Rodeo Houston: Super Series III

Ace and I ventured towards Houston on Sunday and made most of the trip in a pretty steady downpour.  We came up a day early so that Ace could watch calf roping and get a feel for the start, so that he and Mexico would be prepared for their first run on Monday night.  We got to the arena around 3:25pm and the afternoon performance started at 3:45pm.  Ace wanted to saddle Mexico and take him into the arena and get him familiar with the bright lights and all the noises that a stadium that large could resonate.  Since it was still raining, Ace made me hop on-top of Mexico to keep the saddle as free from water as possible.  I stayed in the hospitality while Ace went down to the roping boxes to watch calf roping.

Afterwards, we headed to the contestant campsite.  We are extremely thankful for the amenities that Rodeo Houston provides for contestants.  We arrived to a tent that housed stalls for the horses and a full hook-up, including a water spout and electrical outlet, for our use. There was even a contestant hospitality tent at the campsite!

Once we got Mexico and the trailer situated, we decided it was time for dinner.  One of Ace's all-time favorite places to eat is Papasito's.  Lucky for him, there was one right down the road from us!  A few team ropers hopped in the truck with us and we headed to dinner.

On Monday morning,  Ace went to tie the calves and I stayed behind at the trailer and caught up on a few work items.  Ace attended a contestant meeting and then we went to lunch at Papa's BBQ.  While eating, I was looking around at all the decor and couldn't help but notice a Calgary Stampede poster.

Doesn't this resemble Ace's dad, Tod Slone?!

After lunch, we hooked up to the trailer and headed to the arena for round 1.  The calves in the set were pretty wild and not many were willing to take a tie.  

Luckily, Ace drew a pretty decent calf and he and Mexico made a great run!  He placed third in the round and got his name on the leaderboard!  A family friend, Suzanne Thibodeaux, was able to join us for the round and took Ace and I to dinner at Pappadeaux's after the rodeo.  Thank you again!!

Click HERE to watch Ace's Round 1 run

After he roped, Ace headed over to the Fan Zone in section 109 to sign autographs.

He was able to catch up with Michael Stansbury, a calf roper that Ace coaches virtually on his website, http://coachmycalfroping.com/

One of my best friends, Rasha, and her boyfriend Max were able to come out for round 1.  I always love getting to see them!

On Tuesday morning, we had breakfast with Ace's family and got to spend the afternoon with a dear friend and her sweet newborn baby, Grace.  We had a quick lunch at Papasito's (if Ace could eat there everyday - he'd be in Heaven!) and went back to the contestant campgrounds to load up.  We headed over to the stadium and got ready for the rodeo.  This time, Ace decided that a poncho was a good idea for himself and even had one to put on the saddle!

The announcers made a comment during Round 1 that Ace used to wear some flashy shirts, and I think they were expecting him to keep up the tradition.   On Tuesday, he wore a bright green shirt and it caught their attention so much, they said he looked like a Leprechaun!

At the start, Mexico popped up a little and Ace had to take the calf a little further down the arena.  His run wasn't quick enough to win any money in the round, but he tied one down and got a time which will go on and help him in the average.

Click HERE to watch Ace's Round 2 run

After Ace roped, we headed back to section 109 where he was signing autographs again.  We caught up with many family members and friends that happened to be at the rodeo that night.

Afterwards, we went down to hospitality for dinner while waiting for the Tim McGraw concert to start.  We love when family and friends come out and are able to visit.  Longtime family friend, Whitney (Dr. Boyce), was able to join us on Tuesday night.

We enjoyed watching Tim McGraw from the buckin' chutes and as he was circulating the stadium shaking hands, we decided it would be a good idea for us to jump down and try to get in on the action.  Whitney hopped down first, and I followed behind.  One boot landed on the dirt, and the other in a hole.  I guess Tim McGraw made me weak in the knees or something, because I hit them on my jump down!

Ace and I decided to leave a little before the concert was over to miss the crazy Houston traffic.

