Dancing at a Funeral?!

Hey Everyone! I´ve officially caught the blogging bug! It´s been a little while since my last one and the next auction isn´t until tomorrow, but I wanted to share something. I have shared this video with my Facebook friends, but I wanted to share it with you guys.

I am a STRONG believer that the Holy Spirit works in all of our lives and guides us on our path and at times CONSUMES us....when he really wants to get the point across. Well my new friend over at THE RUSTIC CHICK posted a video that really spoke to me and I had a VERY similar experience....you guys might find me a little crazy after this, but I feel compelled to share it :).

Here´s the video. WATCH IT!! It will make you laugh and cry!

SO NOW ABOUT MY EXPERIENCE....

I lost a very SWEET and LOVING friend almost a year ago. She had kind of a rough life growing up. She dated one of my good friends for a while and that´s how I really got to know her. She helped us move into our house when we lived in Carmine and we sat and organized one day and had some Ramen Noodles for lunch (I always made them in a pot before that day-when she showed me she made them in the microwave. Now I make them like that all the time). She was REALLY the sweetest thing and maybe....a little misunderstood my some people. After her and our friend broke up we didn´t really talk as much, but we did when we saw each other.

Me and Brandi!

Well she passed away. The details aren´t important. What is important is that little girl (she was pint-sized :)) made a lasting impression on my heart and I KNOW many others.

I´m at the funeral home in La Grange. I´m standing in the back. The place is full of friends, family, teachers, co-workers, etc....all mourning the loss of this sweet young life that we had the pleasure of being part of. Brandi and her family didn´t regularly attend church, so a friend contacted a pastor that he knew. Let´s just say he really didn´t know her, he got kind of long-winded, and I think maybe lost focus on celebrating HER life.

Well....just like Beth Moore having this overwhelming RANDOM feeling... I had one. I´ve NEVER told anyone about this EVER. I thought people would think I´d gone "off my rocker." So I´m standing in the hallway...listening to the pastor, but not really...b/c by this point he had started rambling a little and repeating himself....and what thought comes to mind you ask?........

WE SHOULD ALL START DANCING!

SERIOUSLY!!!! I thought to myself....WHAT?! I even thought I´d completely LOST IT. I mean...I LOVE TO DANCE and all, but....REALLY?! How random and crazy of a sight would that have been? Randomness and Craziness were a couple of traits Brandi and I both share, and it was like I could hear her saying "Do it! That would be so cool-and even tugging at me a little bit!" I even looked around and thought: Who would actually DANCE with me? Who else would start dancing if we did? You know...you HAVE to get MORE people to join in. If only us 2 were dancing they´d surely take us to GET OUR HEADS CHECKED. A family friend - Josh was standing in the back pretty close to me. I thought I could "maybe" pull him out there. Then I thought...where´s Beka and Lindsey? Courtney would do it, but she´s way in the front. Then...I let the FEAR OF JUDGEMENT overwhelm me. Just as I could hear Brandi coaxing me to do it, I could also hear her when I made the mental decision that I WAS NOT going to pull anyone into the aisle to dance with me say: "It´s okay!" Brandi was a free spirit and surely DID NOT want everyone to sit there and CRY!! She also would NEVER make someone feel uncomfortable or ashamed. She would have much rather had us dancing and laughing though! Actually....I KNOW Brandi would have danced with me, if the entire purpose was to lift people´s spirits and celebrate a life that really...wasn´t getting the justice that it deserved. She may have not been your everyday "traditional" girl, but she sure was somethin´!

You think he would´ve danced with me?

Lin, Brandi, and Beka :)

Brandi and Courtney

I´m sure the people closest to her would have gotten it, understood it all, and probably would´ve had a STRONG SPIRITUAL experience - IF I would have had the nerves to BUCK UP!! I didn´t that day, but that thought is STILL with me and probably always will be. I do have the NERVES today though to BUCK UP and share this story with you.

The whole point of this story and Beth Moore´s, is that: WE ARE HERE TO HELP EACH OTHER. Not to look at people and feel sorry for them or judge them. We NEED each other, friends, family, strangers, people we don´t "consider" friends. We are all HELPING each other to discover ourselves and our journey. We should all LISTEN to those strong feelings! Even when I was typing this...the thought came into mind...not to share. I´m pushing it away! Everyone´s life is different. Different situations make different impressions on all of us, different struggles, different successes. It is not our job OR BUSINESS to understand why some people are the way they are. It is our job to ACCEPT them...even when they don´t accept you. I know it can be hard sometimes, but - That is all.

