Road MUST Haves!

Okay so this isn’t my regular ole catch y’all up on what’s going on in life blog.  As you’ve read, most of my blogs come to you from going down the road either with Tate or working.  I’ve learned while traveling I have some travel MUST haves and I want to share!

First… I really like to be nice and golden brown although I hate to tan and you really can’t get much sun through the windshield of a truck, I’ve tried!  So I have discovered a GREAT self-tanner… Origins (The Great Pretender)!  It’s awesome!!!  Just throw it on before bed then take a shower in the morning or whenever you get a chance, in my case.  It does NOT leave streaks and doesn’t smell awful like lots of other self-tanners.  You’ll be staying good and golden brown for days J

Second… Magic Wrinkle Releaser!  It’s seriously magic!!!  When you’re living out of a suitcase there really is no way of keeping your clothes from wrinkling.  I’ve tried rolling them and it doesn’t help with wrinkles or take up any less space while packing.  Just spray some Magic Wrinkle Releaser on what needs to be de-wrinkled and VIOLA its wrinkle free.  Although it might stretch your clothes out a little, I actually use it for shirts that are a little snug.  If you don’t want your clothes stretched out just put the ole blow dryer to them after spraying the releaser on and your clothes will look like they came fresh out of the dryer.  Plus it smells great and clean!!!

Third… BB Cream = Perfection!!!  For some reason boys think we can be ready in the small amount of time that it takes them to be ready… Not true!  It takes time and work to get the face on, fix the hair, and pick the perfect wardrobe.  Well, I’ve always been one to wear foundation; for one my face is ghostly white, two I look twelve without makeup, and three it just makes me feel prettier.  So I thought anything that might save me time not having to put a bunch of crap on my face would be great.  I found a great, much less expensive, BB Cream made by Loreal!  It’s much faster and blends better than foundation.  If I’m getting real dolled up I still wear foundation but on an everyday basis I throw some BB Cream on, eyeliner on the bottom, a little blush, and mascara.  It’s quick and easy and the boys no longer complain I’m taking forever!

Fourth… Can’t wash your hair, don’t have any water in the camper, can’t find a shower?  Whatever it might be.  We all know sometimes we either don’t want to wash our hair or just don’t have time.  People are spending sooo much money on dry shampoo now-a-days and all they truly need is some 97 cent baby powder or cornstarch from Wal-Mart.  Seriously, it works the same!  I prefer baby powder because cornstarch sometimes makes your hair feel funny.  Plus you’re hair smells good!  I have dark brown hair and it still works on mine… Promise!  Try it and you’ll save some $$$ and time…

Fifth… My go to clothing items while on the road are a good tank and a cardigan/sweater.  You can do so much with these two items! I seriously have a rainbow of tanks, most from Target, and they’re usually on sale for $5-$7.  I’m an Express junky so I get most of my cardigans and sweaters there.  Sometimes you just have those days where you don’t know what to wear, you hate your whole closet, or you just don’t feel like thinking about your wardrobe.  Well, a tank and cardigan is the magic fix!  You can go casual with jeans, a scarf, and a good pair of cowgirl boots or dress it up with some blingy jewelry and a pair of heels.  Seriously it’s effortless and always cute!

Sixth… Hats!!!  I love hats!  For two reasons; they’re awesome for bad hair days and they’re just another great accessory.  I ALWAYS pack a hat!  You never know when it’s going to rain or you’re going to just have a terrible hair day.  So many people say “oh I don’t look good in a hat” but, I doubt some have really tried to find the right hat.  There are so many different types and styles of hats everyone can find one for them J  I promise once you find a good hat that looks much better than a terrible hairdo, you’ll fall in love!

Seventh… Sweat Block!  Lol!  I know this might sound weird but I’ve discovered this amazing new stuff called Sweat Block.  It’s a lot of deodorant packed into a small little pad you rub under your arms once a week and the best part is, it works!  It’s amazing and takes up much less space in your travel bag than deodorant.  Plus I don’t know about y’all but I hate deodorant!  It doesn’t work for me and Sweat Block does.  I do make my own homemade deodorant which consists of coconut oil, baking soda, and tea tree oil.  I just haven’t got the consistency exactly right yet and it melts very easy if not kept in a cool place and as you can imagine the camper isn’t exactly cool at all times.  So I found Sweat Block, at Wal-Mart, on the very top shelf of the deodorant aisle.  I was worried because it does have a high amount of antiperspirant in it but don’t be alarmed people, antiperspirant does not cause cancer.  I just read a study about it in Self Magazine this week.  The study was conducted by doctors and was very reliable.  So go right ahead and block all the sweat you want!!!

