Horse Showing
One of my favorite things is showing horses. I spent my childhood travelling to horse shows with my mom. In college, I rode on the Western Equestrian Team for the University of Kentucky. I had the ability to ride for Bennie Sargent, who is an amazing horseman. I learned so much from him, and even had the opportunity to work for him one summer and show on the Quarter Horse Circuit in the Kentucky and Tennessee area. My favorite thing about showing is you can continually get better at what you do and it truly shows the bond between horse and rider.
Traveling
I love exploring new places, whether domestically or internationally. One of my favorite places I've been is Banff, Canada where I'm pictured. It was absolutely breathtaking to explore, and I was even able to see some wildlife that isn't usually found in Kentucky. I've also had the opportunity to travel to Montana for professional development through a scholarship I was awarded. I really enjoyed learning how Montana agriculture differed from central Kentucky, and if the winters weren't so harsh I would definitely move there! I've also travelled to Mexico, Belize, Italy, and Ireland. I hope to travel to even more countries in the future.
Adventuring
I love trying new things and experiences. I have had the opportunity to sky-dive, mountain bike, white water raft, jump off a 25 ft. cliff, zip line, and so much more! I loved all those experiences and would try them again, aside from mountain biking. I was so scared the whole time I couldn't truly enjoy the experience! But I think you should get outside of your comfort zone and try new things.
Kayaking & Hiking
During the summer months I enjoy finding new places to explore. That includes finding new places to kayak and hike. I like to take a step back and appreciate the natural beauty that occurs. Colorado has been one of my favorite places to hike. The altitude took a bit to get used to, but the views more than made up for that.
Traveling Abroad
I have been to four countries: Belize, Ireland, Italy, and Mexico. My hope is to visit many more soon!
I was able to take a trip to Ireland in the summer of 2023. We took 30+ students to tour how Ireland agricutlure differs from that in the states. We were able to visit the Irish National Stud, which was the higlight for me!
Our students were able to learn how oyster farming works in Ireland. They also learned the process the oysters go through to get trained to stay alive on long flights to places like Malaysia.
Another highlight of the trip was visiting the Cliffs of Moher. The hike to get to the top was brutal, but the scenery was absolutely breathtaking and totally worth it!
I was fortunate enough to be able to visit several cities in Italy over an almost two week span in 2021. The highlights include: making pasta in Milan, gelato in Pompeii (and everywhere else), visiting the Vatican City, marvelling at the Colosseum, the food markets in Bologna, sightseeing in Florence, and taking water taxis to explore Venice. I definitely plan on making a trip back to visit some places twice, and explore a few new cities!
While on an excursion during a cruise, I was able to visit, and even climb, Mayan temples. The architecture of the temples were unfathomable.
The sights of Mexico & Belize were absolutely gorgeous. I'm glad I was able to take a hike and see the different structures the trees have compared to those in Kentucky.
Exploring the natural beauty of Canada has been one of the coolest experiences I've ever had!
Canada has so many gorgeous waterfalls, and other natural beauties.
While exploring Alberta, Canada I had the chance to visit the glaciers. Experts say within the next 50 years these will disappear, so I'm blessed I was able to visit them before that happens!
Traveling inside the US
I have been to 22 states so far, and hope to visit all 50 one day!
Riding for UK's Western Equestrian Team allowed me to show several different horses and test my ability to hop on a new horse with no warm up and show.
Chicago is one of my favorite places to visit domestically. I haven't had the chance to visit all the tourist attractions, but it's on my bucket list.
I have been blessed to have a lot of really good horse people in my life. Bennie and Cheryllee Sargent have been two of those people. They helped shape me into the horse person and leader I am today.
My senior year at UK I qualified for the semi-finals on the western equestrian team. While I didn't qualify for nationals, I learned so much that trip.
In Florida, I had the chance to go to Gator World, and later get up and close with gators.
Mountain biking in Colorado was so breathtaking; mostly because I was holding my breath the whole time out of terror!
The semester before I student taught, I was able to travel to Nashville for the National Association of Agriculture Educators Convention when I participated in the Future AgriScience Teacher (FAST) Symposium.
My senior year at UK I travelled to Oklahoma with my western equestrian teammates to compete at the semi-finals. We were able to visit the Cowboy Hall of Fame Museums.
I finished 9th in the nation riding for UK's Western Equestrian Team my junior year. I had a fantastic experience, and learned so much that trip!
My team qualified for the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association National Horse Show in 2013. I was fortunate enough to represent the team that year.
Through a scholarship, I was able to attend the Curriculum for Agriculture Science Edcuation (CASE) Ag, Food, and Natural Resource professional development in Cascade, Montana in 2019. I was able to network with ag teachers from all over the US!
I was able to introduce Shawn Flarida, highly accomplished National Reining Horse Association trainer and competitor, my senior year at UK for the equine department's annual industry speaker event.
Through an award I received, I was able to get a trip to Las Vegas paid for! While there I was able to pop over to the Grand Canyon, which was beyond amazing!
Most vacations I take I end up finding some type of equine species there. Missouri was no exception.