Finding Balance Between Children and Horses

My Secret for Sleeping while Traveling

2011-10-26T09:46:00.000-06:00

We are gone most weekends to a rodeo. We travel all over the state of Utah as well as other western states. When we travel, I have a really hard time getting the rest I need to be able to be fully functional the next day. I worry that the alarm won't go off on time and we won't be ready for the rodeo when it starts. I hear every new noise at the place we are staying. If we stay on the rodeo grounds, you can always hear horses, dogs and trucks during the night. By the end of every weekend, I was exhausted and could count the number of hours that I slept on one hand.

I know that sleep is important to your health. But more importantly, I just wanted the energy the next day to enjoy my time at the rodeo and get to watch my kids compete without falling asleep during their performance. I am also very sensitive to almost any drug that is out there. I have been looking for an all natural solution that will allow me to turn off all of the noise and sleep through the night. I also wanted something that I could easily wake up from without feeling groggy the next morning. My husband and I started using Deep-Z. The results are consistent and we feel rested the next day.

For a limited time, they are giving away a completely free sample. Just go to their Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/deepzsleep and click Like. Then go to the left and request your FREE sample. This is a limited time offer.

First NLBRA of the Season

2011-03-29T15:10:00.000-06:00

We went to St George last weekend for our first NLBRA rodeo this spring. It was a great weekend except for the rain on Saturday. It rained during the entire rodeo. So the kids were soaking wet. Then one hour after the rodeo, it stopped and the sun came out.

I hadn't realized how much I have truly missed our rodeo life. Brent has been out with an injury since October 31 and Racheal has had some medical issues since November. Thankfully we are getting past both of those and are back on the road competing.

Racheal seemed to be right at home in the arena. She placed 2nd in Breakaway Roping both Friday and Saturday. She placed 2nd in Barrels on Friday but really smoked them on Saturday placing 1st by more than 2 tenths of a second.

Brent and his partner won the Team Roping in the rain on Saturday. Brent placed 3rd in Tie Down Roping and 2nd in Team Roping on Sunday. He is going to have good points in Team Roping when we head to Nationals in July.

Sunday was an absolutely beautiful day. I really hated to leave the rodeo grounds. They are my second home.

Rodeo Season is Almost Here

2011-03-02T21:37:00.000-07:00

I can not believe how time flies. Here we are about to start full time back in to rodeo. We will be headed to St George at the end of the month for our 1st Little Britches rodeo this spring. Then every weekend after that at a rodeo until June. We get one weekend off and then to High School State Finals.

I am trying to get back in shape. I have to get some things done around the house to be ready to travel each weekend. We are practicing every Monday, Wednesday and Sunday as well as many days as possible in between. Whew!

Rodeo Mom Down and Out

2011-01-23T10:37:00.002-07:00

So what happens when your son separates a shoulder in October and you take the winter off from rodeo. Well since you don't help the kids practice or keep the horses in shape, you get out of shape. You gain weight. You start to hibernate.

Winter in Utah is not friendly. So you go out to shovel wet heavy 12 inches of snow. What happens to your out of shape body? Well you end up hurting yourself. I have a twisted SI joint and a torn abdominal muscles down by my groin. Can you say ouch? Yeah I have not really been out for 3 weeks. Going to work seems to be all I can manage. Thanks to the chiropractor I am improving.

The moral to this story is you have to stay in shape even when your kids are not practicing. Get out there and get some horses rode and keep moving.

Balance

2010-03-24T14:28:00.000-06:00

Checking my blog, I noticed that I have not posted in awhile. I think it is because I have not found that balance yet!

February and March have both been crazy but new pictures and posts are coming!

Balance

2010-02-08T09:00:00.000-07:00

I truly believe that happiness in life comes from balance. Unfortunately, I do not know how to keep the balance. I always feel that my career takes too much of my time away from my family. That I volunteer to help way too many youth groups. That I never take time off for me.

My weekends are spent practicing for rodeos, doing the secretary work for rodeos, putting together events for youth horse groups, teaching youth horse groups and trying to start an online horse business related to rodeo. My weekdays start with 8 to 9 hours of working at my career and then home to practice, teach or work on projects that I have volunteered for. Plus I have a family so taking care of kids needs, laundry, groceries, cleaning and bills.

Somewhere deep down, I must have that constant need to be busy so I don't have to delve too deep into personal issues. After this next 4 day rodeo weekend that I am the secretary for, I resolve to find better balance in my life. Better balance will make me a better parent, wife and person.

New Year

2010-02-06T23:20:00.001-07:00

I resolve that 2010 will be my best year ever.

18 Already

2009-10-29T07:51:00.000-06:00

Where does the time go? Racheal turned 18. How did that happen?

Seems like yesterday when she was just learning to trot a horse by herself. Or like we barely bought her first horse Cheyenne. I am sure she just started in rodeo last year. Or that this is her first year of High School Rodeo not her last. I am not really sure where all the time goes. I just know it goes by too fast.

Racheal has grown up to be such a beautiful person. She truly cares about others and their feelings. She always tries to be helpful almost to a fault. She is good to her horses. She has a natural gift for working with animals. She has became a really good trainer and I don't think she even knows it.

My only hope is for her to find the things that she truly loves to do and go do that. She deserves to simply be happy!

First High School Rodeo of the Season

2009-10-25T19:03:00.000-06:00

We went to our first high school rodeo this year in Salina.

It was Brent's first high school rodeo ever. He was pretty nervous. The calves were about 200 pounds. He caught the first day but couldn't quite get the calf flanked. The calf weighed twice what he does. On Saturday he caught but his curl came around and caught both front feet. The mare was doing her job and she kept pulling. There was no way he was going to get the rope off. It was a great first try and we did get both calves caught.

Racheal started the season well. She caught both of her breakaway calves and both times she was clean at the barrier. She place 9th on Saturday. So a qualifying run and points for State High School finals. This picture is with her breakaway horse.

She also had 2 solid barrel run and a clean pole run on Saturday. It is a great way to start her senior year.

Utah's Beautiful Fall Day

2009-10-14T21:42:00.000-06:00

A couple of Sundays ago, we actually got out of the arena for a trail ride. Since we have been at a rodeo almost every weekend this summer, this is the first one I have been on. I know that is so sad.

Anyway, it was a perfect day. It was warm but not hot. The leaves had just started to change. For the most part it was a good trail and our horses did really well. We rode the back side of the nebo loop. The trail we were on took us up to an old cabin. It has be over 100 years old. It was really neat.

Here are some beautiful fall pictures from Utah.

