In October, we celebrated the life of the matriarch of my father’s family. She passed away just about two weeks shy of what would have been her 94th birthday. For most of my life, she seemed invincible.

A wise old Norwegian once said, “Cookies are made with butter and love.” This I know to be true.

When we are young, we ourselves don’t always recognize our talents, but our parents sometimes do. From an early age, my mom noticed I had a knack for dairy judging. So she pushed me, more than any of my five siblings.

About two years ago, right before the leaves turned, I jumped on a bus for three days with 200 dairy farmers from around the world as part of the ABS Global Experience.

I know it isn’t January, but I’m going to talk about New Year’s resolutions. Now, I don’t do resolutions, but I do set goals each year. Usually, I try to do something or travel somewhere new, and I try to learn a new skill.