​Starting off the month with a Queen pageant? Yes please!  I was so excited to be asked to judge an inaugural rodeo queen pageant in Missouri.  It was a little nerve wracking and I thought about when I was in their shoes at the Miss Rodeo USA pageant!  Not only was this the first queen pageant for the Marshfield Saddle Club and rodeo, the queens were also crowned in the arena.  It was an amazing experience and I actually got to meet up with one of them a week later at the IFYR and Teen pageant!  Definitely looking forward to seeing them compete for titles in the future.
 
Speaking of pageants and the IFYR, that was the location for week two of July.  I did not know what to expect from the youth finals and Teen pageant, but expectations were definitely exceeded.  There were thousands of young cowboys and cowgirls giving it their all in the finals.  Even some of our teen contestants were competing in the finals.  It was a true show of talent and grit.  The two events went off without a hitch, even with the storm that rolled in to Shawnee the first night.  We saw some lightning off in the distance but we kept on rodeoing (it was a safe distance away).  I am so excited to work with the new Teen this year, Josie.  I actually enlisted the help of her mom the first year I competed for Miss Rodeo USA and I felt like we were long lost friends when we met for the first time.  Josie is also a Texas girl!
 
From there I visited the famous Bustamante boots.  Handmade, true craftsmanship.  It was amazing to meet the team that makes these creative visions a reality.  It was a dream to design my own pair of boots and I cannot wait to share them with all of you.  They are of course, an homage to my platform and just a *little* boujee, just like me!
 
We are only half way though the month!  Hang on tight….
 
Cavalcade was another huge queen contest, with 13 girls, and hundreds of contestants for their rodeo.  This queen contest has seen up to 30 contestants at one point in time and the rodeo boasts 24 separate events.  It was a spectacle to behold, and if you were still awake after the rodeo and queen events in town, you could dance the night away with the nightly concerts.  I am excited to hopefully see their new queen at other Oklahoma and surrounding rodeos.  It was also a nice trip as I got to see some old friends and catch up.  The rodeo world is so small, you are bound to run into people you know on your travels!


One more event for the month of July, the famed Huntsville rodeo at the Sky High Arena!  The Huntsville committee and host family were so welcoming and involved in their community.  We were out 9 am to 10 pm visiting sponsors, doing live remotes, and participating in the rodeo.  The mutton busting had to be one of my favorite events, there were over 30 participants each night competing for the top spot and a hefty belt buckle.  I only almost got run over by a sheep twice, which I think is a pretty good ratio!  I also got to ride one of my favorite horses again, Percy, whom I met  for the first time at the IFYR.  He is a big, black, 16hh Percheron Mustang cross with a beautiful gait.  My host family rounded out the week with a trip to the lake.  A perfect ending to a busy month. 
 
Stay tuned for what August has in store! 

​Welcome to the summer run! 
 
Summer is our cowboys’ Christmas.  A time of wonder, excitement, new beginnings, and a lot of firsts.  Cowboys and cowgirls may win that check that allows them to qualify for their first finals or they may be busy checking Google maps constantly to make sure they are heading the right direction to a new state (like myself).
 
We started off June on a plane.  To take it one step further we ended May on a plane as well.  It was a blessing and a full circle moment to ride in my hometown arena for the Santa Maria Elks rodeo.  That arena was the place I won my first rodeo queen title, and it is in that arena that I made my queen lap with my last rodeo queen title.  I won’t go as far as saying I shed a tear, but the moment was very sentimental and I could feel the weight of significance as I smiled and waved to my friends and family, locking eyes with them as I loped past an audience of 5 thousand. From my hometown rodeo in Santa Maria, CA I flew right to the other side of the country to Ponce de Leon, FL to attend and teach at the annual Miss Rodeo USA clinic.  We had such an amazing turnout of girls and experienced clinicians that not even the rain could stop us from learning and strutting our stuff  down the runway.  From Florida it was a quick drive over to Shady Dale GA for their rodeo where I got to ride with my friend Natalie, Miss Sunbelt Rodeo!  If a rodeo has more than one queen in attendance, you know it is going to be a fun night.  We laughed, made TikToks, and signed autograph sheets until our Sharpies were dry.
 
The middle of June marked the end of my 4 months of being continuously on the road; Shady Dale was actually my last rodeo in month four.  A quick trip back to Texas had me rushing to unpack and then repack for the next rodeo run.
 
Lost Trails Ranch Rodeo was next and they are not only a great sponsor of MRUSA, they also held their very first rodeo.  It was a very special inaugural event as the Carlson family is doing an amazing job renovating and bringing new life into the ranch.  The rodeo had so much slack it went into the early hours of the morning.  1 am may have been late for us but it was so great to see such a huge turnout of contestants; with this new rodeo on the map they are sure to come back next year!
 
June came to a close in a new state for me, Missouri.  The Marshfield Saddle Club held their first queen pageant in over a decade and I was chosen to be one of the judges.  Firsts are always exciting for me, there is an air of mystery and the excitement of the unknown.  It was my very first time judging a pageant as a national titleholder and it was the first time all the girls had competed in a rodeo queen pageant.  My new friend Nicole made sure the pageant was fun and a positive atmosphere the girls could learn and grow in. 
 
The beginning of the summer run commences the halfway point of my year as Miss Rodeo USA.  I am still having firsts, still traveling the country promoting the IPRA and rodeo, still meeting new and old friends along the way.  Half a year down, half a year to go.  We are using this collective summer run momentum the whole of the rodeo world is feeling right now and using it as jet fuel for the next 6 months of my 2024 reign!

