Kaydee turned 16 while I was at the Cattle Industry Summer Conference in Orlando. What a treat for her to get to go there with me – and eat that delicious cake (that I bought for her)! I have received some pretty great birthday presents, but I don’t know that any of them compare to cake in Florida!
We stayed in a super nice hotel where she took advantage of spa services and the swimming pool. I thought it was great fun to check in on the alligators and turtles each time I went from our room to the meeting area!
And of course, we had to make it to a theme park one night. Our park of choice was Islands of Adventure, right beside Universal. We started off with the Spider Man ride, made our way to the not-surprisingly long wait for the new Harry Potter ride, enjoyed some burgers at the NBA restaurant, and then finished with the Jurassic Park ride. Yes – at least one time on that last ride, while heading straight down and feeling like I would certainly fly out over the padded bar that was supposed to hold me in…I screamed like a little girl. And of course, the perfectly timed camera for the ride captured every ounce of horror I was feeling – NO! we did NOT purchase that picture! And yes – I was soaked!
Besides the fun stuff, Kaydee decided to sit in on a couple of my meetings with me. I wasn’t shocked that she wanted to join me, but I was surprised that she took a genuine interest in the topics of discussion and opportunities that lie ahead for beef. The committee I sit on is the New Products committee, so I’m sure it helped that we got to do some taste-testing…that’s definitely one of my favorite parts of the meeting! I was pleased that after we left, she did ask questions for clarification and she showed a true interest in making sure the breeding decisions we make on our farm are the best for not only the cow herd & seedstock production, but the meat that will be the end result. At her young age, she gets the big picture.
Certainly, having a teenage girl, or any teenager for that fact, in the household can be a challenge. Kaydee’s maturity and sincerity for beef production she is displaying assure me that she is doing o.k. & all the people along with Matt and I that are helping to shape her into who she is – well folks, we are all doing something right. Whew!
Lady Of Ag 