End of a Season

I am sad to have my quiet houseagain. I enjoy the quiet but now it is weird. Iguess 9 guests will do that to you. I will upload lots of pics next week. I have to organize them and pick and choose which I want to add.

We are debating on going to the Boaz's tonight but we are not sure. We have to take the horse trailer for Shelby so we are not sure if we want to mess with that.

I go back to work next week and then a long time before my next break! I am glad I got a couple of days to regroup and rest.

I am very anxious to start a new barrel season next weekend! I have decided to run Shiner and Twister to give Twister a job again. He loves to work and it will be fun to run him again. Maybe this is his year to finally win the sadde ge so deserves! I have a lot to do in the next week. I am not sure how I will get it done with all of this $*%$ rain and fog! Oh well....

Well Shelby is resting and I need to as well. I have taken down the tree, mopped the floors and got us some normalcy back. So I will write again another time....

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On the road

I type this as we are on the road to San Antonio. Gotta love my iPhone and blogger app!

It has been a long but enjoyable week. The weather was not that great as we only had one nice day since everyone arrived, but we took advantage of it with a ride. Michelle and I went first. Then Michelle and dick. Nancy got to ride her beloved Shiner on the third ride. Then dick, Raylene, Michelle and I went for the last ride.

Christmas we cooked all day. I decided that was over rated. I'd much rather keep it simple and enjoy the company. Ha!

We'll stay in SA for a couple of days with ryan's family. My family will begin the long journey back to MI.

I am looking forward to getting a yummy margarita (or two) from mi Tierra! I also hope to eat some street food and do a little shopping too.

Here's a cute pic for you to enjoy. She's resting up for SA!



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Awesome Quote

Love this quote 'I might not win the gold buckle, but I'll go down spurring.'. Chris LeDoux. Singer & bareback world champion

God's Best

Recently I received an email from my friend, JoLynn.  She had received an email and wanted to share it with me.  I felt it was worth sharing with everyone.  I don't normally talk about God too often other than giving Him the glory.  Everything we (my family) have is because of Him.  I would hope, rather, that my life shows my faith and beliefs.  It is by my walk I hope to make a difference in other's lives.  However, this was so good I thought I'd share.  I have talked with others about God and where is He when something negative or bad happens to us.  I have learned through my church and Bible that He never leaves us.  Then, why do we go through hard times?

I believe this comment really shares how I believe and why I believe tough times happen.

'To get something you never had, you have to do something you never did.'

When God takes something from your grasp, He's not punishing you, but merely opening your hands to receive something better. 'The will of God will never take you where the Grace of God will not protect you

It is all in how you receive the experience.  Instead of focusing on the negative, on the saddness, on the hardship - focus on what you have.  Focus on what God wants you to have.  Let these experiences help you grow and follow a path that God wants you to follow.  And, remember, when the times are tough and you are on the right path God is right there holding your hand. Sometimes it is so hard you have to throw your hands in the air and tell Him it is time for Him to carry you.  Does he not take care of the birds?  If He worries about his wildlife wouldn't He worry about you, His child?

I believe God has a path for us and if we detour it by our own choice then we may not receive what is God’s best. Instead, we settle for what is our best.  I know EVERYTIME I have done what God wants me to do it is so much better, bigger, easier than my simple mind expected.

This brings me back to my saddle.  God KNEW how my heart desired to win the saddle.  He put a strong seed within me and I worked hard to nourish that seed and let it grow.  I worked hard to stay focused and believe I could do all things through Christ who strengthens me.  There were many obstacles in our way.....horses out running us....injuries...a hit barrel or two...many bad runs....all of that made it look impossible.  Everytime I thought "This is impossible!" I would hear God tell me "Don't you know who I am? Have faith of a mustard seed and I will give you the desires of your heart!"  I would talk to Him outloud saying I had that faith and desired for more.  I wanted it all!  I might have teetered a little, but I never waivered from my faith of winning that saddle.  I knew that I knew that I knew He wanted me to have it.  It wasn't just my desires, but HIS desires!

This year, God has taught me so much! If He can give me a saddle, can you imagine what else there is He wants me to have?  He wants us to be debt free...to continue our journey with horses...to be able to visit family more often...to.....you get the idea!  He wants you to have it all!  Don't doubt Him.  Don't insalt him by rolling your eyes at the thought of the 'impossible'.  Instead, believe in Him.  What do YOU have to change to get where you want and need to be?  Are you willing to do what it takes?  God is....

During this holiday season, go with that mustard seed faith.  But, you can't just carry it around.  You have to nourish it.  You have to read your Bible.  You have to get into a good, bible based church.  You have to surround yourself with people of good faith, morals, and life styles!

As January comes around I am starting all over, but this year my faith is stronger and better.  Maybe I'll win two saddles this year!  Better yet, maybe I'll find ways to lower our debt and live a more meaningful life!  Maybe I'll find a way to give more just as God and Christ have given to me - Selflessly with plans of receiving nothing in return!

This may be my last post until the new year.  We are preparing for our 9 guests to arrive starting next Tuesday.  God bless and have a VERY Merry Christmas!

The Boudries

Pic

Here is another and 1 with my friends.





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Santa

Here are some cute pics of Shelby and Santa.

Not much to report

There has not been much to report in the Boudrie Household.  This week it has been dark, dreery and yucky.  It's the rain we needed all summer and it all came this week.  So, that means a lot of time in the house, which is so not my thing!  It also has been over cast which is yucky.

Between yucky weather, no barrel races, and Ryan working all thet ime I'm about to go crazy!

My camera broke, but not before I was able to take some pictures of Shelby in the snow.  That's been the highlight of our week.    Yes, it has been a slow week!

Last night Shelby and I went to see Colton, Rebecca & Jesse's son, play basketball.  I really enjoyed it and loved the passion of the middle schoolers.  They faught tooth and nail! It was a great game! Shelby and I both had a good time.  Shelby liked that she could scream, squeal, clap and raise her hands in the air with excitement!  I have a feeling she's going to be sports lover.  I hope so.  I am so glad I played all those sports in grade school and high school.  It was a lot of fun, even if I was only ok!

This picture is of our front yard (below)  You can see more pics by clicking on 'Texas Snow" to the right.

Snow....in Texas????

Here are some pictures that have been taken in and around the Houston area today.  The one of Ryan was taken when he stopped by my school. 

Several more pics... http://picasaweb.google.com/rockingrs2008/TexasEvents# (or click on Texas Events)

Christmas at the Boudrie's

Wow! Just this week...we went from 4 people visiting to 9! Crazy how life works. Either way we are looking forward to the company!

We will have Ryan's parents, sister and her boyfriend, Benny. On my side we will have my dad, Charlene, her two younger kids and my grandma! Phew! So I am on search of travel trailers. I got lucky and I have two wonderful friends loaning their trailers out to us.

