After the beach I went on to Shady Dale, Georgia which I was so excited for as I was going to get to work with Southern Rodeo Company and Dusty Meyers. I have heard so many wonderful things about both of these people and I could not wait to work with them! A big thank you to Robin Brooks for always checking on me throughout the weekend to make sure I was always ready and good to go! Another thank you to Robin’s son Josh for putting me on a good horse and also checking in to make sure everything was gonna be just fine and of course to his wife Dawn for always making sure I was taken care of! Well, it rained and it poured like I had never seen before. Have you ever seen Forest Gump where it rained sideways and upward and all around? Well that scene pretty much describes the rain in Shady Dale! I was a little bit afraid to see what the arena was going to be like, but to my surprise it was great! We are so thankful for God’s creations and the sand that he has given the world! The arena was full of sand and the groundskeepers did an awesome job at keeping things just right to put on the best rodeo! I seen water sweep in and make rivers through the ground in a matter of minutes. Robin told all of us that, that weekend was going to separate us from the rest and we were going to cowboy up! I really took what he said to heart and thought, he sure is right! It made me think of my family farm back home and how when my father or grandfather have something going on at the farm that can not wait they don’t. No matter the weather if there is a down calf or a momma cow that needs an extra hand they will withstand the weather no matter how bad. This past winter in Iowa it was brutal, negative forties and thirties at times and snow past your knees. My family stuck through it all and made it happen. They did just as Robin talked about and they would cowboy up! Thank you Robin for reminding me of home and for being my rodeo family that weekend! Your a true inspiration to me and I can’t wait to work with you again!
After leaving Shady Dale I got to go “home,” well my home here in Bama! I spent the week with the Terry family as I helped them prepare for their hometown rodeo. Now when I say hometown rodeo we all have one of those right? Well this one was awesome, I literally walked out the front door of the house and there I was, Rodeo Galore! I was right there at the rodeo grounds and ready to go! We spent some time at the LouAllen farms where I met several people and had the chance to talk about the rodeo and farming! My two favorite things! We also went over to the Co-op and met even more people and I passed out tickets and hoped to see many people there. Saturday morning we got up really early and went to a Veterans run, then over to a Veterans ceremony. My heart was so full as I thought of my sister and her being away from home as she is in the US Army. My heart was full and my eyes wanted to fill with tears as we placed metals on each Veteran that stood in front of us as we honored their service! I had never in my life seen something so moving! That night I went on to the rodeo where I had a blast and was reunited with the Bubba Oubre crew! I always have a blast with them! Kevin of course put me on my favorite grey horse John! Oh and before I forget, I got to do something that was so cool! Mr. Jerry Thornton was the specialty act that weekend with his world famous Andalusian White Stallion, Nervioso. Jerry let me try my hand at his tricks before the rodeo! By the way, I can’t ever say that was a lie as Jerry was sure to get pictures for the proof! I can’t thank Jerry enough for allowing me that experience! I have really had the best experiences and am so blessed to walk in the boots that I do! Before I leave you all as I hate to but I have so much to do before I leave for my next big journey, I wanted to leave you with another quote that I felt was very fitting for my life right now! My life right now as crazy as it is, “is like a bull in a china cabinet,” this is by Kristi Coggins of Blythewood, SC! Thank you for the good laugh Kristi, you and Buck always had something fun to say or do!
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Last minute I was talking to my dear friend Tisha Ross from Arkansas. I was not at the time booked for Memorial Day Weekend. Of course Tisha had other plans after talking to her for a little while which was just fine with me! Tisha has a dear friend who had lost their son in an accident a year ago and they were putting on a rodeo in his memory that weekend. She asked if I would like to be apart of the rodeo. My first thought was ABSOLUTELY! First of all I love rodeo, and about a year ago our rodeo family back home had just been through the exact same experience so I knew that I wanted to be apart of this. As I write this I get the chills and goosebumps as I know there are two cowboys up in heaven watching over us as we ride every weekend nd honor their dreams! After agreeing to be at the First ever Rodeo for Tyler, Tisha booked me a flight to Dallas where I would meet up with her and we would fly into Fort Smith together. My first time ever on a plane was very entertaining! Security was by far the worst part of the entire experience! Once I was on the plane things were just fine! The way home was the best plane ride, they had a TV on the back of the seat so I was able to watch a movie on the way home! I was in shock, but then again I was not as technology has come along way!
