Thursday, March 5, 2015

Thankful Thursday ~ MFU Women's Conference 2015

If you've read my blog this week, then you will not be surprised to read that this week's Thankful Thursday post is all about the Montana Farmers Union Women's Convention that I attended this past weekend. I am thankful for the entire experience and humbled by the amazing women I met or got to know better over the short weekend. In today's post, I am going to call out some of the women specifically and thank them for something I learned from or shared with them over the weekend.

Adria- Thank you for again this year joining me on this weekend adventure! You are truly a great friend, filled with empathy and kindness. You are as loyal as they come! I also really admire you for the mother you are. Love you!

Stephanie- What a great compliment to me and MFU as an organization that you would want to start your visit to Montana early and kick it off with this crazy weekend at the convention! Thanks for travelling so far to see me and my farm, and meet some of my friends! Your continued friendship means so much to me.
Stephanie, Me and Adria.
Lisa- As our first speaker of the weekend, I need to thank you for your reminders to cut through the distortion. Your advice of "learn to receive a compliment," "everything you want is on the other side of fear," and "I am going to be courageous for this moment," all rang true for me and were all part of a message I needed to hear! Thank you!

Lorrie- Thanks for the reminder to put my bloomers on! You have no idea how timely your message was. Thanks also for encouraging me and all of us to find our passion and make goals to achieve it. My passion is encouraging confidence and leadership in myself and others, and one of my goals is to start a 5K on the Farm Fun Run! 

Kyla- I met you for the first time when I sat next to you as a speaker on our speakers panel! I was immediately impressed and humbled to be seated next to you. You are so powerful and intelligent, and possess some of the same passions as I do- exercise, teaching children, rural life. You helped show me that the three can go together! 
Mary is moderating a panel discussion, with Courtney, Me, and Kyla as speakers.
Courtney- Thank you for all your writing and marketing tips. I plan to put them to great use! More than that, to echo what I wrote next to Kyla's name, I was honored and humbled to be part of a speaker panel with you! I was so impressed with you this weekend and you made a definite impact on me, and others, too, I'm sure! You are so brave and strong and I thank you for sharing your story with all of us.
Courtney is giving us pointers on sharing our stories using writing.
Kim- As always, thank you for wearing your emotions boldly! Your smile truly does light up a room and I always know that I will enjoy every moment that you are in that room with me! Your advice "lean in. get down. let your light shine. life. simply. real." is true on so many levels and I thank you for sharing your wisdom!
Kim and Kyla presenting, Adria looking on.
Christy- Thank you, thank you, thank you for running with me on Sunday morning! You are so strong and lovely, and a wonderful advocate for running and ranching! Your encouragement during our run was just what I needed. I thank you for your conversation and friendship throughout the weekend!
Kim shares her story and some of her work.
Mary- Thank you for continuing to share of yourself with me and everyone you meet. I know that whenever I see you, I'll have a friendly hello and a conversation with someone who knows what it is like to move into the small towns we live in! 
Elaine was my partner in our photography workshop. 
Delisa- You are our fearless leader and a constant source of amazement and inspiration to so many of us! Thanks for starting the first MFU Women's Conference three years ago and for keeping the tradition going. You are changing peoples lives for the better by doing so!
Audrey and Keay.
So many others that I could thank or call out-- Audrey, Keay, Jami, Maren, Quinn, Maggie, Pamala, Joan, Elaine, Laura, Laura, Connie... the list could go on and on!

Lorrie reminds us to put our bloomers on!
If you are thankful for someone in your life, take time to tell them. It only takes a moment or two to spread joy, practice gratitude, and tell someone how much you appreciate them, but the rewards will last a long time for both of you! Never let a moment pass without telling someone what you feel. 
Stephanie, deep in contemplation. :)

9 comments:

  1. thank you, katie! i'm going to share the link to your blog. thank you for reminding me of all the women who had an impact on us over the weekend. i look forward to seeing you again, hope we get to spend more time chatting! thank you for writing, and sharing your story! <3

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    1. Agreed on all counts, Kim! Thanks for reading my blog, commenting, and sharing! I appreciate it! :)

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  2. I love your fun top in the first picture :)

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    1. Thanks! I actually just got it on the ski hill at Red Lodge. It's a ski base layer top from a brand called Hot Chillys. I've worn it for running, too, and it's a nice lightweight layer. Maybe I'll do a post on running clothes sometime soon-- I've got a few new pieces that I really love!

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    2. You should do that post- you know that I love reading about new fitness fashion :)

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    3. I am working on said post RIGHT NOW and hoping to post it sometime today! Stop back and check it out. :)

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  3. This is awesome and a great reminder of all the awesome women I met. I am also thankful I met you for reals, and that you agreed to go for a run with me on that cold cold sunday morning!

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    1. Agreed! Cold Cold runs are always better with a buddy to run with! :) Wishing you a happy Half-Marathon week! You're going to crush it!!!

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