All In a Days Work

At 5am I hopped out of bed to curl my hair and clean my tack (which was covered from the muddy slush we rode in for practice on Sunday). I got to work a little early because I knew I would be leaving earlier to get to the rodeo on time. 11am rolled around and Pat, the Rodeo of the Ozarks pageant director, picked up Rikki and I for the Kiwana's meeting. We joined several other board members and enjoyed lunch at Western Sizzlin while networking with local business men and women. I had an opportunity to speak about my travels throughout the year and the upcoming events at the rodeo.

At 2pm Pat and I had a photoshoot with the Arkansas Life Magazine. I returned to work for about an hour then headed to pick up Sach's trailer since mine is STILL in the shop. Only to get to Sach and Codi's and find that since we used Nathan's lifted truck to haul the trailer last time, the jack was set way to high to set down on a GMC pickup. Sach tried his truck too since it's a "real", aka Ford, but that didn't work out either. We had to stack several blocks of wood on the bed of the truck, jacked it up so that the weight was off of the trailer then set the jack up so that when we lowered it back down it would fit over the ball. This is probably a bit much to understand without seeing the hand motions I'm doing to portray the story... But it boils down to a huge mess that took up way too much time when we were already in a rush. After getting the trailer, Olivia and her horse we had to go Maximus. I think I shall be a professional trailer puller before long because if you saw the narrow turns into my driveway I make, I think you'd be pretty impressed.

Thankfully, we made it to the rodeo with plenty of time to get ready! We ran the rounders routine then lined up for the grand entry. Max did great and had a stunning queens run!

I quickly changed into my rounders gear and we ran through a few more times. Apparently during my speedy switch I buckled Max's rein to the nose band, tie down ring instead of to the bit. The crazy thing was that we ran through the routine to practice with his tack messed up but it didn't bother him once... when we got into the arena for the performance... that all changed. As soon as we ran out he blew up and my control went to zero. I highly recommend never riding with one rein and learned to ALWAYS double check your tack! After the rodeo I was completely humiliated and irritated at myself for not double checking my work but it seems that everything happens for a reason and the following day I found that reason out!

I decided that regardless of the tack problem, Max is a much better queen horse than Rounders horse and it would be easier not to have to switch tack. I got the wild hair to see what my boyfriend's horse was made of. Mr. Cody is a big, lean, sweet-faced, 12 year old sorrel who has done a handful of trail rides in the past five years. I rode him on Friday, brought him to the arena on Saturday then Rounders practice and he was a ROCKSTAR!! Cody loves to be rode and loves to be pushed. He is a bit out of shape but with a few more wet saddle pads he's going to be ready to Rock-N-Roll at Ozarks.

More updates & Photos to come. 9 days until Rodeo of the Ozarks and I invite you to join the fun at Parsons Stadium July 2-5.

Glowin' & Showin'

Sophia invited me to be a part of the children's advocacy Glow Run in down town Rogers which benefits a group in an effort to prevent child abuse. Sophia brought her two ponies, all dolled up, and we visited with kids, let them take photos and visited with the event attendees. I was talking to one girl and signing an autograph sheet. A little bit later a girl came running back up, her name was Gabby. She said "I will always follow my heart." It took me a minute to realize why she said that. When I hand out autograph sheets, I write a note on each one and I wrote "Always remember to follow your heart" on hers. It meant so much to me to to what I wrote to heart.

There was about 1000 attendees! Shiloh was just as big of a hit as the ponies and he was not lacking any attention! Shiloh and I both wore green in support of my cousin, Tony, who was having an organ donation evaluation that day. Green is the color for organ donation so we had to spread the love and let him know we were thinking of him.

After the event wrapped up I rushed to change clothes, threw Max in the trailer and headed to the Oak Grove play day. Maximus is getting his barrel and pole pattern now so we're getting ready to speed things up! The remainder of my weekend consisted of working on my truck, finishing my trailer living quarter project, a great Easter Sunday church service and a very efficient Rounders practice.

