Training Ground

 This blog will be about getting where I'm going. The lessons have to take place somewhere and people must witness our imperfections. Lately, I've been reflecting on what has gotten me here. 

I think about one of my other titles....Mom.  Kyle and I just had a conversation with our 3 kids. They like to ask questions about each other like...."What was Kylee like as a baby?" "Was Hunter as chunky as Heath was?" Somehow we got on the subject of Kylee being the oldest and she asked why we did something and Kyle said...LOL "You were the first one. We didn't know what we were doing." 

As we enter different stages of our lives we NEED a training ground. As I make an attempt at relating the two and try to truly capture how GRATEFUL I am for my training grounds, hang with me. I hope this allows you all to have some nostalgic moments FULL of gratefulness for YOUR journey. 

I remember when I was teetering on the idea of building my own business, having the flexibility to buILD the life I envisioned for myself and my family, knocking some barriers down - that were in my way and weighing every. single. thing. I mean....EVERYTHING. 

One of the things that hung me up for awhile was that, up until that point, I had prided myself on my quality of work and I KNEW I would not have the background support....you know, like an accounting department, production department, HR department, like I was used to. I also had never done, what I was getting ready to do so.....I was going in with as much education as I could gather, before beginning the journey blind...and taking others with me. What I mean by that is minimal experience. I had my life experiences on the periphreal of the actual nuts and bolts of the business, but no REAL boots on the ground experience. I had experience within departments of PART of the business. Because I am a person that puts the work in, I had to make damn sure - this JOURNEY I was getting ready to take everyone on was a long-term plan and that I was up for a long adventure. I feel like that again, but that's all that seems familiar. I feel like the next leg of the journey could go several different ways. I also know that it could go different directions than what I'm even aware of, because well....our God is BIG. 

All the feels of this space are so familiar. Imagine.....uncertainty...excitement....motivation...fear of acting....holding onto what I know - instead of just acting.... I know God is always right on time and I can't mess it up, but I always find myself thinking I am missing some sort of CLEAR message and I am getting in my own way. 

I digress....

As parents, we are to "raise our children in the way they should go, so they do not stray from it." Each one of our children have very unique traits and characteristics and God took into account Kyle and I being first time parents, when he blessed us with Kylee. He knew we had what it took to have a second child, change careers, and move home & form an LLC....all at the same time. He also knew that another human needed all of what all four of us could give him. As I reflect on the environments we were in with each three....I'm in awe of Him. 

God KNOWS how I think....and think....and overthink. He provided an opportunity for me to EXPLORE. When I talked to Kyle about it, he was open to it.......and ALL the things had to happen in our lives for him to be open to it. What a wonderful training ground He took us to in Rockport. Three and a half hours from home. He removed distractions and allowed us to focus on us and become who He was calling us to. 

As I sit here typing, and being more aware of the things The Good Lord is calling me to do. I see the last 12 or so years of my life as yet, another training ground. One where people had to witness my growth, the growth of my family, the growth of my faith, the successes, the perceived failures, the way in which I move in between them. Just like I was thankful for my Rockport training ground. I am thankful for this one. This one had a few more dips and curves and peaks and valleys. Now, He is calling US to more. We don't know PRECISELY what it is, but He is and we will find out along the way. 

We all have our training ground, and I have come to believe that God may have multiple purposes for us. OBEDIENCE....EXPLORATION....TRUST....FAITH....COURAGE....PERSEVERANCE... When you BUCK UP BABY & RIDE WITH JESUS it takes all of those things. You best, put them in your saddle bags. 

One of the missions God has for me is simply, sharing my story and sharing my faith, with the hope and intention that it will ENCOURAGE someone else to get to know Jesus. This blog itself, is yet another training ground, where I get to use all the tools in bold above. When you make the choice and saddle up...you will experience it ALL. Your life will be FULL....abundant even. There will be cold, exhausting nights, where you are too broke (in a variety of ways) to do anything but rest....in the cold. Then....He will pick you up out of it and you will be stronger and smarter and better prepared for the next part of the journey.....and it will be an ADVENTURE you would never, ever trade. 