So we are good to go...Next grocery shopping! Ha ha!

Actually this weekend we will (hopefully) put up our tree. Brenda, Shelby's babysitter, put her tree up today. Shelby was so excited. She kept pointing at it and talking. I could tell she was excited!

We are expecting snow tomorrow. That is exciting! I hope for some accumulation so I can get pics of Shelby in the TX snow. If so I will be posting pics tomorrow. :-)

I have a barrel race on Saturday. I am running shiner (ryan's mom's horse). I haven't been able to run him on the pattern in a couple of weeks and haven't ridden all week. So that should be interesting! I am hoping the weather will force them to cancel.



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George Ranch & Wedding

To see more pictures, click on George Ranch to your right. I thought I'd share the pictures of the George Ranch.  Shelby and I went with some friends to tour it.  What  neat place!!!

Here's a link to some of Cody and Brooke's pictures.

http://picasaweb.google.com/rockingrs2008/CodyBrookeSWedding#

Fun week

This week sure went fast! Having Ryan working everyday but Thursday (including today) has kept me busy. I am trying to get shopping and cleaning dine all while taking care of Shelby. It has been challenging but the extra time with Shelby had been fun.

I got up on Friday at 4:30 to do my Christmas shopping. I hit several stores and was home by 8 am so Ryan could go to work.

Shopping + little time = too much stuff

I probally got more than I needed and I am still not done. So Shelby and I are going to Sugar Land to hopefully finish up.

Ryan and I have a wedding tonight. The break for both of us will be nice. Shelby will be staying home with a babysitter.

It looks like we'll have a full house for Christmas! Ryan's parents, sister and her boyfriend will be here. My dad and Charlene are thinking about coming too. They are still working out the details. Hopefully they'll know soon.

The weather has been really nice here with a high in the 70s and a low in the 40s. I like going outside just to get out. I mowed the lawn the other day. It sure does help having urge zero turn lawn mower. We can mow our lawn in about an hr. It used to take a couple of hours assuming nothing broke! We still need a depenable push lawn mower though. In time...

Well more cleaning to do so I should go. Here's a few pics from the George Ranch where Ryan works. We went to see him on Wednesday.




Ryan on a ranch horse.


She was watching her daddy do a roping demonstration.


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Barrel Racing

Well all I can say is a bad day of barrel racing is better than a good day of work.

Badger is retired. He isnot running to his potential which means he is hurting again. :-(. I had one race left for NBHA and he's not hitting the 2D so there is no point to make him run. I am sure it is his hocks again and we don't have the extra money to get them injected so we'll leave him alone until we can get that done.

Shiner did great in his exhibitions but something spooked him when running in the open. He dodged to the left as we were running to the first barrel. I managed to get him corrected but we lost too much time. The other two barrels were decent. Overall no complaints. He trusted me over his instincts. That's big to me since I am dealing with an animal that has the instincts to run from danger.

I am happy to say Shiner is hunting the barrels and I think I'll just run him now w/o any exhibitions next time. It will be interesting to see what comes of him in 2010.

Shelby was being as cute as a button this morning. Her's a pic of her this morning.


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Fast week

Is it really Thursday night!?! This week flew by! With the shorter daylight hours it seems like the days fly by. Yuck! I always look forward to the shortest day of the year cause that means the long days are on their way back.

It is 6:30 PM and Shelby is in bed. Poor girl had a busy day! I am tired and not feeling well so the early bed time is a bit of a relief. Ryan is still working so I get some me time. I am watching House of Payne. The show makes me laugh!

Tomorrow I have an all day meeting. Then Saturday I have a barrel race in Wharton. Due to the short hours of daylight I can't ride. I did work shiner last night. I was going to pony Badger but he and Twister had other plans.

They are in the front pasture and so I have to open the gate so they can get into the barn. Well they decided they were going to keep walking right on out to the back pasture. I took the hint and let them stay out there.

I later introduced Cowgirl to them with the help of Romeo. Surprisingly the two meanest horses around didn't try to hurt her.

I had to laugh at Romeo cause he just sat back and watched. I think he was as surprised as me when all went well. He then joined the rest of the crew and they all hung out in the back.

In the meantime the neighbor's cows must've had the calves pulled off cause they were bellowing. Then I see them all running out to my horses. Next the horses run back up to the barn and the cows running and bellowing behind them. It was a site.

Well I guess that is it for me. Who would've thought I would type this much using my iPhone. I am getting pretty quick with this typing.

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Sunday

I am enjoying the peace and quiet of Sunday afternoon. Ryan had to go to work from 2-6 PM. Shelby is napping. I am cleaning. Fun fun! The quiet is nice though. My kitchen floor sure does appreciate the TLC. I like the pinesol clean smell. Next the continuation of laundry and the living room.

Yesterday was good. I ran Shiner and Badger. I had to run Badger two times cause the timer quit the 1st time. He did ok but not near as well as the 1st time. Oh well...Shiner is doing really well. He is figuring things out and picking up some speed. I also found the bit that works for him. That us so important!

7 more working days before Thanksgiving break. I am so ready for it. Well back to cleaning.

Here's a cute puck of Shelby.


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Shelby - 13 months

This weekend will be another busy weekend.  Saturday I'm going to run Badger and Shiner at the NBHA race.  It's time to get some runs under Shiner's belt before the new season starts in December.  I sure wish they would wait til January to get started!  Sunday we have church and I think Ryan is working at the George Ranch.  He's considering taking the full time position, but needs to talk to the boss about what that will entail.  I'll let you know once it's all worked out.

I guess that's it.  A busy day so I need to get to it. I just had to share our baby girl....She's growing SO fast.  These pictures make her look like a toddler!  :(

I love these two pictures!  I put more on her link for you to enjoy.  

Test

I got an app on my iPhone and trying it out. This is the coolest piece of technology ever!!!!


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Novice Saddle is Won!!!

Click on Texas Events (right) to see more pictures!!!

What a great weekend! We did it, we won our saddle…and buckle, and headstall, and breast collar, and bell boots, and stirrups. Life is good and so is God. I am so proud of Badger and so thankful for my family. They stuck with me and supported me all year long. What a thrill. Ryan is grinning from ear to ear. I am hoping that I get to put my butt in my new saddle on my wonderful horse!

This year has been a tough year for our country and, at times, for our family. We always manage to pay the bills, but not necessarily with any leftovers. I felt way before this year began that God had put it in my heart that we were to win this saddle. It started with a little feeling, but that little feeling never went away. In fact, that feeling grew and strengthened over time. I would go to church on Sunday after running on Saturday and I would feel my faith growing. I really struggled with this faith throughout the whole year. How could I desire something so deeply that was as little as winning a saddle when I had friends and family around me with illness, loss of jobs, and other life struggling issues. I kept feeling that it wasn’t right of me to desire something like a saddle when others were in so much need. But, I still heard that still, small voice telling me otherwise. God is so good. We really are His children and He really wants the desire of our hearts to be filled. No matter the desires.

