Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Hump Day

Back to the pallet of words on the blog, you know I might actually be enjoying this!!! We had a busy Tuesday, with the kids off to school, the normal five mile treck around the valley, this time with a new exercise buddy, Sandy. Then off to the arena to practice with Shad and KyLeigh. We started off with hot cocoa runs in the goats trying to beat their own times. Successfully we finished up after 5 or 6 runs, then on to the roping sled.
The roping sled is a great tool when its super cold and mom dosent want to haul cattle. Kyleigh practiced poles while Shad and i roped the calf sled. It went well we finished up with some slow work in the barrels, foot races to stay warm. Shad is smart when he is tired of hearing his sister say shes cold, theres one way to get warm get your blood pumping.
We were headed back to the house, loading horses. I love utah winter, by the time we had come out to the trailer, my door had frozen so I couldnt close it. It was a fun treck home with the back door wide open. Luckily I have full bar dividers so no one could jump out exept the goat!!! Talk about looking like Hillbillys!!!
Life is looking good, just about to get some cocoa after feeding, when my 6' 2" sticks his head out the door. "Oh are we roping" Of course I pipe up heck no we just got done.
In just a couple of minutes here he comes fully dressed, to catch horses. Needless to say my cocoa got put on hold for a couple of hours. It is exciting to me to see my kids desire to be better each day. They work hard at their goals and dreams.
After finishing up with a Rodeo Moms meeting and a few laughs with my friends. It was the usual late night dinner, yellow death with hot dogs and showers lated. So we filled up our tummys, cleaned the dirt off and hit the hay. Just another adventure with the wild winn bunch!

Monday, January 26, 2009

Monday's Madness

I love Monday its the start of something great. Once again I spent the weekend bench sitting. It was Nationals in Richfield for Shad. I decided to drive down on Saturday to watch the action.
Shad is so determined in what ever he does, its fun to watch him win and hard to watch him loose. Saturday he started with a tough match from Spanish Fork. The first round we were down 7 to 2. Ready for a comeback, Shad fired in the 2ND round and I am pretty sure the SF wrestler didn't know what was coming. An explosion of one mad 4Th grader. Shad ran the legs and penetrated to a 1/2 nelson deep. That is one of his favorite moves, and tough to get out of.
Shad Nevada, there were lots of turn around but with tons of time on the bottom. We finished the match down by three and lost. Troubling to Shad it takes him some time to recover. His goal in each match is to pin his opponent. He worked hard. The next three matches were tough but we were triumphant, pinning two and winning by points on the third.
It was the last match against a Wayne opponent, really smart wrestler and a tough kid. Shad worked hard and had a hard time staying on top holding the opponent. After three rounds we finished behind 7 to 2. Shad was extremely upset and had a tough time pulling through with good thoughts.
We are working on seeing the glass half full and picking those things we do good and not just that we didn't win. This is tough for both my boys they work hard to win. I think as a mom we are getting better about seeing the glass half full.
Dixon will wrestle twice this week, a duel in north sevier and a tournament in North Sanpete on the weekend.
Words from the bench would be great job shad with a 4Th place finish!!! Good luck to Dixon to a successful weekend!

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Today Matters

The view from here is breathtaking, there is a light mist of rain and the haze is hanging over majestic Mt. Nebo. Towering above us all at almost 12,0000 feet.
As I fed this morning the horses were wet, but warm. Its a little odd to see rain in Utah on a January morning. It was refreshing to feel the cool drops on my face as I fed.
Today Matters is a book I'm reading, it is so beneficial. It talks about just what the title is. Today matters, its appealing and I believe that those words are true. Each day you must decide what will matter in your life. Relationships, family, healthy living, financial freedoms. These are only a few of the topics i have read thus far.
Running yesterday I pondered the thought of how today would matter. My goal each day is to go the extra mile. My health is going to benefit as I run each day, and eat healthy. Eliminating sugars, pop, anything harmful to my body. Relationships are going to blossom and become a wealth of love to my soul. As i continue to only think positive about others and think of the good their life will bring to mine. My family is getting better each day, we are working on developing long life relationships. Unconditional love, forgiveness, being patient and tolerant of one another. Financial freedoms is a real weak spot for me. Casy and I are designing a plan that will help us achieve those goals.
The book is full of great tips and quotes. I leave you with a quote that is a favorite of mine: Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, its about learning to dance in the rain.
Each day find joy in something, just like the presence of the mountain, in the mist of rain.

