The Only Thing That Stays The Same Is... Everything Changes!

Not even one month into the near and already so much has began to evolve in 2014. I promise I haven't completely quite my duties as a rodeo queen. I've taken a bit of a "step back" from all of the public appearances and school visits for a bit to get refocused on my own schooling.

This scholastic semester is by far the hardest yet! Every class is going to be a challenge but it will be doable. I am also preparing to take the LSAT on February 8th so I have set aside an hour a day to study which gets to be time consuming between school, work, riding, working out and class work! The LSAT determines whether or not I get into law school; it also costs $165 to take... so I am aiming to pass it on my first attempt!

After February 8th; I will resume school visits and some other very exciting events! Another changing factor is my occupation. Due to my midday, rigorous classes I was unable to continue working for Farm Credit. After sadly leaving that family, I quickly gained the opportunity to work more with my other second family at the Parsons Stadium office. I absolutely love going to work everyday and being a part of helping in the office, preparing for events and handling marketing and social media aspects.

Now, enough of my personal, life... I just thought I'd offer a bit of an excuse for my lack of queening-ness! On Martin Luther King Jr Day, the University of Arkansas did not have classes so I decided to do some volunteering. We (Shiloh & I) started at the Fayetteville Animal Shelter, where I took photos of dogs and cats for the shelter's web page. You can see some of the pictures on my photography page: KP Photography. I'll be sure to post a link. Maybe you need a new furry friend. I found out that it's not a good idea to where queen clothes while doing this (I thought I was saving myself from having to change clothes before our next stop). In one pen, I dog literally jumped into my hair and knocked off my hat. I'm sure I was quite the sight! After spending several hours photographing and playing with other dogs... I got back into the truck with one very resentful dog of my own. One would have thought that I had traded Shiloh in because he wouldn't even look at me!


But I was soon forgiven when he began to get all of the attention at the Shiloh Nursing & Rehab center. We spent several hours visiting with the residents. Shiloh was by far the star of the show!

Any Day Riding is a Good One

You would think something as simple as planning to meet a friend to ride at an indoor arena would be a leisurely Saturday morning activity. Turns out that even the simplest tasks can be completely complicated. 

I typically use my boyfriend's truck to pull my trailer because there is no way my 1993 F150 is hauling a gooseneck 2 horse slant! Rikki Taylor and I had been planning to ride since the beginning of the week because between snow, ice, rain and below zero weather, our horses had been a bit neglected. Friday at 10pm I found out the truck I typically use had other plans on Saturday morning. So I text Rikki and she offered to come pick me up, problem solved! 

Saturday morning rolls around and I over slept my 6:40 alarm by 20 minutes (possibly from my 5 hour average of sleep per night the past week) but with a little rushing around I would still be ready on time. At 7:30am Rikki calls and says she forgot her saddle! We will be a little late, but no big deal, that gives me a bit longer to get saddled. Of course, it turned out that Rikki had her saddle the entire time. When she got to the house I loaded Max and we rolled out only get on the road and have to take a detour due to a huge road block. We plugged the arena address into our phones but it got us lost on a dirt road! Making a U-Turn in a guys front yard, we back tracked and took a longer route. We still needed to get cash to rent out the arena, so we stopped at Dollar General only to find out, they don't give cash back so we ended up with $2 bottle of water... then went to the ATM in good ole, Cave Springs, AR and it was out of service. So we head to Highfill and use the ATM at a gas station. Third time is the charm, right? Back on the road we missed our turn 3 times because Rikki's truck breaks are going out. After finally arriving an hour after our reservation time... we ended up having a good riding and working on barrels. 

Hoping for much more efficient traveling experiences for the rest of 2014!

New Year, New Dreams

2013 was a year of some pretty huge changes. I transferred colleges. I became Miss Rodeo of the Ozarks, which is a huge milestone. I met a man who changed my life. I was sponsored a horse that has become my other half. I’ve changed jobs and changed back jobs. I began photography. I’ve been through family trials that are close to indescribable. Every time the roller coaster called Life seemed to bring me to lowest point, God pushed the cart back up and brought me back to the highest hill.

2013 was a crazy one but the year has shaped a bright future and changed my perspective on a lot of things. It made me decide to become an Agricultural attorney. Go big or go home. Right? It also made me decide to run for Miss Rodeo Arkansas.

Several years ago I would not have imagined myself in the boots that I am today. I didn’t have the opportunity to grow up on the back of a horse like most rodeo queens. But I have had the opportunity to grow up in a family of discipline. I want to overcome the stereotypes. I want to prove that if you have a dream; you can reach it with hard work and determination.

 I am a typical small town girl from a middle class dysfunctional family and divorced parents. I drive an old ’93 Ford. I am 5’2” on a good day, which makes mounting tall horses a workout. I have freckles that I can’t stand. I am average but I have a dream. It is my goal to be an example for children and a role model to those who don’t have one. I want to make kids realize their own dream and to have the opportunity to share a sport that I have fallen in love with. Rodeo has shaped me into who I am and I dream of the chance to share it with others.

In 2014 I plan to run for Miss Rodeo Arkansas. With past queens like Kirbi Allen, Shana Carter, Jessica Chitwood and Dilynn Dodd I have some big shoes to fill. But it is ladies like them who have inspired me. My work will be cut out for me because it is a big commitment. I will be riding every chance I get and learning every moment I can.

“Keep on dreaming even if it breaks your heart.” May 2014 be a year of reaching your dreams!