Last… Packing advice!  I always try to pack as little as possible, even though I still ALWAYS over pack.  If I try or at least it looks like I try, maybe Tate won’t gripe about my packing.  Lol!  Shoes take up the most room so I try to pack as few pair as possible.  If it’s a weekend trip I’ll pack one pair of boots and make sure I have outfits to go with them on all days and I pack a pair of casual shoes.  I’ve learned to figure out full outfits before packing and bring things that you can wear more than once.  It will take up less room in your suitcase plus give you less headache when you’re trying to figure out what to wear.  It’s hard being a girl because we need shoes, layers of clothes, jewelry, makeup and sooo much more.  I have a small makeup case I take with me.  I’ll take my essentials and then a few different shades of eye shadows to lessen my makeup bag.  Always pack jewelry that can be mixed up and wore together.  Hair stuff seems to take up a lot of room.  I haven’t seemed to figure out how to shrink it up much.  I’ll take a straighter, a curling iron, a blow dryer, and hair spray.  Sorry, but I just cannot go without my big can of hairspray!  Those little ones I use to quickly and they cost so much for so little hairspray actually.  I love hairspray!  Lol!  They do say the bigger the hair, the closer you are to God J

Well, that’s a few things that I can think of that I love and need with me on the road at all times.  Plus a few tricks on how to pack better.  You might have heard them all before but maybe not!  Hopefully they’ll help you on your next excursion!!!

Somewhere Between the Mayo & the Mustard

Summer catch up… Thank God that’s not what Tate had to do this year, but here I am and it’s October, and I’m just now catching y’all up on the whole summer run! Honestly it’s amazing to me that this rodeo season is already over. I feel like just yesterday we were starting off in Odessa. Man the year sure flew by but it was a good one that’s for sure! Tate is making his 3^rd NFR this year!!! We couldn’t be more excited especially with how great and consistent Tate has been riding. Tate truly has excelled this year! It’s definitely the best I have EVER seen him ride! And he’s won more rodeos than I’ve EVER seen him win! My prediction is this NFR is going to be one to remember J but before we get there I must catch y’all up on just how the rodeo trail treated us this year!

Well, May was pretty jam packed with just about everything, lots of rodeos, and a trip to Canada, work, and my baby brother graduating. First off I'll start by telling you just because Canada is near the US doesn't mean it's the same. Talk about diverse! You think the US has a mixture of cultures, try going up there. Literally, every street had a different ethnicity of food and market to choose from. Plus the people just aren't friendly. I mean I'm used to being home and everyone talks to everyone, there they don't! They keep to themselves. Might not be a bad thing! Maybe everyone's not gossiping about one another. Lol! But the country side was beautiful. We went up to Grouse Mountain, which still had snow falling in May, and went zip lining. It was gorgeous and the view of the ocean and Vancouver was amazing. Our tour guides (none where actually from Canada) were so fun. I highly recommend going zip lining! Now the town of Vancouver was okay. Pretty dirty but we did stumble into this awesome little organic coffee house that was having open mike night. Of course neither of us were going to sing because we're both awful but we listened to some good ole Johnny Cash and 80s hair band music. It was super fun! The whole reason we went to Canada though was because Tate got invited to the Cloverdale Rodeo. Which he was pretty pumped about because he'd never been to any rodeos in Canada. So we kind of turned our trip into a vacation... Kind of! We decided vacations on a warm beach are much better. Lol! But we had fun together and we loved seeing new things. Our favorite part was river rafting down the Chilliwack River. It was about an hour outside of Vancouver and the place was a little gypsy compound. I totally loved it because I'm a gypsy at heart. The people there were so much nicer! Now the river on the other hand was freezing!!! Like probably 33 degrees! We had a blast rafting, even though we thought our limbs were going to fall off. Lol!  We also did 2 of our favorite things; went to a winery and ate sushi... Cheap sushi. Everything was extremely high up there so when we found an entire (good) sushi meal for $11 we jumped on it. We ran into the winery as we were lost trying to get to our hotel. It was called River Bend Winery and what was funny is they had jams and salsas they were selling that came straight from Texas. Lol... Texas will rule the world someday! Oh, why we were lost going to our hotel is because we totally forgot a map and our phones didn't work there, unless you pay extra, so we were just driving around in the dark. Now if I do say so myself, I got us around wayyyyy better than Tate did. He kept getting so lost and turned around. I think I finally proved my sense of direction to him ;) So that’s why we kept stumbling onto things because we had no idea where we were going. Like my nerdy husband wanting to visit the science museum. We found it on one of our lost adventures! I swear he's too smart for his own good but I sure hope my kids get his smarts. It was pretty cool, other than we looked like weirdos without any kids and no one talked to us the entire time. Lol! Our Canada trip was an experience! Tate did well at the rodeo and we learned we never want to vacation there... Unless it’s for fishing, Tate says. Lol! As soon as we got back home my baby brother graduated. He's growing into a fine young man and working his way up to be a great bull fighter. Personally I'm beginning to feel old when I call 18 year olds "kids". Lol! The day after his graduation I flew to Boston for the Lacrosse finals for work. Another new thing! I'd never been to anything that had to do with Lacrosse or to Boston. I mean I don't even think people know what that is in Oklahoma unless you go to a private school. The finals were actually in Mansfield so I didn't get to visit anything in Boston (besides the traffic on the interstate). It was a nice cozy town with much more wild life than I expected. Wild turkeys everywhere! Oh and Dunkin Donuts everywhere! After Boston I enjoyed being home for a few days and getting things done around the house. May was full of new travels and interesting places!