On Wednesday morning, Ace's dad (Tod) came to get us from the trailer and we decided to run to SAMs to see if they had a cookie cake to surprise Ace's sister, Kailey, for her birthday.  Thankfully, they had one and we headed to pick up Kailey, Lonna, and Stratton.  Kailey decided on a local Houston eatery, Punk's, for her birthday lunch.  As we walked in the door, she was completely surprised to see her husband, Martin, awaiting us inside!  Such a great surprise and great restaurant - Happy Birthday, Kailey!!  After lunch, they dropped us off at the trailer and we took a quick nap before loading up and heading to the arena for round 3.

Ace needed to place towards the top of the round in order to advance to the semifinals.  He was second out and we checked the draw and saw that he had a pretty good calf.  Ace and Mexico had a great run and were on top of the round.  Mrs. Thibodeaux was able to join us again and all of our hearts were racing that Ace stay on the leaderboard for the round.  A few ropers later, he fell to second in the round but was able to maintain the second place position for the round.

Click HERE to watch Ace's Round 3 run

This allowed him to make it back for the semifinal round on March 18th.  We are so proud of you!!

Here is Ace with his nephew and biggest fan, Stratton!  

San Antonio Short Go, Tucson Short Go, Tilden, and Bay City

After his first set at San Antonio, Ace and Cody Quaney headed to Tucson, AZ.  He had his first calf down quick, but she strained and wouldn't take the tie.  He had a good second run, but was one of out the money for the round.  Ace was consistent enough on two head to make it back for the short round, which fell on the Sunday after the short round at San Antonio.  Ace's videographer wasn't there to film, so unfortunately I can't post those two runs....

For all non-rodeo affiliated readers, the short round (or short go) is the championship round.  I think I am finally catching onto all the rodeo terminology and it's becoming somewhat second nature in my vocabulary!
 
Ace got home from Tucson just in time to turn around and head back up to San Antonio for the semifinals.  I would like to extend a HUGE thank you to Bart Hutton for allowing me to sit in his amazing seats - right behind the roping boxes.  Also, a HUGE thank you to Mike and Kim Paxson for inviting me to sit with y'all to watch.  Bart, the seats are way better than the companion seats up in the nosebleed section!

On his first run, Ace had the calf down to be real quick, but she sucked her legs from under him and it resulted in a little longer run than we anticipated.

Click HERE to watch Ace's first semifinal run at San Antonio

After the round, Ace got Mexico situated for the night while I met up with Kahlei and Gabe, some friends from Cuero.  We all went back down to sit with the Paxson's to watch Jeff Foxworthy's show after the rodeo.  It's not very often that we stay for the performer, but we are so glad we did.  He had us in continuous laughter!

Throughout the night, Kahlei was very stern in asking me when we will be getting back from the summer rodeo trip, as her and Gabe are getting married in mid September.  I assured her that we wouldn't miss their big day for the world - even if we have to fly home to be there!

That night, Gabe asked Ace to be a part of their wedding and he was thrilled!  We all decided to go downtown and eat at Mi Tierra once again.  Of course we had to have breakfast for our late night dinner!

The next morning, Ace and I headed to Lake Placid to spend the morning and afternoon visiting with his family.  Lonna, Kailey, and I did a little afternoon shopping while Ace and Stratton stayed behind and took a nap.  When Stratton awoke, he was sure ready to watch Uncle Bubba rope!

Ace and I headed back to the arena and got ready for the rodeo.  He placed in the round, but unfortunately was one out of the money to advance to the finals.

Click HERE to watch Ace's second semifinal run at San Antonio

Ace decided to head back to the trailer and get some rest, as he had to make the trek back to Tucson on Saturday.  I stayed out for a bit and visited with Kahlei and Sarah Beth - friends from Cuero.

The next morning, Ace and Monty Lewis headed back up to Tucson for the short round, while I headed to Fredericksburg to join in on wedding shower festivities for a girlfriend from college, Gina. I had so much fun catching up with girls I haven't seen in forever and making memories with friends - old and new!    

In Tucson, Ace's calf ran him down the arena and he had her tied down.  However, before the 6-second tie inspection expired, she got up and it resulted in a no time.

In the past few days Ace went to a CPRA rodeo in Tilden, TX and a PRCA rodeo in Bay City, TX and earned second place paychecks at both rodeos.  While Ace went to Tilden, I went to New Braunfels and spent time with one of my sisters and her two sweet boys!  We took Jaxen to see a monster truck smash cars at a local dealership....he had so much fun!

