How to Survive the Holidays

So I know it has been awhile since I have posted anything. I am stuck in that holiday stress trap. Nothing good comes from being here. Instead of enjoying the holidays, you just get to stress about how to make it perfect.

Creating perfect holidays is a problem area of mine. I am not sure how I developed this fixation with everything being perfect on the holidays but it has spurred some amazing melt downs. I really feel sorry for Coy because he has no recourse for these moments. He has learned to let them go and maybe that is the best thing for him to do.

On December 1, we went to a wrestling match with Brent. The next day I got sick. I fought it all week but Friday I had to go to the doctor. I have a sinus infection. It has been miserable, my head pounds, I am congested and I am exhausted. So I did not get anything done last week. I really mean nothing. I rested all weekend to try and get better. I know if I keep pushing I will just stay sick until after Christmas. It is a couple weeks before Christmas and I just spent an entire weekend at home and did nothing for it.

Monday morning came and I started to panic. When am I going to cook treats for 15 trays, finish shopping, wrap, decorate, work and attend all of the things my kids are in? I have 15 days before Christmas and you really can't count Christmas day or Christmas Eve. Technically I only have 12. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

Here it is. I am throwing in the towel. Whatever gets done gets done. It may not be perfect but as Craig told me on Monday, the sun will still come up tomorrow. This is the solution just let it work itself out and enjoy the season.

I hope all of you take a step back and see that Christmas is just a day and the best thing to do is enjoy it. Even if your candy turns out wrong or you get someone the same gift someone else did, enjoy the moments, your friends and family because they are what it is all about.

So Much To Be Thankful For

"The best things in life aren't things!"

I really like the holiday Thanksgiving. It is not so over done and commercialized like the rest. We have always spent it together with family. Sometime during the day (when the turkey coma has set in) I like to contemplate how lucky we truly are and "give thanks".

I have been trying in the last year to develop the attitude of gratitude. I spend just a couple of minutes each day to look at life and appreciate how great it really is. So I make sure during my morning shower, that I just go through a short list of what I am grateful for. It helps me keep a more positive outlook through the day.

Here is my list:

1) My Children and Husband - What can I say! I have a wonderful husband who is kind, caring, loyal and loving. My children are great kids who are polite, caring and honest. You really can not ask for more than that.

2) Family - The love and support of our family gets us through the good and the bad.

3) Friends and Extended Family - We are fortunate to have a lot of friends. A lot of our friends we consider extended family. They are always there for you.

4) My Horses - Our horses bring us a lot of joy. We love working with them. They are also the reason we have so many friends. Competitions have allowed us to meet a lot of really great people all over the state.

5) Music - Music is essential to me. I love all kinds. It helps me when I am happy or sad.

6) Morning Shower - Yes I love to shower. It is my favorite thing in the morning to be able to just relax with the sound of the water. It is also when I go through my appreciation list.

7) Morning Coffee - I love a good cup of coffee. It makes you all warm and wonderful inside especially when your amazing husband puts on the bathroom counter each morning while you take a shower. So it is waiting for you when you get out!

Each day there are always people, events or things added to the list. I know that I am truly blessed.

Cowboy Prom

Now the moment you have all been waiting for Cowboy Prom.

We left the rodeo a little early to get Racheal's hair done. I am not a very fashionable mom and doing hair is definitely not my thing. I barely do my own. So I made an appointment for Racheal and Amberly. Amberly was still rodeoing so she barely made it to the salon.

Then we went to the hotel for Amberly, Taylor and Racheal to finish getting ready. The girls looked amazing when they were done.

Then Parker and Bill came to pick up Racheal and Amberly. It was so cute. They put the flowers on the girls. They were shaking so bad. I was trying to pin on their boutonnieres because the girls wouldn't and you could feel them tremble. Oh how nice it would be to be young again! My favorite picture is him putting her flower on. He is so sweet to her.

They went out to dinner before the dance. There are very few food choices in Hurricane to they went to the sports grill. Racheal said the steak was really good. Leave it to her to order steak. I hope her husband is rich.

They went to the dance for awhile. I think they all had a really good time.

Wrestling

Brent is trying a new sport this year wrestling. He has tried most of the other sports basketball, baseball, and such. The sport he has ever stuck with is rodeo.

He is working really hard at this. He gets up by himself at 5:30 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays to lift weights. Then he goes to practice after school from 3 to 5. I am impressed so far by the dedication he is showing.

The day before we left for St George, he had his first competition. I was surprised by how much he had learned. In his first match, he really held his own. He lost by points but it was a pretty close match. The second match was not so great. The kid he wrestled was definitely more experienced. He got Brent down. Brent tried really hard not to get pinned but he does not know enough moves to get away yet. So he got pinned hard.

I thought that it may be enough for him not to want to do it anymore but he went right back to practice this week. If nothing else, wrestling will teach him discipline. It will be good for him.