Come mid-June it was time to hit the road…. good and hard! We packed up the camper after hitting a few rodeos around the house and headed out on the summer run. I didn’t go on the start of the run because I had to work the College World Series in Omaha which was a blast! I love baseball so that event was totally my thing, unlike the Lacrosse finals. I sometimes fly out to jobs but sometimes I travel with my 3 close little gypsy friends. We all have so much fun working together! We worked a lot in Omaha so we didn’t have much time to go out and see the city which we were kind of bummed about. After getting back from Omaha I flew to meet Tate and pulling all-nighters started but first we visited his parents in New Mexico. After leaving Tate’s parents’ house we had to stop and pick up another one of his traveling partners. On the way there, we thought it’d be a good idea to swim the Rio Grande ;) Lol! We actually stopped in Truth or Consequence (yes that’s the name of the town) and went for a dip in River Bend Hot Springs. I’d never been to a hot springs before and I fell in love! They say they’re fountains of youth so I really think I should attend more of them! Lol!  The springs where right next to the Rio Grande. What you would do is sit in the hot springs then jump in the COLD river! Apparently its good for your muscles but it was cold.  After that we found, of course, a good little Mexican food place called Maria’s. We ate dinner there and breakfast the next morning! It was yummy!!! I was only on the road for about a week and a half with Tate, so I didn’t get to go to many rodeos but Tate ended the month well.  He won Coleman, TX and Clovis, NM and placed in a few others.  During June, my brother started fighting bulls in Cody, WY every night.  I thought I’d be a nervous wreck knowing he was literally fighting every night but surprisingly I wasn’t!  June didn’t consist of anything to exciting; it was only preparing me for what was to come in July J

Oh July! July is the busiest rodeo month in the entire year.  A cowboy could literally go to a rodeo every day of the month if he could make it and this of all months is when I decide to go the entire month almost! Lol!  Talk about rodeo trail break in!!!  Starting the month off I worked in Kansas City at the MLB Allstate game.  I flew out the second week of July and from the get-go it was nonstop rodeos the entire month.  Now let me fill you in on the details of what nonstop rodeos consist of… Driving all night to get there a few hours before the rodeo, finding a shower somewhere on the rodeo grounds (this shower might or might not be warm or clean), going to the rodeo (praying he actually covers), then packing up and doing it all over again.  Some people, most people, probably think it’s insane.  Heck, I think it’s insane sometimes but for the love of the game right?  No pain, no gain!  So needless to say,  we went to more rodeos than I can remember and most of the towns we were in and out of so fast we didn’t have time to even eat but we did have a few days to enjoy in one place.  Cheyenne was the first long stop.  We camped there for a few days and it was sure nice because Cheyenne does have clean, warm showers.  I think I spent an hour in the there the first night.  Tate ended up winning the first round of Cheyenne and making it back to the short round.  In between the go round and the short round, we had time to kill before we had to be in Salinas, CA.  So we thought it’d be a good idea to stop by Reno… Bad idea bad, bad idea!  I’m not much of a gambler and when I lose $20 I get mad so Reno was not nice to me because I did lose more than that! Lol!  We had fun though which counts for something but a word to the wise, don’t go visit the Tequila bar in the Grand Sierra once again… Bad idea bad, bad idea!  After we got out of that terrible town, we made it to Salinas, CA which was freezing in the middle of July.  We had to book it right back east for one of my favorite rodeos, Deadwood, SD.  I’m totally in love with that place!  I would actually consider moving there if I could convince my family that it’s much, much nicer than Oklahoma in the summer.  My mom says “yes, in the summer but what about all the snow in the winter?”  So I guess it’ll have to wait until I can afford 2 homes!  Lol!  We headed straight back to Cheyenne after Deadwood so I didn’t get to enjoy much of the town but, the rodeo itself is just so wild west.  I just love it!  We ended the month visiting my Aunt and Uncle in Encampment, WY.  It’s a tiny town but after being on the road a month a good home cooked meal tasted better than ever!  After that Tate dropped me off in Denver to meet some girl for work the next week.  Tate ended the month well.  Consistently setting in the top 15 and placing at rodeos.  July was just really full of RODEOS but, hey that’s what pays the bills J

