The 2022 Miniature Hereford Junior Nationals

Early last Monday morning we returned from the Miniature Hereford Junior Nationals.  

The theme this year was "Return of the Minis" because we were once again in Duncan, Oklahoma.  The Stephens County Expo Center is absolutely perfect for this event and we all fell in love with the town of Duncan last year.  It was so nice to return to familiar territory and really get to know the people of Duncan.  The town embraced the Miniature Hereford families and rolled out the welcome mat for us.  

One of my favorite pictures ever. 

​Final Drive Photography did a great job capturing the moments of the week.  Since Daniel was co-superintendent and I was busy clerking and filling in wherever needed, we didn't get to see much of the boys some days....besides, they were busy with their friends. 

​I will forever cherish this photo.  

Isaac and Walker had a different attitude this year.  They are normally so competitive and full-on when it comes to all the contests they can compete in at Junior Nationals.  This year, with Isaac in school and working and Walker working 10 to 12 hour days, they just didn't have the drive that they normally do. 

At the end of the day, bed looked a whole lot better than working on a project.  I can't blame them...they never stop.  I pushed them because I knew that once they got to Junior Nationals, they would regret not pushing harder at home...but I also knew that it was their decision.  

Isaac told me that he just wanted to go out and have fun this year.  He didn't really care about all the other stuff.  I can't argue...the friendships they have built are priceless...and probably the moments they will remember far after that award has lost it's luster.  

They still came home with their fair share of awards and banners (the banners are somewhere in the trailer...that we still haven't gotten around to unpacking).

Walker won third place with his 55 gallon drum table and chairs.  

We still have the whiskey barrel table that Isaac won with a couple of years ago, so we don't have any room to put Walker's table.  He decided to donate his project to the silent auction to help raise money for future Miniature Hereford Junior Nationals events.  It was a big hit and is sitting on someone's deck in Oklahoma.

Isaac won second with his leather portfolio.  

No, this picture is not backwards.  Isaac is left handed, so he purposely made this portfolio to open backwards for a lefty.  I guess they have issues with notebooks.  

You will notice he even stamped his initials on the back (or normal person's front).

As you can see, he is already putting his craft project to good use.  

Walker won first place in the The Force Awakens photography category...

And second place in the On the Farm category.

Isaac won first place in written expression with a paper about the history of John Deere tractors.

This is the first year he has entered the written expression contest...but only because he re-used a paper he had to write for school. 

On the cattle front, Colt won his division and Lucy placed second in her class. 

​Not too shabby for a heifer we bought to use as a herd cow and decided to show because we didn't have anything else, and a bull that was born, bred and raised right here on our farm.  

There were so many more things that happened last week, but the best part was having Nick and Amelia Cragen at the show.  You may have seen some highlights on Facebook.  

Getting to know Nick and Amelia really put things into perspective for us.  As a parent, I can't imagine watching your child go through what Amelia faces every day.  Seeing their joy through the difficulties just makes me thankful for the blessings I do have, but also see that while we were trying to be a blessing to Nick and Amelia...they really blessed all of us.