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Tried and True

Life is a gift, today I want to share a story of a good friend. Joseph Kimball is recovering today in St.Josephs hospital in Arizona. He had open heart surgery on Tuesday the 12Th, ten hours later they said it was complicated but done.
I have known Joseph for about 5 years, we are fortunate enough that he comes to our home every 6 to 8 weeks to shoe some horses and float teeth. Joseph is one of a kind and each year at a rope school we host he comes to help. Joseph has lived a life of service and dedication to many. Each time he comes he has new insight about shoeing and life.
So much he has taught me about the gift of life and how we should grasp it each day. As I spoke with him yesterday he was alert, but exhausted just by a few words he would say. He could hold his head up but only briefly. We talked about him recovering and it would be a long road, but the end would be worth it. When he went in for surgery his heart was only pumping 14% of his blood, in my eyes he was close to death. Joseph is of great worth to so many, I hope for him to have a safe and speedy recovery and be able to take care of his family.
As we go through life we must remember to grasp each day and benefit from all the blessings of others. We need to have eyes to see and ears to hear those silent pleadings, yes a soul filled with compassion, that we might communicate not only eye to eye or voice to ear but, in the majestic style of the savior, heart to heart.(Thomas S. Monson)
This is a favorite scripture " By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.(John 13:35)
Joseph has taught my family this lesson to love and listen. Good luck Joseph I hope you heal quickly.

Monday, January 12, 2009

Monday nights are always fun. Tonight we got together with some friends at the roping barn. The bucking chutes have moved in for the winter - so of course we had to try them out. The Cattoors brought some buckers and a few calf riders, steer riders, and a bull rider.
The majority of us stand around and laugh and catch up. The first buckers were the slow milk cow kind. The little boys did great, gritting their teeth, sticking their chests out!! All of them got on at least 3 or 4.
One of my favorite riders is Rhett Nielson, he is pretty talented. Tonight he climbed on a snarly steer. It climbed straight to the sky as it left the chute. Jumped and then kicked hard over its ears. Rhett was making a ride, then he lost a foot, forgot to open his hand and we all know what happens next. He got squished by the big steer. The little meat he had on his legs was now road rash, ouch!!
He still gets the vote for the best ride of the night.
Last but not least Dixon was sure he needed to get on a couple of little buckers. He did a great job, and was smiling the whole entire time.
We rounded out the night with hot cocoa from 7-11 and team roping. The kids had a great time. Life is so good to us, a little cold outside but you can always warm up with family and friends!!!!

Saturday, January 10, 2009

New Meaning of Bench Sitter

One of my acclaimed titles to fame would be bench sitter!! Believe me I have had plenty of not wanting to sit the basketball bench. Currently I am the A #1 wrestling mom bench sitter. Just pulled in from two days of it, should feel refreshed I almost feel 65.
Luckily I am able to do a little wrestling on the bench when my boys are on the mat. Both Shad and Dixon have proclaimed they here nothing with their ear muffs on so I stopped yelling long ago. Wrestling with your neighbor trying to get out of those close ones and counting to three when your nearly all over your neighbors lap! Wow I think this is better than running every morning. Some one could make money by putting it into wrestling arobics "Mom's on the Bench".
Dixon is my sophmore and has wrestled most of the season as the varsity 160 pounder. Shad is my 4th grader, and has been the 70 pound varsity on the jr.high team. And then we have the 189 pound coach, Casy who is the head jr high coach.
This weekend Dixon was at a JV tournamnet in Gunnison. The Chevy pushed it to the max getting there, Dixon forgot his size 11 shoes. Imagine know other sophmore has size 11's. After ariving we situated ourselves on those famous benches.
Unfortunetly we wrapped up in a head throw our first match, but then came back like a mad man and kicked the crap out of the next two. Pinning both opponents, and having one buy. Dixon has much talent wrestling, he is really tall and has extra long arms. So any small mistake and the short fast guys step in on him.
Melodrama was brought on after the first match. The regular I hate wrestling and it sucks. of course I agree it does suck to loose, I am not a great looser. We talked about seeing the cup half full instead of half empty. looking for the good in the losses and well as the win's. This is a hard lesson to teach, that life is full of difficult choices and moves just like wrestling. Dixon talents really shine when he decides to see the cup half full.
Saturday he finished up 4th overall out of ten teams. Wich is great for a sophmore. He met three or four seniors who were well accomplished wrestlers, he did his best and now we have to move on.
Shad wrestled in South Summit on Saturday morning. Early to the truck and just getting back in tonight. A full day of bench sitting. Shad's first match was a Champions Club from the north. There pistols are always loaded. Shad wrestled his little heart out, but came up short loosing 5 to 0 or 2 I cant remember.(Bad bench mom - bench sitter not score keeper - not multi tasker) He was so dissapointed in the end, Im a looser, no good. Wow sounds like what i heard yesterday.
When Shad came back to sit with me, I asked him if he had done his best. At first he said no and then agreed he had given it his all. We talked about seeing the cup half full. Working on pulling the good things from the match and eliminating the bad. I have got to invest in a good camera because when they loose no amount of bench sitting opinion matters. There sure they just got their faces wiped all over the matt. Shad ended up two and two today. The wins were good and the losses tough.
Driving home i searched the clear blue sky for some answers on questions about being the best supporter. Life brings so many opportunities, to just be greatful we get to wrestle should be enough.. The fact that were talented enough and gifted enough to lace up our shoes for practice and matches every day is awesome. Winning is just the bread on the butter, loosing is to build our confidence and help us search deeper into who we really are and what matters most.

