Guest Post #2 - Young Stockmen's Academy

Next guest post of the day is from Tyler Leonhard. We really like KLA, beef and the YSA! Growing up in rural Kansas can be mistaken for a slow and boring life. Without agriculture, beef in particular, and pride, monotony would be a sufficient word to describe any small town. I have worked for friends and family in many sectors of the beef industry. Whether it be ten below riding pens or blistering hot throwing hay, i have found pride and satisfaction in working with animals. My family shares this passion as we have all been involved in production agriculture and will continue to do so. The Young Stockmans Academy has been an excellent experience. Beyond the relationships and friendships forged, being exposed to different styles of agriculture and using those tools to move forward have proved to be valuable. In addition to practices i have observed, i have also bettered my networking abilities and continually reference my experiences in YSA in daily business. I love agriculture and the people in it because there are hundreds of ways to accomplish the same goal, and rarely is there one "perfect" way.

Guest Post #1 - Young Stockmen's Academy

Two posts in one day! I have invited my fellow Kansas Livestock Association Young Stockmen's Academy members to share their beef story. I hope you enjoy their background and why they joined the YSA. Wyatt Rundell: I grew up on small farm in western Kansas raising beef cattle. I've been involved in agriculture my entire life. It is my passion and it is my job and my livelihood. That passion is what encouraged me to join the Kansas Livestock Association Young Stockmen's Academy it is a great opportunity to share my story with others and meet others from around the state. The knowledge the program has provided, and the platform this program has given me to share my story with others and learn from others is a wonderful experience I feel that getting the cattlemen's story to the public into the consumer is critical to the continuing success of the beef industry That's why I hope to take what I've learned during the YSA program and use it for the rest of my career to further advocate for the beef industry.

Fall Activities

Just another random post/life update - if you were looking for some advocacy or agriculture news, you're going to be disappointed by this post.

Thanksgiving came and went - we played cards, ate way too much, watched football, closed down a roadhouse, conquered Black Friday and I only took a few pictures.  #fail

So here is a short photo round up of the past week:

 I have conquered pumpkin cookies and vanilla frosting - both of which were HOMEMADE. Ba-zing

I rode on my uncle's Harley Davidson in the Christmas parade right behind the Legion Flag Corps.

 

This little 9 year old is the bomb. She came into my life when she was about 8 months old and I can't believe she's so grown up now. Literally, she has grown up. Look at the picture below - I am almost three times her age and she is only about 7 or 8 inches shorter than I am. She's going to be a baller for sure.

Look at that magical Christmas tree - 1 of 3 in the house. Niner (as I will call her on this blog, until she turns ten) had us all decorating about 10 minutes after we got home from Thanksgiving dinner. It looks like Santa's Secret Workshop in Anderson County!

Black Friday is not for the faint of heart. My mom wanted to get a 50" TV from Wal-Mart that went on-sale at 5 am. So we rose at 3 a.m. drove to Wally World and I am pretty sure that all the TV vouchers were claimed around 2 am. So, instead of a TV we got some other gifts (not near as exciting as a TV but people I purchased gifts for read this blog so I'll be secretive) and headed to the city where I was fortunate enough to get Mabel.

This is Mabel - she is beautiful. She is Martha Stewart's child - find her here. She has two baby calves that I haven't yet named or acquired but they are little prep dishes (of course I can't find them on Macy's.com so no link, sorry).

Kansas Sampler is a Wildcat's purple haven. Soooooo much purple and awesome clothing. More gifts purchased but what I really wanted was a purple pool table. Someday when I make one million dollars I'll have one.

Oh! Also in photography news, I am getting ready to order our Christmas cards and this year they are adorned with photos from sweet Wrenn Bird photography. Seriously, the gal works magic behind the camera and incorporates color and light. My reaction: wowza! We had a great time and here are a few of my favorites from the shoot.

 Whew, somebody needs a tan and it isn't Hyatt. Yikes. Can you guess which pictures are on the card?

Anyhow, that's the random stuff going on in my life. Thanks to Black Friday and Cyber Monday I only have about 7 or 8 gifts left to buy. That's it. I am so on top of my game this year. Now all I need to do is send out Christmas cards, decorate the house, get a tree and wrap everything. Easy peasy now that I am not in grad school - just let DVR'd episodes of Law & Order: SVU play in the background and I"ll be set to go.

K-State plays Texas on  Saturday. If we win, we're probably headed for the Tostito's Fiesta Bowl and will be the outright Big 12 Champs. I won't discuss the other alternative, because it ain't gonna happen. Believe, people. #EMAW

Where are you at with Christmas shopping and decorating? Did anyone get any great deals over the weekend?

Oh! Congrats to friends Jenny and Mark on their Thanksgiving engagement - check out the story here. They are so sweet!


