Wonderful Weekend

10 o'clock  Friday night, after a mist soaked football game, Jacob and I headed to Hutch to meet Tristen and Danny for Kansas State Convention.  About 15 miles in, I thought about turning around.  The fog was ridiculous and I'm not  a real confident nighttime driver anyway.  We finally got in around midnight, after a couple of pumpkin spice cappuccinos and lots of conversation and shot nerves!

A big part of the convention is the youth royality. This is a contest based on a 5 page written application, an oral interview, breed ID contest, judging contest, 200 question written test and showmanship. Those scores are tallied, and the winner is the that age group royality. There is lord/lady, prince/princess, duke/dutchess, and king/queen.

This was a weird and awkward year for our house. Tristen had been persuaded to try it, so...that meant both of my kids were competing for the same title.

When the winner was announced, Tristen didn't make it to the top 3, but Jacob was awarded runner-up Duke, and come to find out, the top 3 were only 3 points away from each other.

In showmanship, out of 15 participants in the 12 to 14 group, Tristen walked away with a 4th place plaque and Jacob was 2nd Runner up.  This was Tristens second time doing this..EVER!  He's pretty pleased with himself and has big plans to start doing more of the contests.

As far as the show went, it went just as good.  Jacob was awarded best of breed Californian, Best of Breed Standard Chin and, his most exciting, Best of Breed and Best Opposite Havana. There over 60 youth Havanas entered!!

Tristen won the Best of Breed and Best Opposite Dutch with a pair of young torts.  He was SHOCKED when judge Don Jackson announced them as the breed winners.  So shocked,  he temporarily forgot that those where HIS torts the table and turned and asked his dad "whose are those?"

Jacob's big moment came when, during the best in show judging came and they had done first and second reserve, and Judge Mike D'Amico said "And now... best in show...goes to a rabbit I fell in love with yesterday....the HAVANA."  =)  

Jacob and Judge Mike D'Amico

The broken jr buck who won this was born here in May, and is fathered by Jacob's double BIS winner in Russell. Home bred, home grown,hard work, equals a HUGE feeling of accomplishment.

After the BIS judging, the Prairie Winds Havana club had a specialty Havana show.  Jacob was awarded the Best of Breed for that show too, with a cute little black doe as well as Best Opposite Sex, with a little chocolate buck, who almost got left at home because I skipped over him on Jacob's entry list and forgot to enter him. Both of these were bred and raised by Jacob also, so between that, and the high Havana numbers, Jacob is feeling pretty pleased with the way things are going.

Our big National convention in Wichita is in less than 2 weeks...We are READY!!