Ace and longtime rodeo friend, Judson Nowotny, were both up at Tilden during the same performance on Friday night.  They joked that if they won first and second that they would get a suite at an upcoming Spurs game.  Well boys, turns out that your joke became reality..... now when are we going to watch the Spurs?!

Click HERE to watch Ace's run at Tilden

Ace, Tod, Michael Zuber, and Randy Perry had a good roping session yesterday before we headed to Bay City.  I called Ace on my way out to the arena and asked him if he could saddle a horse for me.  Shortly after I arrived, his sister, Kailey, pulled up to the arena.  Ace told me she had a surprise for me - it was my very first Slone Saddle!  I am so excited to break it in and show it off! Thank you, Slone Saddles!!

 Ace and Mexico had a good run and got a second place paycheck in Bay City.

Click HERE to watch Ace's run at Bay City

Ace got done roping fairly early last night and we were able to make it home at a pretty decent hour.  This morning we loaded up the trailer and are headed to Houston for Ace's set on March 9-11.  We look forward to being consistent and keeping the momentum up!

Let's Rodeo San Antonio!!

The San Antonio rodeo is practically a hometown rodeo for Ace and I know he was so glad to have the opportunity to rope in the ATT Center again and have family and friends come support! 

On Friday morning Ace woke up and went into San Antonio to tie the calves for the rodeo that evening.  I stayed home and packed the trailer for our weekend in San Antonio.  Lucky for him, I even packed enough clothes for all week - since he has a loaded schedule of roping! 

He came back to Cuero and we headed back to San Antonio about 3 pm.  We planned our trip just right and thankfully missed all the big city traffic.

We had lots of family and friends join us for round 1!  

The round was pretty quick, but Ace had a good, clean 9.8 second run.  After the performance, we visited with some friends at the hospitality room and enjoyed some of the amenities at the rodeo grounds.

(Kahlei Matejek - one of Ace's hometown friends and Me after round 1)

(So glad my best friend since childhood, Hannah Kocian, could make it out to finally watch Ace rope!)

Saturday morning, Ace and I ventured to downtown San Antonio for breakfast.  Mi Tierra was our restuarant of choice, and it was the perfect start to a great day. 

Ace and Mexico got ready for the afternoon perf and we all headed up to the arena.  Ace placed second in the round with a time of 9.0 seconds. Afterwards, we met up with family and friends and decided to go downtown for lunch.  Of course, Mi Tierra was our destination of choice! 

While we went to lunch, Ace's mom and sister stayed in the trailer so that Stratton, Ace's nephew, could take a nap.  After his nap, he was ready to ride like Uncle Bubba! 

It must be in their genes or something!! 

We all headed back up to the arena for our cowboy to run his third calf.  This set was fast and I was so anxious while waiting for Ace and Mexico to ride into the box.  He had a great run and placed second in round 3 with a time of 7.4 seconds!  His consistency allowed him to tie for second in his set of ropers and allowed him to advance to the semifinal round on this upcoming Thursday and Friday.

Click HERE to watch Ace's runs at the San Antonio Livestock Show and Rodeo

After Ace's run, I headed home with his family while he and Cody Quaney hit the road for Tucson, AZ where they rope Monday morning.  Ace will be back in San Antonio on Thursday and Friday to rope in the semifinals and my fingers are crossed he'll get a run in the finals on Saturday! 

Rope 'em fast, tie 'em faster!!

Denver, CO

Since Ace and I have been back in South Texas (aka home), I haven't written any rodeo related posts, as the winter was pretty calm.  Throughout this past summer, we enjoyed traveling throughout the West Coast and loved exploring every state we entered.  I dropped a pin at every city that we visited (for a rodeo or just as tourists).  The following map depicts the approximate 24,000 miles and 13 states that we visited from June 2014 - September 2014.

After the summer run, Ace had a little downtime from rodeos.  He started working at the family business, Slone Saddles, and I started working at a local dental office.  After a little time off, Ace started roping again in November and decided to try out a new pair of boots at practice.  Unfortunately, the boots weren't quite broken in enough and caused a bad get-off, which resulted in a strained hamstring.  On top of the injury, Ace forgot to enter the Denver rodeo before the books closed.  He blames it on working under a tin roof and not getting his rodeo reminder text messages.... I'll let that excuse slide this time (but only because it led us on a wild Christmas adventure)!

