So far, so good

The new year has gotten off to a pretty good start. Hunter started things off at Odessa and Denver. He didn't do any good at Odessa but won 4th in a round at Denver, won the short round and won 5th in the Average. Not a bad way to crack things off. After Denver he headed to Ft. Worth and things there weren't so great! He missed both calves and continued his losing streak at that rodeo. After roping his second one there I dropped him off at the airport and he flew to Rapid City South Dakota. He split 4th and 5th in a round and won the Average there. After Rapid we were home for a bit. We got to enjoy this amazing Oklahoma weather and the Blizzard of 2011. The morning it hit my dad was stuck at work and wasn't going to drive home but one of his friends at the firestation had to go home and un-freeze some pipes for his family so he said he would give dad a ride home. They made it about a mile from my parents and got stuck in the big drifts. My dad got his buddy pushed out and decided he'd just walk on home. Why on earth he thought that was the best idea I don't know. The wind was blowing so hard and it was so cold that by the time he made it home his eyes were almost frozen shut. CRAZY!! The whole day it was impossible to go outside un-covered or you were liable to wind up a popcicle. The next day we got the bright idea to go sledding. The wind was still blowing 185 but we were going to do it anyway. We made it about a 1/2 mile from my parents and got stuck in a huge drift. We had no choice but to pack up and treck to my parents. It was like straight off the discovery channel. Leave your vehicle to find shelter or stay and freeze....except we weren't quite stranded in the middle of nowhere. And we could see exactly where we were going. But still. Hunter called Bob up because he has a truck we knew could pull us out and they headed over. In the meantime we played in the snow until the road plows finally came by. It was a pretty exciting week since we don't hardly ever see that much snow. It wasn't long and we were off again to San Angelo, Texas. Hunter was really long on his first calf but ended up splitting 5/6/7/8th on his second one. Good enough to make the progressive round and get another one. While we were there we stayed with our good friends Haley and Jerome Schneeburger and their 3 boys. Needless to say it was pretty much a madhouse. But they had lots of fun. After Hunter's second calf we decided to go pick up our horse just in case we needed him in San Antonio. Bob and Jamie met us in Mineral Wells and that gave us a good enough excuse to stay at my sister and her best friends house in Stephenville for a couple of days. I think Houston would rather move in with them full time. He kind of likes college life... ALOT. Their fridge was stocked with sunny d's and all the lunchables he could eat. And there is an abundant amount of attention all for him. However, we had to pry him away so we could get to the perf in San Antonio. Hunter roped four times in three days and won a 2nd and 3rd. It gave him enough money to advance to the semi-finals later on in the week. While we were there we got to take H to the carnival, which of course he loved. His favorite thing was the bungee jump and the games. He is just like his dad and has to try and win at everything. Most kids his age like to pick the rubber duckies and stuff...but not him. We had to find the most challenging games they had and win them. After all that excitement we finally headed back home and stayed for a few days. But in cowboy fashion we were gone again. Hunter roped Thursday in San Antonio for the semi-finals. They take the top 5 money winners out of both semi sets back and advance to the finals. Unfortunately Hunter missed and failed to make the finals. He didn't have a whole lot of time to dwell because he was up the next day in San Angelo for his 3rd calf. Houston and I stayed in San Antonio because my sister was playing ball on Friday and Saturday. Hunter was a quick 7.8 Friday night which is splitting the round right now. It won't be over for awhile so hopefully it holds up. After roping there he caught a ride with Clay Cerny to Tucson, Arizona. Houston and I pulled the trailer home last night and Hunter roped earlier today. He was 9 something and winning the round but it's not over until tomorrow and then he'll rope his second calf tuesday. Hopefully he does good again and makes the progressive and then the short round. While he's there Houston and I are going to hold the fort down here at home and probably meet him in Houston in a week or two. Today was also a success for me, as I joined a basketball league and we won our first two games today. I haven't played since high school which was almost 6 years ago so it was fun to get back out there. I kind of have a feeling I may not be able to walk tomorrow though. Anyway that's what we've been up to the last month or so. Hope it keeps going good!! God Bless

Snow Day in Apache! This is the big hill in front of Woodwards.

This is my parents road. It was completely shut down for a few days until the plow made it thru. This was right after they cleared a path. And thats the neighbors truck stuck.

Hunter and H trecking thru the snow to my parents house. We were getting cabin fever and wanted to do some sledding but got stuck about a half mile from there house so we ended up having to walk. Bob came and pulled us out and then about 30 minutes later the plows finally came thru.

Snow drift right outside my grandparents door. It was almost as tall as Hunter and H had a blast sledding down it. They had drifts taller then the pipe fences here. You could walk right over the top to the other side.

H sledding backwards because the snow and wind were blowing in his face. He could have sledded all day.

Carnival in San Antonio Texas. We usually take him over because the weather is always amazing. He decided to bungee jump and was pretty great at back flippin. He keep trying to do a front flip but he'd get stuck mid turn and just hang there.

He said he won first place....Of course!