Sunday night, I got a last minute call at 9:30pm asking if I could bring tack the Horse Tales event the following morning. Let me recap, Horse Tales for Literacy is a program where 4th graders read a book then get the opportunity to learn first hand about different aspects of horses by spending half a day rotating to different educational stations. Since I was a bit worn out and still had work to do I decided to get up early to get everything together.

After feeding for the morning, I loaded a ton of tack. It started to rain just as I finished loading. I hopped my truck, got ready to take off and remembered I had no windshield wiper fuse. Thank goodness I still have my trusty ole Buck Truck. As the skies opened up and it began to pour I transferred 7 loads of tack and other materials I was using to present, from one truck to the other. Soggy and grumpy, I got into my truck and headed for Lowell Elementary. My mood quickly dissolved because when I arrived the sweetest boy was there to help me trudge everything to the classroom, where I was to present for the day.

I spent the day talking to some 400 4th and 5th graders from area schools about tack and about my job as a rodeo queen. One of my favorite parts of presenting, is giving the kids a chance to ask questions because it is so interesting to hear about what they don't understand. Questions such as: "Does the mouth  hurt them?" "What is that made out of?" "What happens when the horse starts bucking?" were all pretty common and then I was asked "Are you married?" I told them "no" and the boy says "oh well you should meet my friend Jordan Peterson." Thankfully there was another question before I could respond because I was at a loss for words!

The school librarian and teacher assistants were all very hospitable and supplied snacks, water and lunch for the volunteers. I also had the chance to meet Robert and his trick horse, Frosty. He was so impressive! At the conclusion of the day, I cannot help but to look back and think about all of the little girls who tell you they want a horse. While most of the kids seemed to be interested, there are some that I can pick out that have the biggest stars in their eyes. Horse Tales is such an enlightening program and I am so priveleged to be a part of!

AIM n Easter

Thankfully this weekend I don't have a big story about getting lost... maybe that's because the events I attended where in two location in NWA. And I would sure hope that I don't get lost in the area I grew up but if anyone could... it'd be me!

It was another 5:45am Saturday morning but well worth it! I started out by meeting my fellow Rounders girls and several board members at the CrossPoint church in Rogers where some thousand people gathered for an AIM event. The autism awareness event was a success! The support found in their close knit relationships are none to matched! There were bouncy houses, hoola-hooping, chalk painting, and Rodeo of the Ozarks hosted a petting zoo and a few other activities. One huge hit was board members, Sach Oliver and Brian Adams, dressed as rodeo clowns! And the kids loved seeing all of the rounders in their sparkly shirts and cowboy hats.  A dozen vendors advertised and gave samples. Music was playing, food was cooking, a silent auction was taking place and everyone was having a great time! We mingled and I signed autographs and played with kids. There was not a child that didn't touch my heart but one little boy especially captured me. Connor was so enthusiastic, outgoing, and energetic that I couldn't help but to hang out with him.

At 10am the autism awareness 5K walk began. After the crowd dissipated to head to the walk, I snuck away to head to Parsons Stadium for the Easter Egg Hunt. The Easter Egg Roundup was just as big as the AIM event! As soon as I got there I was swarmed by kids with big smiles and Easter baskets full of candy and prizes. I visited with the kids there for a solid two hours until it settled down then headed to get in a two hour ride since weather was a beautiful 75 degrees!

It was a busy but super fun morning! I love my job as a rodeo queen!!!

"Famous in a Small Town"

I have to say that moving back to Northwest Arkansas was one of the best decisions I made. Not only because I get to be closer to my family and friends but because it allows me to give back to the community that molded me into who I am.

I moved to Pea Ridge when I was two years old. I started pre-K and graduated from Pea Ridge School Districts. I did FFA, played sports and participated in other organizations in Pea Ridge. I am proud to call it my hometown.