State 4H 2-Handed Show

2009-10-03T16:26:00.000-06:00

Racheal showed at the 4H State 2-Handed Show. She showed a 3 year old paint mare. The mare did really well for a show this size. She had a beautiful trail pattern. She did not hit a log and she went over every obstacle but she missed one lead and it cost her a placing.

Here are some pictures from the show.

Juab Homecoming

2009-09-20T08:15:00.004-06:00

Last week was homecoming for our high school. Since Racheal started high school, normally homecoming was the same weekend as Richfield's high school rodeo. Of course she chose rodeo over a dance. This year it was earlier. So she actually agreed to go with someone.

I was out dress shopping for her 2 days before the dance. We did not have time to dress shop earlier because we had been to a big 4 day rodeo in Panguitch. Well Brent decided that he wanted to go to homecoming too. So the Friday before the dance, I was looking for a dress shirt and tie.

Here are the pictures from homecoming:

First Tie Down Roping in NLBRA

2009-09-18T21:36:00.000-06:00

Brent moved up to the Senior Boys Division in the National Little Britches Association. So this year his events are Team Roping and Tie Down Roping. Team Roping is not a change. He has been Team Roping for years.

It is Tie Down Roping that makes me nervous. It is also Brent's favorite event. It is the one he practices constantly. He is always out roping the calf dummy or tieing the tie dummy.

Well practice paid off this weekend. In Friday's rodeo his time was 19 seconds and he placed 3rd. On Saturday the calf got away from him for a few seconds. His time was 31 seconds and he placed 6th. Sunday the calf was just a little too fast and ran right through his loop. On Monday he was 22 seconds and 4th. I wish I had a video of the first night. It was so great.

Eat A Rainbow Everyday

2009-09-16T19:23:00.000-06:00

You should try to eat a rainbow of foods everyday. Choose white, purple red, orange, green and yellow. By eating the rainbow, you are supplying your body with all the nutrients it needs to be healthy. Here is a picture of what the sides for your meals should be.

Hint: There are no potatoes, rice or bread as a side. These all make you fat and increase inflamation in the body.

2-Handed Show Goshen

2009-09-14T18:36:00.000-06:00

We went to the 2-Handed Show in Goshen at the end of August. Racheal had a good show. She won the Western Equitation. She had a beautiful trail class except the carry object. She has come a long way with this colt.

Feeling Old

2009-09-12T18:32:00.002-06:00

So I now feel really old. Both of my kids are in high school. I can not beleive it.

Racheal has always been older. So her starting high school was not so strange.

Brent has always been my baby. It is so strange to say that he is in high school.

Here is a picture of them on their first day. (Where did all those years go?)

Unique View From The Inside

2009-08-13T08:09:00.002-06:00

We were traveling to the Little Britches National Final Rodeo in Pueblo, CO. Racheal was reflecting on our year and what it took to get here. She came to a very interesting conclusion.

She said "mom you know rodeo make no sense right." I said "why?" She said "we work so hard. We spend hours and hours practicing each week.

We go to a rodeo and spend 3 to 4 hours. And what do we do all of that work for a 21 second pole run, a 16 second barrel run and a 4 second breakaway run. The total time I spend in the arena competing is less than a minute at a rodeo!"

Rodeo really is a crazy event but I had never thought of it that way.

Junior High State Finals

2009-07-03T12:17:00.004-06:00

Brent qualified for the Junior High State Finals in Breakaway, Ribbon Roping and Team Roping. The first day was really rough. He did not get a qualified time in any of his events. It was a cold, windy and wet day in Heber.

He had redemption in 2 events in the second go. Brent and Rhett placed 3rd in the Team Roping. Brent had an awesome heal loop. With this placing, they were sitting 5th coming into the short go. There was only one point between 3rd, 4th and 5th. They take the top four to Nationals. He placed 8th in the Ribbon Roping.

So we qualified to go to the short go in Team Roping. I think we may have placed too much pressure on Brent and Rhett. They knew they needed to place in the short go to go to Nationals. Unfortunately, they did not get a time.

I know they were both devasted. They tried hard and worked hard to get there. They finished in the top 10 in the state and they should both be proud of that.

1st NLBRA All Around Win

2009-06-26T10:16:00.002-06:00

Racheal had her first All Around win in National Little Britches at the May Rodeo. She placed in the top 7 in all 6 of her events including goats and she does not even really goat tie anymore. She had a great day overall.

New Horse Sandy (Darling)

2009-06-16T20:12:00.000-06:00

Racheal started riding a new horse for Breakaway Roping. The mare is owned by my brother in law. She is his Tie Down horse. And she is his baby. He calls her Sandy Darling.

She sits so hard when she stops. Reiners would love to see her in the show ring. Several times we look where she has stopped for roping and she has slide marks for 5 to 6 feet.

She is athletic and extremely fast. It has taken Racheal awhile to get used to her and get her confidence with her.

We took her to Morgan for her first High School Rodeo. Racheal caught in 5 seconds. Not her best time but a good time for a new horse and she placed 9th. Here she is in action:

Tooele High School Rodeo

2009-06-14T20:09:00.002-06:00

Racheal had a good rodeo in Tooele. It must have been her day. She placed 5th in Barrels and 4th in Breakaway Roping.

Here is a picture of her and her horse Fluke flying home.

I Am Back - Sorry For The Blog Holiday

2009-06-10T22:03:00.005-06:00

Yes, I know it has been awhile since the last post. I am sure you can guess what we have been doing. Oh yeah rodeo and rodeo and did I mention rodeo.

We also had some work things and some family things.

Here are some great rodeo pictures. I will get more updates coming.

Worth Quoting

2009-04-15T15:21:00.001-06:00

"The best years of your life are the ones in which you decide your problems are your own. You do not blame them on your mother, the ecology, or the president. You realize that you control your own destiny."

- Albert Ellis

Personal Best

2009-04-13T07:40:00.006-06:00

We went to a Little Britches Rodeo in Salina the last weekend of March. I just have to share how excited I was for Racheal. We got a new horse last fall for her to run barrels on. They have been coming together. She won a rodeo on him in October and has placed in several.

On Saturday, her barrel run was 16.2 seconds. She placed second that day.

On Sunday she beat her personal best time. She ran a 15.9 second barrel pattern. I could tell from the second she entered the arena it was going to be a great run. She really drove him the entire pattern. She was in complete control. It still gives me chills.

This was the first time she has ever beat 16 seconds. I was so excited that I am sure everyone in the arena heard me. I had tears when I went out to talk to her.

Sometimes when you kids acheive the next level, you feel as much accomplishment as they do.

