Two Trips to Nashville

I spent consecutive weeks in Nashville, Tennessee recently. Eight nights out of 11 at Opryland.

My first trip south was for Blissdom – a blogging conference – and I was there on my own time.

My second trip was for Commodity Classic – a conference for corn, sorghum, soybean and wheat farmers – and I was there for work.

The first trip I was surrounded by 750 blogging women (well, there were a few token males there too).

Some of my Real Farmwives of America gal pals!

The second trip I was surrounded by 6,000 farmers - men, women and children.

This isn't representative of the conference, 

but it's the best I have...we spent 45 minutes 

in the basement due to tornadoes ripping through the Midwest.

While the two conferences were on the outside as different as night and day, if you look closer there were a lot of similarities.

1.  Getting Lost...I was smart enough the first stay to ask how to get to my room. I wasn't so smart the second stay. I MAY have wandered the halls for 25 minutes before finding my room. Man, Opryland is HUGE!!

A coworker of mine snapped a photo of the map

on his phone...Brilliant!

2.  Food...the first group buys, cooks, eats and serves it. The second group grows it.

Actually, Blissdom featured a California Raisins suite where my Real Farmwives friends felt right at home... 

I usually like my grapes served as wine,

but these were yummy too.

And I learned that some growers dry their raisins on the vine (below) and others dry them on tarps spread out in the vineyard. They also served warm oatmeal raisin cookies.

At Commodity Classic, the trade show not only featured tractors and seed corn, but also delicious omelets and apple fritters cooked up in a new, healthier soybean oil.

Why were omelets and apple fritters being served at a convention for farmers? Someone has to grow the soybeans so we can buy the oil at the grocery store!

3. Technology...I saw smart phones, iPads and laptops at both conventions. While the #Classic12 Twitter stream wasn't as crazy as #Blissdom, it was quite busy.

Also, I learned about Instagram, Facebook and other technologies at Blissdom. I learned about GPS, enhanced seed traits and apps for everything from weather forecasts to market updates at Commodity Classic.

4.  Passion...I don't think I know of any two groups of people who are more passionate about what they do than bloggers and farmers! Enough said.

5. Compassion...we helped ConAgra donate 40,000 meals to help end child hunger at Blissdom.

At Commodity Classic, it was announced that Beck's Hybrids helped raise $80,000 for families looking to adopt.

So many children helped...I feel blessed being associated with both groups!

6.  Entertainment...being in Music City meant some awesome musical acts to entertain us.

 At Blissdom, we saw both Joe Jonas and Rascal Flatts.

 I'm petitioning for NKOTB or Boyz II Men next year...

I felt a little old screaming Joe's name...

Oh, Joe Don, you can sing for me any day!

At Commodity Classic, I went to the Grand Ole Opry not once...but twice!

 It's an amazing venue...such history there!

At Blissdom, I went into Opryland on Thursday morning and didn't leave until Sunday morning.

At Commodity Classic, I went downtown three different times and listened to some great local bands.

Sing me some Conway Twitty boys!

I would have loved to see these two conferences happen at the same time...I can just imagine the conversations between the bloggers and the farmers. It would have been awesome! Maybe someday...

While I am SO, SO happy to be home, I feel like I should be heading south in a couple of days!

Anyone up for a road trip?

Sorry for the low quality photos! I carried around my big, fancy camera at both conferences and ended up snapping most of my shots with my iPhone!

You Say Fall and I Say Harvest Time

My dad is a farmer, I think I've mentioned that before.

Actually, I did a search for "dad" on my blog and found 32 posts where I mentioned my dad.

I also did a search for "chocolate" and found 32 posts where I mentioned chocolate.

Hmmm...I wonder what that means.

Sorry, back to the regularly scheduled post...

Soybean harvest started a few weeks ago and I hitched a ride in the combine with my dad after work one evening.

My all-time favorite sight - soybeans ready for harvest. 

 Here comes my ride!

View from the jump seat. 

View out the front of the combine cab. 

Unloading soybeans.

Good-bye Dad and be careful out there!

Coming soon...corn harvest!