Last Thursday evening I did a spontaneous visit to the Pea Ridge Primary to promote the book fair and visit with families during parent teacher conferences. It's so much fun to see how much the school has changed and to see some of the familiar faces I grew up around. After running out of autograph sheets I ended up finding a few reading partners who sat down beside me on a couch in a library so that we could read while they waited on parents! They wanted to keep on reading but their parents had arrived and it was time for me to watch my sister run track.

Yesterday morning I had the day off to run a few errands and hang out with my sister. I started with a visit to the Pea Ridge Community Library to read to children. While the turn out wasn't the biggest, the excitement was not lacking. I once again had the opportunity to meet Penelope. I visited her school in the fall for a book fair and she remembered every word I had told her some four months ago! I didn't forget her cowboy hat, boots and beaming smile. We read several books and she asked lots of questions. I love when kids start asking questions because it gives me the chance to tell my story! I've signed a number of things... pamphlets, boots, hats but this was my first time to sign an iPod case!

I meant to post this last week but got wrapped up in the hustle of Spring Break to-dos!

Credit where Credit is Due

I am constantly posting about all of the events, rodeos, schools and local volunteer opportunities that I participate in but all to often I forget to mention those that make it possible. Without my sponsors, I literally could not do my job. The duties of a rodeo queen can be overwhelmingly expensive; from chaps and belts to diesel and repairs. My sponsors are so generous and simply inspiring. Their willingness to help me reach my dreams has encouraged me to give back in the same way when I am financially stable and able.

One of my largest supporters is my Farm Credit of Western Arkansas family. After two years of employment and making some of my closest friends there, I cannot be more thankful for their monetary help and overall supportiveness. FCS opened up opportunities and helped me gain experiences that I undoubtedly could not have done otherwise.

I am grateful to Pea Ridge Veterinary Clinic and Arvest Bank of Pea Ridge for their financial support. It is such an honor to recieve support from the community where I grew up; they shaped me into who I am and I am so glad to call Pea Ridge my home town.

Lone Creek Performance Horses has played a HUGE and irreplaceable part by donating my beautiful autograph sheets. I met Davids Edwards at Rodeo of the Ozarks last year and he quickly became my friend. His enthusiastic willingness to help me is such a blessing.

Rush Springs Ranch is another family that I am proud to be a part of; after riding there several summers, I have grown close to the owner and workers. Rush Springs Ranch paid my entry fee for the contest in addition to gave me a horse to use throughout the year. Maximus, my sponsored horse, was not being used and needed some polishing. Owner, Russ Van Elk, quickly offered to sponsor him to me during my rein. Max and I have become quite a team; as I work with him and he has taught me so much.

I have my great friend, Nicole Shelton,  to thank for my awesome photograhpy on my autograph sheets. Nicole Shelton Photography does a great job at making you feel special during your photoshoot and is so such a sweet young lady to work with.

The Rodeo of the Ozarks Board of Directors has quickly become another extension of my family. I have turned to them with any needs and they are quick to meet them. I am overwhelmed by their continued support and willingness to help. 

Various others have supported through monetary contributions for gas to rodeos, trucks to pull my gooseneck and even new tires on my truck. I never dreamed that becoming Miss Rodeo of the Ozarks was a dream I would fulfill and the experience has been a hundred times more rewarding than I imagined.

When looking back over this list. I realized that I repeatedly use the word "family" to describe my networking throughout the year but that is truly what my supporters have become. My family.

Queens n Things

In my opinion, Saturdays should be spent relaxing or doing house chores but not this one.

I started off Saturday morning off at 7am with a 7 mile jog in 29 degree weather, NO slacking because I am doing a half marathon, on March 30th!

Then spent some time with my family and grandparents that were in town from Texas and got  ready for the 3-hour trek to Conway.

