Trip to Denver

WOW--it's been a busy few weeks!

The day after my last post we (Cody, Morgan, and I) went to the National Western Stock Show in Denver. Cody drove, and we all had fun on the way there talking and guessing the songs on the radio and the singer. Cody and I had a close battle going for awhile, but he ultimately pulled ahead and won.

We saw a lot of good friends in Denver, friends we don't see often during the year. Our family and several other families stalled together (had our cattle by each other) and everyone helped everyone else get their cattle ready. All the adults made sure the kids got to the ring on time to show, and then back to the stalls.

On Saturday the families who were working together had cattle in classes 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, and 12. There were several calves, and therefore several kids, in each class. It was quite a challenge to get everyone where they needed to be, at the right time, but it got done! We had a successful day with several calves in the champion drive.

We show with one family frequently, and the dad and two sisters came to Denver. The mom had to work and take care of the cattle at home, so was unable to come. As her daughter showed (and Morgan was in the same class) I got the inspiration to take a picture of her daughter with my cell phone and send it to her. She was thrilled to be part of the day even though she couldn't be there. I also sent pictures throughout the day to my mother-in-law. (I would have done the same for my parents, but I don't think they can get pictures on their phone). It was fun to share the day with loved ones who couldn't be there.

The show was very successful for us, and for the families who were there. It was a busy week, but one of the high points of our showing year.

Denver--National Western Stock Shoow

We had a fun trip to Denver and a successful show.

Cody was the Champion Senior Showman, with his steer Pumpkinhead

Moran's heifer, Sadie, was the Reserve Grand Champion Prospect Heifer

Billing Day

One of the things on my long list this week was to do the billing for the Nebraska Family Times. I'm getting more comfortable using the software, and I think it's going faster every time. I now have all the bills printed out, and just have to get the envelopes addressed and get the bills into them, stamped, and into the mail tomorrow!

Mission Trip Fundraiser

A youth group from our church is going on a mission trip this July. They're going to Canada to a tiny town and will teach Vacation Bible School to the Native Americans there. I admire the kids, as well as the adults, who go on these trips. There is a lot of planning involved, as well as more than 24 hours of driving (over two days)! Last night at the meeting (see below) one of the sponsors showed me a map of where they were going; it is literally at the end of the road!

My first goal, when I bought the Nebraska Family Times newspaper, was to learn and get comfortable with the process of putting the paper together, and mailing and delivering it. I feel like I've met that goal, although of course I will continue to strive to fill every issue with articles to inform, encourage, and inspire readers.

My next goal is to publicize and promote the paper throughout the area. When I saw the announcement in the bulletin about the youth group fund raisers, I had an inspiration! The youth group and I are now working together; the youth group will be selling subscriptions and sponsorships for the paper, getting a percentage of each sale. They'll be able to do more than I could, more quickly than I could, when 14 kids go around selling subscriptions. And I can support them by giving them a percentage of the money the collect. The parents and kids seemed enthusiastic last night (when I gave the presentation to the group), so I hope they are well-received.

If a member of PINK (the youth group) asks YOU to support their mission trip by purchasing a subscription or sponsorship, please consider doing so!

Busy Days!

The kids and I are going to Denver for a few days, to the National Western Stock Show. They'll show their cattle and sheep there and we're all looking forward to it!

I've felt more than a little overwhelmed the last few days, trying to get ready to go. My mom always made sure the house was clean before we went on a trip, and I've inherited that desire to come home to a clean house.

Besides cleaning the house I've had Nebraska Family Times business to do, and I worked two days this week at my nursing job.

I gave a presentation at our church last night to a youth group that is going on a mission trip this summer. (See above post for more details.)

While we're gone I plan to spend some time scrapbooking, so I was going through pictures I'd taken in the last 18 months or so, FINALLY choosing the ones I wanted prints of and ordering them online.

To throw another little twist in my planning, my computer has been acting goofy all week. One day it locked up at least eight times and I had to restart it . . . usually while I was trying to download pictures to the WalMart website to get developed.

And . . . it's been soooooo bitterly cold here for the last few days--below zero and then windy . . . I just do not like the cold! I try very hard not to be crabby about it, but it tires me out.

I won't whine any more . . . I have many, many things to be thankful for. I was worried for awhile that the computer problem stemmed from my photo program and I would lose the photos I hadn't saved. Thankfully they're all printed now! I am thankful that I can check my e-mail (I think the problem is in my Outlook Express program) through another website. I have a warm home, warm clothes, and a reliable vehicle to keep me out of the weather. AND . . . I have a friend who is helping me with the paper, and when I asked her if she'd get the boxes of papers mailed, she said YES! WHEW! What a relief it was to get that off of my lists.

It seems everything is coming together! Tim said it was 50 degrees in Denver yesterday--yeah! My house probably won't be "mom clean" but it will be good enough (I continue to hope that the cleaning elves come while I'm gone!) I'm getting everything done and if it doesn't get done, it's not that important.

Paper Delivery Lady/Paper Mailing Lady

Today was delivery and paper mailing day!

The papers are mailed via bulk mail, so I have to put the individual papers in rubber-banded groups in zip-code order. Thankfully, the computer prints out the labels in that order, so I just have to remember to start a new "group" when the third number of the zip code changes (papers are put into groups in which the first three numbers of the zip code are identical).

Before I took the addressed papers to the BMU (Bulk Mailing Unit)--which is a different building than the "regular" post office--I delivered papers around Norfolk. It's always fun to visit the different businesses and churches, and say "hello" to the people there.

Today one of my first deliveries was at the Downtown Coffee Company in Norfolk. I'm not a coffee drinker, but wanted something hot to drink. The employees are always friendly, so helped me choose something hot and caffeinated. I had a "dark" chai tea--chai tea with a shot of expresso. It was yummy, warmed me up, and kept me going all day!

The first time I did the deliveries in Norfolk it took me about 4 hours. This time, it took me just a little over two hours, and that was with having to backtrack twice. I'm sure it will continue to get easier as I do it more. Hopefully my friend and Newspaper Assistant Lori will be able to come and help in the future. It takes as long to park the car and turn it off as it does to actually take the paper in. If two of us go, one can wait in the car, close to the door, and that will cut down on time needed.

At first I was apprehensive about getting the bulk mail papers ready to go. I envisioned a government person scrutinizing every single paper, telling me that if a label was on crooked or one paper was out of zip code order I'd have to take them all home and start over! The man who works there has been extremely nice, and helpful, and it just takes a few minutes to get that part of paper delivery done with.

It is very satisfying to get papers delivered and on their way to their destination. I pray that something in the paper will touch the heart of, or meet a need of, every person who reads the paper. After I was done with deliveries and the mailing, I had a few minutes to go to the mall--yea!

Ideas

It's funny--it always seems that right after I pick up the paper, I start getting ideas for the next issue. On the way home from picking up the paper on Tuesday, I heard at least three stories, on the radio, that I wanted to check out and possibly write about for the next issue. Unfortunately, the clipboard, paper, and pen I keep in the front seat for just those opportunities (don't worry, I jot down just a few words and can even write without even looking at the paper) was in the back seat, under a box of papers!

Hopefully the stories will show up on one of the blogs I use as a resource, or the newspaper, or I'll remember what the stories were . . .