Junior High Rodeo Tooele

2009-04-07T14:25:00.002-06:00

Team roping was Brent's best event at the Junior High Rodeo in Tooele. Brent and Rhett placed 6th Friday and 2nd Saturday. With the points from this rodeo, they are 7th in the State. They will be competing in June at the State Finals to see if they can qualify for Nationals. Junior High Nationals are in Gallop New Mexico in July.

Brent has a chance to make it in the Breakaway and Ribbon Roping too. But he will definitely need to bring his A game in June.

This is a picture of Brent with Rhett at a previous rodeo. They are both so cute!

Junior Prom

2009-03-23T20:40:00.007-06:00

So I know everyone is waiting for the pictures. Here they are: Day Date

Racheal and Justin
Ready to Go
At the Prom

Apology

2009-03-17T21:17:00.001-06:00

Sorry for the last post, sometimes hormones cause you to be terribly honest.

This week has been crazy busy. We are putting on a rodeo in 2 weeks and it is crunch time. Getting all of the enteries in, prizes finalized, stock contracted and help arranged. Plus I still have to work full time, get the kids to school, and do normal mom stuff.

Today I am feeling a little anxious. I don't normally have anxiety but pretty stressed this week.Brent has a junior high rodeo in Tooele this week and it is Racheal's Junior Prom. So I imagine the week is just going to get more hectic. Trying to stay positive.

Period Day 1 Cure

2009-03-13T20:29:00.003-06:00

So I have found it. It has taken years and I have tried everything. I have the most intense chocolate craving on day 1. It is really is uncontrollable. I usually get a chocolate shake with chocolate chip cookie dough or a brownie sundae.

But today I have found it. The ultimate cure is Ben & Jerry's Half Baked. Just listen to the description and you will know. Chocolate Ice Cream with Fudge Bites and Gobs of Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough.

My husband and children might survive the night.

Tagged (Really?)

2009-03-05T09:37:00.002-07:00

So I have been tagged to list 7 interesting things about me. I will try to come up with things that people who are around me regularly may not know.

1) I grew up in Las Vegas. I spent most weekends and all of my summers on a ranch on the Arizona strip riding horses and chasing wild cows.
2) Both of my children are adopted. Most people who find out can not beleive it.
3) I am not a member of any church. I am spiritual person. But I do not like organized religion.
4) I am truly an independent and not registered as a Republican or a Democrat. I think they both get it wrong.
5) I hate the cold. I love the warm sun. I could live in 90 degree heat year round.
6) I want to move to a foreign country for a year at least once in my life. I have traveled to a couple of different countries for work. It always amazes me how people are so different but so much the same.
7) I never went to Disneyland as a kid. So when my kids were old enough, I took them 3 times in 2 years! I also spent more time in the park than either of them did!

Rodeo Is Not an Event - It is a Lifestyle

2009-02-25T16:24:00.007-07:00

We were practicing roping on Sunday. During the winter in Utah, we have to ride indoors. So we have to haul the horses, the cows and all of our equipment to the indoor arena.

We spent over 4 hours between practicing and hauling horses, kids and cattle back and forth. This is what our life consists of constant practice, chores and traveling to the next rodeo.

We were having dinner on Sunday night with my brother and sister in law who came down to help. As we discussed the days events, my daughter says hey mom when are we going to get a new dishwasher? (Ours broke about a week ago.) My reply was well we have 2 rodeos to enter in March and several more in April. So probably not until next fall.

That is when my sister in law and I both laughed. Rodeo is not an event. It is even more than a sport. It is a lifestyle. You have to live it to understand it. I really had no idea how involved it is until my kids started living it. You sacrifice the nicer things in life to make it to the next rodeo.

Some may think we are crazy and we probably are. We love what we do. We are very close as a family. My kids have learned some amazing lessons about life, sacrifice, competition, and hard work through rodeo. I wouldn't change a thing. (Except to have lots more money to rodeo full time.)

Junior High Rodeo

2009-02-23T22:21:00.003-07:00

Brent and his partner are getting ready to Team Rope. We spent another weekend in St George for the Wrangler Junior High Rodeo. Although, the weather was not near as nice as a couple of weeks ago. We spent Friday all huddled together in the stands sharing as many Mr Heaters as we could.

This was not such a great weekend for Brent. His roping was par to poor. Now, I always like people to be accountable for their performance but sometimes there are circumstances. In rodeo, we call it the draw. The draw determines what stock or cow you are going to try to rope, ride or tie. Sometimes the draw is just not in your favor. This was one of those weekends. A lot of times, you will just get one bad draw in a rodeo. It may only be one day and for one event.

This weekend, I think Brent just had no luck at all. He drew 2 really fast calves in the breakaway roping. He roped one at the end of the arena in 8 seconds and took 9th. The other one just out ran his horse and he never got a shot.

So we had a good time seeing everyone but not a very productive weekend. Brent was really disappointed. His practice has been so good. He was sure he was going to do well.

As you can see from this picture, I need a new camera. My really nice had been to one too many rodeos. It finally just stopped working at the Dixie 6 in November. So I need to do some research for one that is rodeo proof.

Little Britches Rodeo Recap

2009-02-03T22:04:00.009-07:00

So last weekend, we went to sunny St George for a Little Britches Rodeo. We had a good weekend. The weather was good until Sunday. We hung out with all of our friends and watched the kids compete. It is why we love to rodeo.

We did get off to a rough start on Friday. We all missed in the breakaway and team roping. Racheal hit poles and missed her first barrel.

However, the kids readjusted their focus and Saturday was a much better day. Brent won the breakaway roping with a time of 2.87 seconds. That is smoking fast. Racheal took second in the breakaway with a time of 4.17 seconds.

On Sunday Racheal and Parker placed 6th in the Team Roping. Racheal also placed 6th in Poles and 7th in Barrels.

Although I love to watch my kids compete, I also love to watch the kids that travel with us. Cole my nephew placed for the first time in Barrels on Sunday. He also placed in the Poles.

We have been helping Racheal's Team Roping Partner Parker learn to tie calves. This was his first weekend at a rodeo in Tie Down Roping. On Friday, he had no luck. He was just too nervous to throw his rope. On Saturday, he did a little better. He caught his calf but missed his slack. So the he only had the back legs. It is hard to tie 3 legs when 2 of them are stuck in your rope. On Sunday, he made it look easy. He roped the calf around the neck right out of the chute. Then he got off like he had been doing it forever. He got all three legs tied and it stayed down the full 6 seconds. His time was 15.6 seconds. That is a good time for seasoned ropers. We were so excited. I am sure you could hear all of us yelling.

Yes I Am Moving

2009-02-03T22:02:00.002-07:00

I hate the cold. Really I do. I only live in Utah because my husband lives here.