We had been back and forth with Christmas plans trying to include visiting with both of our families and being able to travel to Denver - if his hamstring allowed for it. 

On Christmas Eve, we traveled to Boerne and Tyler Driskill (Owner/Executive Director of Driskill Films)  took the most beautiful family pictures.  If you're in need of a brilliant photographer, check out his site:  www.DriskillFilms.com

On Christmas Day, I spent time with my family in Shiner and Ace was with his family in Boerne.  In the afternoon, Ace got in a quick practice session and made the call for us to head to Denver.  I left Shiner at about 7 pm and headed to Boerne.  At about 10 pm, we hit the road for Denver, CO. We drove through the night and made it to "Amarillo by morning, up from San Antone..."  In our delirious state of no sleep, we thought this line was the perfect motto for our all-night drive.  We stopped at What-a-Burger to get breakfast, since we knew we wouldn't find any in Colorado!

Once we got to Dalhart, TX we stopped for some wood shavings and got some hay for Mexico.  The lack of sleep caught up to us and we started running into a snowstorm, but we kept on hauling.  

We stopped to eat lunch in Aguilar, CO at a neat little cafe and warmed up with some hot cocoa.  

We were both exhausted, so we pulled into a nearby truck stop to sleep for a bit.  Ace awoke quickly and was frightened at the sight of his steering wheel in front of him.  He thought he had fallen asleep at the wheel!  This had given us both enough of an adrenaline rush to keep moving towards Denver.  We hit the road and ran into more snow but finally made it to Denver about 6 pm on the 26th.  After getting Mexico situated in a stall at the arena, we went into downtown Denver to our hotel.  We were both so thankful for a warm place to stay!  

On Saturday morning, we woke up at 5:30 am to a very chilling 4 degree Denver.  We had breakfast at the Butcher Block Cafe, one of Ace's usual dining spots when he is in Denver.  After breakfast we headed to the arena and got ready for the qualifier.

Click HERE to watch Ace's first run
(I let out a huge sigh of relief that Ace's hamstring didn't hinder his run)

After Ace roped we went back to our hotel and rested for a bit.  We watched a movie and searched for some Groupon deals for dinner.  We walked around downtown Denver and had an early dinner at Rialto Cafe.  I was so excited to experience my first White Christmas!  The snow was absolutely magical... and freezing cold!  Definitely a new experience for this South Texas gal!

After dinner, we went to the arena to feed Mexico and get him situated for the night. 

On Sunday morning, we woke up a little later since Ace was a little further down.  

 Click HERE to watch Ace's second run

After his run, we got checked out of our hotel, loaded the trailer and started driving toward home.  We had talked about possibly making a ski trip on our route home, but hadn't made definite plans yet.  I had some college friends staying in Ruidoso, NM and we considered making that our plan - as long as we could make arrangements for Mexico.  

We got to Ruidoso around 1:30 am and got Mexico situated at a small local ranch. Since it was really late, we decided to sleep in the truck rather than pay for a hotel room.  The next morning, we went to the Sitzmark Chalet Inn and met up with our friends, Rasha and Max.  I hadn't seen Rasha for months in Texas, but got to meet up with her in New Mexico - Funny how that works!

Thankfully, Rasha and Max borrowed me some ski pants and gloves and Ace and I headed for the slopes.

It was my first time skiing and it was definitely a fun but somewhat frustrating experience.  My first time getting off the lift resulted in a face plant.  Before we got to the bottom of the bunny slope, I had crashed three times.  We caught the lift two more times and I hadn't fallen again, so Ace decided we should take the lift to the top of the mountain.  Such confidence he has in me!

We got fairly close to the top when our lift had a mechanical malfunction and left us stranded 10 ft away from the get-off area.  We weren't too cold, until we got stuck up on top of the mountain.  The way down the slope was a little brutal for me.  There were so many skiers and I still hadn't mastered getting stopped or turning perfectly.  We finally made it to the bottom and I was exhausted and beat up.  Ace went back up the lift and skied down two more times, that way he could actually get a few good runs in.  He was such a good sport when I was physically exhausted and completely frustrated with my first day of skiing.

