Hold On for the Ride
The dust from the last ten days hasn’t even settled and here we are on the road.
It’s been a whirlwind—one of those stretches that leaves you feeling like you’ve lived a month in just over a week.
We started last week with the Elbert County Fair. Our boys look forward to it every year. They did the “Dress Up With Your Pet” contest, a gymkhana, and Canaan even did a rooster crowing contest. We also got to enjoy a big event for our family: the Bellamy Brothers concert.
This wasn’t just any concert.
Seven of my mom’s nine siblings made the trek from North Dakota, South Dakota, and cousins from California to be there. It was a reunion, and a celebration of the music we grew up on. Watching my parents sing along in the front row brought back a flood of memories. It felt like a piece of home. That’s where my niece, Bellamy, got her name!
But as the music faded,
we were quickly reminded of the reality of our rodeo life. Last Saturday, we were headed to a rodeo in Cripple Creek, when the trailer blew a bearing. We were scrambling, and my dad came to the rescue. He came with another trailer, getting me and the boys home while Cory dealt with getting the bulls where they needed to be. By the time Cory got the last of the bulls down, it was 11:30 PM. My dad took the boys back to his place, and I rushed to pack for a business seminar in Dallas.
That night, I didn’t get to my parents’ house until 11:30 PM, and by 3 AM, I was headed on a plane to Dallas. While I was away for the week, Cory, exhausted from the weekend’s rodeos, was called out to work Monday night, all night. Then went to a ranch rodeo on Tuesday and cowboying for other families on Wednesday. It’s a nonstop lifestyle, and while I was at Seminar, Cory was out there, keeping the wheels turning—quite literally.
This morning, I woke up at 3:45 AM, caught a flight home, and
finally got to snuggle my boys.
That feeling of coming home, was just what I needed. The foggy morning made it even better—perfect snuggle weather.
As I looked around our place, I noticed the garden looked full, and the grass was long. It felt like when I left, it was summer, and now it’s suddenly fall.
Even Patsy added to the chaos by getting into the house last Saturday, eating all the raw eggs, and knocking the cast iron pan off the stove. The pan, still on the floor a week later, made me wonder, “Why do I even try?” But it is what it is, I do the best I can, and I do it with joy.
No matter how much I prepare, it always feels like we’re scrambling. And with school about to start, we’re getting in our curriculum and adjusting our family schedule. The boys are growing, and what worked last year won’t cut it this year. Nap times, activities, everything is shifting.
But as I reflect on it all, I’m
filled with gratitude.
We are so blessed to have friends like Zach and Dannah, who followed us to the rodeos and helped out in so many ways. We couldn’t do what we do without friends and family. Our people. Dannah said it best today: “People show up to the rodeo, their kid gets on, they leave, and they don’t realize how much work goes into this.” And it’s true. It’s a lot of work.
After my moment of reflection this morning, we prepped for tonight’s rodeo. And guess what? We’ve taken on another rodeo tomorrow night! We’ll head to Colorado Springs on Saturday night, and then, finally, I’ll get to come home and hit the reset button. I keep telling myself, “Just get through and enjoy the next 36 hours, and then I’ll be home, and I’ll put my home back together.”
I call it a “Home Reset”.
This life isn’t for the faint of heart. It’s exhausting, it’s unpredictable, but it’s always rewarding. Seeing the boys thrive, watching our bulls perform, and knowing that we’re doing this together as a family—it makes all the late nights, early mornings, and endless miles worth it.
So here’s to the next 36 hours, the next rodeo, and the next home reset.
We’ll keep going, one ride at a time, one day at a time,