Yes....people will come and go, in and out of your life....and it will HURT. It will bring you grief and sadness and turmoil, but only for a short while. You see, God loves them too. He is teaching them something, just as He's teaching you something. He WILL reward your obedience....small acts, large acts, and continual acts. 

I encourage anyone reading to just sit with Him, even for a few brief moments. Let HIM speak to you, however He chooses and be receptive to hearing Him. Then....in His perfect timing, Buck Up Baby & Ride With Jesus!

Just Because You Could - Doesn't Mean You Should

 Today, I was brought back to some of the thoughts that ran through my head before I decided to really pursue building my own business, instead of working for someone else. Without Jesus, I would not be here. Those prayers, back then, were a kind all their own....fervent, desperate, FULL of fret and worry, talking out loud ALL....EVERY. SINGLE. ONE. OF. MY. CONCERNS..... Jesus knew them. Even though He called me, I was not able to recognize it right away. I questioned EVERY thought. I thought of EVERY scenario....EVERY possibility.....REALLY sat with the less than favorable possibilities, let it saturate me and then decide if I was willing to make the sacrifice and FOLLOW Jesus's call. A TD Jakes sermon & The Holy Spirit snapped me into action back then and......here I am....more than a decade later.....and TD Jakes has once again motivated me with one of his sermons and I felt that familiar feeling. The feeling of ALLOWING God to show me. To put all my plans, thoughts, ideas, limited knowledge to the side and....well....BUCK UP BABY & RIDE WITH JESUS!

This brings me to my most beautiful lesson this week. In business.....just because you COULD, does NOT mean you should. Sometimes.....we are SO hard-headed that God literally has to LET US recognize for ourselves our weaknesses. He let's us FEEL the discomfort, angst.....He lets us struggle in our limited knowledge. 

I am a person that likes to be in motion. Sitting still, focusing on numbers, piecing things together, and trying to figure out how to make a program work.....that's not my thing. Yes. Once upon a time that was my thing....because I was curious....engaged....interested....learning. That being said, I identified years ago, that - that was one of my least favorite parts of the business and taught, encouraged, hired, and/or trained others to do that very thing. NOW.....as I sit in the middle of my reset, fumbling my way through what's next...wanting to BE REAL SURE I need a person to do X, Y, Z....I have never been more sure of anything in my life.

My brain was SOOOOOOOOOO tired that once I struggled my way through programs and documents and process manuals, and FAQ web pages, then double, triple, & quadruple checking my numbers (which BTW....as I sit at my daughter's music recital, realize I forgot a very important deduction that was accounted for, but not notated) I realized that....when I work myself to a place where basic addition and subtraction is a struggle......it's time to let it go. AND...if that wasn't enough to convince me....after ALL the corrections and THINKING I was printing page 9 of a 9 page document.....I take a call and, by the end of it, have NINE FULL COPIES OF A NINE PAGE DOCUMENT....that is not where I'm supposed to be.... THUS, just because you could, doesn't mean you should. 

God gives us such AMAZING gifts. TRULY, when I started this whole journey FRUSTRATED with my J.O.B. at the time....I HAD NO IDEA that I would one day become a Texas Reserve State Champion Auctioneer, learn how to sell EVERY type of asset under the sun, and HELP RAISE MILLIONS for non profits! In fact, when I started this journey....being an auctioneer was a thought written in a journal out of frustrated prayer. I reached a point where I did all I knew how to do in my own knowledge and ability and I did not know what to do. I AM SO THANKFUL FOR MY OBEDIENCE. 

God knows that sometimes we have to wear ourselves down to the place where we will be obedient; where we have exhausted all we know & we SURRENDER. 

