Drummond Fall Family Picnic

I made the flight back to Oklahoma for the third time since June to attend another family gathering. You see, when one has a family the size of mine………

…..there are bound to be many events, some of them back to back. The Drummond family just came off a massive, amazing, fun, energetic, and family centric reunion. The day was beyond perfect and I was not sure there was a chance the experience could be beat or even equaled. I was proven wrong as I stepped foot into the Drummond Ranch for the Fall Family Picnic.

It was a kid friendly, pie eating, pumpkin carving, and country dancing hoedown. A different kind of party than that of the reunion, but an equally joyous event nonetheless. This party held annually at my cousin Gentner’s home place has grown larger by the year and is known for its fun factor but more specifically it is known for the pies. Pies that are brought in from the far nether reaches, slaved over, perfected, some women and men still wearing flour on their brow as they arrive at the ranch. These pies are judged, and ultimately a winner is crowned.

I am not sure how many of you frequent ranches or the country. However, the more you tread through the tall grass, step in cow manure, watch unobstructed sunrises and sunsets, step in more cow manure, ride horses, enjoy the peacefulness that only the prairie can bring, there is something that begins to change within us. Some of us find our inner cowboy/cowgirl later in life, while some find it early and it never seems to leave. I truly believe we have a little country in all of us; the question is how much do you want to embrace it?

The evening was full of family

Pumpkins

Friends

Pies

Kids

A beautiful sunset

Fireworks

And an amazing host and hostess

It was an evening like all evenings spent with family in which I will cherish always. Cheers to the family I love, the friends I cherish, and the new friends I made!! Thank you Gentner and Wendy for opening your home for a fun fall evening, it was a true blessing!!

Living In The Moment

From time to time I find myself in the position of office therapist, shhhhhhh, I secretly love being placed in that role. I have a deep deep passion for helping others, this gives me an opportunity to share tools I have gathered along my self seeking journey, and lastly I love to listen. A past boss once told me ‘God gave me one mouth and two ears, I use them in the portions for which I have them, my ears twice as much as my mouth’. Not only did that conversation stick with me and I find myself using similar statements many years later, I also live by it. You see for me, the lifelong student, the gatherer of knowledge, I love to hear about people’s lives, their journeys, their hopes, their dreams, their struggles, their triumphs, their losses, their loves. I love to gather knowledge and use that knowledge to help them use their voice, follow their dreams, overcome their struggles, and live the life they deserve to live. Today I had a candid conversation with a friend in which they were seeking advice on how to overcome a frustration. The conversation went something like this: Do people who ‘play it by ear’ bother you? Situations in which people used the ‘play it by ear’ card use to bug me A LOT but I more understanding to it now. What changed to make you more understanding towards it? It seems to me people who use these statements are trying to maintain maximum flexibility in case something else comes up that’s more exciting. Living in the moment and also realizing that everyone lives their life differently is what has allowed me the understanding I needed to see situations like this more clearly. I needed to appreciate that just because I tend to not ‘play it by ear’ does not mean that is right or wrong, everyone is different and the choices they make in their life are different. That is a good way of looking at it, but the other is also true Could you possibly try looking at it from the perspective of flexibility, maybe focusing on opportunity as opposed to waiting for something better? I believe you may very well be correct, in some cases people are possibly leaving themselves wide open for something better. Yet there are plenty of other valid reasons for the state of ‘playing it by ear’; people have a hard time committing, people have different personalities, ect. Very true, thanks you. I will fill you in on a little secret. The more you let yourself live in the moment, only concern yourself with what you can control, and realize people are people; we all have amazing assets we bring to the table and also characteristics that are not so desirable. Once you can begin to implement this secret, life begins to be a bit more bearable and people are easier to understand and appreciatation for our differences is shared. Love, JB

The Intersection

Last week I attended a leadership conference; more specifically a women’s success forum. The day started with a keynote from Jane Pauley and continued on an exceptional track thereafter. I had many aha moments, many flashes of wonderful leaders & some poor leaders, thoughts of many people whom are in leadership positions that should not be….not to mention any names, government officials. It was a day of unmatched knowledge, blessings, comradely, and an all around eye opening experience. Here are a few key notes of insight I was able to take away. 1) Leadership is the act of using your gifts in a purposeful and powerful way 2) Inspiration is everywhere you just have to be looking for it 3) Be willing to say yes to something that is new, challenging, and/or a long shot 4) You find the path to reinvention at the intersection of where your gifts and passion meet 5) Don’t leave a career position until you have to opportunity to lead 6) Don’t trade wholeness for approval 7) The word listen has the same letters as the word silent 8) A grateful heart knows many joys As I sat and reflected, I came to realize, for the 76th time, I do not have the personality cut out for the corporate world. I have the drive, the dedication, and the love for what I do. But I do not have the tolerance for lacking integrity, failing truths, and trampling others as the corporate ladder is climbed. I have a passion for people, for kindness, for grace, for peacefulness. My aha moment was that of where my life will lead over the next few years. I will not share at this time what that journey will look like because let’s be honest when we try to plan things out God has a funny way of helping us to not follow that plan exactly. But I welcome you to stop in on this blog and go on this journey with me, through the highs and lows as I find that intersection where my gifts and passion meet. ‘When you discover your passions you light up your heart. When you live it you light up the entire world.’ JB

Day at the Denver Zoo

The weekend was more than busy, appointments, a move, cleaning of the old apartment, and somewhere in between a trip to the zoo. My little really wanted to go to the zoo, and I simply can’t say no to my little. Also, like anywhere at the current moment as the seasons are changing, it is a tossup as to whether Denver is going to have nice weekend of weather or a snowy weekend. That said I found a way to fit a trip to the zoo into a weekend that also involved a move across town. Unlike our nation’s capital, the Denver Zoo is not free and being like to engage in low cost or no cost activities I had never even thought about the zoo. As it turns out, it is really not that pricey for a day of fun, sun, smelly animals, cute babies, great walking, and did I mention smelly animals. Here is the day through the eye of a lens.

Signing Off -