BUCK UP BABY!! Push yourselves outside of that comfort zone!! We can´t grow and learn if we never push our limits, do something a little "crazy." Everyone have a VERY BLESSED WEEKEND!! Thanks for reading!!

BTW-ALL YOU READERS SERVE AS MY WITNESS. I would like a proper funeral service and burial, but I WANT YOU ALL TO THROW ONE HECK OF A PARTY AFTERWARDS!! I mean a REAL shin-dig! Have an auction to benefit something or someone and then DANCE UNTIL ALL YOUR TEARS TURN TO LAUGHTER!!

I SPOT You!

Hey everyone!! Thanks for reading!

Well...this past Saturday I had the opportunity to help out at a new business in ARANSAS PASS called THE AUCTION HOUSE! Before Saturday...I had NEVER been at an auction like this. The Auction House takes CONSIGNMENT PIECES and auctions it off for people.

The back of our shirts :)

There were ALL KINDS of things there: Refrigerators, dishwashers, trailer hitches, saws, couches, dishes, art, home decor, cowboy hats, dressers, dining room sets, tools, boats, Wizard of OZ collectibles, children´s toys, coin collections, estate jewelry....I could go on for DAYS! They really had a little bit of everything. I´ll be honest...the buyers/bidders got some PRETTY SWEET DEALS! Anyone that is in the area...needs to check this place out!

Good shot of some of the items that were auctioned off.

Like you all know (at least my followers)....I DO NOT have my license yet.What that means is that I can´t help AUCTIONEER yet. I wanted to get some EXPERIENCE though in some different types of auctions. All I´ve really seen are CATTLE AUCTIONS, FUNDRAISING AUCTIONS, and very few CAR AUCTIONS. I really want to learn what works for consignment auctions and auction houses. So....I emailed the two contacts on their website a few weeks ago and I get a phone call and email back. They wanted to meet me!!

They asked me to show up to their next auction (which was this past Saturday). My main job was WORKING THE FLOOR - SPOTTING THE BIDDERS, TRYING TO LIVEN´ UP THE CROWD A LITTLE, MARK THE BOUGHT ITEMS WITH THE BIDDER NUMBER, SHOW THE NEXT ITEM UP FOR AUCTION, ETC. It was kind of a slow start, but then people started THROWIN´ THEIR HANDS UP :).

I got a chance to talk to some of the bidders after the auction and EVERYONE I talked to was really nice. Two ladies that were sitting outside (that bought A LOT of items) stopped me and told me I did an AWESOME job SPOTTING the bidders and asked if I´d be back for the next one - which I will :). They said everything ran smoothly and they´ll be back for the next one. I´m really not trying to TOOT MY OWN HORN (toot...toot :)). I just REALLY like it when I get positive feedback. Remember....this whole idea was A SHOT IN THE DARK...seriously. I LOVE IT!!

The auctioneer is in the big podium and there are all kinds of collectibles on those shelves (Coca-Cola, Dr. Pepper, etc).

The other cool thing about this entire JOURNEY I´m taking is that I am getting to meet A LOT OF REALLY COOL PEOPLE that I may not have, if it wasn´t for this. WHEW! I feel BLESSED!

So...what did I learn? Well...I´ll say that - IT´S A LOT DIFFERENT THAN A FUNDRAISING AUCTION. Getting bids can be like PULLING TEETH on some items. You´ve really gotta do your ABSOLUTE BEST to sell that item. Talk it up! Get the audience engaged. Explain to them WHY they need it OR the SWEET DEAL they´re getting. At benefit auctions people plan on spending some $$. At The Auction House...they are trying to spend as little as possible. The Coca-Cola products and money and coins seemed to be pretty popular, BUT...it all depends on the crowd. Next time...there may be a couple of people looking for nice tools and they could be the most popular items.

There were copy machines, washing machines, dishwashers...all kinds of stuff back there.

It´s a whole ´nother realm of the AUCTION INDUSTRY and I LOVE it too!! (I realize that what I just typed is so grammatically incorrect - but I typed it anyway.)