Until next time,
~ Buzzard ~

I Cried and Bleed Purple

You might remember this post about me crying regarding some other big K-State news. I was not ashamed then and I am not ashamed now, although I find it odd that the few times I cry are centered around K-State.

As my beloved Wildcats fell to Baylor (good game, Bears) I sat in disbelief in Bobby T's and fought back tears. I kept hoping that we would come out at halftime and start a drive that would get the momentum going. Halfway through the 3rd quarter, I was still optimistic. But as the minutes crept away it became painfully obvious that we would not be 11-0 and remain #1. I made it to the parking lot and lost it.

I had rooms booked in Miami for a National Championship game - I was one of those cocky fans who said we would win-out, no problem. I should have had the mantra of Bill and Collin - one game at a time. As crappy and brokenhearted as I feel, I am sure Coach and Optimus Klein feel worse. To have a perfect regular season so close and then see it slip away is heart wrenching. I've felt the pain of a watching a championship slip through my fingers in one measly day, and I can assure you it is something that burns and lingers. Coach Bill is the epitome of class. He is humble and quiet. He doesn't yearn for accolades for himself and he doesn't degrade the opponents whom we slaughter (ahem, WVU). He took the entirety of blame for the loss to Baylor saying "I didn't have them prepared well enough and didn't have them prepared for Baylor's atmosphere." The man is a living legend and most deserving of the Coach of the Year award.


K-State will likely still go to a BCS bowl. Especially if we beat Texas on December 1 and are 11-1; then we'll be Phoenix bound for the Fiesta Bowl, which is nothing to sniff at, by the way. Our record is still better than about 95% of teams. I honestly didn't think that we would do this well - I had hoped, obviously but this season has been unreal. I'll tell my kids about this season; entertain them with tales of the heroics of Collin Klein and genius of Bill Snyder. I won't blame the loss on the cover of Sports Illustrated - we made too many mistakes and Baylor made fewer. That's the way it goes in the world of sports - whoever scores the most points wins (I hope someone gets that reference).

I should have posted much earlier in the season about how proud I am of our football team and of K-State in general. I'll do better during basketball season - our Cats deserve it. Speaking of the basketball team, I am head over heels for D.J. Johnson #50. He's easily the most passionate dude on the court, always hustling and working for position and I'd love to see him start and get some more playing time.

Fighting, ever fighting for a Wildcat victory....

Until next time,
~ Buzzard ~

p.s. If Bill Snyder retires this year, I may collapse from heart break and suffering. Too much emotion for one season, please don't leave us, Coach. We love you.

p.p.s. I am overwhelmingly sick of a select few Ohio State fans (not all of them, just a few) poking fun at my Wildcats because we lost. Last I checked, K-State will be playing football in January and Ohio State will be done next week (beat Michigan)!

p.p.p.s. Some KU fans have been insufferable too.

Get Your Fix On!

StitchFix, of course.

Jenny introduced me to StitchFix. She told me about her experience and I signed up. I got my first shipment Monday night and I ABSOLUTELY LOVED EVERYTHING in my shipment. It made it so hard to choose just one or two items instead of buying the whole shipment (too close to Christmas for that).

Before I reveal what was in the box and what I kept or didn't keep, here is a brief description of what SF is and how it works. From their site to my blog...

What is Stitch Fix?

Stitch Fix is a fun and easy way to keep your wardrobe up-to-date. We get your style and size preferences, then send you a package of stylish goodies to try on at home, in your closet, with your favorite jeans and heels.
How does it work? Explain it to me step by step.

• Sign up for our beta - Get on the List!
• We'll send you an email when we're ready to style for you. There might be a little wait - we want to have awesome inventory ready for you!
• Fill out our fun style survey. We'll find out about your size, style and wardrobe needs so we can pick fabulous clothing and accessories for you.
• Enter your payment info and pick a date to "Get your Fix" - it sounds obvious but a lot of people forget to schedule. You can schedule your Fix to arrive during a particular week. We can't guarantee a specific day.
• Yay! We'll send you a package (free shipping!) with 5 clothing and accessory items picked just for you. We'll charge the $20 styling fee the day package ships. That styling fee is applied as a credit toward the purchase of anything in that particular shipment.
• Try everything on at home - do a little fashion show for your friends, partner, pets...
• Keep what you like - we'll charge your credit card - send back what you don't. Shipping is free!!
• Repeat the scheduling process as often as you'd like! 
• Whatever you decide to keep, the $20 styling fee is subtracted from your order. If you keep the whole order, you get 25% off - bazing!
  
  
   If you have more questions, you can read their FAQ answers.

Y'all - it was seriously so exciting. As I was trying things on I was jumping up and down and yelling and Hyatt thought I was losing my mind. I was..... losing my mind with amazeballs clothing. It was like the lady who picked my clothes (her name is Brittany) knew my inner thoughts about what I would love. Amazing.

Ok - so now for my shipment and my picks.