Friday, January 9, 2009

the best of the best friday

Today I dedicate the best of best Friday's for the better half of my life. So you might be trying to guess what is it? Is it payday, you know the day you get to eat out at your favorite place because you have a little extra of the green stuff? Could it be your day to not do laundry, sleep in, no dishes, serenity? Well your close but this day I dedicate to my husband, most of have one, want one, are lost with out one, but I can't live with out one!
Marriage has brought us to almost 17 years, of rocks, hills, large stumbling blocks, but mainly strenghth in one another. Casy is almost 8 years older than me and was a well acomplished bull rider with an education when he stumbled onto a young, six foot blonde, with some spunk. We were soon married and onto a teaching carreer in California.
So many times in our marriage I have mistaken him for his strenghth, and his soul. Love unfained he has shown me time after time. i am strong when I am on his shoulders, he has raised me up to be more than I could ever be.
Fasinated with rodeo and the horse world my whole young life, I dreamt of marriaging a cowboy. That Casy is and a dang good one to boot. Accomplished in roping both ends, working colts, you name it he can do it. An instructor to our children, and many others.
Mainly me, he started a little harsh at first with our horse carreer. For you see when we first met I was preety full of myself. Oh maybe I still am - ha!!! He invited me to go ride with him, I was thrilled. My saddle was on the back porch, I gladdly agreed. We went to the barn where he kept his horses. He sent me to get a little black ride. Coming back with a huge smile and a new friend, he said saddle up. Finished after a couple of minutes I asked if I could help him catch some more colts. He sent me with some halters on a mission, little did I know he was on a mission as well.
As I rounded the corner I saw my saddle perched on the ground. He asked me what stable i had signed up under and who had given me lessons on saddeling. A little ticked off, there was smoke coming out my ears, and probably my nose as well! Things started a little rough that day, but it was the beginning of a dream.
The best of best Friday is dedicated to him for all those times of resaddeling, picking me up after I have made a dust angel in the dirt after being bucked off. The best of best Friday is to Casy for picking me when I have been afraid, here he comes with the wide load of shoulders to carry my burdens. So a challenge to any one who might read this, love your man, kiss him, hold him, let him know he's important to you!!! Never miss an opportunity to learn from them, but also saddle their horse once in a while, run in their shoes. You will find strenghth in their steps. Wendy


Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Well here it is 2009, I am diving into something I thought I would never come close to-Blogging???? Ok now im quite sure I have fallen into the pit and can get out.
I will start today by saying my life is on an upbeat swing. Changing careers coming into 2009 was a breath of fresh air. Working a job for the past three years here in Nephi has given me ton's of insight about falling into deep tracks. What I mean by that is I kept trying to think of a way out - looking for fresh new ways to live and be able to help support my family.
Also being able to stay balanced with all my other tasks of living and not overwhelming myself. At the first of December I went to work at the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas with Burns Saddelry. This has been a wonderful expierence for me for the past three years. Upon returning from the finals I was fired.
Funny thing is I wasn't as devistated as I thought I would be. I took a good look at those things I had accomplished at GreenLine Equipment and in what ways I had left a positive impact. The list was long and lead me to believe that my efforts were well worth my many hours that I had put in. My friends and store manager were a devestated probably more that i was. That was the hard part, knowing that the store manager really puts all he has into his job.
As 2009 has started I have been exasperated by my life and my families life. Spent the first two weeks I was home cooking for my family, riding some great horses, and exercising. Things I had put a timer on each day, because I had spent the majority of the day at work, with little time left for my family and horses and me! What a shame, to put work first and children second. A friend once told me the only way to spoil a child is to put him on the shelf. Oh how true!! I have enjoyed doing homework, tying goats with my 6 year old, roping calves with the boys and just being home.
At a conclusion of my first posting on the web, my life is rich, full of blessings that each new day brings. Health, a bright mind, tons of supporting friends, and a new carreer for Burns Saddlery, I can't wait each day to post new titles to life each day a memorie for eternity.