And as I type that, I think to myself....knowing all this....why is it still SO HARD? I'd like to think that God is teaching us how to trust Him the way we will, one day, need to trust Him. Every time we get ourselves to these places we trust God a little more. AND....it is not that we don't want to trust Him...it's that we don't know how and He is teaching us. It gets easier to say yes. It gets easier to step into the unknown and LET HIM paint the road as you walk. We can't rush it. We can't make plans. We can simply EXPERIENCE His goodness and His grace and His mercy towards us & LET HIM SHOW US!

BUCK UP BABY & RIDE WITH JESUS! GO where He takes you. No questions and no expectations. 

A Chapter Comes to an End

You talk about a rough few months. I AM PAYING ATTENTION. I took the liberty of reading my blogs from this first chapter, where the "Buck Up" journey began. As I documented my thoughts and feelings...from the most humblest of beginnings...I would contemplate whether some of those words mattered....whether those stories needed to be told.....whether certain credit was even interesting to the reader. 

I KNOW, without the shadow of a doubt, that IT ALL MATTERS. As I find myself holding a heavy, HEAVY page and have CONTEMPLATED for MONTHS (at least) on whether or not it was time to turn it, I AM SO GRATEFUL to be able to look back at the last chapter. Having the opportunity to use my own words to........give me the COURAGE and STRENGTH & CONFIRMATION to turn this heavy page is a beautiful gift I gave to myself....and others, quite possibly. 

As I read my blogs from the beginning of this journey it was really such a mix of awkwardness, nervousness, uncertainty and gradually mounted to EXCITEMENT & courageous steps, INTENSE moments of soul-searching and digging and digging and digging to get to my WHY. Part of me was SO glad when I left the "corny" stage of my blog writing & now, as I grin recalling it, I think....maybe I should inject a little more of that "corny."

My WHY was SO clear. It was SO incredibly clear from the beginning.....to help people. Whatever people came into my life I wanted to help them and I did. I went from wanting to help the organizations and bidders that gave me a chance to the friends that were comforting in scary times to other auction companies, to the clients that hired me to assist with settling their loved one's estate to raising money to help make a sick friend's life easier. Then I transitioned to wanting to help other auctioneers, working mothers, women in business, people on the edge of making a life-changing transition. 

What a journey.  WHAT. A. JOURNEY! As I begin quoting the courageous words that have given me all that I need to turn the page I want anyone reading this to KNOW.....IT ALL MATTERS. It matters SO much...even the corniest of the corny! Buck Up Baby & be BRAVE enough to put yourself out there KNOWING that you will grow. You will grow into who you are called to be.....and you'll keep groWING. 

Why is this page SO heavy? Well....it's FILLED with these invisible questions that have no answers. Energy used to not really be a concern of mine. Ten years ago, I had plenty of it and the excitement of something new just fueled it. Now, in my mind, each invisible question has a weight I attach to it. EVERY decision we make takes a certain amount of time, money, and energy and you can't get it back....not easily at least. Now my fuel supply of experience was slowing me down. As I went back to my very first blog called "Just Gettin' Started," I say: "If you don't know what to do...just do something. That's probably the sales skills in me." 

This is the first known picture I have of me selling. This is at Carmine VFD, taken by the late Melissa Wickel. 

I don't know (in FULL view) what is next. I have these little bread crumbs. That is all I have, and...the combination of bread crumbs don't always make sense, but then again....neither did a young mother, with a college degree in advertising....& a good paying job....feeling called to figure out all she could about the business of selling things by talking fast. It really is SO much more than that, but I'm not sure I knew that in the beginning.  Here is to me doing SOMETHING. I am turning the page, finishing the chapter, and starting another.....with a COMPLETE blank page in front of me. 

From "Startin' to Tackle That Mountain," I said: "My overall MAJOR plan is to pursue my auction career. I have a plan, but having worked with MANY businesses of all shapes and sizes over the last 7 years I KNOW that certain elements of that plan will have to change, happen sooner, happen later, happen differently, not happen at all...So for now, until I get more of the details panned out, I'm pursuing my auction career." 