I started August out in Sturgis, SD of all places.  I was working the bike rally there.  Now that is an experience!  I’m pretty sure you can see EVERYTHING you want in Sturgis.  People just have no shame!  Lol!  It’s always really fun though and once again I love that part of the country so it’s pleasant besides the million bikes you hear for 10 straight days.  We went to some really awesome concerts.  My favorite was rocking out to Lynard Skynard!  Yes, I know they’re not the original but I still love them!!!  Just a little hippy at heart ;)  Now I was ready to get home after Sturgis.  Tate was still on the road doing awesome!  He won Jerome, ID, Caldwell, ID, and Kennewick Xtreme in August.  All these wins and a few more places made him get a pretty good seat in the top 10.  Until September 30^th I don’t say he’s made the NFR but we were pretty sure he was in.  That felt amazing since last year he squeaked in the LAST day of the year winding up 15^th.  I was home most of August and Tate finally got to fly in for a weekend.  First time he was home in 2 months and he really didn’t want to leave.  I was very excited because he came in the weekend of the Alzheimer’s Walk and I’m on the committee.  The disease is very close to my heart because it has affected a few people in my family.  It meant a lot that he was here for it!  Tate had to fly right back out and hit the road again but his time home was well spent.  During his time home though I got a call late one night from my mom, knowing this wasn’t normal,  I called her right back.  My brother had broken his arm fighting in Cody and was going to have surgery.  Don’t worry people I didn’t freak… It’s just an arm!  Totally a bummer though since it happened the last week of the rodeo but, they always say it’s not if you get hurt its when.  I don’t want to think of anyone getting hurt but I thank God it wasn’t much worse!  With August coming to an end, that leaves us with one more month of the 2012 rodeo season.

As for September I’d have to say it was the best month out of the year so far!  I flew up to meet Tate in Puyllap, WA and from there we slowly made our way home.  It was awesome just being the two of us and getting to be on our own schedule.  After Puyllap we headed to Lewiston, ID spent the night there then slowly made our way to Pendleton, OR.  When I say slowly I mean it!  We stopped to go hiking and somehow got lost in a national forest on top of a mountain and what should have took about 3 hours turned into 7.  Luckily, it was beautiful and we actually enjoyed our phones not going off for hours.  We went to the forest thinking there would be some hiking trails and boy were we wrong!  Nothing but hunting and it was the opening weekend of elk season.  Lol!  We finally made in to Joseph, OR.  Joseph was a cute, little, mountain town with a lake smack dab in the middle of it.  We finally made it hiking!  I like to slowly enjoy the scenery, you know be one with nature and Tate wants to just run up the mountain.  Well, I’m from Oklahoma and my lungs just can’t take that!  Lol!  It was beautiful though.  After the hike we drove on to Pendleton that night.  Gorgeous drive and LOTS of deer up there, even deer in town that is!  After making Pendleton, we had a few days to kill before Tate rode, so of course, we had to visit the famous Pendleton Woolen Mills where the blankets are made and the prices weren’t any better unfortunately.  We took a tour of the Mills and it was really neat to learn the history and to think all of their blankets used to be made by hand!  Amazing artist!!!  We also visited Stetson Steakhouse in Pendleton and had a very tasty steak… We’re too cheap for Hamley’s Steakhouse!  Lol!  I mean it’s probably coming from the same cow anyways.  Tate didn’t make the short round in Pendleton, so we headed out after he rode.  We made our way to SLC, UT and then the next day went hiking in Moab, UT.  Moab was gorgeous!!!  Great things to do there too!  The hiking was awesome besides my fear of getting bit by mosquitoes (because of west nile) and I’d went all summer without being bit.  Then as luck has it, I was literally attacked by those suckers!  Lol!  After our hike we were starving so we found a Mexican restaurant in town and it was to die for!  The Baja Grill!  It’s a must if ever visiting Moab and I highly recommend visiting.  We wanted to drive a little further after our hike so we drove on to Cortez, CO and on the drive I totally freaked myself out.  The highway we were on used to be Hwy 666 and it has been claimed it’s haunted!  I mean I don’t believe in that really but I’d rather not test the waters in the middle of the night.  So I made Tate camp in a Wal-Mart parking lot on the side of Cortez the highway didn’t run!  Lol!  Thank goodness for the good ole Ram Inn.  You can just park her everywhere!!!  The next day we made our way to Tate’s parents’ house and stayed there a few days.  After going to Albuquerque and Amarillo we were homeward bound.  Tate couldn’t get there fast enough!  I’m pretty sure he was counting down the minutes.  Lol!  But literally he was so excited and I was too.  I was excited just for everyone to be home.  I only got to see my brother 1 day in 3 months and that’s really weird for us.  Plus just being home feels so good when you’re never there!  The end of the month, we finished up with some rodeos around the house.  Tate went to Omaha the last weekend and I worked Bikes, Blues, and BBQ in Fayetteville.  It was just so extremely nice knowing Tate had made it into the finals before literally the last minute, like last year.  For the last rodeo of the year, we headed to Anadarko, OK.  Mo Betta Rodeo Company put it on.  After the rodeo we went to the Tate’s (not my Tate but that’s their last name) and had a wonderful little get together with our rodeo family.  Ending the month with all of our family’s both our “rodeo family” and our “family” was amazing!  Truly a blessing to be able to have had such an amazing rodeo season this year.  Now Viva Las Vegas!!!!!!!! Oh and wardrobe planning J  My favorite part!

Oh and can y'all guess why the title of this blog is what it is???  Well... The moto on the road is just to keep the truck somewhere between the Mayo and the Mustard J

Welcome to the Ram Inn!!!