I can still remember when I found out I was pregnant and was winning the Novice saddle back in early 2008. I wasn’t just winning, but I was beating everyone. It was AWESOME, but with Shelby on the way I knew I had to let it go. I also knew that I would come back in 2009 and win it! That’s when the still, small voice was first heard.

Fast forward 9 months and I now had a 2 month old, a fat horse and I was so out of shape. We didn’t come into 2009 very strong but we held steadfast and slowly, but surely we started to pick up speed. We had our downfalls and injuries but that voice from deep inside me would still be there telling me we would finish with a saddle in our hands. Slowly, but surely we started climbing up the rankings. Finally, in July we made it to first place, but we still had 4 months of barrel races. We never lost faith and we continued to tread forward. Barrel race after barrel race, run after run we continued to stay on top. However, there was one person who was creeping up and catching up to me. I knew I couldn’t outrun her, I just had to keep running on faith and continuing to believe that it was meant to be.

I think the hardest time I had holding my faith was when Ryan called me at work to let me know Badger pulled his hamstring and would require major rest 6 days before the 2nd to last race. I was devistated. I still had a couple of hours of work left and could do nothing but try to get through my day without balling my eyes out. It was a close call, but I, once again, heard God telling me I can fix this. Trust me, hold your faith, stand strong! I remember thinking…”Yea right! My horse is hurt and I’m told not to run him or we risk him being permantely damaged.” Then I realized I had to hold my faith. I had to believe this was yet another mountain for me to let God fix. It was His mountain. Fighting off tears…I believed that. It appeared impossible for me, but I knew, that I knew, that I knew that mountain was going to be moved.

Then I think of the bible verse “Oh Ye of little faith….” It’s the bible verse that talks about moving mountains with the faith of a mustard seed. I love that verse and held on to it. I never shared it with anyone…just hung on to it.

An hour or so later I get another call from Ryan. I had told him I wanted a second opinion…well he made a call and that 2nd opinion told him to run the horse. It wasn’t going to do any permanent damage. Once again, mountain was moved! We ran one of our best races that weekend! It was AWESOME!

That same day I shared with my Facebook friends my saddness and frustration of what had happened. I had a church friend reply that very same verse (Faith of a mustard seed.). AMAZING! Confirmation that what I was feeling was real.

I also had a friend pray for me at church. She grabbed my hands to pray with me and immediately said I had such strong faith. She was blown away by the faith she had felt. Again, reinforcement from God letting me know he was there with me. He felt my faith and my faithfulness. It was, again, the confirmation I needed to know what I was feeling was not just the desires of my heart, but of God’s heart too.

The saddle winner was not decided until today. I had to place top 4 in order to win the saddle. I knew I could place 3rd cause I knew I couldn’t outrun two of the girls. I was sooooo nervous! I just saw three big blue barrels staring at me…taunting me…reminding me of how important it was to keep them standing. So, of course, the way I ran reflected it. I was sooooo nervous! All I could think about was leaving the barrels up…which I did….but it sure wasn’t pretty doing it! HA!

So to finish this out, I placed 4th in the Novice, but, the good news is, the person who could’ve caught me placed 2nd. So, I beat her by one point! YES! The saddle was mine. I’m so glad this season is over. What a tough race….and what tough competition.

For my horse friends….I was competing against a Jud Little horse and a Bill Meyers (Frenchman’s Guy) horse. These horses are top notch and don’t come cheap. So, I’m very proud of my horse and of us for coming into this as the underdogs and winning!

Aaahhhh….the story of my life! It’s ok…I don’t mind. 

Now, off to try and win another saddle in the 2D with NBHA TX 34. As long as I don’t run like I ran today we will have a chance. I’ll be running Badger and Shiner. Shiner is going to be my new barrel horse next year so I need to get some runs with him before the new season begins.

I have included some pictures that we took, but I hope to purchase some professional pictures and share them too.

Well, back to reality, back to the job.  We also have a dresser we need to put together for Shelby. I’m not sure if I should start it now as it is 9 PM. (Roo Daddy, who is laying my lab, says “NO!”) Her baby changing table has officially fallen apart. It was used when we got it and did not last but a few months after we brought Shelby home. So, we decided to buy her something else that was safer for her to climb on and would store all of her clothes. Her Grandma Boudrie LOVES ebay and Shelby’s closet shows how much! HA!

Ryan got a new job

Ryan got the job at the George Ranch. (http://www.georgeranch.org/).  He starts today as a part time employees.  He will be doing demonstrations of working cattle for guests and school age kids.  He'll even get to demonstrate for one of my schools 3rd grade classes in December.  I can't remember all what he'll be doing, but he'll show how the ranchers push the cattle through a vat (to put a spray on the cattle to keep the insects, etc off of them), roping cattle to brand them as well as some other demonstrations.  He'll be able to take his own horses so our young horses will be getting a good work out with the cattle.  He is so lucky....to paid to ride horses and teach kids!!!  I so envy him!

I rode Cowgirl (2YO) last night.  WOW is all I can say about her!  She did AWESOME!  This was my 9th time (we had to count last night) riding her and she is already learning how to work on the barrel pattern at a walk and walked thorugh the Rodeo Sweethearts pattern with the girls.  I was so impressed!  I don't have the best handle, but I have a bad a$$ 'Whoa' on her.  So, we're good! LOL  I worked on teaching her to set at each barrel last night and she started to catch on.  As I shifted my weight into my saddle she started to slow down and stop on her hind end.  She also has a KILLER turn around the barrel. She is definately something special and I'm so blessed to get to train her.  I will piddle with her this next year so she can mature and get her legs right with the growth plates, etc and then I plan to start running her as a 4 YO in 2011.  I CANNOT WAIT!  Shelby will be older by then as well so we are going to have a lot of fun that year!  SHelby and her pony / Cowgirl and me!

This weekend is the big weekend!  Sunday is my last GCBRA race.  I worked Badger last night in the arena at a trot cause the ground was TERRBILE.  He did great as well. He's feeling really good and anxious to get in there and kick some butt.  So.....off to win a saddle we go!

My iPhone is busted at the time. It doesn't even work.  I try to sync it with my computer and now it's not working at all. I will take it to the Apple store Friday afternoon so hopefully they will be able to fix it.  If not, I'll have to figure out a plan B in regards to having a phone as I can't afford to buy one without getting a plan with it.  THey are like $500 or $600 w/o a plan.  OUCH.  I am praying it will work as I LOVE my phone and being able to access everything with it.

Tomorrow I'm using my leave early pass for work so I can go get Shelby and then run to get my iPhone fixed and then dinner with friends.  I'm looking forward to that.  I hope Shelby does to so we can both enjoy ourselves.