I smile as I re-read that. I had NO IDEA what was in store for me. I had dreams, within the industry, that I chose not to pursue.....because I was made aware of something bigger and better than what I was able to dream. I smile because I made a business and a life and MANY friends doing things in this industry that I had NO KNOWN DESIRE to embark on. When I wrote that I had NO IDEA that I would go on to have numerous appearances on a hit TV Show, like Texas Flip N' Move or achieve the title of 2021 Texas State Reserve Champion Auctioneer. I'm still working on the Champion title. 

Photo Cred: Myers Jackson on my first or second shoot with Texas Flip N' Move.

Wrapping up shoots for a season.

Toni, Donna, & Randy joined the Buck Up Crew for Lights, Camera, Texas benefiting the Family Crisis Center and Children's Advocacy Center.

One of my last shoots. We brought little Hunter along. The last season I shot with them I was either pregnant with Hunter or just had him. The fam made a trip out of it with me and we spent a few days in DFW. 

Last 4 Photos: Photo Cred - Myers Jackson

Today, my overall plan is to turn the page. I have ideas and I have the ability to pivot at any given moment. God & life has taught me that. 

There reaches a point when you reach the goals you set out for. You made and continue to make the most of EVERY situation. You EXPLORE and you find. Then...you find yourself wanting more of something and not really knowing what. For me, I want to live out God's purpose for me. I don't want to miss a thing. I don't want to NOT experience what God has planned for me. In God's most perfect way, The Holy Spirit led me to a class that was less about skill development and totally about self-development and discovery. It was the Interpersonal Communications Class offered by the National Auctioneers Association. I wrote a blog about my experience called "Accept the Compliment." 

My Interpersonal Communications Class

The Compliment Giver - Suz

The life-changing truth uncovered about myself in that class was: "I had such little respect for myself that I squandered every EXTRA ounce of energy I had on being better and perfect for other people, with ABSOLUTELY no regard for myself." Yeah...it's HEAVY.....kind of like this page I'm getting ready to turn. It amazes me how we function...how we cope as humans....and the things we do in response to trauma. I REALLY do want to experience all God has planned for me and there was no way that was ever going to happen if I didn't own the fact that I was not respecting myself and then dive into what that meant. As I look back, this was a pivotal lesson, that took quite some time for me to grasp. It also took me down and kept me on a path, I hadn't planned on going down. 

Now.....having walked through similar situations meaning....hitting "brick walls" within the workplace...when it was The Good Lord's way of shutting doors to help me make the decisions He needed me to, to get me going the direction He needed me to. Another example would be....things just not working and forcing me to make decisions I would not normally make. I AM PAYING ATTENTION.  I have walked that walk and do not want to resist that truth any longer than necessary. I have identified these transitional moments and messages as I have made my way to where I am now. 

Over the last several months I have found myself unwilling to be disrespectful to myself. Isn't that a novel idea. I find myself being more thoughtful, asking myself more questions before making a decision, saying NO more easily, knowing what I DON'T like and what I will not allow to mess with my peace. My peace has become EXTREMELY important to me and if someone or something is not contributing to my peace, it has made my decision-making process much easier. MUCH. In fact, I have made decisions that create short-term stress at the aim of life-changing peace. 

My blog post: "A Locomotive Rolling Down the Tracks," is raw. It is real. It is confusion and frustrations and thoughts that went from my brain, to my fingertips, to your screen. You may want to check it out for reference. In that post I said: "For 10 years I built and developed something that I thought I wanted to, that served a purpose and helped many people - including myself, in many different ways and in many different seasons." I DID build and develop something I wanted to. Just because that is what I wanted then....when my focus was SOLELY to be better FOR OTHERS and their needs. That does NOT make it wrong. The way we did things, the choices I made, the services we offered were COMPLETELY in line with what was important to me. Now....other things are important to me also. HONORING and BEING KIND to myself is something brand new that BARELY existed in the last chapter. Now that, that vision is clear - I can turn the page and invite you along. 