Here I am on another 6am flight leaving my husband to head down the rodeo trail without me... Again! Totally bums me out sometimes. Although I love my job as a promotional model and my travels, sometimes I'd just like to be a gypsy with him :) But as for me I can only be a partial gypsy, because someone has gotta take care of grown up responsibilities ;) This is why I come to you at 6am on a plane. Off to work I go! Boston is calling my name...

Last blog I only caught y'all up on one month from this year (I know I really suck at this blogging thing, doing it only once a month) but I'm trying... LOL! Anywho I figured I'd try and catch you up a little further than one month on this one. Frankly, if I only do one month at a time we'd be here awhile trying to get through the entire year with how slow I am at blogging ;) So starting in February, we have been traveling in our new rodeo rig. We've named our new humble abode the Ram Inn (because we drive a Dodge Ram, no other reason people, get your minds out of the gutter ;) and this has been an experience within itself. 2 boys (sometimes 3), 1 girl, and a hairy dog cramped in a camper the size of the bed of your truck is pretty darn interesting, for lack of better terms. Talk about NO privacy! But hey I'm just grateful it has a shower. Let me tell you, going down the road like a cowboy doesn't come with showers in the warmest, cleanest, or safest places sometimes. You take them where you can get them! Interesting how I know longer take showers for granted... Especially warm ones! Oh and you don't just 'shower' in a camper, you take a 'camper shower'. This entails turning the water on and off a million times to ensure you don't run out of hot water or water in general! And shaving your legs in a 2x2 shower is probably the most hilarious thing ever... Thank God no one can see me ;) As for the Ram Inn though its came in pretty darn handy so far and has saved tons of $$$ in hotels, which is always a great thing. We started our journey in the Ram Inn the second weekend in February. The first weekend Tate and my daddy went on a guided hunt (which consisted of dad shooting a hog and Tate shooting, well nothing). So I had time on my hands which led to my infatuation with homemade products... Lol... Mom and I just started googling how to make just about everything you use around the house and we came up with some great recipes. Like the one I made laundry soap out of. It’s so easy, works great, and is cheap. $12 and it has lasted me 4 months so far. Anyways I'll give y'all the recipe... 1 cup borax, 1 cup washing soda, 1/2 cup oxy clean, 1/2 cup purex crystals, and 1 bar fels naptha soap grated. You just keep mixing these parts until your container is full! It works awesome and you can find everything you need on the detergent aisle. Who doesn't like saving money, especially on stuff that no one wants to buy anyway! I also came up with a wonderful concoction for deodorant... Coconut oil, tee tree oil, and baking soda. I'm still a little apprehensive about wearing it though. I mean it works but I have a phobia of stinky pits... LOL... So I always use a backup too! After a week of packing, cleaning, and getting the Ram Inn ready to hit the road, we left on the 10th. First stop was Belton, TX and let me mention this was the coldest day of the year in Texas. I mention this because after the rodeo we drove to where we were going to camp for the night, got into the camper, turned the heater on, and NO heat! Brand new camper and no heat... Man Tate was ticked... Little did he know it wasn't broken, there was just no heat ever put in. He failed to make sure it had a heater! So after yelling about it for five minutes, we just started laughing, we decided to pile high with blankets and tough it out... I slept in leather gloves... Only to prove a point... LOL! It actually wasn't bad at all but I sure as heck wasn't taking a shower in a freezing camper. Luckily, we found an RV place and got a small heater then on to San Antonio we went. Tate didn't do as well as he had hoped in San Antonio but we had a good time catching up with friends and just hanging out for a few days. After San Antonio we headed east to Mississippi and Florida but before heading that way we had to pick up Tate's traveling partner, The Germ. Interesting fella he is, that’s for sure ;) Hilarious! Next stop is Jackson, MS. Needless to say we stopped into a fine establishment called “The Waffle House” after the rodeo. Not knowing what we were getting ourselves into. We found full blown Whitney Houston tribute being played on the jukebox and being sang by the staff. This of course was a few days after she had passed away. The boys wanted to leave, I made them stay ;) Ain't nothin wrong with a little soul! The next day we hit the road for Florida with a few pit stops on the way. One being a Wal-Mart in Mobile, AL where the entire gaming aisle was full of nothing but camo and the next being a great little sushi dive in Crestview, FL. “Bamba” was the name of the restaurant and it was delish! The Germ had never eaten sushi before so that was quite funny. He did fine until I mentioned he was eating fish eggs then I was pretty sure I was going to see everything again... LOL... We just wanted to add a little culture!  Once we made it to Florida we went to a few rodeos but I had to work as well. My last promotional tour stop was in Ft Lauderdale so I flew there for a few days to work. Tate and now two travel partners came to pick me up. On the tour we stay in pretty fancy hotels. We were at the Westin in Ft Lauderdale. Well, three cowboys with their bathing suits, boots, and cowboy hats sure stuck out like sore thumbs. People were seriously staring which happens a lot because apparently cowboys are some ancient, mystical creatures that most people never see ;) LOL! After rolling out at about 2am, we headed back west to Texas but not before stopping and eating some good ole crawfish at Steamboat Bills in Baton Rouge, LA. Uh huh it was tasty... And HOT!!! I was pretty sure I was dying after my lips were on fire, my heart was racing, and I felt light headed (yes I am a baby when it comes to hot). But between the 4 of us we consumed 10lbs of it! After making it back to Texas we spent a few days at some fishing holes. The boys fished and I napped! I get bored with fishing, what can I say! I have a short attention span. Then it was back to San Antonio for the Xtreme Bulls and the Miranda Lambert concert! I was pumped to see Miranda... I <3 Her!!! I'm kinda obsessed...  I know her birthday is the same day as my best friends and she got married the same day I did! We were truly meant to be best friends... If only I could just meet her and let her know that... LOL! After a fun stay in San Antonio it was finally back home.  So in the matter of 3 weeks we covered 5 states back and forth! Not a short road trip that’s for sure but it sure was a fun one. The funniest thing was one of the guy's little boy singing "Sexy and I know it" over the phone to us! So cute! Like I said, we're just one big rodeo family...

