2022, wow what a year it has been! We've suffered from some losses in our family but we still have a lot to be thankful and grateful for! Here's a quick glimpse at what all 2022 had brought us.

We started the year off, with calving season in our new facility. During the summer of 2021, we tore down the remaining barn and replaced it with a hoop barn and a heated calving unit. We are ever so grateful that we made that improvement. We finally have a nice facility to bring the newborn calves in out of the elements. Giving them a better start to life on the farm.

In January, Ellen traveled to Paducah, KY for meetings and to tour a lock and dam on the Tennessee River. It's astonishing to see the size of the barges that are moving through this 1200' lock as it moves cargo down the river.

Justin and Ellen attended Bingo night with Justin's siblings. They're church has a Young Couple's group where they gather for fellowship and devotion. We were invited to attend their kickoff event that included Bingo and Pizza. Of course, we had to join in and dress up for the occasion. It was a nice evening out spent with friends and family.

In February, we suffered the loss of Justin's grandma. She was such a kind hearted soul that loved the farm, her grandkids and great grandkids like no other. Judy started out her life as a school teacher, shortly after marriage she transitioned to being a full-time stay at home farm wife and mother. She was actively involved in the farm up until her time of passing. Grandma had a knack for making peanut butter cookies stuffed with reeses peanut butter cups and zucchini bread. She was so excited for us to began our adoption process and we know she's watching down on us as we continue to navigate through this journey. We know she lived a full-filled and cherished life and we couldn't be more proud to call her our Grandmother. The night of her passing, we had our first Hereford calf born on the farm, so of course we had to name her Judy in honor of Grandma.

Later in February, we both had some traveling for the different boards we sit on. Justin was off to Houston for cattle meetings and Ellen traveled to Nashville & New Orleans for corn meetings. We both enjoyed our time catching up with peers and learning new things and doing a little sight seeing.

During the spring, we celebrated birthdays and the beginning of planting season. We have a saying in our family, many hands make light work. This is so true when it comes to our daily activities on the farm and we love the opportunity to get all involved.

In June, we had a celebration of life for Ellen's Aunt Sharon who passed away. While this was a sad occasion, we were thankful for all the family that was able to make the trip home. We also celebrated Ellen's parents as they made the move into their new home! In January of 2021, Ellen's parents suffered a house fire. Unfortunately, it was a total loss and there were several family photo's and memorabilia that were lost but we were all so thankful that her parents were unharmed. They now have a ranch style home that they're ever so grateful to enjoy.

During the summer, we had a few fun things going on with the farm between hay season, watching the crops grow, and the beginning of calving season in our summer herd. Our family gathered to harvest sweet corn and process it for freezing, so we can enjoy it all winter long. We celebrated the birth of our great niece, Stella. We hosted field days, to help educate others on the advantage of cover crops and cattle. We had county fairs, where we both donated our time and enjoyed some of the festivities. Ellen, enjoyed a pool day with two of her best friends that she grew up with. We all don't live very close anymore and we all have families of our own. So it was nice to sit in the pool on a hot summer day and just catch up. Ellen also made a couple business trips. She traveled to St. Louis, where she was also able to enjoy a Cardinals game. A trip to Kansas City for meetings and a tour of Arrowhead Stadium. Another trip to Colorado to watch carrots being harvested.

Towards the end of summer, we broke ground on our farm for Ellen's new warehouse. We're excited to complete this project in 2023 and it will hopefully make Ellen's life easier having all of her work under one roof. We celebrated a couple friends weddings. Enjoyed family time, especially baking with Ellen's great nieces. Ellen also hosted an appreciation supper for all of her customers. The best part of the supper was the bounce house for all the kids to enjoy!

This fall, we started harvest and witnessed some of our best accomplishments. Ellen's parents made applesauce from the apples off a neighbors tree. Ellen's mom makes some of the best applesauce and there was plenty made to enjoy all year round. We traveled to Wisconsin for the passing of Ellen's Uncle Roger. We celebrated the upcoming birth of Justin's brother Mitchel & his wife Sammy's baby.

We finished off the year with celebrating the birth of Christ and enjoying Christmas with each of our families. It's always great when everyone is home and we are able to enjoy one another. We also started calving season with our Spring herd. In fact, we had a beautiful and healthy set of twins on Christmas morning.

I think it's safe to say we lived 2022 to it's fullest! We're thankful to be happy and healthy with a life lead by faith. Here's hoping 2023 is even more fulfilling and brings us a little bundle of joy!