Let's hope for good barrel racing reporting on Monday!!!!  Send me your good luck wishes and prayers!  We gotta keep our head in the game and just make another run....no big deal....right??? :)

Busy Month, Busy Year

Halloween was fun, but Shelby pooped out way too early so we only go to go to a couple of houses.
 Oh well....at least we got some pictures of her. :)  Click Here to see more pictures.

We had a busy day as we went riding at the George Ranch first.  SHelby didn't get an afternoon nap, which proved to be the missing link.  We also got a late start trick or treating with all our friends and their kids.  We didn't leave Jesse and Rebecca's until 7:30.  Shelby is ready for bed by 8 pm.  I was hoping she'd make it for a little while, but we put her in her car seat and that was about the end of it.  Ryan pulled her out and went to a couple of houses but then she got really winey and tired so we put her in her jammies and took her home.

has been one busy school year and fall. Shelby is growing and requires a lot more one on one time when she plays. She is still crawling and exploring the world at her level. Because of this, so have I. You think you have a fairly clean house and then you start crawling around and seeing all those hidden hair balls and dust underneath the furniture! So I find myself sweeping a lot more.


Shelby is getting better about not sticking everything in her mouth. She is slowly becoming more selective but still loves to eat the dirt that Daddy’s boots have left behind. She once put a quarter in her mouth and luckily didn’t like it so took it back out! A favorite of hers (other than the dirt) is eating the little rubber bands that I use to put her in hair. I’m not sure why she likes them or how she finds them but she manages to do both.

Barrel racing has come to a slow the last few weeks. The break has been nice. You can grow tired and weary of the sport you love so much. I guess that’s why there are seasons for sports as well. I have found the few weeks off has been great, but I’m REALLY looking forward to my run next Sunday. It’s the last of the season. I’m in 1st place in the Novice. I’m ahead by 3 points. I’m also 3rd in the Open 2D and one point behind the 2nd place person. So, my plan is to make a smooth, clean run with the hopes of placing in the 2D to move me up to the 2nd place spot to win the buckle and to place 3rd or higher in the Novice to keep me in 1st place and win the saddle. I’ve been doing a lot of prayer and working on my faith. I look forward to reporting good news next week!

Ryan is doing well. His business has slowed a bit from the rain so he is going to interview with the George Ranch tomorrow to see if he can pick up some extra hours demonstrating the cowboy life to guests that come to the ranch. The extra money during the wet, winter months will help. So we sure hope he gets the job.

My job is going very well this year. I’m having a lot of fun with all the exciting projects the teachers are doing with their kids. It’s a lot of fun but leaves no down time for me. I’m thankful to have my iPhone so I can check my work email at home in the evenings after Shelby goes to bed.

Oh, us ITS also received laptops to replace our desktop. Being between two schools is difficult and having the laptop will be wonderful. They are going to give us VPN so we can access are work files from home. I won’t be able to use that as we only dial up, but it’s good to know I can go to my friend’s house and use her wireless if I really need something off of my network drive. I also got a 500 GB external hard drive. So I can put everything I need on there and bring it home each night if I need to. I guess work has been good to me this year. What a blessing to have these items to use. I know a lot of schools don’t have these luxuries!

I still plan to apply to LCISD (a district closer to home) as the jobs come up. It will be hard to get in, but I feel confident it will happen when the time is right. I’m in no hurry with the recession and downsizing as I feel secure in FBISD since I’ve been here for 11 years. But, if the position opens and I’m invited to join their team I’ll take it. I know that it will be the right choice as I have and will continue to pray for the right job for me to get closer to home without losing the pay we depend on as a family.

Our horses are doing great! I have been riding our 2 YO, Cowgirl, a few times a month and got to ride her this weekend at the George Ranch. She did really well. She was more nervous than normal and a little skiddish too, but she settled down once I started working her. I even worked her on the barrels a little while. She is going to have one REALLY nice turn as she learns more about it and what I’m asking of her. I would’ve loved to have her before Shelby and when I had a lot more time. But, this might be good since I can’t’ ride her that much. It will give her time to grow and her bones to do what they need to do so they can be strong and withstand the tough world of barrel racing.


Ryan is beginning to ride Rome (3 YO). I think the two of them are going to get along really well. I had hopes for him and me, but I think he and Ryan are a better fit. I enjoyed riding him and breaking him and now I look forward to him learning how to handle the cattle and how to rope.

We are so blessed to have such wonderful animals on our little ‘ranch’.

The other horses are doing great and are getting some trail riding time. I need to work Badger this week a few times. It’s going to be tough with the time change and it getting dark so early! It was dark at 6:30 last night. YUUUCCCKKKK….I hate that!

Kids say the darndist things!

I'm so sorry for not blogging much lately. I have been SWAMPED at work and home. 

Here is something that will make you laugh....

A third grade class was not able to do their assigned lesson due to technical difficulty so the teacher gave them free time on specific websites. 

1st Kid - Where did you find that?
2nd Kid - You click whatever (meaning click on whatever you want)
1st Kid - Where is "whatever"?

That made me laugh out loud and I just had to share.

All is good with us and I'll try to write this weekend and maybe up load some pics...we'll see. :)

Perspective

I got this from a friend of mine. I thought it was so true that I had to share it! 

Perspective

One day , the father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the country with the express purpose of showing him how poor people live.

They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would be considered a very poor family.

On their return from their trip , the father asked his son , "How was the trip?"  "It was great , Dad."

"Did you see how poor people live?" the father asked.

"Oh yeah , " said the son.

"So , tell me , what did you learn from the trip?" asked the father.

The son answered:  "I saw that we have one dog and they had four.

We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden and they have a creek that has no end.

We have imported lanterns in our garden and they have the stars at night.

Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have the whole horizon.

We have a small piece of land to live on and they have fields that go beyond our sight.

We have servants who serve us , but they serve others.

We buy our food , but they grow theirs.

We have walls around our property to protect us , they have friends to protect them."

The boy's father was speechless.

Then his son added , "Thanks Dad for showing me how poor we are."

Isn't perspective a wonderful thing? Makes you wonder what would happen if we all gave thanks for everything we have, instead of worrying about what we don't have.

Appreciate every single thing you have , especially your friends!  "Life is too short and friends are too few."

Shelby's 1st Birthday

I guess http://www.blogger.com/ has changed how they do things. I was going to upload a cute video.

Here is a link to the pictures we took of her this weekend for her 1st Birthday.  Her hair looks CRAZY so I'm thinking we might have to do another photo shoot next weekend.  There are a few that I really like (they are the first 3)...Her hair just sticks up all over the place.  Of course, being my daugther, she doesn't want me touching it either! HA!

Enjoy!  http://picasaweb.google.com/rockingrs2008/1stBirthday#

Shelby, but I don't see that option anymore.  Bummer...I'll have to see how I can work around that.

Anyhow, this is a picture of her showing of her camo and smiling (while eating chicken...her fav food!!).  I hope to share the video to as she was doing the super cute baby giggle!

