Special thanks to my cousin, Trey Eason, of Eason Portrait Gallery in Adel, Iowa for the beautiful pictures! He is a wonderful photographer and very creative! http://www.easonportraitgallery.com/ Hello, hello!
To prepare for the Miss Rodeo America Pageant, I am having a FASHION SHOW SEND-OFF to model all of the beautiful outfits I will be wearing during the pageant. Ashley Kelber and Paula Jameson have been sewing away and working very dilligently, so I owe it to them to show off their beautiful handiwork--not to mention I am SURE I will be the best-dressed queen there!
Mark your calendar for Sunday, November 18 at 2:00 p.m. in the commons of the Shenandoah, Iowa Middle School. We will be celebrating autumn with apple cider and a few snacks to satisfy your mid-afternoon munchies! I have a fun slide show of all the pictures from my various trips during the year for your enjoyment, as well as the opportunity to catch up and visit with people you have not seen for a while! (I would advertise free veterinary consultation, but I am not too far through school, so there would be no guarantee on my diagnoses!) If you will listen, I would LOVE to recite the speech I will be giving during the speech competition. I will also have a free-will offering basket to try to tie up a few loose ends I have left to finance for the year, such as shipping of all my outfits to Las Vegas, plane tickets, etc.
I will be in the presence of beauty and other royalty, as Aleigh Beahm, Miss Rodeo Iowa 2008 will be there, along with other Iowa rodeo queens. The girls will also be modeling one of their favorite outfits and introducing themselves so you can become familiar with all of the beauty and brains within the state! I am very excited for the send-off because I have had such an extraordinary year all because of the support (in so many different ways and forms) of all the wonderful people I call my friends. Do not worry; I will never forget any of you, and when you need a calf pulled at 2 a.m. or a second opinion on your dog's chronic skin condition, or someone to perform cutting-edge surgery on your prized equine friend, please do not hesitate to call once I am an official D.V.M.
Jerry Dietz of KCSI Radio in Red Oak, Iowa and his family will be in Las Vegas during the Miss Rodeo America Pageant BROADCASTING LIVE! I feel so fortunate and excited they are doing this becauase it will give many of you the opportunity to hear what things are like! Jerry does an excellent job interviewing and keeping his listeners informed, so I am sure it will be just like you are standing next to him in Las Vegas during his broadcasts!
Sorry it has been a while since I have written, but Dixie and I have been studying all about cardiac physiology, canine anatomy (for which she is a great model), and biochemistry. The clock is ticking and the calendar is turning . . . which means it will not be long before I "Viva Las Vegas" again! I am getting more excited than I am prepared, but I have high hopes to come out with a scholarship in the pageant!
Since the last time I wrote about the great week in Ft. Madison, I have been to the Iowa State University Cyclone Stampede Rodeo in Ames. Rachel Burton, Miss Teen Rodeo Iowa 2008, who is also an ISU student was there and brought along an extra horse for me to run flags and chase out cattle. Thank you, Rachel, for letting me ride Cosmo! (I think she was mad that I got to ride a horse taller than Tank in Nevada becauase she made sure this time to bring me a horse way smaller than tank--by about 2 hands!)
It was a very windy weekend, but the rodeo was great and my mom did a wonderful job with the music during the performances. Blaine Partridge was the announcer, for the third year, and he did a great job, as usual. There is a very fun and ironic story about Blaine and my mom became a rodeo sound/announcing team--you should ask me sometime! Jim Svboda of Ord, NE was on hand to take pictures at the rodeo and he even sent me a few copies to add to my scrapbook. Thank you, Jim, they fill the page nicely and were just what I needed!
Speaking of my scrapbook, Cary Veach is crafting a beautiful cover out of leather and hair-on calf hide. I am really excited to slip the many pages filled with memories into the cover. Cary and his wife Laura have been so fun to work with and get to know this year. I feel very fortunate I am not too far from them because I enjoy just stopping in every once in a while just to say hello! Dixie benefited last time I stopped because she now has a new, fancy "going out" collar complete with a three-piece buckle, conchos, and letter conchos spelling out her name! (Spoiled, I know, but Cary does such wonderful work!)
The next stop I will make is the Extreme Cowboy Race Championships in Kansas City, MO during the weekend of November 3-4. I am heading down to ride with Judy Rogers for the weekend, and she has arranged for me to get to meet Craig Cameron! If you are unfamiliar with the program, you should watch RFDTV sometime, and you will be amazed! The next weekend I will be in Louisville, KY for the Great Lakes Circuit Finals, then we will have the fashion show send-off, followed by a break the next weekend to eat turkey and spend time with the family, and then I will be in Las Vegas! I cannot believe how quickly things are coming up, but I am very excited and feel so lucky for the opportunity to compete for Miss Rodeo America!
Take care, and I hope to see you at the send-off! If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me! Have a great week, and I will try to write again after my weekend in Kansas City!