I left at noon so I could make a stop in Russellville, Arkansas to see my second family and visit with them. While attending Arkansas Tech University, Houston and Carol Townsend took me in (you could say) and welcomed me into their family along with 2 horses, a donkey, several cats, 3 dogs and a raccoon. Stopping to see them helped to break the trip up a little.




I made it to Conway right on time to jump right into getting ready for the Miss Rodeo Arkansas 2014 Coronation & fundraiser. I had to opportunity to visit with several other reining queens as we participated in the fashion show and helped sell 50/50 raffle tickets. The fashion show was a whirlwind but so much fun! Ladies modeled western outfits by Barbara Ware Western Wear, Jewelry by Cali Worthen and clothes by The Flirty Chick. We also got to highlight the sponsor, Daniel's electric. The night was filled with entertainment, fashion and celebration as we officially welcomed Stephanie Kaeppel to her duties as Miss Rodeo Arkansas 2014. I am so excited to follow her adventures throughout the coming year! After the dinner and live auction, the queens congregated for pictures. We were asked to put our Daniel's Electric T-shirts back on to get a photo with the sponsor. I got caught up chatting (imagine that). So I rushed to change into my T-shirt and hurried back to the stage, we all get posed and put on our biggest smiles...  when the princess next to me graciously points out that my shirt was on backwards!! Of course that would happen... Leave it to me, to livin' things up a little. Thankfully, at that point, almost everyone had cleared out. I am not quite sure how I manage sometimes!

Thanks to Daniel's Electric, I already had a comfy T-Shirt on so I loaded up and headed for home around 8:15pm. Thankfully, Alma makes for the perfect Braums Ice Cream stop to give the extra kick I needed to stay awake. I enjoy road trips by myself because it gives me much needed time to reflect and think. It made me so excited to think about the possibility of one day being in Stephanie's shoes and embarking upon such a life changing experience. I concocted a game plan for the practice and preparation I plan to do as I prepare to hopefully become the next Miss Rodeo Arkansas! I made it home around 11:30pm. Ya know, people give me a hard time about driving my "old farm truck" but for a '93 model with 195,000 miles, he sure is reliable and probably has a lot less problems than most modern vehicles.

Wishing you much sunshine in the days to come!
KP

It's beginning to look alot like...

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!! I cannot think of a better way to wrap up the month of November and get in the Christmas spirit by gathering with friends at the Rodeo of the Ozarks hometown, Springdale. This year's largest to date, parade had over 50 floats from local organizations and hundreds of spectators. It was about forty five degrees, which felt much cooler on top of the convertible sponsored but it could have been much worse. A tremendous thank you to Everett GMC for the flashy ride! Kenzie rode with us and helped me greet spectators during the parade by using her princess wave and saying Merry Christmas. The floats were an absolute joy to see all of the variations, creativity and lights. Emma Street was completely lined with people and you could feel the familiar magical Christmas attitude with smiles, hot chocolate, warm blankets and even warmer wishes. Happy Thanksgiving and a very Merry Christmas to you and your family!

All In A Days Work

Miss Kaliegh Jo was such a doll & so energetic!

I got to work at 7am on Tuesday and began my daily office tasks. I couldn't help but to think that I was forgetting something. Hmmm... the 19th, I kept racking my brain but couldn't quite remember so I pulled out my daily planner. Oh yes, in all caps "MCNAIR BOOK FAIR." Lovely, just lovely. I have an 8 hour work day followed by a 2 hour lecture class and a study night planned plus I did not bring any clothes to change into.

Part of being a rodeo queen is being able to think quick and adapt to any situation. I could have easily decided not to go but I had committed and was not about to back out. Thankfully, I have a great work community where they are very understanding and work with my schedule.

Kennedy knew she wanted a horse book & a horse poster.
I love visiting with little girls who love horses!

At 11, I headed home to study for Farm Management test and get ready then head to Horticulture lecture. On my way home, I get a call from Pat, a Rodeo of the Ozarks board member and absolutely fantastic pageant director saying that the board meeting date had been moved to tonight. Which actually worked out quite well since I would already be in the right attire to appear at the board meeting.