Once I got to Arkansas we headed out to see the sights and then we went on to the rodeo. I met some of the most amazing people and they were all so down to earth and kind! I was honored as I was asked to judge the rodeo queen pageant there at the rodeo! There were a total of nine girls in three different age groups! Wow, that was phenomenal to see that many girls come out and want to be successful in life and in the arena! I was so proud to be apart of their journey! The first night of the rodeo was a huge success and there were so many people who came out to support the Rodeo for Tyler! The second day of the rodeo was also a huge success as it was a youth rodeo. I loved getting to see all of the kids coming out to try their hand in the rodeo arena. Our future in the rodeo industry sure is bright! After the rodeo Tisha and Jody took me to the water where we got to do a little water rafting! The water was warm and beautiful, I have never seen water move like that before! We took the kayak out and of course Jody and I had a little race. I was winning until I got caught in a current and flipped mine over! Tisha and Jody had a good laugh and well, I guess I did too! It was one of the best experiences of my year! South Carolina, was not at all what I expected. It was better! I laugh as I am always on guard as I travel across the US in my car where it seems like I live. Which I do most of the time when I am not going from one hotel to the other! Anyways back to South Carolina, it was beautiful and although I was caught in some crazy traffic vodo I still managed to make it to dinner with Buck and Kristi Coggins. Buck and Kristi are the rodeo committee members for the Blythewood rodeo. I was soon informed that the E was silent in Blythewood, I guess that's why I usually get called a Yankee! I pronounce everything down here in the south wrong it seems like! Pulling in on a Tuesday night means getting to promote the rodeo all week long and getting to know the people your around even better! This is my favorite part! I learned a lot about Buck and Kristi and their beautiful and successful family! Krisiti’s best friend Miss Chris even came to town all the way from Texas to help with the rodeo! Another group of people showed up as well that I really got to know Mr. Don, Mr. Rob and his beautiful wife Megan and there very fun and active son Lucas who is only five! I grew to love all of these people in just a week! Can you imagine if I lived there full time how much fun life would be and how blessed I would be! We got everyone geared up for the rodeo Thursday night as we kicked off with the Blythewood Chamber of Commerce Cow Patty Bingo. I, well I was a judge, here I am in the middle of the rodeo arena with an audience and four cows as I waited for them all to do their duty. I can say that was a first for me! Friday night was the first night of the rodeo and although the dust flew and you couldn’t really see anyone behind you in grand entry that night it was a blast! I was honored to carry the colors of our country alongside the flag girls of Treadway Rodeo Company! Miss Pam of Treadway made sure that I did everything correctly and was so helpful! When the Saturday performance came along the grounds were even better and the rodeo was still amazing! I had the best time at the rodeo that weekend! I also got to do my first ever queens runs as Miss Rodeo USA 2019 which was an absolute blast! I can’t thank Buck and Kristi enough for all that they have done for me and for becoming apart of my rodeo family! My next stop was the beach! That’s right I went to the beach and got to see the Ocean. I know I have seen it in Brunswick but this was in a whole different way! Miss Megan and her son Lucas graciously took me around the sights of Charleston where I got to be a tourist for a couple of days before my next big rodeo! There was nothing better than some girl time on the beach and getting to see my first ever dolphin! Also it was just insane to me to look out over Folly Beach and not see land on the other side. It’s a feeling I can not explain! Don’t forget to stay tuned to hear all about my next adventures! I have some really fun and exciting things coming up in the next several weeks! I may have been spending a lot of time on the water here recently but I am about to be spending even more time in the arena dirt! |
Miss Rodeo USA 2019
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