When we got down from the mountain, we went to feed Mexico and had dinner with Rasha and Max at the Inn of the Mountain Gods. 

On Tuesday morning, we hit the road for home. As we were leaving, it started snowing on us again.  On the way home, we listened to the first Hunger Games book on Audible.  After we finished the first book, we decided to watch one of the Hunger Games movies on Netflix (on our iPad).  The road home seemed to take forever (mostly due to our exhaustion and the dreary Winter weather) but we made it home safe and sound!

We had such an amazing, spontaneous trip full of fun memories!  And - Ace qualified for the Denver Stock Show and Rodeo, so all-in-all our mission was accomplished!  Don't let Ace know this, but I'm glad he missed the books this time.....but this time ONLY!

Ace and Mexico will be headed back up to Denver shortly and I'll be cheering them along from home....Here's to safe travels and good runs!

Let 'er Buck - Pendleton, OR

We left the Urbach Ranch at about 6:30am on Monday morning to head to Pendleton, OR.  Ace entered the Pendleton Roundup Memorial Golf Tournament, so we had to be at the country club fairly early.  Cody didn't enter the tournament, but a few other calf ropers were entered with Ace.  We met Cody Dan Jordan and Jesse Clark at Burger King and hopped in with them while Cody took the rig to the fairgrounds to get set up.  The guys had a great morning playing golf and I had fun tagging along.

Tuesday morning after the guys ran their first calves, we went to have lunch at a nearby Mexican restaurant.  After lunch we headed back to the arena to watch the rest of the slack events.  During steer wrestling we got out a few dollar bills and played a friendly game of "over or under" and made bets on the times of the runs.  My lack of rodeo background and knowledge of horse body composition and names of the competitors left me empty handed and out of the game pretty quick.

After slack was over we headed to a local park to play some basketball and called it an early night.

Wednesday morning the guys ran their second calves.  After slack we came back to the trailer and the guys played Madden on the PlayStation while I cooked them some lunch.  We went to the afternoon perf and hung out in the Let 'er Buck room til it closed down.

We had heard so many stories about this wildly famous room and had to test it out for ourselves.  

On Thursday Ace and I ran a few errands and went to the Wild Horse casino to use up some chips that we were given.  Blackjack didn't go our way this time, so we didn't hang around the casino for too long.  We drove back into town and walked through all the booths in downtown Pendleton and stopped by Alexander's Chocolate Classics for sipping chocolate.  A lady in Walla Walla, WA told me that I had to try it out once we got to Pendleton.  The picture doesn't do it justice but underneath the mountain of whipped cream is the richest chocolate I've ever tasted. 

On Friday morning we loaded up and headed towards St. George, UT.  We drove all day and called it a night once we made it to Pleasant Grove.  Saturday morning, we started our last leg of the trip.  We made it to St. George at about 3pm and parked the trailer at the arena.  We got the horses situated and then went to a nearby park so the guys could play some basketball before the perf.

Mexico and Ace started a great run, but the calf was facing the wrong direction for Ace to flank her.  Mexico sure worked good in the field to help get her turned around.

Click HERE to watch Ace in St. George

We didn't have any luck in Pendleton or St. George.  This week we are up in Albuquerque, NM and then we are Texas bound! 

Puyallup, WA and Lewiston, ID...Winding Down Our Summer Run

On Tuesday morning, we woke up and had breakfast at The Maple Counter Cafe.  Yelp had great reviews, so we decided it was worth a try.  We were all very impressed with the food and the atmosphere of downtown Walla Walla, WA.

After breakfast we went to Jiffy Lube to get the oil changed in the truck.  While there, Ace was reading some jokes aloud and we met an elderly lady who shared a joke with us.  Her joke may have been super inappropriate, but it was hilarious and had everyone in the lobby in laughter (even the guy in the black shirt)! 

When we got back to the trailer, the guys turned the horses out and I laid out on top the hay pod to try to get a little sun tan.  A little later we went to Walla Walla YMCA to play some basketball and get some exercise.  We shot around, played knockout, and then played a few pickup games with some kids.  Our knockout game quickly escalated to the three point line and I think the boys were a little surprised when I beat them a few times.  It brought me back to my high school days when we would play three-point and half court knockout!