After class I headed straight to McNair Middle School to visit with parents and kids as they shopped around and handed out autograph sheets. I then proceeded to Parsons Stadium to the board meeting and give spill on the events I've been involved in the last month and the events that I plan on getting involved in. I am beyond excited about

future involvements and can't wait to start sharing the experiences with you!

Thank you for taking the time to read my posts! Happy Friday Ladies & Gents!

Change of Plans

I woke up with a set plan of action to conquer the day. The game plan: load queen clothes and accessories, pick up horse blanket from my best friends, pick up chaps from Robby, hitch trailer, load Max, arrive early with plenty of time to settle and warm up Max and chit chat with contestants. The reality: a quite different story. It started off right on track and with a perk! Nathan took off work early to drive me to Little Rock so I don't have to do so alone. Despite truck key switch ups and daily to dos interfering  we hit the road at 3pm thinking we'll get there just on time. 

All was going smooth until we hit Russellville. Good Ole RussVegas. Let me add, I went to Arkansas Tech University in Russellville, AR for two years and NEVER witnessed traffic on I-40. Never. We sat at a standstill for 45 minutes. Provided, it did give plenty of time to do makeup and get ready. We attempted to relieve the tension by singing crazy songs really loud... but eventually I had to face it. We were going to drive three hours and not get to do a queens run. I called the pageant director to let her know I would probably be late and got exciting news that due to an added performance, the queens runs got pushed back to 7:45! 

Upon arrival, I did a quick and calm tack up. Threw on my sash and hat and trotted Max around for about 10 minutes. Not long enough. We got to the coliseum just in time but Mr. Max was not a fan. He's never been road indoors before and the noise seemed to echo. He started trying to buck before our run but then did not even want to lope! He just got all bunched like a balloon ready to pop! I got him to finish out with a decent run but he was not happy. 

During the PBR I had the privilege of visiting with the five talented young ladies vying for the title of Miss Rodeo Arkansas State Fair as well as the current queen. And of course, did some autograph signing and photo taking. After the performance, I rode Max in the coliseum for a good forty five minutes. When we were finished, he was drenched but still had white in his eye because he was still on edge. I gave him a long cool down and walked him a round a while outside because it was pretty cool. 

We arrived home at 3am. The last 30 minutes of the haul were brutal! Loud music, windows down, our eyes were still slamming but we had one more rodeo under our belts and wrapped up the fall season. Now to practice, practice, practice until the spring rodeo season!

 

Husky Hoedown!

I officially participated in my first school visit as Miss Rodeo of the Ozarks! I absolutely love interacting with kids; they were absolutely fantastic! The event is a fall fundraiser to raise playground money for the students. Parents, students and others gathered to play rodeo related games, face painting, and purchase silent auction items (very similar to a fall festival). The school faculty supplied me with a GIANT queen chair (although I did not do much sitting) and a perfect spot to greet families, sign autographs and take lots of pictures.

I have 2 book fair visits, one veterans day assembly and one class presentation already schedule! If you or anyone you know would like me to a school or public event, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

Rain, Rain...

This weekend I had a full schedule including attending the parade and helping with the stick horse races at Highfill Hay Daze, signing autographs at the Apple Festival in Lincoln and attending the Ozark Fall Carnival at Parson's arena. At 6am Saturday I awoke by thunder and had to put buckets underneath the roof leaks... that was a sure sign that Saturday was not going to go as planned. But I am NOT complaining about rain. As Luke Bryan put it, "Rain is a Good Thing"! Instead I spent the rainy day getting ahead on homework for the week and working on projects around the house. As a result, my weekly post is not going to be what I had planned. 