Maliyah's First Horse Ride

Coy picked up Mariah and Macenzie a couple of weekends ago. They wanted to come ride horses while the weather was still nice. We were hoping they were going to spend the weekend but they could only stay one day.

Since the girls were down, Michelle decided to drive down with Maliyah. She is almost one year old. It was her first time around the horses.

She was so cute. She instantly fell in love with them. She just petted their faces and wanted to touch them. We had to watch her a little cause she wanted to touch their eyes.

Then we put her on with Mariah. She was so excited. She just waved her arms and bounced up and down. She smiled and smiled. It was so cute.

Then I put her on with me. I am really careful for the first ride to not scare them. So usually we just walk. However, she was having so much fun that I decided to try trotting. She loved it. She was trying to kiss to the horse like I was to go faster. It was hysterical.

Watching kids wonder and love to be with the horses makes all worthwhile. When I am independently wealthy and don't have a job that I have to go to everyday, I will have a place to help children through relationships with horses. That is my goal. I love to work with children and my horses so it is a perfect combination.

Racheal's First Prom Dress

Racheal has been asked to Cowboy Prom by Parker. She was not sure if she would be feeling up to going at first. So did not decide until last week to tell him yes. Poor guy.

The prom is Friday November 16 in St George during the High School Rodeo down there. So we only had a short time to look for a dress.

Saturday we went shopping. We went to a really cute dress shop in Spanish Fork. The lady there was extremely nice.

Before, we went I thought how is it going to be to shop with a girl who really should have been a boy. One that never wears a dress let alone dress up. It turned out to be a lot of fun. Racheal really enjoyed trying on all of the different styles. Some of them made us really laugh and others she looked absolutely amazing in. There was also a big family there looking for a wedding dress and they were voting on Racheal's dresses. It was great to have other people to help us make the decision. They were so funny.

Well it came down to 2 dresses. The blue one which I really liked the way it fit her waist and the green one which just made her sparkle. The final vote was the green one. It is so pretty and this picture does not even come close to how it looks on her. I will get better pictures on Friday when she is all done up.

All Around Youth

On Saturday November 3, Brent received his first belt buckle.

We went to the awards banquet for PHSC. He won the All Around Youth for the year. All Around Youth must show in Halter, Performance and Speed Events.

He has been anxiously awaiting the banquet. He kept asking if it was this week. It is a long time to make a kid wait from September to November. I was not sure he would make it.

He is really proud of his buckle. He wears it almost everyday!

13 Already

On October 28, Brent turned 13. Wow! I can not believe that I have two teenagers.

Everyone says that you have to worry about girls more than boys. I completely disagree. With Racheal, I really never worried about boys at 13. Brent already has a girlfriend who is a year older than him. He has already kissed a girl. (I am sure he will be mad if he reads this. )

Brent is affected a lot more by what people think. He tries to make everyone happy. So my concern as the parent of a teenager is he will be more willing to listen to his friends. Brent does however have a very strong conscious. He really tries not to sensitive to others.

He has really grown up in the last year. Not only by increasing his size, but he has become very independent. That is really hard for me. I want him to be independent but I felt more useful when he relied on me more. I am sure most parents go through that same conflict.

He has decided he is going to try wrestling this year. So far he has been really responsible with it. He gets up 2 days a week at 5:45 to go to weight lifting. Now we just need to make sure his homework stays caught up.

Even though he is a teenager, I am really lucky as a parent. Brent is an honest kid. I really mean it. He even tells on himself if he has done something wrong. Who could ask for anything more than that!

Qualified for Nationals

Well, life may be getting back in order after Racheal's accident. She is getting a little better each day. However, it is taking way too long for her. She wants to be better now.

So I wanted to start getting up to date on my blog. The weekend before her accident, we went to a 3 day rodeo for National Little Britches in Panguitch. Racheal and Brent are trying to go to the National event. It will be held in Colorado in July 2008. They both had a a fairly good rodeo overall.

Brent had a rough start on Friday. In his first event Breakaway roping, his horse stopped faster than he anticipated and Brent rolled off of her. Luckily, he was not hurt and went on to place 2nd in the Flag Race and he had his best goat time yet. Saturday he did better. He placed 3rd in the Flag Race and 3rd in Breakaway. He did not fall off the second day and roped his calf great. Sunday, he placed 3rd in the Flag Race and 2nd in Breakaway. He also beat his best goat time from Friday. So Brent qualified for Nationals in Flags and Breakaway.


Racheal had a pretty good rodeo on Friday. She placed in Barrels and Poles. She came out to win it in the Breakaway roping. She roped the calf in about the 2 second spot but she barely missed her slack and the calf ran through her loop. It was such a pretty catch. I wish she could have followed through.

Saturday was a completely different day. Sometimes when you start off on the wrong foot you stay there all day. She missed in the Team Roping for the second day. Actually, I will take that back. She caught both days and both days missed her dally. It really put her in a bad mood. So since she was convinced the rest of the day needed to end up like the first event, it did just that. She could not put it back together mentally on Saturday.