Father, I am thankful for these words....Your words that you have brought me this week, to ENCOURAGE me to believe: "For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope." Romans 15:4 NIV

You can check out my other blog: Buck Up Baby & Ride With Jesus!

Buck Up Baby....& turn the page!

Buck Up - It's a Call to Action

Hey Everyone! Over the last year the fact that my blogging has been ALMOST non-existent has been nagging at me. I still have topics to write about come to mind, but it is finding the time to write them! Well I have decided to dedicate time each week towards blogging & a few other things, that I can't wait to put into place!

"Buck Up" is a call to action and has several different meanings in several different dictionaries, but TODAY to me...it means It's time to take action! Share our AUCTION journeys & LIFE journeys & really get back at it!

A month ago Tuesday, we were blessed with our 3rd child! Mr. Hunter Wayne Kaspar has joined our little family & he fits right in! I have been reflecting so much, the last several weeks in particular, & I just feel extremely blessed that we are surrounded by ALL the people we are surrounded by.

While I was pregnant with Little Man, I had several people ask "What are you going to do now?" or "Man, things were really moving with your business. I guess it will have to slow down now..." & a handful of other comments along those lines. The way I see it is...he just fits right on in, to life how we're living it. All this reflecting has given me a VERY clear direction of where I want to go & a more realistic viewpoint on the time it will take to get there & that PEOPLE in your life are what you live and work for & are your safe place and they are worth protecting, honoring, & enjoying. Life doesn't just stop or abruptly change. It's a constant flow of people coming in & out & one thing evolving into the next. I have an incredible team behind me, a supportive family all around me.

Our little family is just livin' it & lovin' it & trucking right along! Hunter has already been on several AUCTION ADVENTURES with Me & My Mom & crew members & we've got many more up ahead!

Day 1 with Hunter :)

The whole fam: Kyle, Me, Kylee Jo (8), Heath (5), & Hunter. 

Here is a link to a vido of Hunter & I on his first Flip N Move Trip! If you have trouble viewing LIKE the Texas Flip N Move Facebook Page!

https://www.facebook.com/TEXASFLIPNMOVE/videos/1920135228299495/?hc_ref=ARSq1y2WaOJd4SHbkwzG0jz2z2gTgY4P7gXqi88I7FYSj05o4RSS0bG2t1zT7sCZp_I

Everyday we have the opportunity to Buck Up & enjoy new adventures, make new friends, & take those we love along with us on the ride! Stay tuned for MORE adventures & don't forget to BUCK UP BABY!

5 Day Countdown!!!

Hey folks! This won´t be a real long post, but I wanted you all to know that I just scheduled the licensing exam to get my Auctioneer´s License this morning!! That´s where I´ll be next Monday morning!

Let the studying begin!! You can´t even imagine how anxious I am. There are some REALLY GREAT opportunities in my future! I´ve met with one auction house and am meeting with another this week! They may be able to put me to work....who knows?! I´m just THRILLED to start the process. Auction School was just the beginning. Now it´s time to get some experience and explore some of the other possibilities coming my way!!!

Thank ya´ll SO much for following me on this journey! I´m serious about this! I´m gonna have to BUCK UP BABY!! I have several things I feel like I need to work on, but I can´t do it without DOIN´ IT! It´s all about bein´ there - in the middle of an auction - and rollin´ with the punches as they come my way!!

WOO HOO!!! I´M EXCITED!! Saddle on up and join the posse!! The ride is only gonna get wilder from here!!