​April showered me with rodeos and new friends as I traveled 4 states in 30 days. 
 
I started the month off by visiting the bougee-est horse facility I have ever been- the World Equestrian Center in Ocala FL!  What a dream come true, it was like Disneyland for equestrians and I was walking around wide eyed and star struck.  It was a spur of the moment trip taken with my chap sponsors, the Wynns, that turned into one of the coolest experiences I have ever had.  Sunnie Dee Wynn had a booth at the Premier Horse Sale so we manned the booth and I was even allowed to open the sale by carrying in Old Glory on one of the sale horses.  Did I also mention I got to drive the prettiest Gypsy horse around WEC?  Oh yah, first time driving a cart too.  Check out the pics below to see how that went!
 
From there I met up with my dad in Tennille GA.  We got there a few days before the rodeo where I worked and he spent his days fishin’.  Don’t worry, I also got to fish some of the beautiful lakes in GA but we were both unsuccessful in catching anything for dinner, darn! After fishing, sponsor visits, and speaking at youth groups, it was time to rodeo.  My dad got to be a rodeo dad for the first time and even got to man the gate for a couple events.  Quinonez’s will jump into any task that’s needed to be done!  This was the first time I got to fly the LARGE flag too; I could physically feel the weight of the responsibility this flag carried.  It flew proudly in that arena and it’s still my favorite task at the rodeo.
 
While most of the time I spend driving from rodeo to rodeo, sometimes I travel in the sky.  This was true when flying out to Wapakoneta OH to meet the one and only Sarah Kelsey of Rhinestone Lipgloss.  She’s a fabulous sponsor of the MRUSA organization and a true believer of Rodeo Queen’s missions.  While visiting her, I got to experience the Equine Affair in Columbus where she had a booth.  I also ran into my old friend Pat Parelli!  After a day of dazzling ponies and earrings, it was time to create some of my own.  Hours later in the studio, several pairs of earrings, necklaces, bolos, and hair ties were designed and I cannot wait to see the master’s work their magic.
 
After catching the latest flight, it was back in the HumbleBee (yes I named my truck) to drive to back to back rodeos in South Carolina and Georgia.  Both rodeos were two day events and I couldn’t have asked for a better time.  So many people at both rodeos said it was their first time attending one, and honestly I love that!  They all seemed to be having a great time and if they had a question or concern about something we talked about it and solved the problem!  I even got the sweetest message after a rodeo.  I met a guy visiting from California, my birth state, and we had a great discussion about rodeo and it’s larger effect on the population it touches.  After the performance he DM’d me and expressed how he’s Jewish American and was so proud to see the colors fly, accompanied by our national anthem, and followed by a prayer.  He said he was so proud to see the rodeo community still believe in and love our nation.
 
THIS is why I do what I do. 

​“On the road frequently traveled.”  This statement would be the summation of my March. 


We kicked things off with Rodeo Houston where myself and several other girls were chosen to participate in the Armed Forces Appreciation Day.  As the decedent from a long line of military members, it was a great honor to be able to celebrate and acknowledge our great men and women of our services.  The Marine Band from Louisiana kept things jammin’ and we all boot scooted and boogied with some Texas Line Dancing.


Next it was time to keep it close to home, in more ways than one.  Industry Texas and the Girl Scouts of Central Texas welcomed me as I spoke with Scouts about the importance of taking care of yourself inside and out to become the best you possible.  I love giving back to an organization that I’ve belonged to for more than 20 years!  Each girl explored their unique dream or ‘rhinestone’ and we chatted about ways we could set ourselves up for success to achieve that dream!


That gave me less than a week to pack for 3 months of being on the road!  I needed more time!  Ok just kidding, two days later I was all packed.  Thanks to Scouting and belonging to a military family, I can *almost* pack with my eyes closed.


The pines of Alabama gave me a warm welcome and so did Lauren.  We cranked out sponsor packet Thank You’s (over 100 of them) in two days!  We ate some delicious seafood, said hi to old rodeo friends, and practiced our gun handling and safety to round out the visit.  


I was so excited for what was next, because it was time to attend my first IPRA rodeo of the year- Brunswick GA’s Rodeo at the Beach!  Two days of action packed rain and mud excitement.  My boy Blue (a double bred Hancock) was steady through it all.  The Exchange Club of Brunswick and Stambaugh Aviation have been hosting this rodeo for 12 years and it just gets bigger and better each year!  It may even be about time they start running their own queen contest (it is an IPRA sanctioned rodeo after all).  If you’ve been following Miss Rodeo USA for any amount of years you will know the end of her time in Brunswick concludes with a beach ride.  The Stables at Frederica provided amazing trail guides as myself and several lucky raffle winners rode horseback through the sandy beaches.  A fun fact about me is I love exploring new disciplines and horse breeds so of course I had to ride the 17HH Belgian/Quarter Horse Cross.  I like big drafts and I cannot lie!


With a few days of down time and some much needed sleep it was time to relocate to another part of GA to visit with our beloved Wynns.  As perpetual chap sponsors and leather workers they have an amazing leather shop.  I even got to model a pair of vintage MRUSA chaps!  After a few days we headed out to Ocala, Florida for the Ride the Wave Premier horse sale.  There were so many beautiful horses with varied talents.  It was my first time driving a cart and my first time carrying the American flag at the World Equestrian Center.  If I could build my dream barn, it would be a WEC replica!


The Southeast has been nothing but Peaches to me.  See you down the rodeo road in April and keep keeping your nose to the grindstone so you can keep your eyes to the rhinestones!