It’s beginning to feel like fall! The cooler breezes are a warm welcome after a hot summer run and I spent the first part of September in the northern part of the US. Salem, MO with it’s beautiful scenery and flowing waterways truly was a great backdrop for the beginning of fall. And would it be fall without a rainstorm? Well, it technically only stormed the first night of the performance, but we rodeoed anyway through the slick mud and fierce rain. The community was so welcoming and I met some new friends, and past and present Queens! A day later I would find myself in the hills of East Tennessee, at Rarity Bay. The rodeo there was held in an equestrian center (hello amazing footing), and we could not have asked for better weather. Rarity Bay Rodeo is a newer rodeo and it was probably one of my favorite ones of the year! They had a great set up, amazing vendors, two nights of live music, and the most amazing VIP tent that was open to all contestants. They truly put on a good show! I didn’t want my week there to end, but then it was on to west Tennessee for a break. Not really… Though I had no rodeo’s scheduled for 5 days, there was no break in my stride. Lots of product reviews, pageant content, and emails were to be done! Beth’s home was so comfy and the perfect place to work from home. When we were not working, we took walks in the evening around the neighborhood, I played with the barn kittens, and we ate lots of Mexican food. By the time the weekend came, I was caught up on sleep, which was good because I knew I wouldn’t be getting much of it in the days following. A quick drive over to central Tennessee dropped me at the Lincoln Co. Fair and Rodeo. Both nights had beautiful tributes to our first responders and had the pledge of allegiance said by the grandsons of the stock contractor. The very handy 6 year old cowboys said the pledge perfectly every time. Only five hours later I was driving at zero dark thirty to Atlanta airport to catch a flight to Arkansas for a photoshoot. Exhausted as I was, I was so ready to see all my friends for this special shoot. Kultured Rider came on as an amazing sponsor and Yuki designs all her own clothes and concepts. Carlee, Faith (Sherry Smith’s daughter), and myself were going to model the design line that is dropping soon. We shot for almost two straight days! On the third day I spent some time visiting sponsors for an upcoming rodeo in Berryville (the Cowboy for Tyler Rodeo). Taken around by the President of Cowboy for Tyler, we went to businesses looking for sponsorships, stopped by a good friend of his house to meet up with his wife and kids that were going riding, and then off to dinner with the Cowboy for Tyler crew. It was a whirlwind of 4 days and when I got back to Atlanta, I was glad I did not have to be at a rodeo that day until 10 hours later. It was a quick hour drive from the Atlanta airport to Gainesville GA and I’m glad it was because I passed out quickly when my head hit the hotel pillow at 2am. Luckily, after some good sleep, I was ready to rodeo that evening at 5pm. Gainesville had some amazing energy, it was a qualifier for the American rodeo and we had the best of the best come out to compete. It was nice to see some familiar athlete faces and say a quick ‘hello’ to them. I try not to talk too much to the athletes right before or after a run, I don’t want to mess up their mojo or game. Is that just me? If I see them earlier on before the perf starts I will 100% go up and say hi, but something about talking with them in the alley, I know they are concentrating, praying, and focusing and I would hate to be the disruption to that train of thought. Both nights went off without a hitch and I think I passed out more autograph sheets in those two days than I ever have. The energy was so high, I almost got swept up in it and took home a puppy. Almost… Back to my last rodeo in Alabama and another 72 hours or so of rest before the Cattleman’s Rodeo in Moulton AL. Staying with Marsha and family again was a welcomed familiarity, and I was excited to see Lauren, who recently launched her boutique The Warrior Pony. The Warrior Pony is now a sponsor of Miss Rodeo USA too and I cannot wait to show off some of their fall collection! School visits and Rotary luncheons led up to the days before the rodeo and it was great to spend time with the familiar faces I spent so much time with at the beginning of the year. The Cattlemen fed me great, I think I had steak four nights in a row (anyone that knows me knows I was in heaven)! The weather was not totally on our side however and we had to move our Friday performance to Sunday. Saturday night was amazing and the ground was perfect from the light rain we had been getting all week. We all thought we avoided the rain on Sunday, but the matinee performance experienced quite a downpour for about 20 minutes! We rodeoed on anyways and had a fantastic performance at the Iron Rail Arena. As I said a sad goodby to the Terry's, it was time to travel back to the Volunteer state. It was a great ending to September! Stay tuned for more fall adventures.
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AuthorYour favorite boujee vaquera, Kaelanne is excited to represent the IPRA and all things western this year. Comment and read her blogs to follow along her journey! Archives
October 2024
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