On a sadder note....we just found out that our dog - Kane has Cancer :(. Kyle got Kane from his brother Kory a few months after we started dating, so he´s been with us almost the entire time we´ve been together. He is a GREAT dog. He lets Kylee crawl on him, sit on him, grab him by his collar and lead him around. He´s around 9 1/2, so he´s gettin´ up there. He is still very energetic and playful and 70 lbs. We are going to the vet tomorrow to see just how bad it is. Say a prayer for him and us. It won´t be easy for any of us. God Bless!!

Here he is before he started getting gray in the face.

I´m a Rockin´ Rural Woman!!!

Hey Everyone! I have been featured on the RURAL WOMEN ROCK page and am MORE than honored. Please be sure to check out the post below (which is also on their site) and be sure to check out the otherAWESOME feature stories!!

For all of you new readers...If you want to watch a video of me auctioning something off - you can check out several of my blogs. I´ve put links to them below:

A Little Constructive Critiscism

Kinda Sorta Hittin´ My Stride

Auction School Day 2: Bid Calling

Auction School Day 7: Quizzes and More Bid Calling

Buck Up Baby: Heather Kaspar

Sales Account Executive/Auctioneer. I love how Heather is mixing it up- chasing her dreams, and doing what she loves. Rural women are doing some amazing things! Quoting Calamity Jane:"I figure if a girl wants to be a legend, she should go ahead and be one."
 Heather says, “I want to make a difference and I want a STRONG legacy when I leave this world”. Knocking your socks off  from: http://buckupbaby.blogspot.com/

Meet Heather Kaspar!

Hi there!! I´m Heather and I am really all kinds of things, but what moved me into the blogging world (besides my good friend Kacie over at Pistols and Cupcakes) was my decision to become an Auctioneer. I just got back this week from Auction School. To become licensed you have to take an 80 hour course (amongst other things) to get your license. Now I´m in the process of filling out all the needed paperwork and working on scheduling a date to take my state exam (another requirement). I´m SO excited!! Some of my other titles include: Christian, Mother of a 2 year old little girl, wife to my high school sweetheart, Cable TV Ad Sales Account Executive, Mentor, Texas State University - San Marcos Graduate, and...MOVIN´ AND SHAKIN´ RURAL WOMAN!
I grew up in a teeny tiny community (in the GREAT State of Texas), where I graduated with 20 other people. I was brought up around cattle auctions and started showing cutting horses at around age 12. I was also pretty active in 4-H and FFA where I showed market lambs and commercial heifers. I´ve also (within the last 10 years) taken´ a likin´ to hunting and fishing (husband´s influence).

I sell TV Advertising (on a local level) in a little coastal community close to Corpus (Rockport). We have GREAT fishing! Anyways…I started out in sales in College Station, TX (Home of the Fightin´ Texas Aggies). When I started I hadn´t even finished my college degree, but I paid for most of my way through school (besides a few scholarships and a little help with books every so often) and I´LL BE DARNED if I wasn’t going to have a “good job” when I graduated. Well…to make a LONG story short…I was good at it….still am. This job has given me the ability to learn about ALL KINDS of different businesses and help create marketing strategies that help them grow their client base. The main thing my career has done is show me that I have GRIT. You don´t really realize it REALLY until you look back and you remember where you started (no actual billing client list), notice the number of people that have walked into your life for a short while, and moved onto another profession, and realize the number of people you have helped. It´s always nice when people in a certain type of business ask: “Have you ever worked with a frame shop?...church?...outdoor shop?...mattress store?...jeweler?...restaurant? cattle genetics operation? (you better believe it)....etc.” AND I CAN SAY YES!! Of course it took close to 5 years, but I have learned A LOT about A LOT of things – through this job.
You can really get to know LOTS more about me by checking out my blog  I wear A LOT of different hats and I sit and ponder on how I manage it all and why I am the way I am. When it comes to business I feel like I´m pretty buttoned down…but not stuffy. I enjoy the company of people…ALL KINDS of people! I cherish my family and friends and am SO grateful for all the blessings the GOOD LORD has bestowed upon me. I AM BLESSED! I like to have fun and I REALLY have a hard time tolerating DISRESPECT. There is a right and wrong way to go about any given situation and I think it is important for people to take a step back and look at the entire situation before talkin´ ugly about somethin´.