H and Aunt Cari

Alright 2011...Let's get it on!!!

Well I'm sorry if anyone has felt like I abondoned them on here. We have been way busy but super lazy all at the same time. The new year has officially started and Hunter is off at Odessa Texas right now. We kicked things off at Mike Johnson's Roping in Tulsa right after Christmas. Hunter won a little money but it wasn't real great. We rung in the new year with our friends and family and are way excited to start over. Hunter's got his eyes on the prize haha. After Odessa Hunter will go to Ft. Worth and Denver. I'll try to post a tentative schedule when Hunter finds more out. I know for sure he's at San Angelo Texas Febuary 9-10 and San Antonio Febuary 11,12,13. 
Here's a few pics from before Christmas when the weather was nice a few days. We took Houston to Mt. Scott for the first time and I think he has decided to add professional rock climber to long list of things to be when he grows up. He made us way nervous jumping from boulder to boulder but he had no fear.

Houston on top of Mt. Scott looking over

Big Cheese!

H and Grammy

My Favorite

Me and H man

Checking things out again

Muscle man on top of the boulder

Mary Kay

I am now a Mary Kay Consultant! That's right I'm selling make-up haha!! If anyone wants to schedule an appointment or party or see any of the products let me know. I'd be happy to be your lady! Here's a copy of the latest catalog.

http://ecatalog.marykay.com/US_en-US/GetLatest.aspx?d=www.marykay.com&m=0

Deer Season

Sunrise from the deer stand

H getting his gun sighted in

can't get these pics to rotate. He's a pretty good shot

H and Grandpa with the deer Grandpa got bow hunting

Prairie Circuit Champion and One HUGE Miracle

Average Buckle

Tie-Down Roping Champion

Yea!! All-Around Champ!!

 This past weekend we went to Park City, Kansas for the Prairie Circuit Finals. It went really well for Hunter. He won the average, the year end roping and the all-around! Not a bad weekend at all. On our way home we dropped Kevin Roden's horse off in Hennessey and were driving along when we hit a pretty decent size buck deer. It could have been alot worse but we got lucky. Hunter swears it was his expert driving skills. The deer ended up slipping and we hit him with our back dual. It cracked it and almost pulled it all the way off. Poor blue has been through just about everything now. After that we decided we wouldn't push our luck and pulled over for the night.
   This week has been full of ups and downs. It started Monday afternoon. I got a call from my grandpa and he said my Uncle Dave collapsed at work and was being taken to the hospital. He said that he wasn't conscious and that they had to shock him twice. Needless to say I hauled balls down to Lawton to Southwestern where they had taken him. It was pretty hard driving down there not knowing what was going on or how Uncle Dave was. When I got there, the waiting room was full of the whole family and I could tell the news wasn't great. Mom met me and said she and dad got there first since they were already in Lawton and that he was still in ER being worked on. Aunt Heather forced the doctors and nurses to let her go back with him so we were waiting on some kind of news. A few of Uncle Dave's friends were there that had been at work with him. Dwayne Fisher rode in the ambulance with him and the look on his face made it even harder. Finally Aunt Heather came out with the news...Uncle Dave had a Massive Heart Attack. Cardio was in with him and they were trying to decided whether to fly him to the city or just transfer him to memorial. She told us that he hadn't regained consciousness and he had fought the whole time while they tried to intubate him. She said Colton (Daves son that goes to college in Nebraska) needed to be flown in right away that the odds weren't good. It felt like being hit by a car! Finally the doctor came out and told us they were loading him in the ambulance and taking him to Memorial hospital. We all jumped in our cars and took off. We made it in time to see him being taken back to the ER. Walker and my mom got to get close enough to see him and say a few words to him. He was still unconscious. Aunt Heather led the way to the cardio waiting room. There were so many of us there waiting and hoping for some kind of miracle. Finally one of our good friends and nurse, Starlin Wood came out to tell us she was able to be in the room the whole time and that they put two stints in Uncle Dave's heart. She wouldn't say more except that it went well. She stayed with us until the doctor came out. He brought pictures of Dave's heart and explained that the main artery was 100% blocked. He was able to put two different stints in, which was a success seeing as how most massive heart attack victims require open heart surgery. He said they would be moving him into a room in CCU soon. While all this was going on my mother-in-law Jamie was home searching for flights for Colton and there was only 2 going out that made it in that night. One he could easily make but it flew to Dallas then he'd have to drive from there to Lawton. The other flight left in about 45 minutes and he was about that far from the airport. Jamie told the ladies at the desk it was an emergency and the situation but they wouldn't let her book the flight over the phone. Somehow Colton managed to make it and even more amazing they held the plane a few extra minutes for him. God was really working overtime!! Finally Uncle Dave was moved to his room. We were allowed in to see him and it was extremely hard. Most of you know how big Dave is so for him to be there helpless was just crazy. The man that found  Dave came by to see how he was doing. He told us that out there at Goodyear it's incredibly loud and they all wear earplugs. He said he faintly heard something out of place and had this strong pull to go and see what it was. He walked over to Dave's station and found him on the ground. He called 911 immediately. They started CPR and and the ambulance got there fast and had to shock him twice. If Uncle Dave would have been anywhere else he would not have made it. The doctors did a cat scan since he fell really hard. The results were aweful but we were told that it could be a number of things and they would do a MRI in the morning to be sure. Through that first night all signs were pointing to something not good. It was looking like he wouldn't make it until morning. That morning Aunt Heather said she went out so that the nurses could change him and the sheets and take blood. She came back in and his eyes were open!!!! At that point he started making a change for the better. Of course he was still fighting every chance he got but he was alive. Around 8 a.m. his doctor came in and we all piled in the room. He asked Dave to wake up and follow some commands. He held up 2 fingers on each hand and lifted both legs. You talk about some excitement. We were all doing the endzone dance!!! He told us they would try to wean him off the paralyzer and take the tube out as soon as possible. This was such great news. The waiting room had a new high. Of course we were soon shut down by the dreaded "day shift". They told us we had too many people there, too much food and bla bla bla. I think it just slid right off. After fighting it all day they were finally able to get the tube out around 5:30 p.m. Words cannot even explain the amazingness of that moment. They told us we had to wait an hour before he could talk to us. Finally an hour passed and he was all smiles and kept trying to talk but Aunt Heather wouldn't let him. At this point he was kind of like drew barrymore on 50 First Dates. Aunt Heather kept repeating what had happened and where he was but 5 minutes later it started all over again. The doctors said this could either be a side effect of him having enough tranquilizers and valium for a herd of elephants or the gray area his cat scan showed. We prepared for the worst but figured every single thing had been a miracle so far, why not that too. Yesterday he looked even better. It was hard to believe he was so close to dying but looked so good. He was smiling and laughing and even remembering a few things. Today he moved out of CCU and into a regular room. His personality is back and he's ready to get the heck outta there!! There is no other explanation other than prayer works and he is living proof that miracles happen!! Thank you to everyone who has been praying. Keep them coming please.