Let´s just say that I really enjoyed myself and I´m INTRIGUED :). A BIG THANK YOU goes out to everyone over at The Auction House in Aransas Pass - John King (the auctioneer) and his wife Jeanne and their two girls, Mr. and Mrs. Davis, Tim and Miranda Wooten, and all the other staff there. They have WELCOMED me with OPEN ARMS. I´ll do all I can to HELP them anyway I know how.

All you LOCALS reading this...go check them out in Aransas Pass and bring an item or two and see if they can make ya´ll a little money. WHO KNOWS? You might walk away with a SWEET DEAL too!

AUCTION SCHOOL is right around the corner and it´s fixin´ to be time for me to BUCK UP BABY!! I can´t wait!! The next auction I´m helping with is at THE AUCTION HOUSE - in Aransas Pass again, then the Ledbetter Fireman´s Feast, and then AUCTION SCHOOL and my licensing exam :/. Time is FLYING!

A Little Constructive Criticism...

Well everyone....Texas is still FIGHTEN´ FIRES and as much as íts on my mind - I think it´s time to think about something else for a little while. I will say that my friend Stephanie Cochran with Cochran Landscapes , Mrs. Lynn Johnson, and I got some first-hand experience with this tragedy on Friday. Let me just say that WE WERE LOADED DOWN with supplies! Thank you Coastal Bend and everyone that has helped organize and gather these items. Keep it up! A BIG THANKS also goes to all the volunteers that helped us unload. It really is GREAT to see everyone COME TOGETHER and HELP each other. They do have a little more containment on the fire, but please be sure to keep everyone in your thoughts and prayers and PRAY FOR RAIN!! If we don´t get any...fires will just keep poppin´ up.

Lynn, myself, and Stephenie in one of their 4 warehouses!

I also want to say that yesterday being 10 YEARS since the 9/11 ATTACK...got me to thinkin´. Mainly...that we REALLY need to APPRECIATE the IMPORTANT things in life like....OUR FAMILIES, FRIENDS, NEIGHBORS, ETC. BE GOOD TO PEOPLE!  You never know what day will be your last. I´m sure many will agree that it´s been a LONG 10 YEARS....but WE´LL MAKE IT!! UNITED WE STAND!!  GOD BLESS OUR TROOPS, SERVICE MEN AND WOMEN, AND EVERYONE ELSE DOING THEIR PART TO KEEP US SAFE!

So...not this past weekend, but the one before, I had the chance to catch up with my friends at THE FAYETTE COUNTY FAIR in LAGRANGE, TEXAS on Friday and Saturday night. I also got the chance to listen to one of my FAVORITE TEXAS MUSIC SINGERS - MR. PAT GREEN on Saturday! He put on an AWESOME show! I REALLY enjoyed it! (If anyone ever wants to get me a present - tickets to one of his concerts will work :)!)

On Sunday I had the opportunity to help auctioneer at the CHURCH FEAST for ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST CATHOLIC CHURCH in FAYETTEVILLE! This auction was a little different for me (each one is - isn´t it?). First of all...Uncle Mele wasn´t auctioneering with me - which was a FIRST for me. He was there though :). Secondly...I helped work the tea booth inside until they needed me, which didn´t really give me the chance to scope out where the more CONSISTENT bidders were sitting. (This is kind of important for me - b/c sometimes it is REALLY hard for me to see whether or not someone is bidding - depending on how they bid.) Not really a big deal though. It just made me realize how much it´s helped me at past auctions. Lastly...we switched off every hour or so - which was probably good for my voice. It was a little bit harder for me to get in the groove of things, but I think that was dealing more with my nerves and working with different people and what not.

THANK YOU Mrs. Kaysie Noska for the action shot :)!

All in all...it turned out GREAT! I got some really good EXPERIENCE and some even better CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM. I wound up selling an old empty antique soda bottle for $210, was able to sell a quilt that was in my husband´s family, and was able to learn a thing or two from MR. RICK SODEK  and MR. KORENEK.

Now let me say.....that I had the same kind of response at this one that I have at all of them.... OVERWHELMING COMPLIMENTS and well-wishes. However, I went around asking some people different things like: Could you understand me good? Was I too fast? Was I fast enough? What could I do better? The only way I´m going to get BETTER is to ASK questions and figure out what to CHANGE...right? Let me tell you...the responses VARIED. Some people thought I was TOO FAST, some thought I NEEDED TO BE A LITTLE LOUDER, some said I COULD WORK THE CROWD MORE ON SOME ITEMS and then some people would tell me JUST THE OPPOSITE or tell me I was BETTER at something someone else told me I could IMPROVE. NOT one person told me I did a bad job - They just gave me some advice.