I have decided that the reason I am the way I am is because of ALL of the different people that have influenced me in my life, like: The people I admire (some have no idea and most people wouldn´t guess that I´d admire), the people that make me realize what I DON´T want to be like, all the people that have taught me some sort of life lesson - whether it be nicely done OR brutally honest. Then...not letting the negativity DEFEAT me, but fight like hell to rise above it. All that started in the rough and tough years of becoming a teenager and not understanding stuff. Ultimately I had a "Comin´ to Jesus Meeting" with just me, Jesus, and God and worked it all out. I figured out who I wanted to be, thought about the people I admired, thought about the people I didn´t, and figured out what steps I was going to take to BECOME the person I wanted to be. God is there, and he guides us all. You just have to be willing to listen and DO! If we all would just DO something the Lord will light our path.

I do want to share (what I think is) the best quality of all rural people. WE ARE REAL!! I have friends and acquaintances of all kinds of different backgrounds and upbringings and I just really appreciate the people that aren´t all about TOOTIN´ THEIR OWN HORN! You know the best way to get to know someone is ask them questions about themselves….NOT tell´m all about how wonderful you are. Rural people are DOERS!! You don´t have to talk about it….JUST DO IT (like Nike says). Actions have a lot more merit (in my eyes) than words and I really think that is what sets RURAL people apart from the rest. Be a Doer….not a Tooter.
I´m sure that some you gals readin´ have had the thought: "I am bigger than what I´m doing." Well I had that thought, light bulb went off, and I made the decision to follow in my Uncle´s (cattle auctioneer) footsteps and become an AUCTIONEER! I was SO nervous at that first fundraising auction, but I opened my big mouth, said I wanted to do it and there was NO TURNING BACK. Luckily...I was pretty good at it. SHOCKED the heck out of me. I was thinking that maybe I´ll just help Uncle Mele and do this on the side. Then 6 fundraising auctions later...I have people telling me to "Keep it up....Don´t quit!" I thought to myself....no one is holding these people at gunpoint...they must really mean what they´re sayin´. I don´t really know where I´m goin´ with all this yet, but I´m gonna keep goin´ somewhere! Let me just say that going to auction school solidified it for me EVEN MORE. I have been given a NATURAL GIFT and I better do something with it. This is ANOTHER way that I can really help people and I am just tickled to pieces about it. Hence…..where Buck Up Baby! began. I was SO overwhelmed with everything that went along with me auctioneering….I needed a place to unload it all and well…The title is literally something I had to tell myself on the ride over to Plum (first auction).

Folks....it really is AMAZING how the GOOD LORD works through all of us - if we let him. Do you know how many of MY FRIENDS looked at me confused and crazy - when I told them I was going to be an auctioneer? You just don´t hear very many people talking about it…much less a young woman. All I know is I decided it was time to BUCK UP BABY! You can´t be scared...well maybe a little scared, but you still have to DO it!!

I found a quote on an AWESOME GROUP OF WOMEN´S website (The Junk Gypsies) . This is what it is:

"I figure if a girl wants to be a legend, she should go ahead and be one."-Calamity Jane

Now...I don´t have a clue what kind of legend I may be one day BUT I KNOW I want to make a difference and I want a STRONG legacy when I leave this world. . I ENCOURAGE every one of you to let every person you meet, every book/article you read, and every situation you encounter leave a mark on you. We learn from each other and we can ALWAYS continue to educate ourselves. The way you handle any given situation builds CHARACTER!! I want to make people PROUD of me and HELP OTHERS. That is really what it is all about!

Ladies! Don’t be scared. Buck Up Baby and let´s show the world how much RURAL WOMEN ROCK!!! I really do look forward to getting to know you ladies and lettin´ you inspire me!!