- An Argument for Cowboy Boots -

Far worse than Goat Heads,

Sand burs stick to everything.

I was not prepared!!

- Long Distance Friendships -

: The morrow's coffee.

I gladly sacrifice sleep

For late night talks.

- Lightbulb -

Lofty ideas

Leave room underneath for plans

That lead to success.

- Time -

Meteor Shower.

Back to bed for little rest.

Coffee first, then work.

Build 'em Up

My generation of women has a lot to answer for.

Perhaps it's all generations of women and I'm just being narrow sighted. We bully ourselves, we gossip about others, we tear each other down when no one is looking.

Why?

Why do we go to high school reunions to see who got fat? Or stalk people on facebook and smile when we see they are struggling? Why do we believe bringing someone down will lift ourselves up?

I haven't the answers. The only thing I do know is that I don't want to be an:

Oh my god Becky! Look at her butt! It is so big...

I want to be an:

Oh my god! Becky!! Your butt looks amazing.

Or rather:

Becky! You've worked so hard, I can tell! 

My facebook feed is full of aspirations. I can't tell you how many friends I have right now who are trying to make it in a home based business such as Mary Kay, Beach Body Health Coaching, and Scentsy; or through self-employment such as a blog, photography, and real estate. Nearly every single one of them - and the posts are every day.

Videos of Cize work outs dominate my feed every morning... and I absolutely love it! These women are brave. They are strong. They are trying for something and putting themselves out there and I will "like" every video; I will "share" every announcement; I will gladly participate in their surveys because I know that it boosts their business.

Nike recently produced an amazing commercial that embraces the idea of working together. Their slogan: Strong alone. Unstoppable together.

That is the world I want to live in - one where we build each other up. Every dream is worthy of my time. If there is something I can do to help them grow then I should do it.

It takes no skin off my back to engage in their FB Pages or Groups. To send them a word urging them to keep pushing forward or telling them how proud I am of their progress. But do you know what it means to them that I've done it? Do you understand that each "Like" pushes their business further; each engagement creates future revenue? Social media is a helluva tool and when we all participate in each other's dream we see just how big of an impact that can be.

Following someone's blog and sharing their posts, even if you aren't interested in underwater basketweaving, can attract advertisers. This means money. Your sharing someone's post makes that someone money. Did you know that?


I challenge each of you to reprogram your mind to offer support and love first. Even if you are not personally interested in what the other person is doing with their life offer a word of encouragement. Show them you are there to watch their success, not witness their failure.

I'd like to say "I'll see you at the top!" But I would rather walk (or run) beside you as we get there together.

- Dual Majors -

A heart in the sky

(Chasing dreams; just give me time)

And feet on the ground!

Empowering Women Since 1881

This summer I joined a cause which really revs my engine. I had no idea this organization existed until I was invited to a picnic in the park for the local branch by my supervisor who is the president for this area. We are a small community and so our membership at this branch is particularly small, but it is growing. I am the youngest member; however, I hope that before too long I will no longer hold that title for our branch.

AAUW Torrington-Wheatland Branch, July 2015

The American Association of University Women (AAUW) was started in a living room in 1881 when a recent college graduate came to her friend out of frustration of how little opportunities there were available for her, a woman, to exercise her degree. From two women it grew into 16 and from there, over the last 134 years, it has blossomed into 170,000 members and supporters!

Here are a few things you can thank AAUW for having a heavy hand in:

Marie Curie, Nobel Prize winner 1903, 1911

• 1885 - Research disproving the theory that higher education harms women’s health.
• 1913 – Reporting that women were paid about 78% of what men in similar positions were paid.
• 1920 – Raising $156,413 toward the purchase of one gram of radium for Marie Curie’s Nobel Prize-winning research on radiation. 
• 1940 – Assisting women who were fleeing the dictatorships of WWII.
• 1946 – Early advocacy of the United Nations (they have been accorded permanent observer status).
• 1955 – Supporting the first legislative proposal for pay equity (which passed in 1963).
• 1964 – Helping pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
• 1965 – Helping pass the Voting Rights Act.
• 1972 – Playing a key role in the passage of Title IX of Education Amendments which prohibits sex discrimination in federally funded educational institutions.
• 1981 – Taking on five of the famous “Cornell 11” staff who claimed the university paid them unfairly – the women won a $250,000 settlement in 1984.
• 1988 – Leading the passage of the Civil Rights Restoration Act which reinvigorated Title IX after a US Supreme Court decision had undercut the law.
• 1992 – Releasing How Schools Shortchange Girls which sparked a national debate that improved classrooms across the country.
• 1993 – Successfully advocating for the passage of the Family and Medical Leave Act.
• 2009 – Leading efforts to pass the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act (which Obama signed into law).
• 2013 – Awarding $100 million in fellowships and grants to 12,000 women in 130 countries over the course of 125 years!

In 2015 there is a push for pay equality among the genders. We hear about this a lot in the news and, to me, it is shocking how prevalent of an issue it is when you think of how far we have come in recognizing and enforcing civil rights. Yet, here we are. The national average for the gender pay gap sits at 78%, as of 2013. Not much has changed since 1913. Naturally, this percentage varies from state to state. 

Check it out – how does your state fare?