Quiet Weekend

I am hoping this weekend will be a quiet one. We have no official plans this weekend and I'm looking forward to have a weekend off from barrel racing.

I hope to ride a few of the horses this weekend. I haven't ridden any lately besides Twister and Badger. So, it's time to get the other ones going again. I hope it is dry enough in the back pasture and I hope it's warm enough to wash the horses. They are all muddy from the rain we've gotten over the last week.

I started writing this and realize I don't really have much to say. Kinda strange when you think about it! HA! I guess we'll see what the weekend brings and go from there. I hope it is low key and I'm able to get some stuff down around the house. We need to do laundry, clean the wood floor, mow the lawn, wash horses, and ride. Fun, Fun...work, work...where's that maid I've been hoping for??? :)

Grandpa Winkeleman goes to DC

Ryan's Grandpa (Nancy's Dad) got to take a free 1 day trip to Washington DC. It was a long day, but he enjoyed himself.

Here's the link to their local news. If it works right, you should be able to click play to view the short video. He is the man being carried on to the plane at the beginning of the clip.

http://www.kcci.com/video/21298678/index.html

Fair Pictures

These pictures are from the fair. I got them off of the photographer's website. I'm trying to find the professional pictures from the PRCA rodeo. Hopefully I'll find them and share those as well.

Shelby & Ryan riding in the grand entry. Stacie carrying the McDonald's flag during the Rodeo Sweethearts routine.

Here's the link for all the pictures of the whole fair.

http://barkerphotography.morephotos.com/mp_client/pictures.asp?eventid=0&eventstatus=0&categories=no&keywords2=no&groupid=%203048&bw=false&sep=false

Shelby and Hog

Here are a couple of pics of Shelby's Bday and the hogs Ryan's friend killed.

To see more, go to Shelby for more bday pics and Texas for hog pics.

Fun Weekend, Great Run

Friday night Ryan went hog hunting and what a hunt it was. They killed a 216 lb hog as well as another smaller one. Wow, it was HUGE! It's tusks were over 5 inches long. Shelby and I stayed home and rested. I think Ryan enjoyed the time away from the everyday life and had a lot of fun hog hunting.

Saturday we hung out around the house until it was time to go to my barrel race in Wharton. It was nice hanging out around the house with the windows open. We also got more rain, but it didn't down poor. It rained off and on.

I hadn't ridden Badger in a week so I wasn't sure what to expect. We had been treating his ham string and I had no idea how'd he do. Apparently everything we had done was working cause we made a REALLY nice run! He ran hard and turned harder. It was AWESOME to say the least. His turns were so tight and smooth I thought for sure we were going to hit the 2nd and 3rd barrel. In fact, I was ready to push the barrels back up if I had to cause I really needed a fast run, but more so I needed a clean run! The third was PERFECT. NEVER in all the years I've been running barrels could I say that. I mean PERFECT!! I was running to the 3rd and I said "Whoa!" and he did! He slid on his hind end and spun around that barrel in no time! I ran a 15.9....my best time in that arena yet! (This used to be my 'bad' arena...) I was sooooo pumped! It was exhilerating!

We then went home and Shelby was already sleeping, so I stayed home while Ryan went to a friend's house to eat Etouffe' (sp?). I was wooped so I didn't mind.

Sunday I went to church and that was AWESOME too. What a great service! It's amazing what you can be given when you ask for it. God is so good and meets you right where you are at. I am anxious to get more involved with my church and get more centered around God. It helps keep me sane when times get tough like they have been the last few weeks. It's been really hard keeping up with everything going on.

I don't have another barrel race until the finals Nov. 8th so Badger will get a much needed rest. I'm just going to exercise him 1-2 times a week and then leave him alone and wait for Nov. 8th. God willing, I'll be coming home with a saddle that day. :)

It is time to start exercising those colts again, so I hope to pull them up and clean them off. I haven't worked any horse except Badger and Twister for a month or so now. So, it is time. It's also time to start exercising Shiner too. I need to get him ready for next season. I'm looking forward to running him, but will miss Badger's laid back attitude.

Well, time to work...I'll try to add pics of Ryan's hog sometime today.

Lawn Mower Fun

Here are some fun pics of Shelby and Ryan having fun with the lawnmower.

This week has already had it's shares of ups and downs. Ryan took Badger in to be worked on and found out he possibly pulled a hamstring. I was originally told I wouldn't be able to run him this weekend, which pretty much left me with no chance to win a saddle. But, God is good and he knew my faith was strong. As the day progressed we learned it would be ok to run him, but we had to leave him alone, warm him up long trotting only, and then make my run and that was it.

I still want to take him to the vet to confirm it is a pulled hamstring before deciding what we'll do after that. It will probably mean some therapy for his leg and time off...and of course money. I'll keep you up to date.

He has two more runs for me before he can 'retire' from barrels. I'll then move on to Shiner full time and Cowgirl will be in training. Romeo is going to go to roping for now as Ryan needs another roping horse and I have my hands full already.

Tomorrow is Shelby's 1st Birthday. We plan to celebrate with cake and ice cream. Yummy! Dustin, Rebecca, Jesse and Colton are supposed to come over for cake and ice cream. It will be nice to have a few others there to celebrate. Just the three of us sounded kinda boring for a 1st birthday. I sure wish we could've been with family for her 1st birthday, but that is ok. This is our life and so she'll know no different. :) We'll share pictures of the big event of course!

Busy Weekend - Shelby eating

This weekend was another busy weekend! Friday night we got a babysitter for Shelby. It was our first time getting an official babysitter. All went well, except Shelby was not happy about being at home while Mom and Dad were at the rodeo. So, she gave Faith a hard time with not going to bed like she was supposed to. She even woke up at midnight when we got home just to let us know! :)

Saturday we left around noon and had to go to LaPorte to a GCBRA barrel race. Badger did MUCH better, but he still has room for improvement. But, I was happy with his run. He didn't fight me like he had been. It felt so good to have him back to himself!!! Poor guy, he must've been hurting pretty bad. The ground was heavy and he struggled with getting around the barrels. I didn't care though, we can't control that. We have two more runs left and we are (I think) 5 points ahead. I have such faith that we will win! I can't wait to share my praise report on Nov. 11th after the last barrel race. :)

After my run, we drove to Rosenberg for the rodeo. The drill team I ride on, Rodeo Sweethearts, did GREAT and it was fun spending the evening at the rodeo. Shelby was very happy to be with us all day. Seriously, she LOVES to go and be a part of it all. Silly girl! It was really loud in there and she was so tired she still fell asleep in her stroller undearneath the announcer stand.

Sunday was church and then hanging out at the house. Later in the day I went to walmart and spent way too much! Arg....life is just expensive! Just diapers and formula was almost $100! I also bought some things for Shelby's bday. She is going to be 1 years old this Thursday! Wow, where did the time go? I still have to buy her a swing and the cake mix and ice cream so we can celebrate with sweets.