Even though I was unable to attend public events this past weekend, my duties are evident throughout the week. Being a rodeo queen extends a privilege of being a role model and taking every opportunity to promote the positive aspects of rodeo. Paisley is my boyfriend's  4 year old niece who tends to like the idea of riding a horse but is a bit nervous about actually getting close. That being said, if I was 3 foot tall looking up at giant animal, I'd be a bit timid as well. But when I asked her if she wanted to ride with me, she nodded her head without a hesitation. In a matter of minutes Paisley was manning the reins while I led her around as she named the different parts of the saddle and bridle I had just told her about (reins, stirrup, horns, seat, bit).


The next day (Thursday) an 8 year old boy, Collin, who is moving in next to the arena, kept watching us while we rode. When I started cooling Maximus off, Collin asked his parents if he could come up to the fence. I walked up and offered for him to pet Max then offered a ride (with his parents' permission of course). Collin was almost too confident so I had to warn him that you can never be too careful around a horse, especially one you don't know. The boy helped me cool off max, as I led him around, and he told me all about life! I'll be looking forward to seeing him around the arena once they get moved in.

It is truly an honor to be able to teach kids about horses, first hand. Even if it is just one or two, it is a difference made nonetheless.

Hispanic Heritage Festival

Apparently it is possible to have a rather smooth public appearance! I arrived at the Hispanic Heritage Festival at the Washington County Fairgrounds 15 minutes early in order to get the low down on the upcoming event. One of the rounders and former rodeo queen, Sophia Huffman, and I checked out the vendors and met a spectacular furry little friend that stole our hearts. The displays consisted of local businesses, services and events as well as entertainment, pony rides and a lot of great food!

Thankfully the Mutton Bustin was in an indoor livestock arena! After getting things set up the rounders, Miss Rodeo Old Fort Days, and myself signed autographs then started herding everyone our direction because the rain clouds were rolling in! Sadly, the forecast kept a lot of the crowd away but with four clowns, several performers, about 100 spectators and a flock of  sheep we were bound for an entertaining afternoon. About halfway through the mutton busin' the sky seemed to open up and it began to pour! It seems like we all made it inside just in time. We mingled with spectators and helped with Mutton Bustin' then witnessed a beautiful Aztec Native dance performed by five talented young ladies and drummer. I had the opportunity to expand on my Spanish vocabulary from some sweet kids. Before too long, everyone was rolling at the clowns' comedy. After all of the kids had rode and the performers had a chance to act, the rain slowly started to give way and people began to make a run for their vehicles. Despite the early shut down of the event, it was overall a great time with great friends!

The Good... The Bad, The Ugly

"The Good:" Yesterday morning Nathan and I went to Rush Springs Ranch (visit my awesome sponsor's website: http://www.rushspringsranch.com/) to check out the "Down n Dirty" fest sponsored by Pit Bull Power Sports of Springfield. Of course some vendor looking and mudding was in store but I was ready to get back to the horse barn. I put Maximus on some calves for the first time and unsurprisingly he is was a natural! Max and I seem to be getting more in tune with every ride; even though we have a long way to go, it feels nice to know we've also come a long way.


Getting ready for the Harrison PRCA rodeo, I had two of the best helpers a girl could ask for!! They even helped hairspray my curls... I think my hair could have withstood a hurricane. The real trick was finding all of my accessories when it was time to leave! Our plan was to leave at 3pm and we were pulling out of the driveway at 2:55! Took a gorgeous scenic route down HWY 90, stopped in Eureka for lunch (and to do some serious people watching, since BBBQ is going on) then got back on the road. Ahhh yes.... 73 degrees, running right on time and so ready to rodeo. Of course that was too good to be true. 

