Last weekend we loaded up our family and headed down to Reno, Nev., to attend the Western National Angus Futurity. Our oldest daughter would be showing Angus cattle there for the first time and our ranch also had several animals to exhibit. We raise registered seedstock cattle and show them at fairs and national shows to advertise the genetics we offer for sale. I hadn’t been to the show since I was 8 months pregnant with our second daughter, which was eight years ago, so I was excited to go, as were all the kids. We enjoyed the weekend seeing old friends, meeting some new ones, hanging out with my inlaws (who we raise cattle with), and relaxing a bit. I tend to hang back and take it all in as there is plenty of help to get the cattle ready, and I don’t want to be in the way. Plus, I love seeing my husband and daughter interact and share bonding moments while she prepares to go in the ring. This was definitely the biggest show she’s been to and she learned a lot. It’s always neat to watch my brother-in-law and his crew fit the animals and get them looking their best. Cattle people are really like family and even though we’re all competing for the same awards, there is a lot of respect throughout the barn for fellow breeders. Here’s a little glimpse of how I captured our lifestyle!

My brother-in-law showed our bull to Reserve Junior Champion.

I love watching my husband show cattle!

There are two things I love about photography—creating artistic images and capturing life moments. While I strive to do both at the same time, sometimes I would rather have my “mom” hat on than my “photographer” one, so I put my camera down plenty of times and captured moments with my iPhone.
Moments like:
– driving through Nevada and trying to appreciate the wide open space and cows grazing in the sagebrush.
– the kids walking into the huge hotel/resort/casino for the first time and riding in the elevator to the 21st floor.
– my son helping his Grandma sell raffle tickets and Angus memorabilia for the Western States Angus Auxiliary.
– seeing my youngest get all excited about the cattle and saying, “Bull, Cow, Heifer” anytime she saw them.
– taking my kids swimming and enjoying playing with them in the pool.
– watching my son start cleaning the stall area less than 5 minutes after we arrived at the barn.
– enjoying a meal out with my hubby (and our youngest) while the big kids were bowling with friends.
– admiring the fitting crew, especially my newest sister-in-law, who are all incredibly talented at getting animals looking their best.
– my kids wearing their new Malson Angus & Herefords sweatshirts, which my second daughter never wanted to take off.
– taking selfies (or us-ies as my friend calls them) with my kids because I’m not in photos with them nearly enough.

What a fun weekend spent with my family and cattle friends! What does your family like to do for fun?