After a little tough love discussion on Sunday about taking a rodeo one event at a time, she came back better on Sunday. She placed again in Barrels and Poles. She beat both of her times from Friday. She also placed 3rd in Breakaway. She drew the worst calf and still came out and roped him in 6 seconds. I was proud of her for getting back on track on Sunday. She is also qualified for Nationals in Barrels and Poles. She only needs to place at one more rodeo in Breakaway to qualify.

The weekend was cold but a lot of fun. We spent the weekend with a lot of good friends and some new ones that we met at the rodeo.

Life Can Change In An Instant

Last Monday, we had the scariest moment of my entire life as a parent. I was doing normal tasks shopping at WalMart when Wendy called. I did not think much about and decided to call her when I got out to the car. When I listened to the voice mail, my heart stopped. She said Racheal had been thrown from her horse and I needed to call her right away.

When I called her, she said she had called Coy and he was on his way. So I called Coy and he said that he was right behind the ambulance and he would call me soon. I was flying down the freeway about 90. The next call I got was to go straight to the hospital.

So I rushed home threw the groceries on the counter and got to the hospital. No one prepared me for what I would see when I got there. Racheal was strapped to a back board and her neck and head were immobilized. That was scary but not the worst part. She could not see me. Actually, she could not see anything. She kept asking why she could not open her eyes but they were wide open.

She went back and forth between being scarred and being mean. She would panic and try to rip everything off of her. We had to hold her arms down. We were only at a the hospital for 10 minutes and they decided to transport her to Provo. So I climbed in the ambulance with her and Coy got in the car behind us.

The entire ride was horrifying. I was trying to be as calm as I could for her. It was so hard. I kept trying to get her to relax and breathe. She could not remember anything from one minute to the next. She would ask where she was, what happened and if we could take these things off of her again and again and again. Then she would ask why should could not open her eyes. Then she would tell me she loved me. She kept asking me not to leave her like that was even an option.

This is where I have to say my first of many thanks. I knew one of the EMTs in the ambulance. She kept me calm and told me it was normal for someone who hit their head that hard to not be able to remember and ask the same questions over and over again. Without her in the ambulance with me, I would not have made the ride.

When we pulled in to the hospital and opened the doors, there stood Coy's brother Troy. I have no idea how he got there before the ambulance. He told her that he was there. The ambulance people said look Rach it is your dad. But she knew. She said that is not my dad that is my uncle Troy. I almost celebrated because she knew who he was.

When they got us to the trauma room, they tried to get Coy, Troy, Amber and I leave. I guess you are only allowed one person in the ER. I just looked at the nurse and told him I wasn't going anywhere. He turned around and walked out. So I went through X-ray and CT Scan with her.

Around 10:30 p.m. she could start to see colors again. Then about midnight, she could recognize faces up close. She started to know where she was.

We were very fortunate. There was not a single broken bone. I was sure by the size of the dent in the side of head that her skull was fractured but it wasn't. There was also no bleeding in the brain. I could not believe how blessed we were.

They admitted her to the hospital. Then she started throwing up. I guess this is also common for someone with a head trauma. So threw up until late the next morning. By Tuesday afternoon, the throwing up had subsided. They watched her until Wednesday and then let her come home. There is not greater feeling after an incident like this to have your family all home together. Racheal and I both slept when we got home for awhile.

She is getting better each day but it may take a month for her symptoms to let up. She has a hard time with light, noise and concentrating. She can not ride for six weeks. I think this is the worst part for her.

Now to the many thanks. You really know that you are cared about and that there are really good people in this world when things like this happen. There were so many things left up in the air when we took off for the hospital. Brent was riding the horses home. When he got home, Wendy helped him put his horses away. She put my groceries away and took care of Brent till his grandparents came to get him. Everyone offered to take Brent for the night. Someone else went and got Coy's truck from the fairgrounds and brought it home. Someone fed our horses the next morning and took our garbage to the curb. People brought us dinner and so many gifts for Racheal. I could not even begin to express how much that meant to us. How important it was not to have to worry about all of these things and just focus on Rach.

My very first thanks though has to go to Preston, Devun and Wendy. They were there when it happened and they got Racheal the help she needed right away and stayed with her until help was there. They are truly her angels and my heroes.

New Indulgence

I usually read mostly non-fiction books. They are usually focused on improving yourself. However, every once in a while I do take some time for entertainment.

My friend McKenna recommend Twilight (The Twilight Saga, Book 1). This is the most amazing series. I was totally hooked in the first few chapters. I completed all three books Twilight (The Twilight Saga, Book 1), New Moon (Twilight, Book 2), and Eclipse (Twilight, Book 3) in less than a month.

When she first told me that this was a book about a young girl who falls in love with a vampire, I thought there is no way I would be interested in a book like this. I was completely wrong. Not only was it interesting, I completely fell in love.