So what does that feedback and my videos tell me?

1) I will NEVER be 100% PERFECT for everybody.

2) SPEED isn´t always important. It depends on the auction. (Uncle Mele´s been telling me this from Day 1)

3) I still have to LEARN  to get  MORE COMFORTABLE behind the mike.

4) I need to LEARN how my VOICE works and how to PRESERVE it and to BREATHE.

5) I just NEED to keep PRACTICING. The more practice I get, the more comfortable I get, and the more I learn!

I´d be a fool to think I´ll have it all down in a day, or two, or three.

One thing I know I need to learn is to just TRUST what your SPOT CALLERS look like they are trying to tell you. You´ll see what I mean in the video below. From the front....you can tell that the spotter (Mr. Brad Fritsch - with Fritsch Cattle Company) is telling me that there´s a bid. I mean...he had it after I said the price the 2nd time. Geez...that was PAINFUL for me to watch. I thought to myself: "Come on already! BUCK UP and TAKE THAT BID!" :)  Anyways...to me (from where I was) I thought he was trying to get them to bid...kinda like he wasn´t sure, which made me a little unsure. Anyways....a prime example of something I need to improve on.  I´LL GET THERE! For my 4th auction....I think I did all right. Like I tell everyone....I still have LOTS of LEARNIN´ to do - but I´m getting there.

Until next time my friends....BUCK UP BABY and go donate some $$ to the Red Cross of Central Texas OR say a PRAYER for everyone! A special THANK YOU goes out to all the BIDDERS, BUYERS, HELPERS, and DONORS!!

Texas WILD FIRES

Hey Everyone! I was sure hoping I would be blogging about something much different than this. It´s been a SAD couple of days for TEXAS! We need PRAYERS of all sorts...PRAYERS for the hundreds of families that have lost their homes, livestock, and possessions...PRAYERS for lives lost, PRAYERS for firefighters and volunteers, PRAYERS FOR RAIN and PRAYERS for our GREAT state to come together and help each other!

Bastrop Fire

Central Texas has been CONSUMED by a MASSIVE WILDFIRE.  Actually....fires have broke out in MULTIPLE areas across the state including: Bastrop (currently spreading into Smithville), Walhalla/Nechanitz/LaGrange area, Magnolia (moving into Hockley), Willow Springs/Fayetteville area, Bryan, Huntsville, and MANY MORE! Click HERE to see a map of all the fires in Texas.

Another shot of the Bastrop Fire...

To put it plainly....HUNDREDS of homes have burned (probably 600 or better), FIREFIGHTERS and VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENTS have been called in from all over, people have died, and the FIRE that started in BASTROP - YESTERDAY  was 0% contained (when I checked a few minutes ago). This is EXTREMELY scary. It has already CONSUMED more than 6000 acres! I personally know people that have been affected by these fires! IT´S  SO SERIOUS! Emergency AIRCRAFT has been flying over the fire, but our current DROUGHT conditions have LIMITED the AVAILABILITY of WATER and the breakout of other fires in the surrounding areas are stretching the area fire departments as far as they can go.

The aftermath of a fire that spread to a Church Camp less than 10 miles from my in-laws property in Walhalla.

More of the aftermath...If you look towards the hills you will see black. That´s how far the fire went.

For people in the ROCKPORT area... TOWN ROCKPORT is trying to gather as many supplies as possible and we will be making a trip to several of the different donations and rest centers. For more updates on what they need and when we plan on heading that direction - check out the TOWN Facebook Page.

If you are from another part of the state, country, or world you can make MONETARY DONATIONS to the RED CROSS of CENTRAL TEXAS by clicking HERE!

MORE FIREFIGHTERS ARE NEEDED! If you know of anyone near or around any of these areas please  call the TEXAS STORM CHASERS @ 512-978-1187.

I am SO saddened by this. This is SO close to HOME and I feel HELPLESS! Let´s get it together folks! It is time to BUCK UP BABY!! It is devestating for one family to lose their home...much less 600 and growing! EVERYONE needs to BE CAUTIOUS of cigarette butts, BBQs, and anything else that could cause a spark or light a fire.

Someones home used to be right past that gate.