We managed to pass the entrance to the rodeo grounds and had to pull off to get turned around and somehow chose the one parking lot with a steep entrance, NO turn around and a HUGE drop off on the side. That's "The Bad." In front of the parking lot was a decent sized, flat, piece of grass so we decide to pull up to attempt a U turn.. In a 25ft horse trailer and a common rail, that's not the easiest. Started to do some backing then heard a crrruuuunnnchhhh. I already knew what it was but was hesitant to turn around and look... Yep, the trailer jack knifed and shattered the left side of the rear glass in the truck. Let's just say that the next 10 minutes was "The Ugly" and leave it at that. The short trek to the correct entrance was a silent one.

Thankfully, it was back to "The Good." After the situation cooled off, Nathan's first words were, "Well, I hope that makes your blog." Since it was in a monotone voice, I didn't answer because I wasn't sure if it was supposed to funny, serious or if he was still mad. But in my head I'm thinking, there is no way that's not going in my blog. Maybe one day, we'll go to a rodeo and things will be smooth (knock on wood). Miss Rodeo Old Fort Days, Jessica Stamps, pulled in beside us. We got our horses and ourselves ready then headed to check in. 

We met up with Teen Miss Rodeo Arkansas 2014, Caitlin Jacobs, and Rodeo Old Fort Days Princess, Ashton. Max did his best queens run yet! Followed by pushing cows at a rodeo for his first time! He was a bit anxious and ancy about the noise from the shoots. His eyes and ears were glued to the cowboy and the calf as they roped or wrestled but when it was time to do his job, he did it well. I couldn't be happier with his performance because it's so much to take in and he is such a champ. The rest of the night was smooth sailing. Peanut Butter Kettle Corn and some pretty serious air guitar turned the night into an overall success!

Live. Love. Rodeo. 

Lessons Learned

Remember Madison County rodeo a few weeks ago? We learned to always allow an extra couple of hours when doing thing that involve horses. Good thing I took that lesson into consideration when heading to Vinita on Friday!

Our goal was to head to pick up Jessica (my friend and 2013 Miss Rodeo Old Fort Days) at 3:00pm. I woke up knowing that my horse trailer had a board loose and my boyfriend was planning to fix it while I was at class. I pull in at 2:45 to Nathan completely frustrated because after 3 drill bits down and a couple hours of trying… the board was NOT getting fixed that day. I got Max ready and loaded him in the second half of the trailer. Needless to say it was a quiet drive to Jessica’s because we were both irritated. Him - from messing with the trailer. I – from running late… again. One of my biggest pet peeves is not being on time.

Thankfully Jessica had a trailer we could borrow. Our plan B was to hitch up to her trailer with Nathan’s truck… of course, the ball on his truck was wrong the size. On top of that, we discovered that I did not unhook the trailer lights from underneath the gooseneck and when we turned it tore every fiber from my trailer light hookup. Great. Now with one lightless trailer and the wrong hitch… we had a pretty a good idea where things were headed.

Jessica’s dad was kind enough to let us borrow his truck! After getting hitched and moving things from one truck to another we hit the road around 4:30. Twenty minutes into the drive the tack room door flew open (even though it was locked!), so we stopped and closed it. Thirty minutes later it was open again! It happened seven times! Thankfully, we had our fix it man, Nathan, and he tied a ratchet strap to a horse tie on the trailer and latched down the door.

So the truck thermostat may have been a bit off...
but it felt like 134 degrees!

We arrived at 6:15. Warmed up the horses, our poor boys were drenched with sweat in no time. We changed in the truck with A/C. We had the privilege of meeting several other queens, including the reining junior and Miss Will Rogers Memorial Rodeo, Junior Miss Rodeo Oklahoma and Miss 101 Rodeo. During the queens runs, the current queens had to do a run and a half then continue to a second gate so that they can push cows later… Jessica and I were under the impression we

were to do the same thing.  As I approached the gate that they exited, people started pointed and yelling “no keep going!” So we got to do double queens runs! All we could do was laugh because we were the only ones out in the arena as we finished our runs and the announcer played “How bout them Cowgirls” over the system. Maximus’ first queens run was a success. He was very controlled, now we just have to work on speed! After cooling off our horses, we signed all of our autograph sheets plus a few hats and boots in about 30 minutes because the kids were so ecstatic that we were there.

