Heifer International

I mentioned in my previous post about how I have managed to acquire the nicknames "Heifer" or "Little Heifer" over the years, but thank goodness it was in no way a reference to my girth. It does however, have everything to do with what my name means.

I'm sure that everyone knows that their name  has a meaning, and if you don't then go look yours up in a name book or Google it.. you might be surprised to read what your name actually means. I know that I sure was.  I also understand that my parents are not the type to pick a name based on what it means, they chose names for my sister and myself based on the sound of the name itself and how it worked with our last name. At least this is what I tell myself.

So while other girls have names that mean "lady", or "princess", or "admiring", I have a name that means "weary" and "little heifer". Yes, that's right: my name actually means little heifer. Thanks mom and dad.

My friends took it upon themselves to deem that my nickname, and thus in high school my dear friends so lovingly referred to me as "little heifer". Don't worry, I assigned them all beautiful nicknames as well and used them as often as possible.

Fast forward to my Junior year of college at UNC: out of the blue one day I received a copy of "Heifer International" magazine, addressed to me. Seeing as how I am 1) not a cattle farmer, 2) not a meat buyer for a grocery store, and 3) in no way interested in the world of cattle, I had no idea why I would receive such a publication.

Then it dawned on me that perhaps my sweet, loving friends had in fact signed me up for a subscription as a joke in reference to my nickname. I asked each of them, and although they all laughed so hard they almost peed themselves at the thought of the idea, none of them took credit for the prank. I'm still not sure if I believe that none of them came up with the idea, but it's been 5 years and still no one has fessed up.

Oh, and I still receive Heifer International in the mail a few times a year. Despite the fact that I've moved 4 times since I first received the magazine, it still manages to find me wherever I go. Maybe it's a sign that I should just go ahead and buy a heifer, after all they only cost $500. Or maybe I'll start small and get a llama for $150. Or maybe, just maybe I should send a hiefer as a gift to my friends who first called me "little heifer". Shipping and handling not included.