Tomorrow is Friday and there are only about 3 working days left before we travel to Sheffield for the Alabama Convention. It will be my first convention in 22 years and my sole motivation for going was exclusively in support of two people. For the past 3 months Chloe Smith and Ashley Rollins have been working on their first competition pieces. Neither of them took the easy “safe” path…Chloe’s mount is an open mouth lifesize fox and is completely original. The only thing she did not mold and cast was the eyes and I had to talk her out of doing that…not because I didn’t think she could do it (next time she will) but because there just wasn’t enough time. Ashley went with the toughest category…Whitetail deer . It is in pedestal, a sharp turn, altered changeout head and cast nose. Both of them built their habitat…Ashley’s water scene and mushrooms are amazing and Chloe…she is building a tree😳…bark and all, custom molded and cast. The work they have done is stunning. I wish we could share it with you, but it’ll have to wait until after the convention.  So as I sit here tonight reflecting on the last three month thinking about all of the researching, planning testing, practicing and hard work they have both done, I want to go on the record with this… Mission accomplished! No matter what the scoresheets show next week when it is all over, you are both amazing and I am very proud of you. Everything you have done over the last 3 months has not been to prepare you for a score, a ribbon or notoriety but rather, an extraordinary future. You have gained valuable experience and insight on time and process management which will help you achieve much greater heights in your next competition mounts. You have both inspired me. All of you that have you put it all out there to be judged in competition, you have my utmost respect for your dedication and determination and for humbling yourselves to make you better at what you do.