My favorite thing is meeting eyes with a child who really wants to talk with you but is too shy. I love when they decide to open up and before too long, it's hard to find a stopping point in the conversation because the kid is so excited about rodeo. I hope to help make kids' first rodeo experience a memory; because often times that memory can turn into tradition. And tradition is what rodeo is all about. 

Granny's Quilts of Love

I called up my grandma to see if they needed help serving food, setting up or handing out items at the upcoming auction. Instead, she invited me as 2013 Miss Rodeo of the Ozarks to help draw door prizes!

I attended the 10th Annual Granny's Quilts of Love Auction on Saturday August 24th. This year over 280 baskets of items from local companies was donated and over $16,000.00 was raised! That's a new record. This organization of sweet ladies makes quilts for children at Arkansas Children's Hospital; all of the proceeds to go to purchase the material. These quilts are more than just gifts, they are a representation of hope, home and love for kids who do not always have those three things. 

I spent Saturday evening in my hometown, visiting with old friends and families and of course, making a few new ones!

This ain't my first rodeo. Actually it is.

Okay so it wasn’t exactly my first but it was my first appearance as Miss Rodeo of the Ozarks, the first to pull my gooseneck trailer by myself that long of a distance and first rodeo for my new horse.\

As you may know, anything that involves horses usually takes longer than expected. I figured in an extra two hours because I had to go pick up my little brother, Chris, and then head to the ranch to get my horse, Maximus. Of course my little brother had not yet had lunch so we stopped at the diner in town and hit the road to Rush Springs Ranch, where I had been working with my horse throughout the week. I get my boyfriends’ big Dodge Cummins backed up to my trailer and crank the hitch over the ball, perfectly lined up but… my gooseneck wouldn’t latch. Yes the hitch had unaligned and it would not set down right. After an hour and a half of struggling and sweating, I along with the great help of my “never wrong” 13 year old brother, a 14 year old girl who stays around the ranch and three dogs. We got it hooked up and ready to go.

The Madison County parade was supposed to start at 3pm. We pulled into Huntsville, AR at fifteen after and made it up the treacherously steep hill to the rodeo grounds; only to find out that the parade was in town. So we made a U-turn and I called a co-worker of mine to get directions to the parade. We pulled in just as it was about to start and I was not dressed in my shirt, crown and sash nor was my horse saddled! First mistake.

As the parade line came into sight I was prepping my little brother. “Okay Chris, when we pull in, it’s going to be a little crazy. I need you to get everything out of the back of the truck and put in the living quarters so I can get ready. While you’re doing that I’m going to get Max ready. When we finish, take Shiloh and go sit with Jerri Faye and her son. She’s parked over there (I point to her blue Silverado, she greets us with a big wave and her small town smile.)”

Max handled his first parade like a champ! After the parade, we visited with Jerri Faye and her son, Dugger rode Max around. When we were almost back to the rodeo grounds I somehow managed to put the truck into fourth instead of first gear.. and killed it. With a line of vehicles behind us, I couldn’t get the truck started because my legs barely reach the floor so I slammed in the clutch in three hard times and still couldn’t get the motor to turn over. Thankfully, rodeo is about helping others out and a man walked up to start my truck and get us parked. For the rest of the evening, Chris and I hung out, had sonic drinks, ate peanuts, I worked Max in the arena and gave Chris a little riding lesson.  Max did so well the entire time and it was so much to help with the Muttin Bustin and stick horse grand entry. I love seeing kids get excited about rodeo! Despite our initial setbacks, it was an overall successful “first rodeo.”

We learned the following:

Make sure your trailer is in full working condition. Know WHERE you are supposed to be. Put a radio and sunscreen in the trailer. Be sure you can start the truck you’re driving. Always keep smiling because it could be worse!