I don't want to give any spoilers. But, you will be in love with Edward Cullen by the time you finish the first book. You really need to read it for yourself. So take some girl time and indulge.

Of course Racheal and I started reading it together. Before we were part way through the first book, Coy was hooked too. But don't tell anyone that he liked.

Racheal is going through Bella and Edward withdrawals. I miss them too. I can not wait for the fourth book. It does not come out until 2008.

Sweet 16

Racheal turned 16 on September 30. I am not really sure how to react to that.

I am happy and sad to see her grow up. I don't want to let her go but she is turning into such a beautiful person that it is exciting to see what she will become.

I am very proud of her. She is genuinely nice to people. She has a strong sense for what she wants from life. She does not let others take advantage of her. She works hard. She is trying to complete all of her high school credits early so she can work on college credits her junior and senior year.

I am really lucky to have such a great teenager. I know most parents don't say that, but she is pretty honest with us. I am sure she has some secrets. We all do. She lets us know what she is doing and who she is with. She helps us with all of the horses and a lot around the house. Thankfully she is not completely boy crazy yet. She likes them but keeps them in perspective to her other goals.

The next couple of years will be interesting but hopefully we can continue to work things through.

Top 5 Finish

We went to the High School Rodeo in Richfield over the weekend. It was not the best weather to hold a rodeo.

Racheal has been really stepping up her roping practices. On Wednesday at rodeo club, her uncle Larry gave her a really good suggestion to help with her breakaway roping. It worked great. She was catching almost everyone in practice after that.

So Friday in Richfield she was really focused. She roped her calf in 3.63 seconds. She placed 5th in the breakaway out of 115 ropers.

We were very proud of her. That is 2 rodeos in a row with points and qualifications to go to the State Finals.

High School Rodeo Success

On Saturday September 15, we went to the High School Rodeo in Delta. Although, we said that we were not going to do as much High School Rodeo this year, we still are going a lot.

Although Racheal has tons of success in showing, she struggles with rodeo. Racheal is an excellent rider and a great trainer. However, she has serious confidence issues when it comes to rodeo. She over thinks everything. She doubts her and her horses' abilities. We all know what happens when you think negative, negative things happen. She proves herself right all the time.

I have tried and tried and tried to talk with her about thing like visualization, positive affirmations, goal setting and other things that make the difference in becoming a champion. But, she thinks I am crazy and that those things don't really work. I have explained that all of the great champions use them from Michael Jordan to Michelle Kwan. She does not want to hear it. She likes justifying her inability to herself. It makes her feel like she is right. Unfortunately, justifying your feeling and making yourself think that you are right is a very powerful motivator. It is a trap a lot of us fall into.

As a parent at this point all you can do is advise. It takes a lot of effort on their part to incorporate these positive habits into their lives. Unfortunately, you can not do it for them. Our only resolve was that if she was not going to take become a rodeo champion seriously, they we were no longer going to pay for it. So this year she started to pay all of her entry fees. We thought at least if she had the pain, she would practice more.

She really has become more dedicated to her practice. She is out at least 4 to 6 days a week on her horses and practicing the right things. I am not sure how long it will take for her to start working on her thinking but at least it is a start.

Back to the rodeo, Preston and Racheal did really well in the Team Roping. She has been struggling with her dally. So when she got it on Saturday, I am sure everyone at the rodeo heard me. I was so excited for her. I did not even care if they placed but then they announced their time and it was really good. I was even more excited.

The placed 8th out of 100 and something teams and they qualified for the State Finals. Racheal really wants to go to State Finals this year. So maybe that is a goal to start with!

2-Handed Show Nephi

We held our last 2-Handed Show in Nephi on September 13. Brent was still hoping to win the all around buckle. He really came to show. He looked so much better than he had in the last couple of shows. In the end it was not enough points to over come Jordan though. However, I was glad to see him put some real effort into it.

The show had a great turn out. His division was really tough. The top four kids all night were really good at showing and they rode some really nice horses.

Brent did well in Showmanship. He looked really sharp but his horse took a step and that cost him. He placed 4th. He won the Western Pleasure class. I don't think there has been a time this whole season when he and that mare worked so well together. Their work was almost flawless. I was so excited when he took first. He placed 4th in Equitation and Trail. Overall he had a really good show. The best one he has had on her all year.

Racheal rodeo a palomino colt she had been working on for a friend of her grandfather's. The colt is especially sweet and well dispositioned. Racheal has been working with her a lot. It seemed to pay off. Although the horse is only 2, she did really good for her first show.

She was a little on edge in the Showmanship and Western Pleasure but Racheal got by with her. We were just glad there was not a wreck. Then she had a nice Equitation pattern and took first. Then she had a really good Trail pattern and took first again.

We were all really proud of Racheal during trail. In the back through the L, the horse started to get really nervous. It could have been a really bad thing. However, Racheal was amazing. She totally kept her head and relaxed the colt and got her through. It was great to watch a child who usually has very little patience, exert an enormous amount of patience and skill.