Here's the Rodeo Sweethearts Performance from October 3rd. I am the third horse on the side with the black horse leading.

Long Routine:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFboB8aEUpA

Short Routine - 1st Half:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eeAuCBW76DA

Short Routine - 2nd Half:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhST6ThumM0

Below is a video of her eating ham. I started cutting up small pieces for her. Well, I set down the whole piece of meat while I cut up a slice of it. Next thing I know she took the whole piece of meat and started chewing on it. LOL So, I thought that was video worthy. Enjoy! She ate the whole piece of meat and about 10 strawberries. Her belly was solid full. LOL The girl can eat! Then about an hour after she ate I gave her 4 oz (her choice) of formula. Yickes! She eats more than me!

I love ham!!!

Cool Projects at Work

I'm excited to say this year I have a lot going on at work. It has kept me VERY busy, but I'm loving it!

Here's what I have going on....

I currently have 14 teachers who have agreed to have pen pals this year. Our pen pals are from all over...Costa Rica, Michigan, New Jersey, Canada, and Pennsylvania! I'm so excited and can't wait to see what cool things the teachers at my school do with other classrooms across North America!!! We plan to write on a monthly basis as well as video conference once or twice so the students can meet each other. :)

I have a teacher doing 'book trailers' on Number the Stars. The students are going to create a video much like you see with the Movie Trailers sharing information about the book and trying to get the person watching it interested in reading the book.

I have 2 teachers doing a vodcast on TX Explorers using the Smartboard and NB 10 software.

I have almost all of 1st grade at Oakland doing a Wiki with other teachers in the district on the Life Cycle of various animals.

That's all I can think of off the top of my head....it's a lot to keep up with, but it's worth it! Integration at its best!!!!!!

Tonight we are going to the fair to watch the PRCA slack. I have a friend running barrels and I also like to watch the pros and their amazing horses! It's the best part of the fair for me. :) I might even be able to help set barrels tomorrow. I love doing that. I'm in the arena with the best of the best. It's so cool!

We also have a babysitter for tomorrow night. It will be Shelby's first time with a babysitter for the evening. I have left her with friends for a few hours, but not with an official babysitter. Faith goes to my church and has a wonderful family. I know she'll do a super job! It should be pretty easy for her since Shelby goes to bed so early. I will be riding Twister with the Rodeo Sweethearts and then staying to watch David Allen Coe.

Saturday I have a barrel race in LaPorte and then I have to be back to Rosenberg that evening to ride with the Sweethearts again. A busy day! Hopefully Badger will be feeling better and he will make a good, clean run!

Sunday I plan to go to church but not much else.

Here are a few links to YouTube. You can view us girls (Rodeo Sweethearts) riding at the rodeo last weekend.

Long Routine
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udlDKElEKx0

Short 1st Half
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8uFotAU42o

Short 2nd Half
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=caKzDDhtLkA

Hodge Podge - pics/videos

I uploaded pics wrong - so sorry if the words are not with the pic/videos.

#1 - Roo Daddy taking over the entertainment center.
















#2 - Leg Pic
My leg 6 days after Badger slammed me into the steel gates along the alley way. Since then we've had some work on him. His back legs (hocks) were hurting him so I guess he wanted me to feel the pain too. :)




















#3 - Shelby in her 'big girl' car seat.




















# 4 - Hangin' with Daddy (it lasted about 38 seconds then she was on the move again...just like daddy was)...

# 5 - Video of Shelby saying Hi to Ryan through the rear view mirror. :)

Fair Weekend

This was a long weekend. We had the rodeo on Friday and Saturday night and Ryan decided to go to a round robin roping on Sunday. We didn't have any luck this weekend. Ryan did ok in the roping. He was placed 5th as of Friday, but it is likely someone pushed him further down the placings on Saturday. I ran Badger on Saturday and it was a MESS. He went VERY wide and overall it was a TERRIBLE run. So, we had him scanned on Sunday to check for hot spots which indicate soreness. Sure enough, he was sore in his neck, back and hocks. So, we are going to take him to the vet tomorrow to have some work on him. Gulp...it's going to be expensive.

We did place 3rd for All States Roofing in the business man's roping. We could've won if I had known what I was doing. Oh well, we'll get em' next year! It was a lot of fun and Ryan and Wade Watley were GREAT partners. (Wade roped the calf and Ryan pulled the rope off as I grabbed the ribbon off the tail.)

The best part was Shelby got to ride in the grand entry. Let me see if I can find some pics out there. I know plenty of people took pics of her and Ryan and I'll share them with you. She thought the whole parade, music, announcer, crowd was all for her! LOL Silly girl....she was smiling and clapping the whole time!

Tonight Ryan is in the Ranch Rodeo. I am also meeting the girls (Rodeo Sweethearts) at 4:30 to meet and great the adults with special needs. We look forward to that every year. It will be Shelby's first time for both. I plan to dress her up in a cute little Cowgirl Outfit Grandma Nancy bought for her the last time she was in town.

I have learned this weekend it is VERY hard being a Mom, Rodeo Sweetheart, Wife and "Cowgirl" all at the same time. It was exhausting!


Here is a pic of Shiner and me running in Wharton a couple of weeks ago. (http://www.tedsphotoreflex.com/)

Did You Know

Wow, my second post of the day! I'm on fire! Anyhow, i'm just here to share a link with you. This link has sound, but you don't need it. There are no words...

This is called "Did You Know" and it talks about how are world is changing as well as the speed it is changing. Wow, I'm so glad I work with technology, but at the same time it is very difficult to keep up with it all!

http://mediaconvergence.economist.com/

Cold Front

We had a cold front come in early yesterday morning. i was able to take some pics and a video to share. It was so cool to see it! I am not into weather, but I sure can appreciaete a cold front. We didn't have that up north, so it blows my mind everytime I see it. This is the first time I got a pic of it. I had to take with my iphone, so there not the best quality, but still cool!



This looks like the green grass blends right in with the black and grey clouds.

















The trees help put this pic in perspective.















You can see that it's just starting to pass over me with the light clouds on top and the dark clouds in the background. They are pushing towards me.















Here's a video of it.


As for what is going on, yesterday and today have been long for me at work because our server has been down. So, that leaves me with little to do since most of my job is related to technology. Today, I am more productive. I am currently downloading the music teachers music down to iTunes and then I'll upload to her iPod. This is new to me, so we'll see how it goes. It is going to take a LONG time to download to iTunes she has probably 50 or more CDs that need to be downloaded.