FOLKS...WE REALLY NEED AS MANY PRAYERS AS YOU CAN SEND US. THE FIRE IS STILL MOVING! I am on the TEXAS COAST and there is SMOKE from these fires HERE! Supposedly...9 hours ago....the BASTROP fire was 16 miles long AND 6 miles wide.

GOD BLESS YA´LL!! Please RE-POST, SHARE, and PASS ON this blog!! We need all the help we can get!

I´m a WONDERFUL Woman!!



Hey! Hey everybody!! I have something cool to share!! So we get back from Floresville this weekend (where my daughter LITTLE MISS KYLEE JO) was the Flower Girl in my friend´s wedding, and what do I find in my inbox?

Kylee in her Flower Girl dress!!

A message from Mrs. Jo with the WONDERFUL WOMEN´S NETWORK! The ladies in charge over there decided they wanted to do a "Wonderful Woman Showcase" on ME!!

First of all, I am MORE than HONORED. There are SO many WONDERFUL, ACCOMPLISHED, INTRIGUING, BEAUTIFUL women in our little coastal paradise that they could´ve picked any of them. (Believe me ladies....your time is coming!!) Mrs. Jo Blaylock did a FANTASTIC job and made me sound PRETTY DARN GOOD!

To read what she wrote about me and surf around on their BRAND SPANKIN´ NEW WEBSITE click RIGHT HERE!

Just to tell you a little more about this Wonderful Women´s Network...it is this REALLY COOL email network that started out in the ROCKPORT, Texas area. It started out as something kinda small that was helpful to a FEW people and turned into something KINDA BIG that helps A LOT of people. I mean...people are getting this EMAIL NEWSLETTER all over the WORLD now! You can read LOTS more about it in the "About Me" section of the WEBPAGE. That´s right! It keeps getting bigger and bigger, that now...THERE´S A WEBSITE!

I do want to share a little more about the ladies behind it. Mrs. Barbara Gurtner met me just shortly after my husband and I first moved to Rockport. I was BIG and PREGNANT and was helping film a commercial for THE NAUTICAL FLEA MARKET. Click here to learn more! Anyways... She just kinda scooped me up, got my email address, and put me on that network, just as soon as she got home (it seems like). There were all kinds of cool things on the network like: babysitters, garage sales, pets that needed adopting, upcoming events in the area, etc. It was a refreshing feeling b/c we didn´t know a soul when we moved here. I just REALLY think she is one of the SWEETEST, most WELCOMING ladies you´ll every meet. Thank you SO much for that! Folks, I don´t think she´s ever met a person, ate at a restaurant, or walked into a shop she doesn´t like. She´s JUST GOOD PEOPLE!

Mrs. Jo Blaylock was the lady that interviewed me! I sure took a likin´ to her, after just talking to her for a few minutes. There´s just somethin´ about her. She´s not trying to be anything she´s not. She´s just that darn cool! She was a CAPTAIN on the University of Texas Dance Team, worked ALL OVER the broadcasting industry (Radio, TV, Newspaper), is a PUBLISHED writer, was a BARREL-RACER, and knows where CARMINE (my teeny tiny hometown) is!!

I REALLY, REALLY, APPRECIATE this little shout out they gave me! All you BLOGGERS...FOLLOW  their blog and EVERYONE needs to be sure to CHECK BACK for all the WONDERFUL WOMEN that will be showcased from now on!!

I´ll have another BLOG posted sometime after this weekend! I have some REALLY COOL things going on with all this AUCTION business and I can´t wait to SHARE it with you guys!! BUCK UP BABY! Things are fixin´ to get interesting!!

Kinda Sorta Hittin´ My Stride...

Hey EVERYONE!! Well, let me tell you.... The FRIO was SO MUCH FUN!! We might´ve been playin´ in puddles, but those puddles, good FRIENDS, (and some adult beverages) took most of my worries away...at least for a little while.

Me (girl in back with cap AND cowboy hat on) and my CrAzY friends on the river!



Me and Some of my pretty girlfriends!!

Just visitin´ with my gal pals and my HONEY!

 If you guys have never been to the FRIO RIVER you need to check it out. When you go...stop by The Frio´s Dry Fifty...click here! They have the COOLEST little t-shirt shop (that has LOTS more than t-shirts)! It is co-run by my dear friend Danna Korbell´s family (who is a TEXAS STATE BOBCAT)!!

The FRIO when there´s water in it!