Source    - Fightforfairpay.org

The piece that really hooked me into this organization was their support for the STEM fields. While they support higher education for women on any level for any degree, the researchers for AAUW have noticed a severe disparity in female representation in the STEM fields (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math).

According to the U.S. Department of Commerce Economics and Statistics Administration:

There are many possible factors contributing to the discrepancy of women and men in STEM jobs, including: a lack of female role models, gender stereotyping, and less family-friendly flexibility in the STEM fields. Regardless of the causes, the findings of this report provide evidence of a need to encourage and support women in STEM.

What I like about this statement is that last sentence saying we need to encourage and support women in STEM. It's not that men are bad for holding the majority, it's that we need to get young women excited about science, math... engineering! Technology is all around us and yet women make up only 27% of all computer science jobs.

This is something I can be passionate about because I am going into a STEM field, myself. At the age of 29 I have decided to go back to school and start chasing dreams. I will probably spend the entirety of my 30’s behind a thick stack of books on mathematics, physics, and astronomy. We all have our own motivations for why we have chosen the fields we are currently in and some of us are completely content with our decisions. I am not. I was never a math person until I met my husband who has his masters in applied mathematics. He helped change my view of math from “I can’t do it” to “I’m going to conquer this!”

That’s another thing I love about AAUW – it’s not just for women! Yes, it is focused on representing women, but there is an understanding that this is an equality issue which involves both sides of the gender equation. Men are welcome to join!

AAUW Members are the movers and shakers in policy making, education advocacy, and leadership building. Their contributions to the academic careers of women the globe over will continue to impact for generations to come as they help pave the way for equality in pay, education, rights, and confidence!

Who can become a member?

• Graduates of a 2+ year college
• Current college students who are attending courses
• Women and Men

Are you a 2015 graduate or know a graduate who would like to sign up?! Let me know and we can connect you with the Give a Grad a Gift option with AAUW which gifts a year’s membership!

- Humbled -

Tonight I saw it,

The dust of our galaxy,

For the first time. Tears.

- Wake -

Murky green waters,

Splash droplets of ice against

Liberated toes!

Black Beetles

Fields of wheat flow together in the breeze like a golden river. The dry, dying leaves of our oaks rub together like leathery wind chimes and with the setting sun I finally feel relief from the restless heat. My eyes become transfixed by nature's dance - the random patterns swirling in the fields, forced about in a fit of passionate wind. And for a moment, I forget.

There is a constant movement out here. A peacefulness that never rests. It matches the shifting clouds blanketing the ruddy sunset just beyond the trees you helped me plant.

And then I remember.

The cicada's song tells me you've been gone eight months. That's some time when you think of all that can happen in a Dakota winter. You missed the snow, the storms, the chill, the frost.

But you were always here with me... in a way. 

I suppose you will always be here; your memory haunting me as my days grow shorter with the coming of autumn. I'm not sure I ever knew how to live without you. I may never find out. When your family came looking for you and asked about her I introduced them to my new garden and then shrugged my shoulders. You left me in December and so they went away.

Don't worry, my love. I've tucked you away where they won't find you.

- Bell on Wheels -

We call it mercy,

But I have lost my shadow;

A piece of my heart.

- Windowsill -

If I were so small

My heart would still beat fire;

My dreams be as big!

- Police Log -

It's dark where I am,

But know he is out there;

Touching my baby.

- Sturgis -

Like a pack of wolves,

Their rumble cries in reply

To the rally's call.

Fair Week in Torrington

This weekend marks the anniversary of when Hubbins and I rolled into our new home in the little town of Torrington.

Population: 6,500

It was hot, the air was stagnant, and I was sticky from 17 hours in a car. We were exhausted, but happy to be "home." It was a Sunday and the first thing we noticed when it came to be dinner time was that of the six sit-down restaurants in town, all of them were closed. So we settled for some fast food; sitting on boxes, eating off the wrapper, and going to bed without a fan to cool us off.

Main Street

Flash forward to today and it's hot, the air is stagnant, and I'm a little sticky. But I know my little town now and have had the incredible opportunity to meet friends, understand the culture, and appreciate the... um.... eclectic weather.

When we arrived in town we had missed the county fair by a day which nearly broke my heart. I love the fair. I love the people, the food, the animals, the rides! So I was determined this year to participate.

Little did I know Fair Day, this last Thursday, is kind of a big deal around here. Like close-the-whole-town-including-the-college big. There was a parade down Main Street which lasted 75 minutes and then a migration to the fairgrounds for festivities.

There is no short supply of cowboys in this town!

Oxen pulling a wagon - these animals are enormous!

Search and Rescue shared their dogs with us and an amazing "float"

This guy, apparently, is a staple of University of Wyoming football games - rain or shine, snow or hail he is in his barrel!

In 90° heat we flocked en masse to the dusty pathways of the carnival; drank sugar loaded, fresh squeezed lemonade; ate our weight in french fries; and lurked the 4-H aisles. 

They bathe their cows, brush, and blow dry them for the competitions. The fluffiest cows I have ever seen!

It's a tiny fair compared to what I'm used to back on the west coast, but it didn't matter. I watched the kids' rodeo where toddlers rode sheep, known as Muttin-Bustin, and the town's youth roped goats. I had a blast meeting new people and eating funnel cake. 

It's been a busy week, but I am thankful for this restful weekend! 

What's your favorite part of the fair?