As for the home life, we got rain!! That seems to bring excitement to us now that we have 21 acres and six horses to maintain. The grass sure does help with the feed bill. So, Monday afternoon we mowed the grass and worked outside. Yesterday Ryan's work was cancelled cause of the rain so he and Shelby stayed home and hung out while I worked... :( I then had a meeting after school so I didn't get home til 6 pm. :(

This weekend is the start of our fair. Friday Ryan is roping and I'm riding with the Rodeo Sweethearts. Saturday is my day. I'll run barrels and ride with the Sweethearts. Monday night is the ranch rodeo, but before that the Rodeo Sweethearts meet and greet the special needs citizens of our area. I'm looking forward to that and I plan to take Shelby. I thought they would really enjoy seeing her smiling face. :)

I'm not sure about Tues or Wednesday, but Thursday is the start of the rodeo again. So, I'll ride with the Rodeo Sweethearts for the PRCA rodeo. I'm looking forward to watching all my favorite professional cowboy/girls doing what I love the most....RODEO....

So I am sure we'll have plenty of videos/pics to share with you. Especially since this is Shelby's first rodeo! Maybe Ryan will take her in the grand entry on Badger...we'll see. :) I can't because I'm posting the flags with the Sweethearts.

Shelby Riding Twister

This weekend was busy as always. Saturday I had my barrel race in Rosenberg. I didn't do near as well as I had hoped, but I still got some Novice points, so that was good. Badger just isn't clocking like he used to. We are thinking he may have an ulcer so I'm going to see about getting him something to help with that. I have two weeks before my next GCBRA, so that should give him enough time to help him out.

Shiner did well this weekend. He didn't clock as well either, but I'm not too worried about that. It will come with time. I'm looking for consistancy of the pattern right now. I'll worry about the speed later. He even won some money in the 5D. So, yea for Shiner! His first paycheck!

After I ran Badger, Ryan loaded him up and he and some buddies went to Gonzales for a Ranch Rodeo. It didn't go as planned, but they had a good time. They stayed the night in Gonzales and came back on Sunday.

Shelby and I went to church on Sunday. What an AMAZING service! I really felt in tuned and in touch with God. It was AWESOME to say the least. I have been struggling with barrel racing and Badger not clocking. I just felt God was telling me the burning I feel deep down inside is the desires of my heart and he will make them come true. The mountain I am climbing now is there for a reason. So, when I come out on top then I can praise Him for all His glory!

After Ryan got back from Gonzales we had to head up to Rosenberg to ride with the Sweethearts. The Ch 11 news was there and did a segment on a little girl. They also taped us. we're supposed to be on the news this evening at 10 PM. If I find a way to tape it or get the video I'll either send a link or upload it to here.

Below is a video of Shelby riding. She usually wants to hold the reins, but I guess since we were videoing she decided not to do that. Go figure! Anyhow, I just had to share what my little cowgirl is doing now.

Shelby Crawling

Shelby Crawling

Barrel Runs

I put new pics of Shelby so click on her link. As time allows I hope to upload a couple of cute videos of her crawling and being Shelby. :)

This run on Badger has lots of room for improvement, but I thought I'd share. Four more barrel races left. IF I can stay in first place I'll win a saddle. It's going to be tough, but Badger and I will fight til the end.

I have Sweetheart practice tonight, so I plan to take him so I can work him in that arena again. We are running there on Saturday. This used to be my 'good' arena, but lately our timing has not been good at all. I hope being able to practice tonight with no pressure will help me get my head in the game so I can kick some butt on Saturday.

Shiner - He didn't do too bad. As you can see there is room for improvement, especially on the third. But, I'm still proud of him and feel he's coming along nicely. I won't push him until he's ready to roll. That probably will take the rest of this year.

Selling My Truck

I never thought I'd consider selling my truck until it was worth about $500! But Ryan came to me the other night with this idea and he is right. If we sell my truck that would free up some cash to pay off our tractor and lawnmower with the plan to free up some monthly debt.

Oh, why is it so painful when it makes so much sense? We would also get me something a little more economical like a 1/2 ton pickup. I know, I know a car makes more sense. But, I am not a 'car' person and as long as I have to work full time I want something I am happy to drive in 2 hours a day. Since the not working full time is not an option....well you get the idea.

So, I just put the truck on Craig's List to see what happens. I will go through the process and if it sells, great, if not, even greater (well, for me)....Oh the things you do when you have a family.

Anyhow, I guess I write this with the hopes of some sympathy...hahaha...and to try to convince myself this is the right thing to do and IT'S ONLY A TRUCK.....there are people out there that don't even have the money to buy a vehicle let alone a truck like mine.

Anyhow, if I sell my truck then I'll drive the car Ryan's parents gave us until I find a vehicle I like from a private owner (since it will be cheaper). Then, I'll sell the car too. The numbers look great, but the heart feels terrible. Whoooaaaa is me....

Barrels went ok this weekend. That has been another frustrating process. I guess I just want to be first and that isn't going to happen. Badger has the talent, he just doesn't apply himself. I have four more barrel races and if I can just hang on to my first place standing in the Novice I'll be happy. If not, honestly, I'll be very dissappointed in Badger. He has the ability to hold on to it. I'm just not sure if he has the heart. Then, there's me, who tries too hard and probably maeks things work. Ugh!!

Shiner is doing well. We are still at loping the pattern, but he is competitve in the 4D and 5D so i can't complain. Once he gets some more time on him he'll start learning about speed. Right now, I just want a clean, solid run and he's been pretty much giving that to me.

I ran him Saturday in Wharton and he kept slipping on the front end on the turns. So, Ryan put shoes on the front and that seemed to help on Sunday. I made some practice runs at a lope on him and I could feel his confidence building as we made each run. By the time we did the open run he was starting to use his shoes to hold himself up and get around the turns.

Shiner has a nervous side to him. It's probably his running bloodlines so I have to be sure to work through it. We do a lot of walking up and down the alley way and I only push him running him home. I want him to feel confident and relaxed in the arena and going down the alley way. I want him to anticipate it in a positive way. So, I hope to finish this year out with building that confidence so I can come back next year and be ready to run him a little harder. He has the go, the ability to make nice turns, the speed and the heart. He just doesn't have the mind set yet.

Anyhow...that's been my week so far. I guess I need to get back on task. I'll try to add a video or two of Shelby as well as my runs this week sometime.

Shelby is crawling everywhere and I'm having fun taking lots of videos of that silly girl!

Ready For The Weekend

I am so ready for the weekend! This week was VERY long and tiring (is that a word?) week. It rained most of it, so I'm not sure what the deal is.

I also have a bad neck issue. I had my neighbor/chiropractor work on it last week. It felt great for a while, then all my muscles went back to their old ways and now I'm hurting again. Ugh...I'm sure it's stress induced. Hopefully things will slow down soon.