Well everyone! I helped Uncle Mele at my 3rd Auction yesterday! It was to raise $$$ for the Burton Lions Club. I am SO HAPPY I could help out with this one. I have a real soft spot in my HEART for the LIONS CLUB in general. When my brother, sister, and I were real young the Carmine Lions Club held a benefit for my Daddy to help with medical bills. They were also the NON-PROFIT that supported me when I ran for FAYETTE COUNTY FAIR QUEEN. If that´s not enough...they also awarded me one of their SCHOLARSHIPS when I graduated high school. When I went to BLINN COLLEGE...I became a Blinn College CHARTER member of their Lion´s Club and now am going thru the process to become a ROCKPORT NOON LION! I´m going to get on my SOAPBOX for a little while, so here goes: The Lions Club needs YOUNGER MEMBERS to step up and help lay some foundation for the FUTURE of the organization. It is a FANTASTIC organization that HELPS those that need it within the COMMUNITY. I don´t do as much as I´d like to, but I don´t think it should be passed over when your looking to become active within the community. To check out more click here.

Now that I´ve finished recruiting new Lions... I wanted to SHARE a couple of things that I learned from this auction:
1) Not all PA systems work well inside a hall with a low ceiling.
2) I need to pay a little more attention to my bid callers AND the bidders.
3) Its much easier if you know everyone´s name OR they have bidder #s.

I have a VIDEO to share will ya´ll this time. It will show you what I mean by #1. To explain a little more on #2 and #3. I had a VERY GOOD bid caller on my right-hand side. He was lettin´ me know that I had a bidder (very NICE lady w/ a pretty blouse). Well....he also was telling me of ANOTHER BIDDER that was sitting (almost) right in FRONT of her....at the SAME table. Well...I saw the lady and I THOUGHT he was just MAKING SURE I had her. Well...he was ACTUALLY trying to tell me that the other GENTLEMAN wanted in on the bid. It was really NO BIG DEAL. We got it all straight. It is just really helping me to get a feel of the kind of situations that arise during an auction and what to pay attention to.

Like the title of my BLOG says....I FEEL LIKE I´M HITTIN´ MY STRIDE :)!! I didn´t really have the JITTERS anymore. I mean...I had some, BUT not like the last two auctions. I WAS READY TO GET BEHIND THE MIKE. TURN ME LOOSE! LET ME SELL SOMETHIN´!! I´ve still got LOTS of learnin´ to do, but I WANT TO BE AN AUCTIONEER :).

REALLY... I ENJOY it the more I do it. I can´t wait until the next one.

Uncle Mele told me I get to help at the CHURCH FEAST IN FAYETTEVILLE in a couple of weeks. It benefits ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST CATHOLIC CHURCH. THAT´S MY CHURCH!!! I´m pretty excited about it! PLUS...Mr. Rick Sodek (my Uncle´s Business Partner) will be auctioneering too and he hasn´t heard me yet! I want to APOLOGIZE ahead of time if I FORGET your name while I´m up there. BTW - I´ll be helping out at the tea stand too, SO come on by and visit while you wet your whistle :).

I want to give credit to some of my VERY GOOD friends that have helped me out. You´ll probably hear about them some more b/c they´re some of my runnin´ buddies :)!

Little Ms. Kacie Stanford (One of the geniuses behind the RoWdY MAUI Boutique and Clothing line), has been a VERY big help to me with all this BLOGGING business!! She´s been blogging for years and has really stopped me from "losing it" when I couldn´t get my background the right color or get it layed out the way I wanted. Plus...she probably heard my first blog a bunch of times b/c I´d call and ask..."Does that sound good? Is it too long? Is it interesting?" SO....I APPRECIATE YOU!! MUAH! You all need to check out her shop @ rowdymaui.com! The name says it all BUT to hear my definition: It is the most ROCKIN´, FANTABULOUS, ROOTIN´TOOTIN´IST, AWESOME boutique you´ll ever visit. You can´t go wrong with a place where your greeted by a turqoise and pink EARLESS donkey, DEER heads with PRETTY GLITTERY eyelashes, lawn gnomes that MOON you, and all the BRIGHT, FESTIVE, CRAZY colors that are inside and out. If you´re even a little bit ROWDY you´ll LOVE it!! You can also check out her blog @ pistolsandcupcakes.blogspot.com!