It is so hard to get motivated to go ride or practice when it is cold. We have spent a lot of nights at the indoor arena riding, roping and practicing this winter but it is hard. We have to get all bundled up with our warm clothes in layers. Then we freeze while we are saddling and getting horses ready.

This weekend we were in St George for the Little Britches Rodeo. The weather was really beautiful especially since we came from freezing weather. It was about 60 degrees and sunny. I just sat out in it all day Saturday. I even got a sunburn! Yes I was excited about the sunburn.

Perhaps I have seasonal depression. I know I would rather cuddle up with a blanket and watch TV all winter than go out in the cold. I like to hibernate!

Anyway, I have made my decision. I am definitely moving to a warmer climate. I am not sure when it will be feasible but it is going to be sooner than later.

Partners

2009-01-27T15:16:00.003-07:00

Team Roping can be a difficult sport. You have two kids, two horses, two ropes and one cow. There are a lot of places that it can go right or wrong.

One issue that we have struggled for Racheal is finding the right partner. We started off High School Rodeo with a really good partner. Then due to a family conflict, Racheal had to find a new partner. She has had several since then.

It is almost like dating, the partners have to get to know one another. They have to get used to the way the other one ropes and handles the cattle. They have to be able to support each other. They have to be able to agree on how hard they want to work and the amount of time they are going to spend at practice.

Racheal and Brent both have great partners this year for Little Britches Rodeos. Both of their partners want to practice. They seem to support each other at pratice and in competition. Racheal and her partner won the last go of the Little Britches Rodeo in Salina. Brent and his partner have placed in a couple of Little Britches Rodeos.

Christmas Party

2009-01-20T21:22:00.005-07:00

Every Christmas we try to have a special Christmas party for the kids from Moab. Since their home life is less than ideal, we try to make our get together what every family party should be. We have a nice dinner. We included not only my mom their grandma but their great grandparents.

Since they are so far removed from our family, their grandparents only get to see them once or twice a year. So it is really nice for them to be able to spend time with the other side of the family.

We start with a big dinner and of course there are lots of treats. Then we get to play Santa and hand out presents. We also get the kids a stocking with lots of fun things as well as things they can really use.

Emma is really entertaining. For only being 3 she loves to get clothes and she really loves my grandpa. That is unusual because most younger kids are scared of him. He is a little gruff. She made Coy and my grandpa babysit the new baby she got. It is funny when a 3 year old tells adults what to do and they all listen.

Haillee just idolizes Racheal. She likes to be included in whatever Racheal is doing. Since we can't give her a real horse, I got her a digital horse to take care of. She loved it.

Tristen is into video games and TV. He just wants to play the Wii while he is here. This is really different from our family who is all about being outdoors and doing things together. I think he really enjoys time up here where he does not have to stress or take care of the girls.

When we spend time with them, I remind myself and my kids that our lives are truly blessed. We have a great family life. We do not have the strife and the heartache that they go through. Although I say we are blessed, the reason we live the way we do is we choose to. We choose to get along, work hard, be responsible, play hard and love each other. Life is a choice. We have no excuse not to make the most of it.

Resolutions?

2009-01-12T19:03:00.003-07:00

So it is 2009. Should we be excited? What is up with starting life over at the beginning of a new year? You see it everywhere. People are making resolutions that they are not going to keep a week from January 1.

Instead of making resolutions this year, I am going to commit to making a new goal a week. I have never been a good goal setter. I think it has to do with goals being so long term and the reward is so far away. This week's goal is get my finances organized. So by Sunday, I am going to have all of my accounts reconciled, consolidated and reviewed.

The only true way to build wealth is to know your starting point. Then you can watch it grow.

Oh yeah and each week, I am going to have an instant reward. This weekend's reward is going to see a movie in the theater.

Merry Christmas

2008-12-24T10:00:00.000-07:00

Hanging Out and Qualifying

2008-12-01T20:39:00.005-07:00

Cole was so cute at the Little Britches Rodeo in October. We are having so much fun having them travel to the rodeos with us. He is working really hard since he started. At his first rodeo, he barely trotted through the barrels.

We have been having him practice on Liz for barrel and poles. Lil is just too hot for those events. She gets all worked up and it is hard for Cole to get her through the pattern. Liz is more easy going. So he made it all the way through the pole pattern and placed 3rd. He was so excited. Since I was in charge of handing out prizes, he kept asking when he got to pick his prize. You would have thought he won thousands of dollars. We were all very proud of him.

Goat tail untie seems to be his stand out event. On Saturday he qualified for Nationals with his 4th time placing in this event. So we kept teasing his dad about going to Colorado in July!
Here is Cole. He still found time to play in the dirt.

Then there is Ty. Here he is just hanging out watching a show. He would much rather be in the arena. He can not wait until he is 5 so he can rodeo too. He does get to help drive the tractor with Martin or Coy. He loves the tractor.

He is the entertainment for all of us at the secretaries desk. The funniest part was Ty wanting to talk on the microphone with the announcer. I tried to warn Shauna not to tell him he could but she did not listen. He asked if he could talk and her response was in a minute. Well that does not work for Ty. So for the next 15 minutes he said, can I talk now? Can I talk now? How about now? All we could do was laugh.

Our New Addition

2008-11-23T20:48:00.006-07:00

Racheal has been trying for the last 3 years to get her mare to run barrels. Seems like we would make 2 steps forward and take 4 steps back. The mare got hurt in Racheal's Freshman year in September. We gave her about six months off but she has never been the same. Racheal did not want to give up on her. So she just kept trying and trying to get there. She definitely did all she could do. I am sure she still blames herself but she shouldn't. No matter how hard you try some horses just don't work for the events you want to use them for.

So I decided since she only has 2 more years of high school rodeo left that we need to find her a barrel and pole horse. She tried out this horse named Fluke. What a funny name. She seemed to get along really well with him. Although he thinks he is a big bully and pins his ears at you, she likes him.

We took him to their first rodeo in October. Of all things, we decided to try him in the Trail Course. Most barrel horses won't slow down enough to go through the course. He is really smart and well trained. He went through it like a champ and Racheal made a qualifying run everyday on him. Here are some pictures of them in trail.
Going over the jump.

Getting the gate closed.

His shining moment of course was when Racheal won the barrels on their third day. This is the first time she has won a barrel race since she was probably 12 years old. So it was very exciting for her.

The real test will be to see how he does in High School Rodeo but it was a great first weekend.

Junior High Rodeo Vernal

2008-11-16T18:17:00.007-07:00

First weekend in October, we went to a Junior High Rodeo in Vernal. Brent was entered in everything.