On Wednesday morning we loaded up and headed towards Puyallup, WA.  We stopped in Pasco at the Urbach Ranch and the guys got in a practice session.  I think Connor Rexin was super excited to run some calves with Ace and Cody right after school!  We stayed the night there and went to Magill's for breakfast on Thursday.  

Thursday after breakfast we hit the road to Puyallup.  We made it to the fairgrounds at about 3:30pm and made the horses a pen in a grassy area.  We initially wanted to try to make it to the Seattle Seahawks vs. Green Bay Packers game, but we didn't quite get an early enough start to the day.  So, we watched the first half at a local Italian restaurant and came back to the trailer for the second half. 

Friday morning we woke up and went to breakfast at Auntee B's.  The state fair was kicking off and the parade was just starting up.  Needless to say, traffic was horrible and it took us forever to get to our breakfast destination.  When we got back to the fairgrounds, the guys went to watch the afternoon perf.

I stayed behind and cooked them some chicken pasta for when they got back.  We hung around the trailer for a few hours and waited for the evening perf.  Ace's friend, Lance, was able to make it down to Puyallup to watch the guys in the perf and Cody had some family in town for the fair.

Mexico didn't quite give them the start they needed but he worked so much better in the field than he has been lately. 

Click HERE to watch Ace's run from Puyallup

After the rodeo, we were walking towards the trailer to put the horses up and Ace had to stop to get scones along the way.

(Katie Urbach, they were pretty good!)

After they put the horses up, the guys came back to the fair and we had a late dinner with everyone before they left for home.

While walking back towards the trailer, we walked through a few of the show barns.  We passed these cute little piglets nursing on their momma and I couldn't help but take a picture!

On Saturday morning we woke up and loaded the trailer to hit the road to Lewiston, Idaho.  

Mexico was a little slow out of the box but quickly gained his momentum and worked great in the field.  Ace was the quickest run from the perf and placed seventh.

Click HERE to watch Ace's run from Lewiston

The guys are up next on Tuesday in Pendleton, OR so after the perf we decided to drive to Pasco, WA and stay the night at the Urbach Ranch.  

On Sunday morning Ace woke up and was so excited for football.... 

So excited that we had to order our breakfast from Magill's to go, so he wouldn't miss any football on the Red Zone.  But, I must thank him in drafting my players for my fantasy league and for helping me keep up with it!

Walla Walla, WA with a Few Other Rodeos (and states) In the Middle

On Monday afternoon we left Coeur D'Alene and headed towards Walla Walla, WA.  Along the way, we stopped by the Urbach Ranch to run some calves.  We made it to Walla Walla a little after midnight and were lucky enough to find a plug for the trailer!

Tuesday morning slack started at 7am.  We set our alarms for 6:30am, so we didn't leave too much time for all three of us to get ready in our small trailer bathroom, in an orderly fashion.  So, the guys had to squeeze in together to put their contacts in! 

Click HERE to watch Ace's run at Walla Walla

The guys went to watch the slack while I stayed in the trailer.  I think I developed a stye under my eyelid and woke up on Tuesday with a pretty swollen right eye.  I couldn't put contacts in and had to wear glasses to see.  My eyes are super sensitive to light and this just made it even worse for me.  Being in the sunlight to watch the rest of slack just seemed like torture! 

After slack was over, we went to have a late lunch at The Stone Hut. 

We headed to a golf course after lunch, to have some time out of the trailer.  Ace loves to golf and Cody is like me, a beginner going on pro.  Here's an action shot of Cody's first hole.  The ball went right around the hole and it was a close shot, but didn't quite go in - resulting in the last picture in the frame! "Oh, shucks!"

Luckily, I grabbed a hat before we left the trailer for the afternoon. It really took some stress off my eye.  The golf game was over when the sun completely disappeared for the night. We headed back to the trailer and stopped at Walgreens to grab some ranch dressing.  While there, I decided to see the pharmacist and see if there were any OTC drops that could help. She told me no, and that it'll resolve itself but to keep an 'eye' on it - no pun intended! 

We got back to the trailer and got our mini grill lit and ready for dinner. We picked up some chicken at Costco in Coeur D'Alene and grilled our chicken dinner. 

