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...
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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!
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