First up was this gorgeous grey Mystree - Fleur Button Front Cardigan. I am really embracing grey right now and have been for about a year. I think it was all the time I spent in Australia where everyone wore grey and black and that was it. Anywho - this cardigan was $78 (before the $20 styling fee credit). It's so soft and has angora in it too. Beautiful and they even include possible ways to style it - perfect. These people are geniuses.

Moving on to item #2... Spun Scarves by Subtle Luxury: Electric Batik Scarf. I almost died when I opened the package and saw this scarf. Matter of fact, I ran into the kitchen imitating a dancing fairy with the scarf wrapped around my neck. Seriously, you should have seen it.

No picture of me wearing it but that scarf has all my favorite colors - purple, green and yellow with some teal mixed in too. The sad, sad part is that this scarf is $58 buckaroos. For all its gorgeousness, I really can't justify spending $58 on a scarf. I don't think I can justify spending more than $10 on a scarf - it's just not in me. I wish it was - show me the money and I'll show you a new scarf I would buy. Sigh

The next item, a really pretty and dainty Kendall Sheer 3/4 Sleeve Blouse by Collective Concepts. I really liked this 3/4 sleeve blouse - it was very light and girly and I've been trying to add a few more pieces like this to my wardrobe. But it was $58 so I faced a big decision. Did I buy or not (hint, I reveal my purchase at the end)?

Moving on to another cardigan that came - this Sinead Drape Pockets Open Cardigan by Ya at a very welcome price of $48. Every part of me wanted to keep this cardigan but it was long and made me look 4'9" instead of 5'4" so I had to send it back although if it was a little shorter, it would be hanging in my closet. Sorry the picture looks so awkward - it was so long it hung over the edge of my bed where I was taking the photos. It was cute though, trust me.

Last but not least, another beautiful, dainty blouse by Daniel Raim - the Hyden Loop Trim Silk Blouse. I thought the color and material were gorgeous but when I put it on, it looked like a maternity top because it was tight around the bottom and very flowy and big in the middle. Buzzard ain't preggo and would prefer not to look that way, so it had to go. Adding to the reason to send it packing was its $75 price tag - if I had looked amazing in it, maybe I would have bought it but not as a maternity top that I won't be needing for 3-5 years.

In hindsight, I should have taken pictures of me wearing these but they'e already back in the mail and headed to CA for return. Next month, I'll modify my strategy.

Although I wanted to keep the whole order I only kept one thing - can you guess which one???

Ta-da! Here it is - the Mystree - Fleur Button Front Cardigan. I LOVE IT - I adore how it has a collar that doesn't go into a v-neck and is sort-of structured. The final test - Ninja saw me in it and said I looked great. Cha-ching.

 (Sorry for the worst clothing picture ever)

Yes, I spent quite a bit on a cardigan. Don't judge me - I paid off a credit card this month that I've been paying on forever so I feel like this is my reward. Counterproductive? Yes. Do I care? No.

So there ya go - the Stitch Fix situation. If you want to sign up for StitchFix which you DEFINITELY should please please please use this link below and I will get $25 credit towards my next order (which would help me buy that gorgeous purple scarf).

http://stitchfix.com/users/signup/?referrer_id=3028140

I hope you guys enjoyed this non-ag venture on the blog. I will likely do this with future Stitch Fix shipments. If you want to join, don't forget to use my link above!

Until next time,

~ Buzzard ~

We Don't Want No Drama - No No Drama

I'm so tired of this election biz. I'm ready for the unwanted campaign phone calls to stop. I'm ready to stop killing trees when I throw away the mail inserts that I never read. C'mon people - over $2 billion was spent on the presidential campaign this year and we have 46 million people on food stamps and over 8% unemployment (that number is should actually be higher but we don't need any drama here)!? Let's get our priorities in line - tsk tsk.

Anyhow - to negate all the political muck, I saw this yesterday on Facebook, courtesy of ProtectTheHarvest.com and couldn't help but share. Hope your day is brightened!

If you really want to help out animals, donate to your local shelters. Buy them a bag of dog food or volunteer your time. Donating money to HSUS does NOT help your local cats and dogs.

Lastly, I voted today. Go do it. Don't waste your freedom.

Until next time,
~ Buzzard ~

Giveaway Winner and Weekend Plans

A week ago I had a blogiversary and started a giveaway for some beautiful handmade earrings from my friend Erin at Silo Silver. Today, I get to mail one lucky person these awesome earrings. The winner is......

Congratulations Jessy McLavey! I'll be contacting you to get your address (or you could email it to me).

On another note, I've got big plans this weekend. K-State is going to beat  play the OSU cowboys or pokes this weekend and hopefully come out with a win. So many friends are coming to town to tailgate and hang out. Even folks from Ohio are showing up - very exciting!

What are your plans for the weekend?

Until next time,
~ Buzzard ~