Ace decided to put the grill on the tailgate instead of putting together our table. I guess he didn't think about how hot it would get.... 

Well, now we have a perfect circle to grill on the tailgate! (Always have to search for a positive in ANY situation!)

On Wednesday morning we woke up, grabbed some McDonald's breakfast and headed to a roping jackpot at West Star arena in Ellensburg, WA. After the roping, we grilled salmon and asparagus for dinner. It was pretty amazing and was by far the healthiest meal we've had all summer! 

On Thursday morning, the guys were up in the 7am slack in Ellensburg.  Mexico and Ace had a good start, but Mexico didn't quite do his job in the field. 

Click HERE to watch Ace's first run in Ellensburg

After the slack, we went to have a late breakfast at the Palace Cafe.  The West Star roping gave the guys coupons, so we had to get their $10 off! After breakfast we loaded the horses and went to Jake Pratt's house to hang out for a few hours before the guys ran a few calves.  We took a quick nap and then Ace put on the Aggie football game. Cody and I were still trying to nap but of course Ace was "whooping" and hollering, so he made it pretty difficult! After the guys ran calves, we went up to Jake's parent's house. They had cooked dinner for everyone and invited us all up to join them. 

On Friday morning, Ace and Cody ran their second calf at Ellensburg.  Mexico was good out of the box but didn't stop his best or work hard enough in the field. There was still quite a bit of slack in the rope when Ace got to the calf.  The calf's horn got stuck on the string in Ace's mouth and jerked it out of his mouth.  This isn't quite how I taught him how to floss, but I'm glad it didn't jerk any teeth out!

Click HERE to watch Ace's second run in Ellensburg

After slack we headed towards Plains, Montana where the guys were up in the evening perf.  We got to Plains about 6pm and relaxed before the perf.  We watched the UTSA football game and this time it was me cheering loud for my alma mater! The perf was another "Tough Enough to Wear Pink Night" and the winner of the perf gets a bonus if he wears pink.  Both Ace and Cody had on their pink shirts and were ready to rope.  

Ace and Mexico had a great run.  Mexico worked much better than he has the past few runs and Ace tied her to be winning second.  Unfortunately, the calf got up, so we left with empty hands. 

Click HERE to watch Ace's run in Plains

We talked to another rodeo couple, She'rae Duncan and Josh Torres, about their travel plans for Filer, ID.  We all have to be there Saturday night and it is about 9 hours from Plains, MT.  We decided to just head that direction, so we got on the road and headed to Dillon, MT and made it there about 3am.  

Dillon is about half way and left us with a much shorter drive on Saturday. 

Since we made it to Dillon pretty late, we slept a little later on Saturday.  Ace cooked breakfast and we got on the road about noon. We made it to Filer, ate at the hospitality tent, and got ready for the perf.  Ace and Mexico had a good run and split fifth in the rodeo. 

Click HERE to watch Ace's run at Filer

After the perf, we had to get on the road back to Dillon, MT because the guys were up in the slack on Sunday morning.  Ace started the driving shift and Cody finished.  We made it to Dillon around 2:30am and luckily saved stalls for the horses when we left that morning, so it made for a quick setup when we got back to the fairgrounds.  The guys had reruns after steer wrestling and team roping, so they had a little time to pass.  I ran into town to fill the truck with gas and to the feed store to get grain and wood shavings for the trailer.  I got back just in time to video Ace and Cody.

Ace's calf ducked off to the left and resulted in a no time. 

Click HERE to watch Ace's run at Dillon

After the slack, we had to hustle back to Walla Walla, WA because the guys were up in the perf on Sunday evening.  We didn't even have time to stop for lunch.  We were all hungry, so I hopped in the trailer and cooked pizzas in the oven while we drove.  The stretch of road was super curvy and not the best one to be in the trailer while driving and trying to cook!  Ace and Mexico had a good run and split 6th in the average. 

Click HERE to watch Ace's run in Walla Walla 

On Monday morning, we slept in pretty late since we have been on a crazy traveling schedule the past few days.  We went to have breakfast at Bacon & Eggs and ran a few errands.  The boys aren't up anywhere until Friday, so we have a few days to unwind.  We shall start by a round of golf and by golf I mean, I'll get a pedicure while the guys play! ;)