It was a really good series. All of the kids in the series and their horses have really learned a lot this year. You can see such a dramatic change in all of them. I have a soft spot for this program which is why I work so hard for this series each year.

PHSC Show Mt Pleasant

We went to our final PHSC show in Mt Pleasant. The day was important for Brent to win the All Around Youth.

I wonder some days if he really wants it. Maybe we are the ones who want it for him. He went out in Showmanship and just half did the pattern. In the Youth Pleasure class, he could have had the winning ride. He started off looking great. Then half way through the class, he just quit riding and let the horse do whatever.

I am not really sure what the problem was. It could be that we have just done too much competition this summer. This the second one this week and we have rodeo finals on Monday. That is the reason my blog title is finding balance. I am not really good at balancing work, competition and down time. Down time is really hard for me. I need to be constantly doing something. However, I am sure that my kids would like more down time.

He still won Youth Pleasure for the year. So that is a good accomplishment. He tied for first in Youth Barrels for the year. He had a really nice run on Dasher. With a little work, Brent and Dasher could come together for an all around horse. We will see if we have him that long.

Mac was a completely different horse in Halter. He actually stood squared for Racheal. I am sure that made her feel better. He was still a run away in Pleasure but he looked better in Discipline on the Rail.

Mac is really fast. I thought he would be but today I really came to that realization. I was amazed watching him run barrels. Racheal just slow loped him because he is still learning. However, he has a lot of speed left. I just hope she will decide she has the ability to really run him.

She is struggling with her confidence. I am not sure why. Racheal is really an amazing rider. She has a really touch for training colts. However, she is not convinced she can compete with everyone else. One day when she really decides she can out ride and rope everyone, she will. There is no question. However, winning is much of a mental game as it is a physical one.

2-Handed Show Ephraim

We went to the 2-Handed Show in Ephraim on August 30th. Racheal took Mac and Brent rode Sass. She really lived up to her name that night.

Brent started off with a good Showmanship class. He placed second and Sass worked pretty good. She could have done better and he could have been a little more sharp. Then we went to Western Pleasure and it kinda fell apart. She was being especially sensitive to not being with Mac. So she tried to put her head down and be a little broncy. (I am sure broncy is not a real word just a word horse people made up. :) Anyway, he got by in Pleasure.

Then he went to Equitation. He kicked her into a lope and she dropped her head and really tried to buck. He got a hold of her. I am sure the other parents did not appreciate us but I yelled for him to kick her butt. She can not get away with that behavior. She definitely needed to be disciplined immediately. Needless to say, he got a white and last place. Your horse bucking a class drops you to the bottom. The most important thing was he stayed on top and made her mind.

It made a big difference in Trail. She had settled down and she worked a decent pattern. He took 3rd. Then he stayed after the show and made her lope by herself in the arena.

Racheal really loves Mac. She really wants him to break out and become her back up rodeo horse. There are 2 problems with him. One he is a lot of horse. You can ride him for hours and never wear him out. The second is he just a little wild, spooky, and untrusting. We will see if she really has the resolve to get him broke.

He did much better in Showmanship this time. I think she felt a little better about him. However, he is not a Pleasure horse. So even when he was behaving in the Pleasure class, he was not working as well as the other horses. But most of the time he was misbehaving. He did a little better in Equitation. He actually had a pretty good Trail pattern. The only obstacle she truly skipped was the slicker. He still has issues when you pick things up when you are on his back.

Overall he had a better show than the last one. This is the important thing as she tries to train him. He just needs to make little improvements. I hope he does not totally frustrate her before he settles down and start to act like a real horse.

Steer Riding Over?

On Labor Day, we went to CUJR finals. The kids did not have enough points to win the year end except Brent had a chance to make up some points in Steer Riding. However, he had to ride 2 that day. The 2nd one was is the short go.

Well, he did not get the first one rode. He was disappointed. He had to come back in the short go. It did not go well. He got thrown in the first 2 jumps but then the thing that happens frequently in riding did. He got kicked twice. The first one got him in the shoulder just on the other side of the vest. So it was nice and brusied. The second one got him in the leg. It tore a hole in his pants and he had cuts on the back of his knee and leg.

Of course, I caught the kick on film. The 2 pictures of his second ride are included. The second picture is pretty cool. I was really worried about him until he got up. Then I knew he was okay.

I am wondering if this will be the end of his rough stock riding. He does not seem to be as interested in it. He has not asked to ride in Little Britches that starts in October.

I will just have to wait and see. I am perfectly happy with him being a roper.

Cute Rodeo Pictures

I have some good pictures of the kids at rodeos in the last couple of weeks.


The first picture is Brent getting thrown from a steer. It looks much worse than it was. He did not get hurt. He only made it a couple of jumps out of the chute.




The second picture is Racheal waiting in the rope box. She looks like Hollywood cowgirl. What a cute expression!





