Falling into Winter and MRA!!!

Omaha, Nebraska

            I was contracted to be a flag girl at the Wrangler Million Dollar Tour Championship Rodeo.  But….I brought my crown along, just in case.  I am so glad I did because I was able to help with one of the best special needs rodeos I have ever been to.  My special friend was Jamie.  He was non-verbal, and had very little motor skills or expression…that was until he was able to ride!!! He smiled as big as he could riding around on that horse.  It brought tears to my eyes to see this horse touch this child and make him so happy despite his discomfort in everyday living.  We snuck back in line and road a couple of the different horses three different times, each time with Jamie, smiling, giggling and laughing as he went around.  I then of course took him 4-wheeling in his wheelchair around the arena!!  We ended this great morning with a lunch with all our new friends.  Billy Sutton was the speaker and spoke about this Bronc Riding accident in 2007 that led him to being wheelchair dependent.  He has since gone on to do many great things and was a true inspiration to all who attended. 

Mountain States Circuit Finals Rodeo

            I look back at this rodeo as the perfect conclusion to a great year.  Cassidy and I represented Colorado and Wyoming in the grand entry and throughout the rodeo and did so with pride as we cheered on many of the great cowboys and cowgirls from our states.  The most exciting runs for me were watching my palomino horse, Archie, as Paul Beckett roped on him.   Paul’s horse had come up lame a couple weeks before the MSCFR and so he asked me if he could try Archie.  I mostly run barrels on Archie and rope a little on him too (Archie is much handier at it than I am!).  I am so glad he and Paul went together because it led to me leading the best victory lap of the year with Archie, my sweet palomino, right behind me.  They then went on to be very consistent and win the average!!! I had tears in my eyes watching this very special horse work so well with Paul!  It was the best moment of the year as my horses and my dogs are like my babies and I truly treasure them.  

Tribute to the Great American Cowboy Casper, WY

            I was so excited to end my travels as Miss Rodeo Wyoming at this rodeo because this is where it all started!  I first went to this rodeo as Lady-In-Waiting for Cheyenne Frontier Days!   Dona, Bill and Tami Larsen do such a wonderful job and are always so sweet to include me.  This year was really neat because at the rodeo we honored all women military soldiers.  It was very special and I was glad to take part in the tribute to these wonderful ladies and our beautiful American Flag.  Tim Fuller and Derrick Barton did a great job and I am so glad I was able to work with them both, yet again!! I rode Little Smoke and shared him with Sami, the Western Wish child who wanted to be a rodeo queen!!!! We had a lot of fun together and Little Smoke can also be seen in the new Lone Ranger movie.  Thanks to Casey Odell for allowing us to use him, he did great in the spotlight and even better for sweet Sami, my new favorite rodeo queen. 

Cheyenne Stampede Hockey and Christmas Parade

            I had a blast at one of my last weekends as Miss Rodeo Wyoming.  I dropped the puck for the Cheyenne Stampede hockey team as they were matched up against New Mexico.  They had a great game and it was very exciting to watch! The team even gave me one of their official pucks to take home. 

            The next night I geared up for the annual Christmas Parade in Cheyenne.  It was a great crowd and the weather was perfect! My dad was even able to join me as we rode in a truck sponsored by Spradley Ford of Cheyenne.  All the dogs and kids were bundled up warm and I even saw a little girl that fell asleep on her dog just to stay warm, definitely a precious moment! Merry Christmas to all!!!

Special thanks also to Cheyenne Rotary, Farm Bureau Convention in Laramie, Eagles in Laramie and Friends and Family all for listening to my speech! I appreciate the support and love! :-)! 

Wahoo!

Well everyone, what a year and what a journey!  I am so excited to be going into Las Vegas because of the journey that has brought me there, regardless of the end result. So many wonderful people and animals have touched my life this year and the memories I made will last a lifetime.  This year has made me a better person in learning to adapt and in always sharing my love for life.  This was just the year I needed to fulfill my spiritual journey in life to keep me moving forward and doing great things.  I am so gracious to ALL who have helped me and supported me.  I definitely did not make it to Vegas alone and cannot thank each of you enough in your endeavors to get me there.  Right now I am living on a prayer and cherishing all that happened to get me here.  Thank you for all positive thoughts and encouragement, it means the world to me.  With perseverance, faith, and a little luck I am excited to represent the Cowboy States for all it has done for me!

Thank You Again, I Love You All and God Bless!! Xoxoxoxoxoxoxo

~Kimberly  

Summer Fun!

Sheridan-WYO Rodeo

            I had a blast coming back to Sheridan for the WYO Celebration.  The WYO has been so supportive of me over the last couple years and I was glad to work with all familiar faces.  The Indian Relay races were as exciting as ever and Tamara Mann was so sweet to let me ride her horse Amie.  She is a darling little calf horse that is so honest and kind I could have taken her home.  We did several different autograph signings and were able to run around town to check the sights out too!  Megan Darnell, a great friend and supporter this year, let me stay at her place and it was so nice to relax a little before heading to the next events. 

Cheyenne Frontier Days Coronation

            I was honored to MC the Coronation for Miss Frontier Sami Jo Heitsch.  We had a fun night full of laughs and dancing and I was even able to wear my buckskins again!! The buckskins are so special and so unique to Miss Frontier.  I am so glad I was able to be a part of the big event!