Time Flys When You're Having Fun

Last Monday we celebrated our sweet baby boy's 4th birthday!! I can't hardly believe that its gone by this fast. We actually were in Waco, TX on his birthday for the Heartland Finals on the 15th but trust me, he didn't let it slip by anyone that it was his Birthday. He would walk up to a complete stranger and tell them "hey I'm 4 years old today" or he'd say "it's okay mom, I can do that now becuase I'm 4". I'm not real sure who he gets that from. Hunter and I also took him to Chuck-E-Cheese and we had a blast. That kid is the king of arcade games. After all the fun we had there, we took H to see Secertariet. It was pretty great too. After the movie we headed for the trailer to wait on Al and Sam who were coming from school to hang out for a bit and watch Hunter rope. It turned out to be a pretty good night becuase Hunter won the round and the announcers told everyone it was Houston's birthday during the rodeo!! H was eating the attention up!!!! Hunter roped again the next night and ended up winning second for the whole rodeo. As much as we would have liked to win first it was such a blessing to be there and win what we did. As most of you probably know by now Hunter didn't qualify for the National Finals this year and it's been a small struggle accepting that. It's getting better becuase you can't win eveything and when we look back at the whole year it just wasn't one of our best. But Hunter has been in the practice pen about everyday and they better look out in 2011 becuase were not missing out again!!

                                                                       Pinata time!!

H was pretty good! 

 After all the kids went the string that held it up busted so H just beat it until everything came out

 Cake time...H wanted a deer, bear, snake, and elk on his cake but all he got was an amazing 10 point buck which he pointed out to everyone!

 Make a wish

 Haha Aunt Heather's worst nightmare. She hates for the cake to be cut uneven. I'm not real sure why she takes on this job at Houston's birthday becuase of course he wanted the bucks head right out of the center. maybe we'll break her from her cake ocd

 Presents!!!!!

 In the back left is Walker and Toby, then Brooklyn, Bailey, H, Cooper, Cullen, Tucker and Tyler

 Birthday Boys!!! It was also my dad and Bob's birthday on Houston's party day (18)

Me and Hunter after the party

Other than enjoying home these last few weeks, not much has happened. Hunter roped at Kansas City this weekend and is winning first in the second round with a 7.5 but it won't officialy be over until next weekend. Then next weekend we will travel to Park City, Kansas for our Prarie Circut Finals. Hunter is currently in the lead in those standings and should win that since he's so far ahead of everyone. The year end winner and average winner from the circut qualify for the Dodge National Circut Finals that has re-located to OKC in March. That's exciting since it'll be so close to home!!

Pics from the last few weeks

                                                           Me and H man before Al's game

                                                                        Sam and Al

                                Al, H and Grandma after the game. H is givin them a nice squeeze

                                                           Sam doing what she does!!!

                                     Al has moved from second to third base. She's pretty salty...
                                       what can i say though, she learned from the best haha.

                                 Wish I could have waited a few more seconds before I took this.
                                     Al caught the ball and the girl slid in and she tagged her out.