The third is the picture of Brent behind the chutes. It is one of my new favorites.

Benefit Rodeo

We went to a benefit rodeo a couple of weekends ago. It was a junior rodeo but we allowed the adults to compete as well. The rodeo was so much fun. The adults were great entertainment.

The chute dogging was so funny. Chute dogging is an event where they let a steer out of the chute and the person has wrestle or put them to the ground. The men were so funny. They were all macho out there. Coy's brother Troy took second. A picture of him dogging is on the right.

The other funny event of the day was the adult goat tying. They were trying to get off as fast as the kids and several of them biffed it. They all had a lot of fun competing though. Everyone thought we should have another rodeo like this.

Brent's friend Shad had a good calf ride. There is a picture of him. He is so cute.

Good People Part 2

We have a really wonderful extended rodeo family. We rodeo a lot. Most weekends we spend with the other families who have kids that rodeo. The great thing about the sport of rodeo is the camaraderie. Although the kids are out there to compete as soon as they are done with their event they are all behind the chutes or in the warm up arena hanging out together. They help each other get ready to ride rough stock, rope or run. Then they cheer for one another.

One of the mother's from our extended family has been diagnosed with cancer. The cancer is feeding from her aorta valve on her heart. Her husband has used all of his vacation time this year to haul the the boys to high school rodeo. Now he has to run her back and forth to SLC and he has no paid time left. There are a lot of expenses when I loved one has a serious condition.

Wendy and Casy who are in charge of CUJR decided to have a benefit team roping and rodeo for them. The team roping was on Friday and the junior rodeo was on Saturday. There were a ton of people who volunteered to help. People put a lot of time into the events.

The event went really well. A lot of people showed up to participate and show support. I was in tears several times over the weekend. I was absolutely amazed by people's generosity. One guy who won over $400 in the team roping just turned his check back in. He is newly married and they don't have a lot of money. The people in charge of the dinner on Friday donated food and tons of preparation time and then they came back and worked all day Saturday. Other people just put money into hat. At the junior rodeo, entire families were turning back in their winnings for the day. People truly are good. We just need to open our eyes to see it.

Good People Part 1

As you watch the news or listen to others, you hear a lot of stories about how bad people are. You hear about the predator who kidnaps and kills a little girl or the gangster who shoots at random people. You begin to wonder if people are good are bad.

I have traveled a lot for the different companies that I have worked. I have even travelled internationally. When I go to some place new, the thing that I find is that people are basically the same. We all want to raise our children, find meaningful work, and have a purpose for our lives. People are generally good and if you are nice to them they are nice back.

Last week I decided that I was truly blessed to be associated with so many good people and a lot of friends who are extremely kind and generous. It started on Monday afternoon. Coy called around 4:30 p.m. to say that our basement had 3 inches of water in it. Apparently, there was something that clogged the line leaving the house and all of the water that they had use during the day had come back in through the floor drain in the utility room. Unfortunately, the week before was the county fair and the we hauled hay all day Sunday. So we had more than a weeks worth of laundry to do. Racheal was trying to help me out and she did like 5 loads of laundry and ran the dishwasher. It put a ton of water into the basement. What a mess!

We did everything we could to get as much water out as possible. We moved everything off the wet carpet and tried to minimize the damage. We could not run any water. It would just come back up the drain. You take the ability to use your bathroom, shower, wash your hands, and brush your teeth for granted. Coy had to work the next morning at 5:00 a.m. and there was no way any of could go to bed without a shower. So our first saving grace was our friends Jay and Jen letting us shower and crash at their house. We showed up at midnight. I felt like a refugee but they were so nice to us.

Tuesday we needed to get that carpet out. It was way too wet to dry and clean. It had soaked not only the pad but about ten inches up the wall board. As soon as we could, we started to tear it out. Coy's parents and brother came over. Then Jay and Jen came over. We made short work of it. They were amazing. We told Jay we were having a hard time getting a plumber, he called a friend who is a plumber. He came over within an hour.

Then as other friends heard about our problem, they started showing up to help. If we needed anything, they would call people that they know. They even got us discounts for services. By the end of the day, we could sleep in our house again and most of the basement was clean.

Since Coy was at work, there was no way I could have gotten all of that done. We are just so lucky to live in a community where people come together like that.

Day 2

So I finally got the second day video to post to the blog. Racheal was watching and not filming. So there is a spot where they are off frame.

Brent did make a qualified ride and placed 3rd. I will post more pictures soon.

Brent Second Ride

Brent First Steer Ride

CUJR August 3rd Brent rides his first steer. He gets thrown in 2 jumps but he tried it.

Brent First Ride

Okay here it is Brent's first ride on a steer at a rodeo. I have so many cute pictures of him getting ready that it will be hard not to post them all. I have also uploaded the video.

This is him behind the chute's. He is a scrapbook kid. So when his mom says his name, he turns and smiles.

Shad has a lot of experience riding. He helped Brent get his glove and vest on.