I think he must have been listening to his Uncle Troy. He really came out to rope. On Friday, he caught in the Ribbon Roping right out of the chute. But he was a little close to the calf. So the calf ran through his loop. Then in the Breakaway Roping he caught in 3 seconds and was the fastest time of the night except he broke the barrier. They added 10 seconds to his time for breaking the barrier. He still ended up third. On Saturday, he caught right out of the chute again in Ribbon Roping. He and his partner had a smoking fast time of 10 seconds. They placed second. Just like Friday, he came right out of the chute and roped the fastest time in the Breakaway Roping. But again he had no luck with the barrier and another 10 second penalty.

I really love this picture. I was lucky to get this taken with him roping in 3 seconds! I hope he can keep up his confidence and consistency in the roping. Hopefully with a few less barriers.

Seventeen - Almost An Adult?

2008-11-10T20:49:00.004-07:00

Racheal turned seventeen in September. It is really weird to think about. She will be an adult in one more year. An adult. I can not even imagine her not being home with us.

I wonder how she will turn out. She is already really kind and compassionate to others. She is extremely helpful. She is dedicated to her favorite sport rodeo. She works really hard and she is exceptionally bright.

Sounds like a proud mom huh? Well I am and I think it is great when you can look up to your kids.

Startin Em Young

2008-10-23T20:57:00.005-06:00

While we were at the rodeo in Herriman, Michelle and her daughters Maliyah and Macenzie came to watch and play with the horses. The cutest thing all day was Maliyah with the rope and the calf roping dummy. She watched Racheal for a minute and then she thought she could do it. It was hysterical watching her try to get it around the neck. Racheal was trying to help her fix her rope.

She thought she was as big as the big girls. Look at them carrying their ropes.

Could the Real Cowboy Stand Up

2008-10-13T20:40:00.004-06:00

We went to our first Junior High Rodeo of the season in September. I am not really sure that we should have went. You will understand shortly.

Thursday Brent came home from school really sick to his stomach. He threw up a couple of times and had horrible cramps. He was still sick Friday morning. Friday we gave him the choice to go to the rodeo or stay in bed. He had entered the rodeo with a partner for Team Roping and Ribbon Roping. So he decide to cowboy up and rodeo anyway.

On the way there I picked him up some Gatorade, stomach medicine and bananas. He hardly ate anything. I did make sure he kept drinking. Racheal took good care of him too. She saddle all of his horses and got them warmed up for him. So all he had to do was go out and do each event.

On Friday he goat tied in 14 seconds even sick. He did miss in the Breakaway and Ribbon Roping.

He was sick all night Friday. So I really thought we should just go home for Saturday. But he stuck it out again. I am not sure how he could be living on just Gatorade and a couple bites of food let alone competing.

Saturday was a much better rodeo for him. He started team roping this year with Rhett. They are above. This was their first rodeo together and they won the Team Roping. Here is a picture of their winning run.
Here is Brent coming out of the box in Breakaway Roping. I really liked this picture. He should have caught but he rolled the rope right off.
So I was proud that he stuck it out. But as a mom I really wanted to just put him in bed and take extra care of him until he felt better.

Summertime Catch Up-National Little Britches Finals

2008-10-05T20:37:00.002-06:00

So we made it to Pueblo Colorado. First we had to check in and find our camping spot. But the kids just wanted to go and see everything. So as soon as the horses were unloaded and put in their stalls, we started wandering.

There are a lot of vendors and things for the kids to do beside just compete. They had a dummy roping contest. I think this is where Brent spent the majority of his free time. That night we had a mandatory contestant meeting. Here is the sign that says we made it to Nationals. I know I am a photo geek.
Here is Brent at his first Nationals. The kids were so amped that first day.
Here is Racheal on the first day. I think she was mostly just nervous and trying not to let it show.
This is the group we traveled with. Hagen is missing because he was following some cute girl around. All of them had a blast for the next week hanging out together and cheering for one another. More pictures and details to come.

Summertime Catch Up-Heading to Nationals

2008-09-25T20:56:00.003-06:00

Racheal and Brent qualifed the for the Little Britches National Finals Rodeo. So in late July we headed to Colorado. We were so excited for the kids to be going to their first national competition. The were competing with over 900 kids from all across the country.

Of course everything takes longer than it should. So we got a late start on our first day of traveling. Luckily that was through parts of Utah that we have seen hundreds of times. So traveling in the dark was not that bad. We got to bed late the first night about 1 a.m. The horses and the kids were ready to be out of the truck and trailer. We continued on the next day through scenic Colorado. Part of our trip was going over Monarch Pass. The drive over the pass is absolutely gorgeous. It is a little scray on the steep grades with a full load of horses but it was so pretty. Coy was driving anyway so I had nothing to worry about.
Houston rode with us. He and Brent had a great time on the ride. When they weren't sleeping, they definitely kept us entertained.
Isn't she pretty? Her stomach did not take well to the winding rodes but she looked cute anyway. Nationals was so much fun. I will have more to post about it.

Summertime Catch Up-Mountain Trail Ride

2008-09-19T11:43:00.003-06:00

My favorite part of summer is getting up in the mountain horseback. Utah has the most amazing scenery. You can ride for just a couple of hours and it looks like you can see the entire valley.

We actually had a day off from rodeo. So we went riding with some friends. We should do this a lot more often!

We rode to the top of Pole Canyon and took a break for some lunch. Here is a picture of our horse camp. The weather was beatiful and it made for just a relaxing fun day!

Summertime Catch Up-July 18-19 Rodeo

2008-09-07T21:32:00.004-06:00

We spent July 18 and 19th in Richfield at a rodeo. Amber, Troy, Cole and Ty also went. Ty just wanted to drive the tractor to rake the arena. So he was the tractor co-pilot for most of the day. We got the cutest picture of him and Racheal.

What a ham! He definitely keeps us entertained.
Racheal had a good rodeo she placed first in the Ribbon Roping with Lane and first in Breakaway. Above is a picture of her in the roping box getting ready to breakaway rope.

Brent tried Tie Down Roping again. I love these pictures. The highlight of his weekend was winning the Team Roping with Ashley. They did awesome.

Summertime Catch Up - 4th of July

2008-08-25T22:02:00.005-06:00

My favorite holiday is 4th of July. I have a picture of my kids every year lighting sparklers. Why I have this obsession, I really don't know.

I love fireworks. We sat in the bleachers and the fireworks went off just past the arena. We were so close and it was soooo loud. But they were awazing.

For the holiday weekend, we were at a rodeo in Pangutich. I know you are all very surprised.

It was a good rodeo on Friday. Racheal won her first breakaway roping. She has placed at several rodeos but it was really good for her to be first.

