Bench.

Earlier this week I had the chance to be a judge at my county's fair.

I grew up in 4-H and used to consult with the judges about my projects. So, the fact that I do this as an adult is really, really cool.

Actually it's hot, because the weather is always insanely hot the week of the fair.

Anyway, each judge gets a superintendent. A superintendent is a 4-Her who basically organizes everything for you and tells you what to do.

They run the show and keep the process smooth and efficient.

My superintendent this year was a 12-year-old 4-Her. She was sharp! I had fun talking to her and working with her. She's more intelligent than some adults I know.

I was telling my parents about her at dinner that night, kind of bragging about her. I told them her major project was woodworking, and she made a bench. I think it's cool that a 12-year-old girl is involved in the woodworking project.

Me: She made a bench.

My mom: She's a bitch? I thought you said you liked her?

Me: Noooooooooooooooo. A bench, not a bitch.

And that's my 4-H story for the day.

"You're supposed to give me a ribbon!"

Yesterday, I had the honor of judging several categories for the county fair.

I'm blessed that I had the opportunity to do this. I'm also blessed that I have a job that embraces civic duties and community leadership.

I was in 4-H when I was little. I was one of those kids who talked to the judge. I didn't like it. I was terrified of it and never wanted to do it.

It made me laugh yesterday at the children's different personality types. Some needed pushed by Mom or Dad. Some were so terrified, they just stared at me and didn't say anything.

I prompted them.

"Tell me about your dog."

"Tell me about your chickens."

"What do you like about it?"

"Was your project hard to make?"

One girl wasn't shy and didn't need prompting. She told me: "You're supposed to give me a ribbon!"

I thought, kid, I'm overwhelmed and surrounded by 10-year-olds at the moment. I'll give you a ribbon in a few minutes, okay?

That made me laugh.

When my judging duties were over, I went to leave. That sounds simple, right?

I ran into someone my brother's age. We talked for a few minutes about jobs, cities, and kids. Then I saw his mom, and we also talked about jobs, kids, cities, and grandkids.

I got about 10 feet closer to the door when I ran into some other family friends.

It took me about a while to leave the building because people kept talking to me (the epitome of a first world problem).

This is why I love the community I live in. I heard many times yesterday, "Is that Monica?" as I walked past people. Yes, I live here now. I'm here, and I still care about 4-H and the fair!

The same kids I was in 4-H with now have kids in 4-H. The same parents who were active in their kids' lives are now active in their grandchildren's lives.

It's a cycle that I don't mind being a part of.

(Like I told my co-worker yesterday, my children, when they exist, will be in 4-H.)

On another note, being a county fair judge is not the job to do if you're the most introverted person alive. I went to my house afterward and laid down. I didn't sleep. I just wanted to hear silence for a while.

Kids are exhausting but fun, cute, and sometimes bossy.

I wouldn't have it any other way.

#Iam4H

This week is National 4-H Week.

For a number of years, let's say at least 10 years, I was a member of my 4-H club in western Kansas.

I wasn't good at a number of things. I was terrible in the livestock department, but I still had fun every summer showing my animals. Baking was never on my list of life talents, and that often led to arguments at 2 a.m. with my parents and I in a screaming match because I didn't beat my eggs.

Note: I still hate baking to this day and I'm still terrible at it.

4-H taught me what I didn't like about life, but it also taught me some good life lessons.

For background info, let me just say that anytime you deal with livestock, well, it's a lot of work. One summer after my lamb was washed and sheared at the fair, it was ready for the show. My mom came over right before my lamb and I went into the ring, and somebody (not naming names, MOM) spilled nacho cheese on the front side of my lamb.

When the judge came over to me in the ring, he told me I needed to do a better job of washing my lamb. Let's just say that 11-year-old Monica was not happy with that comment, so I opened my mouth and told him what I thought about that.

If I remember history correctly, I got last place at that show. From that lesson I learned that sometimes you just need to keep your mouth shut.

I kept my lamb with a few other lambs at a family friend's house. When it came time to shear them, I figured out that it's a lot more fun to shear the animals myself rather than waiting on the sidelines in the hot sun doing nothing.

Life lesson: Life's more fun if you're actively involved in something.

Photography was always something that I liked and did relatively well in. My best photograph that won grand champion was a photo taken of my dog in my backyard. You don't have to go to exotic places to take good photographs.

There's beauty right in your backyard if you just look for it.

I'm sure 4-H taught me other life lessons. Always beat your eggs, don't wait until the last minute to do something, find reliable people to help you with your life projects, always eat first before a meeting, if you want to get a dog to show in the fair make sure the dog doesn't hate the car ride there first, ect.

Ha, ha.

In my grown up life as a newspaper reporter, I always tried to give 4-H the attention it deserved. I went to greased pig and chicken chases at county fairs, I never complained about covering a rabbit show, and in the weeks leading up to the fair, I always tried to do a big feature on all the work that goes into fair preparations.

Even as an adult, I still got to be around 4-H. For that I'm really thankful.

All in all, I would say that 4-H is a fun and funny experience. I was less active later in high school because school activities and jobs took up extra time, but I definitely think it's a worthwhile experience for kids and families.

Now, it's time for a funny story.

When I first moved back to my hometown in 2011, I went to a small store on Black Friday to get some stuff.

If I remember right, there were 10 or 15 people in the store. I knew them all from 4-H, and a quick shopping trip turned into a great conversation with people I haven't seen in ages. We talked about life updates, job changes, marriages, siblings and kids.

I remember thinking after I left the store that day that I was thankful I moved back here. You can't buy moments like that.

4-H is like a gift that you give yourself and your family. You win awards based on your talents. Your talents are developed over time and that takes patience, dedication, mentoring from others and a great community.

#Iam4H