While everyone was watching Katy Perry’s many wardrobe changes and cheering on their team during Super Bowl, I was on my way back from Perry, Georgia. Our Super Bowl food of choice was Taco Bell, which is not easy to eat in a truck. Somehow I managed to not spill (shocking I know)! Anyway, yesterday was the end to several days in Georgia showing pigs at the National Junior Swine Association (NJSA) Eastern Regional show. I hitched a ride (leaving NC at 4am) with my boyfriend Garrett and his folks to the show, and compared to last year, it was a lot warmer and a lot less white–aka not snowing.
NJSA shows deal with four purebred breeds of pigs–Duroc, Landrace, Hampshire, and Landrace. There is also crossbreds, but to show a crossbred, you have to show a purebred. I went to my first NJSA show last year in Georgia and really enjoyed it. Because there are a lot of shows all year round, people get to know each other and it becomes quite the community with pizza parties, games for kids, and of course piggies. The show consists of showmanship classes, skillathon, and both barrow and gilt classes divided in breeds. In the open show (for all ages), there is also boar classes. All in all, there are about450 contestants and 700pigs, if I could guess. You can see why it lasts from Wednesday to Sunday. 
One of the cool things about dating someone with similar interests as you, is you enjoy doing those things together. Garrett and I met showing pigs and doing livestock events. We talk about pigs and livestock more than most things. Even though we share a passion, that doesn’t stop us from being competitive with each other. We still compare who has more ribbons, but we also help each other out too. This show, he beat me in skillathon with a 7th place and me 8th, but I beat him in sweepstakes with a 10th. He brought home the coolest prize though–a new pig. This show consists of a sale in addition to the show. After selling all our Yorkshire pigs we brought and showed, Garrett (well, his dad) bought a cool Duroc gilt. After much debate, she was named Hazel, and is now the lone red pig in a bar filled with white ones back home.
I’ve decided that instead of giving you all the many details of our time in Georgia like spilling my drink at Steak ‘N Shake or getting pig pee on my pants, I’ll give you a bunch of pictures of our peachy pig time in Georgia.
Rural Ris 