuated. Apparently while I thought I had kept it off of the floor of the car the entire time I was wrong about that. :-/

Working with that screen was not the easiest thing to work with and while I did not want to go out & buy a new laptop, I didn't want to use this one either. So I used my phone for almost everything I needed on a computer or the internet.

It wasn't until last week when someone suggested using a monitor & me asking if we had a spare one that I realized I can still use my laptop without having to look at a cracked screen, nor to I have to buy one. So I'm one happy camper, back to my internet surfing & slide show making days. :D

I hope to post more (both here & on Quotes, Verses, & Tunes) in the upcoming year, as well as catch you up on my life & the happenings from the past five months. :D

HAPPY NEW YEAR
to one & all!

A View Into My Life

Swede Farm's traditional Farmer's Market drink.

A View Into My Life

Cheese & Wine Reception at the 2011 American Dairy Goat Association National Show.

Yes, I Am Still Alive!

I figured it was time to sit down & blog. lol After all when you have more then one person say "Well, I checked your blog and..." or "I figured you were really busy when you haven't updated your blag in...Oh three or four months." that it is time to blog.

Now in all honesty probably half the reason I haven't blogged is because frankly I was lazy, unlike when I lived in the trailer and had a desk with the laptop always open and ready I do not have a desk in the house--four extra book cases, but no desk as of yet.--So it actually takes a thought processes (which for me can sometimes seem to much in my lazy state) of taking out my laptop, waiting for it to boot up, and the start blogging. And then there is that added step of looking for the cord on those way to often times when my laptop is dead.

There you have it one of the many excuses on why I have not blogged...I could come up with an entire post on all the reasons I haven't posted (Fire concern, new tow err....phone to play with, dairy products to make, etc.) but I won't, I'll spare the you the details and get on with more import things....

Dixie ("The baby") is now walking & climbing getting into EVERYTHING and giving the Seth a run for his money in the cute department. She loves her cheese & milk and knows where it is made, making the dairy one of the many places she tries to get to when she makes a house break.

The milk supply is never ending (or so it seems) yes, there is a limit but when I think back to the days when we only got a few gallons a day it always make me laugh...There was a time when we didn't know what to do with the milk and now there are times when we feel like we don't have enough.

The verdict is still out on what to do with the car that got hit by a deer...And apparently the verdict is still out on my sanity about hitting the deer. There are two camps of thought...1)Am I crazy for not going back and getting the deer? and 2)Am I crazy for even thinking about going back to get the deer? In the end, when people realized why I didn't go back for it they understand, me? I'm still wishing I could have picked it up.

And the biggest news in my life right now...This Tuesday I will be boarding a plain for my second trip to New York. :D While up there I will be spending a week in Massachusetts at the National American Dairy Goat Show. I can't wait as it's something I've wanted to attend for years.

Now, that's my life wrapped up--neat & tidy? I doubt it--But there it is all for you. Now to make it a goat to post more often the quarterly. lol

Where Have I Been?

Let's see....

The Rodeo ended less then a month ago, & if you remember from previous years it's a time of the year that keeps me VERY busy. This year not only was I working, but I was volunteering on one of the many committees that helps to run the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo.

The goats have either kidded or are coming close to kidding. As of last count we're getting close to 30 gallons of milk a day!!

My laptop was dropped in a bucket of whey a month or so ago. Linnea was bottling chocolate milk while I left to go....Well, work at the Rodeo. Next thing I know I'm getting a phone from mom telling me that Linnea had accidentally dropped my laptop in the whey. (It's a whole 'nother story on how it got to close to the whey in the first place.) I brought it in to get the rice out (another story) and to find out the total damage. Only to be told that it would cost more to replace the parts then to buy a new laptop.

I'm moving back into the house. Which I really don't mind & am looking forward to. How ever I am not looking forward to sharing a room with rodents...Which I will be doing once a week while Mort (the new pet snake) decides to eat the rat.

I think that about covers where I've been for the past month or so. :D