Brent did well in Goat Tying and he caught is Breakaway Calf.

A Lesson In Tie Down Roping

2008-08-14T22:09:00.003-06:00

Since Brent turned 13 before January first, he had to move up in an age group in one of the junior rodeos associations that we belong to. I was worried about him having to rope and compete against boys that were already in high school. He also had to add a new event Tie Down Roping.

Some of you may have seen this event before. The cowboy backs into the chute. He comes out and ropes a calf. Then he jumps off his horse and runs down the rope. He throws the calf and then ties 3 of his legs up. The one who does this the fastest is the winner.

Brent has never tid down a calf before. I was really nervous before the rodeo. It is the first time I had ever hoped he would miss. So here it is play by play.
First he backs into the box.
Then he jumps off the horse with the calf tied to it.

He runs down the rope and tries to throw the calf.

He gets the calf down and strings three legs.

He ties it tight.

Then he jumps up and puts his hands in there. WOW. He placed 5th.

I love the last picture. It makes me smile.

First Rodeo

2008-07-23T18:54:00.005-06:00

A couple of weeks ago we went to a Junior Rodeo in Nephi. Although it is my children's thousandth rodeo, it was the first rodeo for my nephews Cole and Ty.

It was so much fun to watch them start. Cole did so well controlling his horse Jane. You can tell by the look on his face that he took it so seriously. The award was just a dollar but it was big time competition to him.

The funny story was Ty. The second day before he went to go in his boots were loose and falling off. So he did not have to go out in the arena to get them his dad took off his boots before he went in the arena.

As you can see in the picture Ty was upset. He tucked his feet up towards the saddle and during the whole ride all he could do was say he wanted his boots. You can see he was totally looking towards the gate and not paying attention to his ride.

4H Show

2008-07-09T21:53:00.011-06:00

I love to watch my kids show horses. I know their love is rodeo but I still love it when they decide to show.

We went to the 4H MultiCounty Show in Nephi in June. The kids did really well. Racheal took first in Showmanship, Horsemanship and Poles. She took second in Reining and Barrels. So she had a really good day. Showing seems to come so naturally to her. She makes it look effortless.

Here are a couple of pictures of her and her horse Dasher.

The surprise of the day was our one eyed horse. Yes we ride a horse that only has one eye. She is Racheal's rope horse. When she first lost her eye I thought for sure we would not be able to use her for anything. It was sad because her and Racheal had just started to do really well together. We gave her some time to recuperate. Then Racheal wanted to try riding her again. So we started really slow. Then we thought what the heck, we should try to rope on her again. It worked. She ropes just fine. We have to do some extra things to make sure she does not hit her head or walk on you when she can't see you but she ropes really well.

Brent decided since she was mellower than the horse he showed last year that he would try and show her. The mare has never been showed. We have only used her as a rodeo horse. Brent had a good over all show. He got a blue ribbon in Horsemanship on her and he placed 3 in Reining. We did not even know the mare could do a flying lead change and she did it beautifully. WOW!

Brent was also good in all of the speed events. He even placed 5th in Barrels. I thought she would never be able to weave through the poles with one eye but she trusted Brent to get her through.

Here are a couple of pictures with her. You can see where her eye should be.

Team Roping Champions in the Making

2008-07-06T20:36:00.006-06:00

Brent has been friends with Shad since he moved to Nephi. They love the same things horses and rodeo.

On June 23, they won their first team roping together. We were at a junior rodeo in Nephi.

It is amazing what they do when they are so young.

Here are some pictures of their journey.

March 2005 practicing on a roping dummy. How cute is that!

October 2007 they enter their first rodeo as a team.

Back in the Top 10

2008-05-23T20:14:00.003-06:00

Last weekend we went to High School Rodeos in Morgan and Heber. Yes we rodeo every weekend. Sometime it is really tough to get anything else done.

Racheal roped in Morgan on Friday night. It was a tough pen of calves but she roped in 4.4 seconds. This is her third rodeo in a row catching in breakaway. Her time placed her in the top ten. This is her first top ten finish since September.

She was really excited since State High School Finals is just 3 weeks away. She will earn more points in her favorite event.

I really liked this picture of her coming out of the chute after the calf!

Roping in 3 Seconds

2008-05-14T10:27:00.002-06:00

Racheal had a really good weekend in High School Rodeo. This is the best weekend she has had since her accident in October. I think she is truly back.

She had 2 rodeos this weekend Spanish Fork and Nephi. Friday night in Spanish she roped in 3.7 seconds. She did break the barrier which gave her a 10 second penalty. I was just so excited to see her rope in a 3 again. I could have cared less that she took the barrier. In team roping, they had a really bad steer but her partner roped it. Racheal came up to heel and caught both back feet but she got a finger caught in her dally and had to drop it. But it was good to see her get two feet caught and it was better to drop her rope than lose a finger.

In Nephi, she team roped first. Her and her partner got a time of 13 seconds. Racheal only got one heel but she did get her dally this time. Then she went right to breakaway. She roped clean in 3.6 seconds. The video is below. You may want to turn down the sound. You can hear me totally scream when she catches.

I am so proud of her for working so hard to get back into competition. This was her best rodeo weekend in almost a year. She is back on track.

The Ugly Truth

2008-04-28T11:39:00.003-06:00

Warning the pictures below are graphic and really ugly. So they are not for those with a queasy stomach. Don't scroll down unless you really want to see them.

A few weeks ago, I had a growth removed from my right bottom eye lid. It was a simple procedure and the doctor said there was nothing to worry about. He was going to send it out to pathology anyway just to be safe. So it was uncomfortable but I thought that was it.

Then he called me the following Wednesday. Turns out is was not just a growth but Basal Cell Carcinoma. The words made me ill. I am not sure why. Anyway, he tried to reassure me that this was the most treatable form of skin cancer. Just remove the tumor and nothing more to worry about.

So he scheduled an appointment for me with a plastic surgeon. Since it is on my face, he wanted to make sure that it was repaired well. The plastic surgeon said that I was really lucky. This is the best skin cancer to treat and it was in a really good spot. By the time I was healed, you should not be able to tell where they removed. I may just lose some bottom eyelashes.

I was quite calm when I did the research. The Internet is the most amazing tool. Then they told what the procedure was and I was not so calm. Basically the first part of the procedure is done in a dermatologist office while you are AWAKE! They cut thin strips away from the tumor and review it under a specific type of microscope until they don't find anymore cancer. Then he bandages it and sends me to the hospital for the plastic surgeon to put me back together. The surgeon clips the tendon on the side of my eye lid and basically sews it back together. However, in order for it to heal, he sews it mostly closed. This keeps the eye lid for pulling back apart.