I also want to give a SHOUT OUT to my VERY DEAR and LONG TIME FRIEND...Ms. Shannon Buck!! She is the gal that took the pictures of me in my second blog. (She only did it because she loves me.) She specializes in engagement, senior, and wedding portraits. That girl is SO busy, but one thing is for sure. SHE CAN TAKE SOME PICTURES!! You can check them out at http://www.shannonbuckphotography.com/!

Thank you all for reading my blog!! I hope I see you all soon. You all get ready to BUCK UP at the next auction! I want to see all those hands up waving at me :)! Ya´ll take care until next time!!

Some of my Inspiration :)

THANKS again to everyone that keeps reading and to all you new-comers!!

I have a little lag time between my last auction and the next one in Burton, but I wanted to let everyone know about my inspiration :)...an UNCLE I have so much RESPECT for and that I will never be able to repay...My Uncle Melvin!


Here he is with my baby doll Kylee Jo and his long time Gal Pal Lillie. Folks...Ms. Lillie could sure use some prayers. She´s been diagnosed with the "ugly word." If you´ve got some time and would fold your hands and bow your heads I´d really appreciate it.

I look up to him very much. Not just for his auctioneering skills, but just him as a person. He gives, and gives, and gives, AND GIVES! I told him one day that he didn´t have to do all he did and he said "Heather, the good Lord put me here for a reason and this is one of them." Not only has he been VERY giving to my family all my life, but to his customers.

Uncle Melvin used to mainly haul cattle, and he´d go to a different sale almost every day of the week. We went with him EVERYWHERE as kids: Flatonia, Schulenburg, Columbus, Caldwell, Giddings, LaGrange...who knows where else...

We not only went with him to sales/auctions, but also to help him pick up cattle from ranchers around our home town and surrounding areas, doctored all sorts of livestock, AND helped him up at the holding pens (where they hold the livestock before they go to auction). We´d tag them in, write them up, all that kind of stuff.

Well...what has ALWAYS struck me is that everyone that Uncle Melvin helps with their cattle or their place or an auction is SO very LOYAL to him. He has hauled and at times doctored their cows for so long and never asks for much. GUYS...he´s been doing stuff like this since he was 15 or 16. That´s a long time!! If you´ve ever met him you know that he doesn´t talk a whole lot, but LET ME TELL YOU...actions speak WAY louder than words.

I used to work in the back at Lee County Stockyards and Giddings Livestock in Giddings (click here for their website) and it was a pretty regular thing to hear some of the cattle buyers complain a little bit, about Uncle Melvin working and working and working a bid to get the highest price yet. I can understand some of the frustration from a buyers stand point. Some of these guys drive a pretty long ways, just to have to get back home that night and get up and go to another sale the next day.  I can also understand it from a workhand´s perspetive too...especially when it´s HOT! Guys...I´ve seen auctions last INTO THE NEXT DAY! So...I get it.

Giddings Livestock Commission - Sale every Monday


HOWEVER, being in sales I know that Uncle Melvin´s number one priority as a business owner and as an auctioneer is to make that animal bring the absolute most for the seller. You have to respect him for that. His customers sure do.

YOU KNOW... it really is funny how the older you get, the clearer you see things and understand them, and appreciate them. Being in sales I know that you have to stand by your word, be honest, ´fess up when you make a mistake and do your ABSOLUTE BEST to fix it. Not all sales people are like that. What my goal is, as a salesperson (TV ad sales), is to become my clients´ friend, to really help them grow their business, and be successful. I am honest and I give them the most fair rates I can. I´m not just blowin´ smoke either. I do.  I HAVE  to give Uncle Melvin credit for that.

I have LOTS of FANTASTIC people in my life that inspire me or motivate me in SO many different ways, but I really have to give KUDDOS to UNCLE MELE. I wouldn´t have even thought about auctioneering if he didn´t do it. And now....I REALLY enjoy it.

Well guys...STAY TUNED! Show me some LOVE and LEAVE A COMMENT.  It gets kind of complicated to leave a comment sometimes...even for me, but I do like reading them. I´m not sure if my next blog will be about my next AUCTION, OUR ANNUAL FRIO TRIP, or just some RANDOMNESS. Whatever it is...I´ll try to make it entertaining. Remember to THROW THOSE HANDS UP and BUCK UP BABY!!

FRIO RIVER BABY!!

If you need to sell some "Moo Cows" as Kylee calls them :)...check out Giddings Livestock Commission....Sale every MONDAY!!!