Miss Rodeo America Pageant Seminar

            This seminar was held in Colorado Springs, CO, at the PRCA Headquarters.  We learned a lot and even toured the Hall of Fame and offices within the PRCA.  Chris Cox came and worked with us on Horsemanship and it was one of the best Horsemanship sessions I had ever had.  I was so glad to make the trip and spend time with a lot of the girls I will not get to see until Las Vegas for the pageant. 

Cheyenne Frontier Days

            Boy was it great to be back in ole Cheyenne!!  I felt as if I was home again after all the traveling I have done this year.  The support I have had from Cheyenne in the past and this year has been unbelievable!!  I was able to see many of my wonderful sponsors, even Fritz and Karen Messer with Miller Insulation that have helped fund my travels with a gas card this year.

 We had a lot of big changes this year with Stace Smith as the new Stock Contractor, but everything went off great.  Marlo and Billy Ward provided us with wonderful parade horses that were literally bomb proof!  I rodeo Bass, Jr, and Ledge, and all three boys were super.  It was fun to be a part of this celebration in this capacity as I have been involved with it for so many years.  Cheyenne Frontier Days has really helped shape who I am and on Cheyenne Day Mitch with production worked it out for me to do a fly by.  I was pretty excited and was able to use Hawk, one of the Romsa horses I usually outride on.  He was so sweet and so fast.  It felt great to run down the track again, as it is unlike anything else.  I love Cheyenne! Always have and always will!

Red Desert Round-Up Rock Springs, WY

            I left Cheyenne for a couple days to head to the Red Desert Round-Up in Rock Springs, WY.  It was nice to go back to Fremont Motors since they have been so generous this year in letting me demo three of their Ram 1500s.  These trucks are so nice that miles I travel just seem to fly by.  Fremont Motors has also been wonderful to work with and Bill White, the General Manager takes great care of me.  He even had the truck washed up before I headed out.  We stopped by the golf tournament to help a bit and I really wished I had packed my clubs to play! The rodeo went well, and I was glad my dear friend, Miss Rodeo Idaho, stopped in on her way through to help with the rodeo as well.  The Rodeo Committee was really nice and sponsored me a room at the Comfort Inn.  They were great people to get to know and take a lot of pride in their rodeo.

Big Wind River PRCA Rodeo Riverton, WY

            Riverton, WY, had a great little PRCA rodeo I was so excited to be a part of.  Bob and Debbie Bailey brought me a horse, Morgan, which was quite the gentleman while in the grand entry and throughout the rodeo.  The Bailey’s were so sweet to me and made me feel welcome in Riverton.  The Holiday Inn in Riverton also sponsored me a wonderful room to relax and regroup so I was ready and able to head down the road.  I appreciate Hank and Lori Franzen, they did a nice job putting on this rodeo as well as the rodeo in Rock Springs.  I ended my time in Riverton with a nice lunch with Crystal Rivers Myers, and a queen clinic put on by Pam Rivers.  Everyone who came was eager to learn and asked great questions.  I loved everyone I was able to get to know while in Riverton; especially the much needed massage lady!  

Energy Town ProRodeo Gillette, WY

            This has been one of my favorite rodeos yet.  The committee in Gillette is great to work with and they really utilized me and made me feel like a part of the rodeo and production.  Barney Sheridan was a great announcer and had a wonderful practice and meeting with the volunteers so everyone was on the same page.  This committee is made up of great hard working people and they are so wonderful to work for.  The Burch Rodeo Company also does a great job with outstanding Wyoming stock.  It was fun to see, Hippie Chick, one of their great bucking horses perform in the Cam-plex Morningside Arena.  While in Gillette they put me up in a wonderful room at the Settle Inn so I was able to relax and work to prepare for State Fair. 

Wyoming State Fair Douglas, WY

            The pageant was a blast and I am so proud of Holly Kennedy, Miss Rodeo Wyoming 2013, for winning the title.  This was a really neat year for the Wyoming State Fair because it was their 100^th!!  I am so glad I was able to be a part of the celebration starting with the Ranch Rodeo put on by Triple V rodeo.  I road in a 1936 old porter saddle and had a blast.  I rode Hawk, the sweetest horse that I love to outride on.  He belongs to the Romsa Family and is just such a trooper.  At one point during the grand entry, the American Flag (which was the biggest American Flag I had ever carried) completely wrapped around Hawk’s face.  He just kept on loping and listening to me, now that is great horse! 

The ladies who competed throughout the week did a wonderful job and I was glad to get to know everyone a little better!  I was more than excited to turn the crown over to Holly, a lady that represents the agriculture industry.  I know she will do an outstanding job representing Wyoming and I cannot wait to help her out along the way!

Evanston Cowboy Days

Much like Gillette this was another one of my favorite little rodeos that I had never had the pleasure of being a part of until this year.  The committee was so outstanding and we shared many laughs and good times!! We had several school visits and even a real FISH CATCH!! Talk about fun….once you get past all the slimmy rainbow trout swimming into your legs!  Holly did come along for part of this adventure and the memories we shared will last a lifetime! What a blast!