Hi friend!
Our family spent a lot of years showing livestock. We came into it knowing almost nothing, became competitive, won things we once never imagined winning, and eventually made the choice to step away from something we genuinely loved.
Now that we've made the choice to step away from showing, something has changed about the way I look back on those years.
The older my kids get, the less I think about what they won.
I'm still proud of the banners we brought home. We wanted to win, badly. But with some distance from those years, I find myself thinking much more about what I hope our kids carried with them when they left the show ring.
And that keeps bringing me back to one question.
What Do We Actually Want This Experience to Produce in Our Kids?
Winning matters. But what should all the years of work, competition, responsibility, disappointment, success, and time spent in the barn ultimately leave our kids with?
Restock the show box before you need it.
Replace the little things that disappeared during the last show. Check what is empty, broken, or running low, and put it back now instead of finding out when the trailer is already loaded.
Future you will be glad you did.
• Something just for fun: These shoelaces are an easy little way to add some personality to everyday shoes. Nothing complicated, just fun.
• Something new from Livestock Boutique: Our new Coffee & Livestock Collection is launching this week, built around two things that seem to show up together pretty often around here: livestock and coffee.
• A bigger barn buy: This one is definitely more of an investment, but it has been completely worth it for the barn and wash rack.
• Pretending fall is here: It may still feel like summer here in Texas, but I'm ready for fall food anyway. This Italian sausage tortellini soup is one of our favorites.
The banners, the placings, and the show days all become part of the story. But years later, what stays with me most is the person the experience helped shape.
Have a good week, and we'll meet you back here next Sunday.
See you next Sunday,
Angie & Ally
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