I expected it to hurt. Really I did. But not like this. So I am feeling like a real wimp today but it hurts and I can't see. My left eye wants to focus like my right. So they are both blurry. It really sucks. I decided that I should share my misery. So the pics are below.

Progress

2008-04-20T15:36:00.007-06:00

Last weekend we went to 2 High School Rodeos Grantsville and Tooele. Racheal made major progress. She caught in the Break-Away Roping in 5.13 seconds. She placed 14th. This is her first qualifying catch in Break-Away since her accident. We were way excited. I am sure you can hear it on the video.

Easter Bunnies!

2008-03-30T15:17:00.004-06:00

Easter is a big holiday in Coy's family. Grandma makes a big meal and has and Easter Egg Hunt. When my kids were little she also had a treasure hunt. The kids get to fly kites and of course we eat all day. Grandma also makes Angel food cake with strawberries. Yummmy!

My nieces and nephews are so cute. So I wanted to share some of my pictures of them this year.

First there is the latest addition to our family Mark. He is the happiest baby.

Then there is Haley. She has an amazing vocabulary. I love to just sit and listen to her talk.

Emily is really quiet until she has been there for awhile. Then she loves to talk.

Cole is so cute. We also celebrated his birthday and had cake.

Ty well what can you say about him. You really just have to experience Ty.

Little Britches Rodeo

2008-03-24T20:13:00.004-06:00

Rodeo season has officially started. We went to Panguitch last weekend to a Little Britches Rodeo. Surprisingly, Brent wanted lots of pictures taken. I am not sure what happened to him. So I have lots of Brent pictures. I really like the one here with his rope!

The weekend did not start off great. Coy was pulling a trailer with calves for the rodeo. When we were on the freeway, he got a flat tire on the trailer on the driver's side. So that took almost an hour. I was pulling our horses in our trailer and just as soon as we turned on to the 2-lane road where there is not a good place to pull over I got a flat on our trailer. Ahhhhhh!

The weekend was also colder that than had predicted. So it was pretty cold. It looked sunny but the wind made it cold. Still a weekend at a rodeo is better than work any day!

Brent did really well in the flag race. He got his best times yet. He ran in 10 seconds each day. His fastest time before was 11 seconds. So he took 4th on Friday and 3rd on Saturday. He missed his breakaway calf on Friday. On Saturday, he had a beautiful loop but a little big. The calf ran right through it. Ooops!

Racheal had a tough weekend. Through no fault of her own, she drew really bad cattle both days. Her calves and her steers were both bad. The one steer stuck his haed in the fence. That makes it a little hard to rope. I think she had fun over all but having bad draws makes for a frustrating weekend.

She still looks beautiful in a cowboy hat.

Racheal Injury Update

2008-03-24T20:01:00.003-06:00

Since Racheal's head injury in October, she has struggled. She really improved for the first couple of months. However, she is still having headaches, problems with memory and emotional issues.

As a parent, you feel an obsessive need to fix these things. There is also something you think you can do even if there isn't. Feeling pretty helpless in being able to fix her, we decided to take her back to the doctor. The doctor had a new MRI done and then sent her to a neurologist. The MRI came back the same as after the accident. There are a few spots that are still bruised in her brain but nothing new and nothing permanent.

The neurologist basically said that this classic post concussive syndrome. Basically, she took a really good blow to the head and it is going to take another six months to a year for her to feel like herself again.

I think the hardest issue for her is not being able to do everything. Racheal likes to be involved in tons of things. I hope she can take a step back and relax on herself. She is constantly driving to improve. (Wonder where she gets that from? Hmmmmm.) So she is really beating herself up over not being 100%. Sometimes you just have to let life happen. It will anyway.

Catch Up Again

2008-03-03T11:38:00.003-07:00

I am not sure what has happened to me but I am having a hard time blogging this year. It is probably because I really dislike winter time. I am not very motivated to do anything when it is cold.

Rodeo season started early for us. We had our first rodeo February 22 and 23. Yes it was cold. It snowed the morning of the first day but luckily by the time the rodeo started it was done.

This was Racheal's first rodeo since the accident. I was extremely proud of her to dig deep down and be able to go in and compete. She had some great accomplishments. She had the best barrel run that she has had on her mare in the last 2 years. Her first barrel was awesome. She had a clean pole run the next day. Even though she had not really practiced poles in the last four months. She placed in the Team Roping too.

However, the weekend was really tough on her. She almost threw up before every event. Then on Saturday she cried off and on all day. I think we may let her start too early. She really wants to rodeo but that trauma is a lot to get over. We will continue to support her in whatever she decides to do.

Brent had some good moments too. My favorite was Brent and Shad in the Team Roping. The had a beautiful run. Brent headed and handled it really well. Then Shad got both heels. They did awesome. They were so cute.

Oklahoma Aquarium

2008-01-24T20:59:00.000-07:00

On our first day in Tulsa, we went to the Oklahoma Aquarium. John and Kiki met us there.

Brent touched sting rays and baby sharks. Racheal did not want to touch anything. They both fed fish, sting rays and turtles. The best part was the tunnel. You were under the shark tank. The sharks swam over the top of you. It almost made you dizzy in the tank looking through the glass into the water.

We were there to watch the pirahana get feed and the electric eel. When they fed the eel, he let off a huge charge. There was a giant catfish in one of the tanks that had been caught in Oklahoma. I am afraid to swim in the lakes out there. They also have these snapping turtles that can live to be over 100 year old and they are huge.

Trip to Oklahoma

2008-01-21T14:21:00.000-07:00

Some of our really good friends moved to Oklahoma in August. We have really missed them and was trying to figure out when we could take a trip out there. My kids have only been to a few states. So I thought it would be a good idea to make the time to go out right after Christmas. My thinking was that we had not had a road trip in a long time and it would be fun to sight see along the way. Well, you don't sight see when it is freezing outside!

We left the day after Christmas. It was cold. We drove from Nephi to New Mexico. We almost made the Texas border. I could not talk the kids in to getting out at the Colorado sign. It was way too cold. They did get out when we hit New Mexico. By the end of the night, I was exhausted. It had been too cold to get out at too many places. So we just kept driving. Thank goodness for portable DVD players. At least they kids were some what entertained.

The second day we drove from New Mexico to Oklahoma City. We went to the Cowboy Hall of Fame. I am sure the kids were excited as I was to get out of the car for several hours. It is an amazing place. We got to see the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame. There are several different sections from Western Movie Stars to famous western painters. There was a sculpture of John Wayne that was done by someone who lives in South Jordan Utah.