 


After finishing up a long run of rodeos in February, Tate had a bunch of rodeos in Texas in March and I was off to South Padre to work for 3 weeks. Frankly, I was dreading working everyday for 3 weeks and having to deal with a bunch of college kids (I can call them kids now, because I'm no longer in college ;) and also having to be away from home that long because I hate leaving all my chores to be done by my parents. Once I got to that sunny beach, the dreading was over though! Let me say this... No child of mine will EVER be going down there or anywhere else on spring break! Talk about crazy!!! So my month of March consisted of watching the craziness on the beach, making some great new friends, and soaking up some rays. It’s funny the friends you make in my job. They usually know nothing about rodeo but the girls I worked with in Padre were so interested and they actually watched Tate ride with me. I love 'clicking' with people that you think you would have nothing in common with, but you do! It makes work a much better place when you have people that you actually want to be around working with you. The Germ made himself a friend in Padre as well ;) Warning girls... Don't fall for cowboys that sing to you and sweep you off your feet... They shortly travel to new places... Then talk to you once a month from there on out! Just a friendly tip from the wise ;) It’s just their nature until 'the one' comes along... And when I mean 'the one' I mean the one who will do the same thing to them and teach them a real good ole lesson... So be “the one”! Like my momma always told me "every single one of them come running back eventually". I guess this is all my fault though because if Tate would have never came to visit me in Padre, The Germ would have never got himself into the predicament he did! During the chaos of spring break I found a day off to go to a rodeo with Tate. I really didn't want to go back to work after going with him! The road just sucks you in... One minute you're wishing you were home, the next you want to go more, more, and more! It's defiantly a blessed lifestyle to be able to experience not having a time schedule and getting to do pretty much whatever you want! But don't let it fool you, it’s not all fun and games. When it rains it pours but when there's a drought there's a drought! So you must take advantage of the ups because you never know when the downs might hit. You have to enjoy the time you have together and the success as well! That brings me to how great Tate did in Houston! He made the short round and luckily they have streaming so I watched every time he rode. He's been doing awesome so far and keeping a consistent seat in the top 15 which I try not to look at until September because literally anything can happen between now and then. What can I say, our life is full of gambles and we hope to always come out winning!  

My next journey was working the Final 4 in New Orleans and I loved that city! Not for the typical things people love New Orleans for, but for the culture. It was wonderful, people were so nice and the food was literally to die for! A crawfish omelet... Yes, please!!! Apparently it’s a must to have a Hurricane at Pat O'Briens, so I did. It wasn't impressive but hey at least I tried it. After working the Final 4, at the beginning of April, I came home to not having any travels planned the entire rest of the month, except for a night in Ft Worth. The annual Ft Worth CBR was at the beginning of April and we had a blasted! The Ft Worth Stockyards is always so much fun. I love the western culture you're surrounded by and the southern hospitality that everyone has. We ended up visiting the Stockyards Saloon, the CBR after party was there and so was the Texas Women season premier. We know most the girls on Texas Women but I'd never met Brooke. On the show she doesn't seem like she'd be too friendly, but she was when I met her at the saloon. We had a great time! That goes to show TV will morph a person into whatever they want them to be! After our fun night in Ft Worth we headed home and got to work on things around the house; building fence (which still isn't done), lots of gardening, Team Oklahoma meetings and family time! The Team Oklahoma meeting was at the state capital. State Rep Skye McNeil organized them. A few members of Team OK were on the House floor and were recognized by the state to try and establish new sponsorships. We met with lots of representatives and senators, much was accomplished and they declared April 11th ProRodeo Team Oklahoma day... Not sure what that means, but at least the state is recognizing the team and the sport of rodeo. One funny thing at the capital though was my sense of style just wasn't like a politicians because I walked in wearing bright green pants and everyone decided to stare at me... Black and grey were the 'in-style' colors for them! Hey just because you're a politicians doesn't mean you can't look good ;) Other than some Team OK meetings and Tate leaving on the weekends for rodeos we were home most of the month. When you're on the road so much you really appreciate your bed and home cooked food more than ever! When I'm at home I love being outside and I love gardening. I must brag just a little about my green thumb. I never knew I could grow things, but this spring has proven, I CAN! My rose bushes were amazing and my garden is coming along great... Go me! My garden is probably doing sooo well because of the pure bull poo we planted it in... LOL! Don't worry I wash the veggies before anyone eats them ;) In April Tate actually got to spend a lot of time at home too. He loves helping me play in bull poo and build my garden... Not ;) It’s one of the few months we're home and there's much to accomplished before the summer run. The summer run means Tate has no idea when he might be home again. Come June it gets a little crazy!

