There is always a plan....

My first day with Farm Bureau Insurance was my thirtieth birthday.  I was so excited about the future...who I would meet, what I would experience... 

 I met amazing people...as clients and colleagues. I sat across many dining room tables in the evenings talking about insurance, but also watching families grow and change. My team and I helped them work through rough times and celebrated the good ones. It has meant a lot that you opened up your lives to my agency. Thank you. 

My husband and I were fortunate to travel with the company to experience places we only dreamed about. We "locked" our love on a bridge in Paris, our boys met Captain America at Universal Studios and we saw beautiful Hawaiian country side with great friends. Jesse and I always looked forward to seeing other agents and their spouses...sharing hunting stories, catching up on families and making memories together.

And now on the eve of my 34th birthday, I'm wrapping up my insurance career and introducing Ryan Methner as the new agent providing quality service to my clients.....

Where am I going?? Well God has had a plan up his sleeve....34 years in the making...

I started typing out all the intertwining of people's lives into mine to show you how intricate this plan really was....coaching basketball, applying for a loan, working as a paraprofessional for a short while, helping FFA State Officers after I was done with my term, ....but I had to delete it all or you would have fallen asleep reading, not that I was writing something boring, but there were so many times in my life - small moments & large moments that God put before me not realizing it was all part of the plan....and a wise person told me once, "You can't go wrong when you follow God's plan".

So I'm thankful for all the turns God laid before me. For His direction when I went off path...at times waaaay off path. I'm thankful for the experience and the friends I've gained along the way. And I'm thankful to join a community who knows what it means when I say... "I believe in the future of agriculture."

I'm beyond excited to say that pending school board approval in August, I am the new Breckenridge High School Agriscience Teacher and FFA Advisor! I can't wait to be placed into students' lives and help them with the plan set before them....plus check out my awesome classroom!!!

I can't even begin to think about how His plan will continue over the next 34 years! Happy Birthday to me!!

. 

To My 4-H Family and Supporters

I'm the one in the long sleeve denim, jeans tucked into her boots
with an extremely flustered face - I took feeder calves the next year.

When I was nine my sheep got loose five times in the judging ring. FIVE TIMES in just 15 minutes. Not my most shining moment.....but I never guessed that 4-H would provide much more than a livestock check and memories of me chasing that dang sheep around the ring in front of a packed audience. 


A large part of my foundation began sitting around the Jasper Township Hall making crafts, going to other families home's to learn about livestock, spending time with friends at camps, working on our club's talent show plays and ultimately building life skills and developing relationships that I still hold very close today. 

Our club performed the Big Bad Wolf for the
county 4-H talent show. I'm in the black and pink dress and
super cute permed hair :)

Seven years ago, when the job opened up for my home county's 4-H agent position, I knew it was the exact job for me. I have had the honor of working with some amazing young men and women of Gratiot County. Amazing doesn't do justice to what these youth can do - they have inspired me, made me laugh, challenged me to take programs to the next level, taught me how to just sit back, relax and enjoy life - yeah they're that cool and I care so much about them.....


And my leaders, who have been through seven years of my wild, crazy ideas - thank you. Thank you for believing in them, not looking at me crazy when I shared them (at least not in front of me :)!),  helping me work through them and among it all....becoming some of my closest friends. 

Our family at Gauger's first Gratiot County Fair for Youth -
he's the one passed out in my carrier :)

Together we have built a strong foundation for our youth and I know you will all continue developing the incredible young men and women we have in Gratiot County. On a personal note, you've been with me through some major life changing events including my wedding and the births of my two boys. My son Gunner will probably always walk around the fairgrounds like he owns it and both have enjoyed spending time playing with and learning from their 4-H family. Thank you for having such a positive impacted on my family and I. We will always be grateful.


So saying all this....many have heard, but I wanted to make the announcement....


Recently, I accepted a position with Farm Bureau Insurance of Michigan as a multi-lines insurance agent. My last day as the GC 4-H Educator is Sunday, July 31 and I will begin my new position on Monday, August 1 in St. Louis at the Reichard Insurance Agency. To clarify, Monte Reichard didn't hire me, he's serving as my mentor. We are both employees of Farm Bureau Insurance of Michigan. He was gracious enough to open up office space and offer his resources and experience to help me get started. 

MSU Extension is currently working on what our county's transition, so I do not have a timeline of what it will look like. For now, many of the pieces will be picked up by the local office - whom which, our program would never have been as successful as it has become and I will always owe them for the many times they've stepped up to the plate to help with whatever was going on in 4-H land. I'm confident you will continue to receive the quality response and resources you need as MSUE moves forward in hiring someone.

And though I'm extremely excited about taking this new career path, Gratiot County 4-H is my home and I will continue to be a resource, volunteer and supporter. Thank you for allowing me to consider you all family. I have  grown and been motivated by each of you. And so much more importantly, together we've built one AWESOME youth program for this county.