We spent the night in Oklahoma City. We had a really good steak dinner. Since I was still trying to catch up from Brent keeping us all up at Christmas, I crashed at 8:00. It really helped me have enough energy to enjoy the rest of the trip. Brent needed to burn off some energy from being in the car. So he went swimming.

Christmas Morning

2008-01-14T20:17:00.000-07:00

Christmas morning is usually the same for us. We get up really early. I am serious about 3 a.m. If we do not make it to Coy's parents by 5:00 a.m. the phone calls start. Sometimes they start much earlier.

I really like to have Christmas with my kids first thing in the morning. A lot of Coy's family stays at grandma and grandpa's and all have their kids Christmas together. But, I want to have first thing in the morning with just us. So we get up really early. I love to spend the time opening presents with the kids and especially watching them go through their stockings.

This year we tortured Brent again. We hid his main Christmas present. He deserved it because he was up until midnight and tried to wake me up at 2. So we let him open all of his presents and then asked the Christmas story question "So, Brent did you get everything you wanted?" At that point he knew there was something hidden. We had his grandparents buy him a Fast Lane Roping Dummy while they were at the NFR. The Fast Lane is the coolest roping dummy according to him. He has been asking for one for months. It was a last minute decision to get one and they are not easy to find.

Racheal loved everything. She got an iPod home. Now she can plug her iPod in her room. And of course I spent way to much on clothes and jewelry for her. Next year, I think it will be her turn to be tormented. I am sure we need to hid her gifts!

After we have our little Christmas, we head to grandma and grandpa's for more gifts. After we open gifts, we get omelets. Grandpa makes them every year. They are huge 3 egg omelets with everything. They are so yummy. We all look forward to them. Then of course we spend all day there. We eat tons of treats and grandma makes a ham, salads and tons of food. So we sleep and eat all day. How perfect is that!

(It is perfect until you realize you have gained 8 pounds between Thanksgiving and Christmas! Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!)

Christmas Pajamas

2008-01-09T19:37:00.000-07:00

Each year for Christmas, grandma gives the kids pajamas on Christmas Eve. She used to make them when they were little. I think my kids look more forward to getting their pajamas on Christmas Eve than they do anything else. Then you can't get them out of them. They still in them from the moment they get them to the end of Christmas Day.

I try to get a least one picture of them in their pajamas. Brent is opening his with Haley. Isn't she so cute. Racheal is posing with Ashly. They have always been close.

After they get their pajamas, we usually indulge in various foods. Grandma has already made all of her candy and other delectable treats. Grandpa make shrimp, stuffed mushrooms, and lots of other yummies. This year was had a special treat. Yuki was here from Japan. So he made a Japanese dish called Shabu Shabu. I think that is how it is spelled. It was really yummy.

It was a great night. We love just hanging out with family.

Holiday Catch Up

2008-01-08T20:18:00.001-07:00

So I really did it. After about the 20th of December, I just relaxed and enjoyed the holidays. Sure I still had a lot to do but I did what I could and let the rest take care of itself.

Now, I am back. I want to catch up on all of the holiday events. We started the holidays with a Christmas party the Saturday before with the kids from Moab. It was a really good weekend. We ate, opened presents and played games. It was a quick trip for them but it was nice.

My grandparents came over Saturday night for dinner and presents. Emma came this time. She was so funny. She helped me hand out presents. She had more fun handing them out than she did opening her own. She kept wanting to give out one more. It was really cute. She took to my grandpa for some reason. She would hug him everytime she got to open a present. It did not matter who it was from.

Tristen is so excited when he comes here. He loves to talk. He stayed up late with me on Friday to watch my favorite Christmas movie "A Christmas Story". It is almost sad to send him home because you can tell he does not want to go.

Haillee is the quiet one. She just tries to blend. She was excited about a couple of her gifts. I was proud of her this weekend for smiling for pictures. She also stood up to me about the clothes she was going to wear. I know most adults would be offended but I like to see that she can have a mind of her own. I worry about her not taking care of herself.

I really miss them and wish we could do more. I try to give them a little glimpse at a stable family life. Hopefully, they can see a goal to strive towards as they grow up.

How to Survive the Holidays

2007-12-11T11:17:00.000-07:00

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

2007-11-23T07:52:00.000-07:00

"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

2007-11-19T20:39:00.000-07:00

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

2007-11-19T20:31:00.000-07:00

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

2007-11-19T20:15:00.000-07:00

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

2007-11-13T13:26:00.001-07:00

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

2007-11-12T14:48:00.001-07:00

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

2007-10-31T21:18:00.001-06:00

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

2007-10-31T21:16:00.001-06:00

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

2007-10-22T18:29:00.000-06:00

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

2007-10-12T15:23:00.000-06:00

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

2007-10-04T15:09:00.001-06:00

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

2007-10-02T18:51:00.000-06:00

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

2007-09-20T15:20:00.000-06:00

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

2007-09-19T10:48:00.000-06:00

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

2007-09-13T09:52:00.000-06:00

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

2007-09-13T09:36:00.000-06:00

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?

2007-09-11T11:35:00.000-06:00

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

2007-09-05T16:50:00.000-06:00

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

2007-09-05T16:32:00.000-06:00

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

2007-08-22T10:33:00.000-06:00

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

2007-08-21T09:18:00.000-06:00

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

2007-08-13T13:08:00.000-06:00

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

2007-08-13T13:06:00.000-06:00

Brent First Steer Ride

2007-08-08T20:54:00.001-06:00


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

Brent First Ride

2007-08-08T20:44:00.000-06:00

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

2007-08-08T16:25:00.001-06:00

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

Cowboy Friends

2007-08-05T14:17:00.000-06:00

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

2007-08-03T14:27:00.001-06:00

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

2007-07-27T14:14:00.001-06:00

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?

2007-07-18T15:14:00.000-06:00

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

2007-07-17T10:09:00.000-06:00

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

2007-07-16T10:13:00.000-06:00

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

2007-07-10T13:43:00.000-06:00

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.

Brent's First 2-Handed Show

2007-06-29T14:54:00.000-06:00

Brent got really motivated the last couple of weeks to work on his 2-handed 4H horse. A 2-handed horse is a colt that is under 5 years old and has never been show in a solid bit. It is a great program to help kids work with young horses. They learn a lot about training, patience and horsemanship.

We took Brent and Sass to their first 2-Handed show together on Thursday June 21. The show was not perfect but it was a really great first effort. Brent took 2nd in Showmanship, 1st in Pleasure, 2nd in Equitation and 1st in Trail. He ended up first in his age group for the whole show.

He had a really good work in pleasure. They really got along great. She was not as good in the classes when she was in by herself.

He was so excited after the show. I think this type of sucess is really starting to help his confidence.