This weekend will be busy. I have a barrel race tomorrow (assuming it won't get cancelled cause of all the rain). It's a big one with buckles, so I am going to attempt to run Badger and Shiner. I really needed to work on both of them, but no luck due to all this rain. I plan to run some exhibitions so hopefully I'll work out some issues and make two nice runs and maybe win some money and buckles. :)

Shelby is getting very mobile and busy. She is wearing both of us out with all of her crawling and eating everything in site including a bug earlier this week. She didn't like the bug and pushed it back out on her tongue for me to retrieve! Good news for the bug - other than a bath, he survived the event just fine.

We also find out today what the results are from Charlene's surgery. We'll know what the plan is for her treatment as well as how far along the cancer is. I'm hoping for the best!!!

Well, time to run...got stuff to do. Hopefully I'll have a couple of nice runs to share with you next week!! I also need to find the time to download some funny videos of Shelby to upload on here as well. Time...boy I thought I was short on it before. I have none now! I really don't know how parents have more than 1 child. That explains why a lot of my horse friends have no more than 2 kids and many of them have 1.

Prayers for Charlene

Today is a big day for my family. My Step Mom is having surgery to remove cancer. Please pray for her and our family as we go through this walk in our lives. I'm also praying that she ends up down here at MD Anderson as it is the #1 hospital in the nation for cancer treatment. I was relieved to hear she would do it if that is what her doctors recommend. I'm praying that do because I want her to have the best chance to not only live through this aggressive cancer, but to be amongst the best of the best! We are blessed to have this hospital in our 'back yard' and I want my family to take full advantage of it!


(This was written last night)

I am starting to believe this is my new life, my busy life. It seems like I don’t have time to breath until the weekend and even then it is limited. Last week was a perfect example.

Monday – I was home for a little while and then I went down the rode to meet our neighbors with Ryan. We didn’t get home til 8:30 or 9 and we still had to put Shelby to bed and then feed.

Tuesday I rushed home and then we went to a friend’s house so I could work Badger on the barrels and Ryan could rope. Again, we got home late. Shelby is such a trooper. She’s used to me putting her in her jammies and then she sleeps in the truck while we load horses and drive home. We then leave her in there with the truck running until we get the horses taken care of. I usually help Ryan feed and then go inside and put her to bed.

Wednesday was Rodeo Sweethearts practice. So, once again, rush home just to get ready to turn around and go back to Rosenberg. We were there til about 9 PM so Shelby fell asleep in her Jammies in the truck while we drove home and took care of horses.

Thursday I told Ryan I was doing nothing and that’s just what I did. I needed that break. I didn’t do too much after work on Friday either.

Saturday we drove to Hallettsville for a two day barrel race. We did ok, but Badger ran past the first barrel and lost some time and, probably, a nice, fat check. Oh well…at least it was clean and he’s running harder. Sunday morning I pulled him out to walk him since the stalls were real small and not a whole lot of room to move around. The stalls are not solid, so the horses can get to each other. At some point, I guess Badger got after one of the horses he could get to cause his back left leg was swollen a little bit. I put some of this clay stuff on it and then hydro’d to help draw the heat out. That helped, but by the time I had to run it was still swollen. I had a feeling he wouldn’t clock real well, but was up and ready to go. He ran REALLY hard, but did not set at all. Part of it was the same problem as Saturday and I’m sure the other part was he was hurting.

Saturday's Run - it's not very good, but thought I'd share anyhow...


I had a chance to win but needed someone to run 1/10 faster than anyone did the day before. The chances were slim, but I was hopeful. Unfortunately I didn’t have that kind of luck and I didn’t draw any checks this weekend.

Speaking of luck…I believe I might have used it all up on Sunday. As I was walking Badger and Shelby in her stroller, I had taken some pics of them with my iphone. I then put the iphone back in the cup holder on the stroller and walked the short distance to where our trailer was parked. I tied Badger to the trailer and then went inside the trailer to take a break from the heat and get Ryan up. I went out to get my iphone and it wasn’t there. Panic, frustrating, every emotion you can imagine was running through my body. I looked over and over the place where I had walked with no luck. I though surely noone walked through here and saw the iphone in my stroller. So, I asked our ‘neighbors’ who were parked next to us and sitting in chairs pretty much the whole time I was in our trailer. They hadn’t seen anything. So, with a last ditch effort and swearing if I don’t find it I’m done with cell phones…I walked up to the office to report it missing. I was quietly waiting in line and making my self sick over the loss of this phone when I heard a lady say something about turning in a phone and that she didn’t have one, but figured someone else would really miss theirs. I started almost shouting “That’s Mine! That’s Mine!!!”…I got my phone back and then hugged the lady two times I was so excited she had found it. All I can say is “Horse people, and, especially, barrel racers are AWESOME people!!!”

Around 3 pm on Sunday we left the barrel race and headed to Eagle Lake to spend some time with friends of ours. It was fun. We even went down to the river and didn’t get back til late. We left around 9 pm, and, once again, Shelby got to start her night in the car seat until we got home. She is such a trooper!

Speaking of our sweet traveling partner, she gets all the attention wherever we go. As we barrel race we see a lot of the same people on a regular basis. Everyone always compliments her and how she doesn’t fuss or cry. She is always content and happy. I feel so blessed that she is a joy to be around, not just for us, but for others. Shelby also enjoys all the attention they give her and let me tell you, she gets a lot of attention!

She also loves riding horses. Now, when she sees me on a horse, she gets all excited and squeals with the plans of getting to ride. Every chance she gets she takes it! This girl was born to ride! I can’t wait til she is big enough to have a pony to ride around on. I guess we’ll have to start looking next summer. Uh oh, that means one less horse for mom in the trailer! HA!

Today (Monday), I struggled with allergies and was pretty lazy til about noon. I then sucked it up and took some allergy medicine and got motivated. I cleaned out the living quarters of the trailer, mopped kitchen floor, cleaned living room floor and pulled up horses to ride. I decided to focus on the young ones so I pulled up cowgirl and Romeo. I had intentions to ride Smoke too, but that didn’t happen. Not enough time in the day or energy is this aging body! After I rode, I told Ryan Romeo is ready for him to start riding and doing the detailed stuff I don’t like to do or don’t have time to do…(side passes, sliding stops, etc) Cowgirl did well. She was a little more stubborn today than normal so I ended up working with her a lot longer than I had planned.

Well, off to another week. I will try to find some time to post pics of our growing Shelby. We have plenty to share, just no time to post and I can’t post from my iphone to here. So, if you have facebook you can see pictures there.

Oh, I almost forgot, Badger and I are still winning the Novice. We only have 4 more shows to go. We have some work to do this week once his leg feels better. He is running really hard, but not setting at all. I’m going to work on that this week. I think it’s time for a bit change. I need a little bit more ‘whoa’ to prepare for our turns. It is so hard to constantly be pushing the envelope, but I guess that is what makes the professional horses and barrel racers great! They can always find a solution and stay on top even if they are fighting it tooth and nail to the end. So, we may not be professionals, but we are determined to win that saddle. So, we too, will continue to fight to hold our own!