Well as you can see on the video, Brent only made it a couple of jumps. Then he fell off. I tried to get a picture of him but all I got was him coming off.

Quick Update

Check out the cool new slideshow I created. It is at the bottom of my blog.

Cowboy Friends

On July 28, we went to the PHSC show in Richfield. We took Brent's best friend Shad. They both love horses, rodeo and roping. I have the cutest picture of them before the show against the rail on the race track. Aren't they the cutest cowboys!

They both had a really good show. We had problems with the wasps in the arena again. Sass was being really difficult with Coy. So we decided it was best for Brent to make do in the Youth Pleasure with Dee Dee. We had not even washed her.

So we hurried and put him on her and Brent and Shad went to warm their horses up. She had a really good warm up and was working pretty relaxed. We entered them in the show ring for their class.

I was not really paying a lot of attention to them getting started but then I looked up and Brent was off his horse walking down the arena. I wondered what could have happened. I ran out to the arena.

Apparently all of the people in the arena had stirred up a wasp's nest in the one corner of the arena. When Brent and his horse got there, they started attacking her. Horses are extremely sensitive to stings. She tried to rubBrent and the wasps off on the fence and then she tried to lay down with him. He just bailed off. It was the best thing he could do to not get hurt.

When I got up to her she was physically shaking. I had to rub her down and then just try to calm her. She finally settled and they sprayed that corner of the arena. Needless to say, she did not work like a pleasure horse but she did better than I thought she would. Brent ended up second in the class and Shad took third. The points will keep him first overall for the year. The pictures to the right are after their class.

We had awhile before their next classes. They had a blast running around the fairgrounds with their other friends Tate and Bowdee. They were roping, checking out the barns and race horses.

The competition in the youth speed events was tough. Shad, Brent, Bowdee and Tate have no fear in going fast on a horse. They all placed differently in each event. Shad placed first in Poles and Keyhole. Brent placed 3rd in Speed & Intelligence and 3rd in Keyhole. The kids beat the times of most of the adults. Everyone was commenting on how well they compete.

2-Handed Show Richfield

Thursday July 25, we went to a 4H 2-Handed Show in Richfield. Brent took his colt Sass and Racheal took Mac out for his debut. She has not shown him before. It is time for him to start gaining some experience in arenas other than ours.

Mac has always been a lot of horse to handle. As a 2yr old he bucked a lot. We took him to a trainer at 3. The trainer did a good job with him but he was still not easy to handle.

Then Racheal came to us and said that she really wanted him. We did not really want her to ride him because we were nervous that he would not be good with her and did not want to see her hurt. However, she gets along really good with him. They seem to connect.

He did not stand very good for Halter.

He did fairly well in Pleasure. His shining spot was Western Equitation. He had a beautiful pattern. Then came trail and we just hoped Racheal stayed on top. He was scared of the slicker and would not go near the white line for the circle they needed to put their feet in. So she only did 3 of the 6 obstacles. He did the 3 really well though.

Sass on the other hand was an angel at the first show and a complete brat at this one. There were a lot of wasps at the arena. I think she got stung during the Pleasure Class. She actually bucked with Brent. She has never been one to buck. Then she was difficult the rest of the show.

I was amazed by Brent. He handled it so well. He really likes to win and he just shrugged his shoulders with a cute smile. He knew he did the best that he could with a horse that would not cooperate. I have to update the points but I think he still may be 1st overall in the series.

You can see from both of his pictures that he had a good attitude at the show.

Children's Dreams

So what is a mom to do about children's dreams?

My son Brent has always wanted to be a bull rider and roper. I have pictures of him with a rope from the time that he could walk. During his early years, Brent never liked cartoons. His favorite video was rodeo bloopers. I found every rodeo video I could for him. Even home movies of his dad and uncle Troy in High School Rodeo and old NFR tapes. He simply would not watch anything else.

He roped everything and still does. But he also rode everything. He would pretend everything was a bull the arm of the couch, the rocking chair and even a Christmas popcorn tin.

I have tried for years to ignore the bull riding part. I made sure he had ropes and rope horses. I also made sure he never entered calf or steer riding in the junior rodeos. Now he is 12 and he still wants to become a bull rider. He watches the PBR tour. He knows all the cowboys and bulls. He even has the bull riding playset.

I keep thinking that if he gets thrown hard once, he will no longer want to do it. At least I hope that works. So I have finally consented to let him ride a steer in the next junior rodeo on August 3. I definitely will not be able to watch. His dad will have to take pictures.

I struggle with the as a parent I can say no but what about his dreams. So we will see how it goes. Maybe it will hurt and he wont want to do it anymore but what if he still does?

How much is too much or not enough?

On Saturday July 7th , we picked up my niece and nephew in Price. They are my brother's children from his second marriage. Due to drug and alcohol abuse, they spent a year in foster care away from their mother and his rights have been terminated. So to say the least they have had a rough time.

