It Takes a Village

We’re excited to be heading to Amarillo for the WRCA finals in November! This rodeo

season has been a lot of fun, and we still have a couple more events on the calendar. There’s nothing quite like traveling to new (and old) places, catching up with friends, watching the kids play, and watching these guys compete. It’s an adventure we look forward to every year.

As much fun as rodeo season is, it’s also pretty humbling to realize just how hard it can be hauling kids (of all ages) — along with everything but the kitchen sink — to survive the weekend. It’s work. It's a five-hour drive with a two-year-old crying and a five-year-old asking “Are we there yet?” 207 times. It’s cleaning up a lot of dirt (so much dirt) and sometimes mud all weekend long. It’s changing kids into pajamas in the car way past bedtime. And it’s a whole lot of dealing with tired and cranky kids who make for tired and cranky parents.

This trip in particular was a difficult one. Our AC wasn't working at the hotel Friday night, and our little ones didn't sleep a wink. And then we made a mad dash home Saturday night, which put us back on the ranch around 4 am Sunday. We. are. tired.

Don’t get me wrong, though — we wouldn’t trade this lifestyle for anything. Rodeos aren’t just about the competition; they’re about community. The people you meet at rodeos are “your” people, whether you know them well or have just met. There’s a shared set of values and morals that bind us together. We are striving to raise good kids with manners, respect, and a love for horses and the cowboy life.

This community is something truly special. If your back cinch breaks, like Mike's did Friday night, everyone is quick to offer theirs. It’s a village where kids can throw their toys down in the dirt and play all night, with moms taking turns wrangling them all in. There's just nothing like it.

I don't think I would have survived this weekend without that "village" mentality and

two moms who I met Friday night. Our kids played together both nights, shared toys, snacks, and germs, and lived their very best lives, while the three of us kept an eye on them.

In our little world, God, family, and country are loved in that exact order and are all a pretty close tie in these cowboys' hearts. It's full of good men who are trying to raise good kids and ride good horses, and good women behind the scenes, making it all happen. While it can be tough sometimes and definitely tests our marriage some days, we’ll keep going as long as we can.

So, here’s to our next adventure, filled with friends, fun, (inevitable tears), and plenty of dirt!