7.11.2014

The Rodeo

For all the years of our marriage (eleven next month) I have been asking begging Josh to take me to a rodeo.  This year he surprised me by setting up a date for us at the Molalla Buckaroo in Molalla, Oregon.  He arranged a sitter and looked into tickets, etc. 

Unfortunately as we set out to take the drive from Vancouver to Molalla our car started acting up.  The speedometer quit working and the check engine light came on.  As we limped the car back to his parents house (where his mom was watching our kids) we thought it must be the transmission going out, which was distressing not only because it would cost about $3,000, but also because our car only had 76,000 miles on it. Not near enough to warrant a new tranny.

Thankfully Josh's mom knows the importance of date night, and when we arrived back at her house in our sad car, she insisted that we take hers (A Daytona Charger) instead.  So off we went.

When we arrived at the rodeo, I was instantly excited.  There were cowboys and cowgirls as far as the eye could see, and the energy in the place was palpable. Plus, they had elephant ears. And this girl LOVES her some elephant ears.  I had two.  They were a-mazing.

Our seats were great and not too expensive.  We were right up close to the action.

We got to watch barrel races, bronc riding, steer wrestling and of course bull riding.  Counting down those eight seconds was so exciting as the cowboys struggled to stay on. 

The announcer did a great job of explaining the points, how they were earned (or not) and what made a rider good (or not).  By the end of the rodeo, my voice was hoarse from cheering them on!

The best part, though, was just sitting, quietly with no distractions, next to my husband. We were able to give each other all our attention, finish our conversations, and just be together in a way that three kids don't allow!

After the rodeo there was a spectacular fireworks show.

Holding Josh's hand as we watched the starbursts in the sky,

I felt like the luckiest girl on earth.
I love this man of mine.
And what a good man he is.

3 comments:

518nymammaof2 said...

What a great and unique date night! Kim @ www.518nymammaof2.com

S-J said...

What are elephant ears???????

Shelly Cunningham said...

S-J! I am having a Sandlot moment here. "You're killing me, Smalls!"

An elephant ear is deep fried dough slathered in butter and sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar. Pretty much the best food on the planet. I live for them!!!