Well, from being on the road the entire month with Tate (and his traveling partners), to working for 3 weeks in what seemed like a foreign country of crazy college kids, to having a normal life at home for a month, that sums up three more months out of our crazy schedules!  On to May...

Here goes nothing :)

Well here I go! Finally writing my first blog after having this for three months now :) I told myself when I got time I'd write. Well I have time now, probably to much time, for me that is :) I'm so used to being consumed with a hectic life that being laid back for a while is really boring me! Anywho let me get started with why I'm writing this blog. I'm writing because my husband and I so often travel the country and see many different aspects of the great nation we live in and so often we take for granted. I truly want to share my experiences to make others better. Not to mention people are intrigued by the lifestyle we live and cannot grasp how we do it. So I figured I'd share :) here goes nothing!

A little about me... Hmmm... Where to start... First off I have a pretty broad array of task I get myself into ;) lets see like wanna be susie homemaker (cannot cook to save my life, but sure can keep the house clean), party planner (love that one), cupcake decorator (I CAN bake), organic product maker (yes go ahead and laugh but my homemade deodorant works quite well), lover of clothing (cruel girl of course :) and express because I can totally cheat the system with those coupons... I'll teach you), rock cultivator (LOL... Lately I've collected rocks to decorate just about everything), interior designer (of my own house that is... Ripped everything out and started from new), traveler (of course), business owner (this ones brand new... Let's see how it goes), and many more kooky things you'll learn by reading this blog! I am a graduate of Oklahoma State University. Gooooo Pokes! I also work in promotional marketing and modeling, I am public relations chairman of ProRodeo Team Oklahoma, and I volunteer with the Alzheimer's association. But I'm really just a simple person with simple dreams that loves being simple. I don't need what people refer to as "the finer things in life" to make me happy. I'm happy having the people I love around me and enjoying every moment of this wonderful life God has blessed me with! I am the daughter of two wonderful, loving, perfect parents (except for their occasional bickering ;) and I could not have ask for an any better childhood. They gave me all I needed plus much more buttttt they taught me to work for what I have and I thank them so much for that because it has made me who I am today :) I'm also the Sissy (sister in non country terms) to a wonderful brother that I literally probably could not live without. He annoys the living crap out of me sometimes but believe me don't mess with him ;) And last but certainly not least I am the wife of my adoring, amazing, charming husband Tate Stratton! He's the whole reason I am even writing this blog (thanks honey ;)

Here's the scoop on Tate! He's a professional bull rider in the PRCA (Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association) and the CBR (Championship Bull Riding). Not the PBR... and YES he is still a professional! Actually the PRCA has been around much, much longer than the PBR. Anyway just wanted to get that out there. Many people think since he's not in the PBR he isn't professional but they are WRONG. He is and so are all the other cowboys that work their butts off to be apart of the PRCA and CBR. So Tate started riding bulls at age 8 and has excelled ever since. He grew up in New Mexico but was born an Okie :) now he's back to his roots! Then went on to college in Texas. He graduated from Texas A&M in 2007. While in college he was crowned the College World Champion. For some reason he forgets he won this and I so often have to remind him of his accomplishments! Tate then made the NFR in 2009 and 2011. He's a wonderful athlete that has tons of talent but most of all he's humble. He has no idea the talent he has but I love him for that because only one of us can be big headed in this family ;) just kidding!

I must tell you a little about Tate and I... For starters we met in a very weird, but let's say, high tech way ;) He just happened to pick up someone's phone I was texting (wink wink) he swears he had no intentions of scoring a date (uh huh I'm sure... Lol) Anywho we ended up talking literally all night until sunrise over text. The next day he called and I ignored him because I was so nervous to actually talk to him. A few days later we met (thank God he was who he said he was and wasn't a mass murder... Haha) and the rest is seriously history! He made me more giddy than I ever thought was possible. The butterflies were insane... I loved him! Then about a year and a half later he made the NFR for the first time. For anyone who doesn't know the National Finals Rodeo is the biggest rodeo of the year. It's what cowboys try their entire lives to make it to. The top 15 riders in the world from each event make it... It's an elite competition that is the highest goal for a cowboy! And Tate was finally there! After being 16th, 18th, and 21st in previous years this was amazing. The finals happen in December so I, of course, had finals at college. I had to fly in after Tate had already arrived. He had it all planned out perfect! As soon as I landed at the airport a limo picked me up. Tate had told me he was sending a car because he couldn't come get me due to grand entry practice. To my complete surprise (literally completely surprised) Tate was waiting in the limo for me. With a ring and ask me to marry him. We were both on cloud nine! Him because he finally made finals (oh and because I said yes ;) and me because I was finally going to spend to rest of my life with a wonderful man who I loved with all my heart! We married May 14, 2010 and I have to say it was the most fun I've ever had at a wedding, I guess I could be partial though :) And now almost two years later, Tate's hand surgery, a college degree, and many other ups and downs we are still going strong and enjoying where the road takes us!