Their current situation is not any better. They live with their mom. She has 3 kids, is not married and no child support. Don't get me wrong I know mom's who do this but not this one. She spends money on cigarrettes and things other than what the children really need. For example, she has enough money to smoke but not pay the propane bill so her kids can have hot running water.

I don't feel sorry for her. She choose to get pregnant with 3 different guys all out of wedlock. She chooses to use drugs and alcohol. If she truly was dedicated to those kids, then I would not think twice about helping her and the kids.

We tried to get custody of the kids a couple of years ago. However, the laws in the State of Utah are stupid. A mother can use meth while she is pregnant and still keep her kids. I think she should go to jail for life.

So we do what we can for the kids as often as we can. I send them things they can use like socks, toothpaste, paper for school and other usable things. I never send money but she would waste. I try to have them stay with us a few times a year. This time we had them for a week.

Here is where the difficulty comes. I see bringing them here as providing a refuge to them. They actually get to bath and as my nephew puts it "eat real food". My kids try to be tolerant of that but after a few days they want their lives back. I know that my kids care but I wish they would be a little more giving and perhaps they wish I wasn't. So the real question is how much is too much or not enough?

Finding balance in life and family is really tough. I know that there are no right answers. We just have to do the best we all know how.

PHSC Show Price

Coy, Brent and I went to Price July 7th. Brent really wants to win all around youth in PHSC.

We had a really good show. I was really proud of Brent in Showmanship at Halter. He showed in the adult class and had a beautiful pattern. He placed 2nd. It was awesome. The picture to the right is him showing in that class.

He had a good overall day. He placed 3rd in Youth Pleasure, 2nd in Barrels, 2nd in Speed and Intelligence and 3rd in Keyhole. The point should put him first for the year in Youth Western Pleasure, Youth Barrels and Youth Speed and Intelligence.

Coy showed Dee Dee. She was actually pretty good in the Senior Pleasure and she is not a pleasure horse. However, she was awful in her best event Handy Horse. She did not like the blue slicker. Normally, she will pick up anything but she would have nothing to do with it. Coy placed in Halter, Pleasure, and Discipline on the Rail.

It was extremely hot that day. We saw the most amazing wild fire that afternoon. When we got to Price, all you could see was the smoke coming from the other side of the canyon. However, later that day we were waiting for an event and everyone looked up on the mountain. You could see flames coming over the top. They must have been several feet high for us to see that at such a distance. I think we were all awe struck just watching it.

New Harry Potter

I am an avid Harry Potter fan. I am not quite sure why but I am definitely hooked. I think it is because it is time that Racheal and I spend together. We have read every book together. Although that is hard to do with our schedules, we make time to read them when they are released.

I have had the new book Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Book 7) on preorder for several months. It is supposed to arrive on Saturday. I love Amazon for that. I never have to wait in line at a store. It is just delivered on time without any hassles.

I can not wait to read it. It will be interesting to see how she ends the series.

On Wednesday, we went to the opening of the new Harry Potter movie. I had promised Racheal and Keylee that I would take them the day it came out.

The movie was visually amazing and you do fall in love with the characters all over again. If you are an avid fan of the books, I am sure you have the same criticism that I do. They really miss a lot of the book in the movie. I know that they try to keep movies to a certain time limit. They also need to keep the story moving along with the high action sequences.

You should go to be entertained and ignore all of the details. However, in this movie they really leave out some of the key details from book 5. They do not build any of the story lines of the characters especially the relationship of Harry and his godfather. So when he is killed, there is not the emotion like when Cedric was killed in the movie Harry and the Goblet of Fire. There are so many key points missing that I am not sure how the movie for book 6 will work. There will be a lot of confusion on the part of the person who has only seen the movies.

The movies are a fun way to see the books in live action but the do not really represent the complexity and story of the books.

4th of July

4th of July is one of our favorite family holidays. For the last several years, we have spent it with Coy's family in the small town of Mt Pleasant. I am sure it is similar to a lot of small towns across the country with a little fair, rodeo and fireworks in the park.

We usually go to the booths sometime in the afternoon. My kids always get their faces painted or some kind of temporary tattoo. We have a family barbecue at grandmas. Most of the family comes for the day. It is great to see them.

Then later that night we go to the hometown rodeo. My brother in law Troy usually enters in the Calf Roping. There are also a lot of other rodeo locals that we know. It makes the rodeo a lot of fun to cheer for friends and family.

After the rodeo is our favorite part. We go to the city park for fireworks. I love pictures of my kids with sparklers. So they have to get one taken every year. In this post are pictures from this year. I also included pictures of Racheal's friend Keylee and our nephew Cole. His was so funny.

When the sparklers are done, it is usually time for the main show to start. We love the park because the fireworks go right over your head. All of the kids make sound effects and it a lot of fun. It is always too short but I love to watch them in the sky.

We are always blessed when we get to spend a day like that with family and friends. It is great to take time to slow down and just play all day.