Not Such a Star Pitcher

I have never wanted to be a ballerina.

I have never wanted to be a doctor.

And I definitely never wanted to be a baseball player!

However, last night BECAUSE of the job I DO have (and love) I was able to "be" a baseball pitcher for just a moment.

I was at a meeting in Louisville, Ky. (I heart this city) and our evening activity was a night at the Louisville Bats baseball game. Our group had the opportunity to throw out the first pitch...well we were one of seven groups with folks throwing out the first pitch!

I stepped out of the room when they were deciding who would throw that pitch...when I came back in I found out that I was nominated...much to my horror because I DO throw like a girl!

Here I am warming up...

Here's the mascot...it's really a bat and not a baseball bat.

Here's the group that I was throwing with...I'm sad to say that even the mascots had a more accurate pitch than I did. I DID throw a bit better than the little girl in pink below!

"Oh what am I doing up here?" That's what was going through my head...luckily the stands were not full but I did have a loud cheering section in my soybean farmer-friends.

Before I pitched, the announcer read a nice piece on what Indiana soybean farmers are doing as a group to better their industry and the soybeans they raise so at least the crowd got some education with their entertainment.

The wind-up...

We got our baseballs back as we filed past homeplate...I knew this one was mine because you can see the dirt marks and yes, my pitch DID bounce before it got to homeplate!

It was a fun time but I have to admit I was nervous and would have NEVER chosen to put myself out in front of that many people to throw a baseball. I guess it's important for all of us to put ourselves in positions that make us uncomfortable and help us grow.

Hopefully, I never go to a football game and have the opportunity to kick a field goal! Horror!

Ending the Week OK

I've had a long week. I'm getting to the end of a really big project at work that is going to be awesome (more about that later) but there's still a lot of work to be done.

Take a heavy workload add a looming deadline and that equals STRESS!

But no matter how much stress I have at work, I need to keep it all in perspective.

So here are a few things I learned at work today...

First, that I have some AWESOME coworkers. On my desk this morning, I found a pick-me-up card and this...

What can I say...they get me! (Also, I'm loving Instagram on my iPad.)

Second, don't order 8 milkshakes and a Coke Zero in the drive-thru during Happy Hour at Steak 'n Shake and expect to get them in sooner than 20 minutes.

Third...

Source: wanelo.com via Megan on Pinterest

Fourth, a 20-minute wait for milkshakes is worth it when you surprise people with a Friday afternoon treat.

Fifth, I have always known that my brain works in a different way and that I have a habit of starting a conversation somewhere in the middle, not the beginning. However, I never realized how bad it is until we got a new intern and he point blank tells me - repeatedly -that he doesn't understand what I'm talking about.

Source: None via Megan on Pinterest

I guess he just doesn't get me!


Finally, I love the work I'm doing and that I get to things like this and consider it work!

TGIF, my friends!


Enjoy your weekend.

Fun with Bennie the Bean

 Bennie the Bean in a cornfield

Want to have some fun with your kids this summer?

It's the Year of Soybeans at the Indiana State Fair and to celebrate Indiana soybean farmers are hosting a fun photo contest this summer.

Check out Bennie the Bean on Facebook and download your own "Flat Bennie." Then take him with you to your favorite summer destination, snap a photo with him and upload it on the contest site! The first contest runs until June 27 and then the fun starts! You get your family and friends to vote on your photo to win.

The prize is an iPad and tickets to the fair! There is even a second contest that starts in July!

I took Bennie with me and the nephews when we went to the Indianapolis Zoo recently.

Can you tell by the last photo that someone was a bit grumpy?

To learn more about soybeans, visit the Indiana State Fair's Year of Soybeans page or Indiana Soybean Alliance's website.

Linking up to Pinke Post.

For full disclosure, I work for Indiana soybean farmers and the Year of Soybeans is a project that I'm working to plan so I'm really excited about it and want to share it with everyone I know. That's why I did this post. If you have questions about soybeans and how they are grown in Indiana, let me know and I'll be glad to answer them (or get you an answer from someone who know more than I do).