Happy Birthday to Me!

Another year older...I'm not so sure about the wiser part! A lot has happened in the past year. I thought my 25th year would be the best ever and while it had a few shiny spots, it also had many dull patches. I thought by now I'd have the answer to a lot of things in life, but I'm learning that I have the answers to nothing...maybe that is what we learn...that we just have to go day by day, month by month, and year by year.

I have lots of goals for myself in my 26th year... I know they always say, find someone to be accountable to and it will help you succeed. Well, I know my goals are the scary make you wanna throw up if you have to tell someone, but what the hell...you are my friends, and I may just need some encouragement from time to time!

1. Finish my degree - I'm taking my last course at Purdue this fall via the internet
2. Lose weight - I've never been one to really eat lots of unhealthy stuff, but I do need to work harder at the exercise thing. It's been tough since my elliptical got moved to my aunt and uncle's when I moved home since we don't have room for it here, but I have to find time to go, even if it means more driving (sad face due to gas prices!).
3. Earn a FREE MK car - My goal all along in Mary Kay has been to earn a free car and become a Sales Director. I know in my heart that it is what I need and should be doing in my life. Being a director will give me the opportunity to do the things that I have always wanted to do...public speaking on a greater platform!
4. Find a big girl job - Don't get me wrong, I am so thankful for having friends/family who hired me when I didn't have any other options...but it's time for me to move on and do my own thing again. I love the country, but I miss the city! I am starting to feel trapped in this little town...

Okay, enough of my birthday ramblings for now... Hope everyone else is having a good year, no matter what year it is for you!

Fair Week Survivor

haha...anyone who truly loves county fairs are the only ones who will understand what I mean by fair week SURVIVOR!?! Each year the fair is like a safe haven, a return to childhood and all that was fun about growing up on a farm, but it also reminds me that I'm getting older and do not have the same energy I once had! ha For me, fair week was a daily barrage of things to do...take care of the animals, get ready for the show, show my animals, cleanup, hang out with friends, sleep and repeat the following day! On top of showing pigs, cattle, rabbits, sheep and even ducks...I always had numerous non-walking projects to get ready for fair - flowers, genealogy, photography, child development, etc, etc, etc... Now when I attend the fair, I barely get myself there long enough to watch parts of a few shows and eat a meal or two! ha Somehow they always seem to wrangle me to announce a show or two and the Auction. I've always loved doing it, but this year it was extra tiring for some reason (just not sure what it was!). ha We survived the typical fair weather...a storm blew in Sunday night and we watched trash barrels roll across the fairgrounds, but drove home going 40mph in a torrential downpour. (I've had a bad experience with being stuck in the bathrooms at the fairgrounds during a tornado and will never repeat that! ha I'll take my chances going home!) It rained again Monday night, but not until really late. The rest of the week was hot and humid per usual, but it did cool down some for the Auction on Friday, which made me happy since I had to sit in the same spot for 5 hours!! :p


All in all, the Ripley County Fair went pretty smoothly this year. Here's a picture of the Queens (and King) goofin around after the Swine Show, the longest day of the week for them!

Hope everyone is having a nice weekend! I'm heading to work here in a little bit...let me say that working 7 days a week is exhausting!

Woah! It's been awhile...

No excuse for my lack of posts! I've been extremely exhausted lately, which I'll reveal all here in a bit. I could make this several posts, but I'm too lazy to break it all up! ha So, sorry in advance for the lengthy post.


My baby, Toby
As my last post stated, I was waiting for Toby to arrive back home after being neutered. Luckily, he bounced right back! Unfortunately, I see no end in sight on the whole hiking his leg to pee issue. He has become downright defiant on the potty training. All the puppy training books I've read say that they can get a little awnry around 6-9 months...oh yeah, did I mention that he's about 7 months old now! ha We continue to praise him for good behavior and discourage the rebellion. I'll keep ya posted! And on another note with his surgery...they had to remove a row of baby teeth because they weren't coming out on their own and his adult teeth were ready to pop up. This of course cost me quite a bit more than I had anticipated and although the vet tech said he shouldn't chew as much anymore, we haven't seen anything to backup that promise!! He's pretty good by only chewing his toys, but if he gets distracted and finds your fingers...watch out!


There she is...Miss Ripley County
My last pageant as the director/committee member is officially over! I have one final event to attend, the opening ceremony at the county fair on Sunday night where the Court members will be introduced. It was a truly awesome pageant and we received many compliments that night and I still have emails rolling in daily! I am proud of all we have accomplished. As I said on-stage during my committee thank you (yes, I brought out the ugly cry! darn it! I thought I'd be able to do it without tears, but no such luck!) it was a bittersweet night knowing that all the work I've done is now over, but that I no longer get to work with the girls. We had 17 past queens in attendance and even surprised the first Miss Ripley County with a sash and crown! There were over 400 people in attendance and our audience donated almost $1,800.00 to the local food pantries through our penny wars! Talk about an amazing community! All in all, the 50th Miss Riplcy County Queen Pageant was a success! When one door closes, another will open...


Doctors
The week before the pageant I got a terrible case of poison sumac. Luckily Dr. Mulford gave me a shot to clear it up. I had to use the cream a little, but after the shot, I really didn't itch any until the very end of it cleared up! While he was checking out the sumac on my throat (it completely covered my throat, covering from ear to ear) he mentioned that he thought my thyroid was enlarged. Now recent events tell me that this may very well be a Menchhofer family trait. My cousin Sara, who has had to undergo extra sonograms and testing during her pregnancy, has a thyroid problem. Sara's brother Zach, my partner in crime, was also tested but they said his levels were fine. Our Grandpa had many health issues concerning allergies and what not when we were young and it seems that everything he encountered, I have as well. I'm not sure if they really diagnosed thyroid problems back then, but they do now. I've saving up to do the bloodwork to see if it is my thyroid...it's about $300 and I don't have insurance. *sad face* So, we'll see what happens! This could explain why I have such a hard time losing weight. I really don't eat all that unhealthy and I'm pretty active, so I should not be as heavy as I am!?!



That's all folks...enjoy a pic of the new Queen's court! Check out our website if you want more info! http://www.ripleycountyqueen.com/