So now onto what this blog is really about... Life as a rodeo wife and my life discoveries in general :) Well, first you must get acquainted with weeks without seeing your husband, living out of the bed of your truck (literally), a bunch of random dudes all up in your space, pulling many all nighters driving from rodeo to rodeo then not even being able to sleep because you're so delirious from LACK of sleep, countless fishing trips at random stops along the road, random people stopping to take pictures because they see a "cowboy", and much more craziness! But with all this craziness comes a bond between all the competitors and their family's. Its probably the only sport that cheers for their competitors. Rodeo family is truly a family, we lean on each other in times of need and we rejoice with each other in times of happiness. We truly are one big happy family! Its an amazing experience and I'm very blessed to have been brought into the rodeo family. 

Now comes the 2012 update so far (I promise I'll try to keep this up at least once a month). Well, we started the year off on a high! Tate making finals again in 2011 and me finally graduating from college was pretty darn awesome! We kicked the year off at a bull futurity. You must understand we don't get to celebrate many holidays in our lifestyle. Thanksgiving and Christmas are pretty much the only ones we are home for or together for that is. So not getting to do anything on New Years Eve isn't anything new to us. Then we went to Odessa, TX for the rodeo and to visit family. Which was great! And then right back home we went. I worked in LA, yes Los Angeles, this country girl visited the big city ;) wasn't to impressed either! I was in Orange County one weekend and Beverly Hills the next. What to say about those two areas... I saw a lot of botox, blondes, and bad face lifts (hahaha I kid I kid) but seriously A LOT of botox. It sure amazes me how people can be so shallow at times. I mean there's starving people out there and all they can think of is how big their house is and how new their cars must be. There's just so much more to life then THINGS!!! Don't get me wrong I LOVE my clothes but I make sure not to go overboard. Honestly I'm kinda tight! So long story short I had some good sushi in Beverly Hills, must have not been that good though because I don't remember the name of the restaurant, and stayed at a very out of my element hotel that probably cost 300 bucks a night and I couldn't even see to put my makeup on because the lighting was so terrible.... Lol! And for Orange County, I drank a little too much wine and ate an awful funnel cake... FYI LA you can't do southern food ;) But the people I worked with are all awesome, so that's a plus! In between the two weekends I was in LA we went to Ft Worth for the Xtreme Bulls. Next stop was Phoenix, AZ for work. We stayed at an amazing resort, the Montelucia. I highly recommend this to everyone! It was awesome. I literally didn't leave all weekend :) it's right next to Camelback mountain and they have great hiking and scenery. The weather was perfect! 75 in January, I'll take that any day :) Ate some amazing pizza! Try it... It had pesto, mozzarella, tomatoes, broccoli, artichokes, and mushrooms. Hey, I'm not much of a vegetarian eater but give this a chance! Yummy!!! In the meantime while I was off working on the weekends Tate was gone as well. He rode in Denver, Ft Worth, and a few other places I can't remember, in January. So as you can tell we aren't normally even in the same state. Most people would think this could create problems but honestly it doesn't, it makes our time together even more special. I'd love to say we've learned not to take one another for granted but hey we're only humans and I know it happens sometimes but we truly try not to. Now I'm not saying its easy knowing my husband is going to climb on a 1000lb animal with me not being there... NO it isn't! But I've learned to detail. The most common question I'm ask is "doesn't that make you nervous" and I can honestly answer no. I have faith in the Lord that Tate will be protected and so does he. My faith is definitely what keeps me sane sometimes! Now if you ask if my brother fighting bulls makes me a nervous wreck I can answer YES! Not saying my faith isn't as strong over the protection of him, its just the fact he's my BABY brother! But it's time to get over that because he's going to be gone a month fighting bulls in Cody, WY this summer. Which is amazing and great for his career but I might need a nerve pill before its over ;) I guess I've always been super protective over him and I just feel like he's my child. Can't image how I'll be when we have our own. I'm sure Tate is truly terrified of the crazy lady I'll become! Which leads me into, no we are not having children soon, and everyone can stop asking... Lol! I guess getting married people assumed you have to spit out a kid within the year and that ain't (well didn't) happen for us. We have way to much traveling to do before we bring babies into the world :) Don't get me wrong we want them just not NOW! I mean people already ask "why did you get married so young" and I really, really, really want to reply "why are you sooo old and NOT married" but I don't ;) So to answer that question I got married because I felt as though it was the right time in MY life to do so and I love the man I married even more every day, so why not!

Alright so that covers why I'm writing, a little (just a little) about me, how I fell in love with my handsome husband, and just ONE month out of this year so far! I won't bore you with the rest as of now but don't worry I'll be back... SOON! Hope you enjoy :)