2008 year in review

Need a taste of what 2008 looked like for me? Here's some photographic evidence.

This is Eric and I the day we became engaged (April 5, 2008). We spent the day touring the South Saint Paul Stockyards (before they closed for good April 11, 2008). Then to Paul's Cathedral in St. Paul. Eric topped it off with a walk around Lake Nokomis (Minneapolis) where he proposed next to a frozen lake looking at the downtown skylight.

Here I am at my first road race, May 10. I ran a 10K (first race ever!) and placed third in my age division (earning this medal). I wore the medal all day, even to downtown where we celebrated with the Hilton family.

Here's my nephew, Carter Jace. We're up at the farm and I'm sure I'm tickling him. C.J., as we call him, just turned 2!

Eric's first visit to Duluth was when I ran the Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon. We enjoyed a nice Friday afternoon on the shore of Lake Superior, and snapped this photo when the wind wasn't whipping.
By the time I saw their faces, I needed a whole lot of "cheering on!"
My "SuperFans" Doc and Deutsch - cheering me on the last 100 ft. of the Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon. It was fun that Eric and Becky could be there, and my mom and dad came, too!

Eric and I like the Twins and going to baseball games! Here's a shot of us "haming it up" during our "Parents Weekend."

C.J. and my brother Jason are pictured above. It was an entire family outing to the Minnesota Twins game when both my family and Eric's family met. Joining us for the day were Jack and Mary Burt (my parents), Jason, Mandy and Carter Burt (brother, sister-in-law, nephew), Susie Mousel (Eric's mom), Stephanie Mousel (Eric's sister), Eric and I. Quite a crew! Unfortunately, the Twins lost, and Eric has been banned from the Metrodome because they just don't win when he's in the stadium.

Here's Eric's mom, Susie, and sister, Stephanie, with us at Minnehaha Falls. We had the opportunity to host them in Minneapolis so our families could meet. It sure was nice being able to play host in such a park-friendly environment.

Happy Fourth of July! This photo was taken in Miller, SD, where we drove the pick/float for Eric's friend Roger Gerdes. On the actual holiday, we did some major landscape work in Eric's backyard, not limited to: landscape tiles, landscaping timber, edging and a pond.

Here's a glimpse of my "Ribbon Quilt" I made for my parents. It encompassed cattle-showing ribbons from 20 years, and photos. I entered it in the Itasca County Fair and took home a blue ribbon (although they forgot to put it on the wall-hanging, so I felt like a loser the entire fair).

Here's what it looks like when you get kicked in the face while clipping a heifer. :( I was helping our 4-Hers get heifers ready for their first show (July 11) when one of them tapped me in the melon. I ended up buying all the fabric for my wedding dress the next day - and got some strange looks. Surprisingly, I held my tongue when this happened. Can you believe it?

Here's one of my favorite picture of Eric. It's August and we're at the North St. Louis County Fair - and it's his birthday. We celebrated with an ice cream cake after the cattle show. I look forward to many years planning next to my man. Although we aren't planning in the picture - I'm seeing how good he can show a heifer.

Here I am asleep in the straw at the North St. Louis County Fair (Chisholm, MN). I was so pooped! Next to me is Angel, a heifer calf that was "Reserve Division" at the MN State Fair. She's a honey!
Sid Bowman and I after a day of wet motorcycle riding. Becky Deutsch was Sid's passenger. Did I mention I really enjoy riding bike?

C.J. and I playing at his house in October. He looks so excited because Becky Deutsch is across from him and we're playing with his toys (and both his grandmas are there, too).

Activist

I'm not sure why, but I cringe at the word "activist." Perhaps it's because each day in the U.S., I feel a silent attack from the growing number of animal activists who want to tell me exactly how I should run my business. While I wasn't old enough to know what it felt like during the Cold War, I'm guessing this is a similar feeling.

Or perhaps it's because to be an "activist" you have to be really passionate. You have to be unabashedly afraid to stand up and tell other people (complete strangers) that this product/idea/issue is important to you. And you have to back it up with examples (and, facts - but not everyone follows that logical thought pattern).

It could be my Norwegian upbringing (where we'd rather not cause a fuss and prefer to sit in the back of the church). Or maybe its the result of being spoon-fed "culturalism" and "diversity" in the educational system.

Regardless of how I feel about the term "activist," I am one. And you should be too. I'm a beef activist. I'm a farm activist. I have stood up for raising livestock and the rural family lifestyle since before I knew what the term "activist" meant. It's my passion, and I've told complete strangers sitting next to me on an airplane about growing up on a farm and raising beef cattle. Women's bible studies will never be the same now that they know they've got an accessible "meat-guru" they can turn to. Wondering what to grill tonight? I've got a suggestion. Beef. Whether I raised it, or someone in central Kansas did, I know they put the same diligence in producing the product that I did - maybe even more.

So are you a beef activist? Maybe it's time to start professing what you are. Don't delay. Activists have more power that you think. Read more, here.