JAZZINGITUPINTHEALLEYWAY

This is a picture that was taken Friday night at the rodeo. Here I'm riding my new mare Jazz. Her name is JAZZINGITUPINTHEALLEYWAY. She turned 3 in May. She is a beautiful little mare and already is showing wonderful signs in the barrels. I have just been doing some slow work with her but she catches on very quick. She is one of the biggest horses I have and she isn't through growing. A horse doesn't really stop growing until they are at least 5 or 6. She is going to be a huge horse. Sometimes it can get confusing when I'm calling the horses up for I have Dass and now a Jazz. Jazz has some very nice bloodlines, she is out of Blazing Hot and Zippo Pine Bar. She does have alot of pleasure in her but she is way too fast for pleasure. She is also very quick and will jump out from underneath you. I really have taken to this little mare. I just know it in my heart that she is the one that is going to keep taking me to the winners circle in barrel racing. I still have alot of work to do with her and I won't run her until she is atleast 5.

FUN FRIDAY......

Here is a couple of photos that was taken this past weekend at the rodeo here in Pontotoc, or as we know it, P-town. The first one is a picture of me and Cee Cee, where we are part of the flag-drill team. I am the first one in with the Army flag then Cee Cee comes in behind me carring the Air Force flag. When the chutes opened for me to come in, I came down the alleyway and out into the arena running backwards. Remember I ride barrel horses. I finally get the mare turned around and the announcer then said ,"Now that we are going in the right direction...." Was funny at the time. The next photo is a picture of me running barrels Saturday night. My cousin Amye took the photo. We are coming off the first barrel. It seems in nearly every photo of us coming off barrels we are in air. I had a good run. We left all 3 barrels standing and ran a 14.318. Which was an awesome time. We were just a couple slots out of the money. Oh well......

HOW ONE LIFE ENDS AND A NEW ONE BEGINS.......

My Mom's sister turned 61 yesterday and tonight we watched her take her savior's hand and be lead home. My Mom said that today when she was with her that she kept reaching up and Mom said she knew then that she was fixing to go home. It was heartbreaking knowing that she wasn't going to be able to be on this earth with us but a blessing knowing that she is at the Savior's knee. As our Pastor was praying with us, I opened my eyes and looked around the room. I hate to say it but I wasn't listening to his prayer. I was standing there thinking Aunt Martha may not physically be here with us but she was still with us. From her twin, to her sister my Mom, to her brother, then to her two daughters, to her granddaughter, to every neice and nephew that was there in that room. The blood that ran through her veins, also runs through each and everyone of us. It was hard thinking that no longer on Sunday mornings would I ever get that wake-up call to go to church, to hearing her hollar Laura Adeline!!!!, to call and see what was going on with the cops, to being able to hold her hand and take care of her when she was sick, but knowing that she is rocking my oldest sister and with my Grandparents and her husband now is a comforting thought. My family has been through alot of tough times here lately but one thing about it is, we are brought closer together and stronger and our faith has never slipped. Oh, sure we have questioned some things but we know that God doesn't put more on us than we can handle. Out of every situation there comes a purpose, a teaching, a learning, and a tighter hold on those we love our family and our faith. Just yesterday I learned that my sister Jennifer is going to have a baby. She is 36 and she only has one child who is 13( my neice that out runs me on barrels). I would like to think that maybe Aunt Martha or NaNa to some of us, thought that her time was up and she was just making room for the new little one. It's funny how one life ends and a new one begins.............................................................................

The poem below was written in mine and Dass's honor by one of my closest and dearest childhood friends, Don Belk. We grew up together , showed cows, judged animals and rode horses together. As we grew older we went our seperate ways each of us getting married and raising kids . Our kids are close to the same age and close friends. As we stood by and watch our kids enjoy each other's friendships and joined in the same projects in 4-H, it brought back wonderful memories of when we was their ages. Then one day my friend comes to me and tells me he is moving to Texas. Talk about walking around in a daze and actually loosing my best friend. There is one thing about it, it doesn't matter how many states or miles are between us, our hearts and friendship is still linked together. Don is a very talented in writting poems. His poems are about cowboys and animals and the impression that they have left on him. He also has a cd out that one can purchase and listen to his poems. Let me tell ya, it's worth the money. You can check out Don at http://www.donbelk.com . He even has a poem that you can listen to called ," Geldings and Mares". Please take a minute and check out Don's web .
My aunt has had some good days and some bad but I figure that is to be expected. I want to thank you all for your prayers and please continue to remember her she still has a long way to go. Tomorrow will be her birthday she and her twin will be 61.

APP CRAZY......

Some people call her crazy and a nut

She rides one of those horses with spots on her butt.

After running the barrels and crashing the gates

Everybody hollers,"Lookout, she ain't got brakes!"

She goes up and down in front like a texas oil well

She cuts the barrels so sharp it's a wonder she ain't fell

She looks alright and she's real fast

Everytime she gigs her, she'll pass alittle gas

They say she's wild and out of control

but shes real still when she has feed in her bowl

The rider's getting older and alittle insane

But she wants to win no matter the pain

When I say,"Laura, she's gonna kill you honey."

She say's," That's ok as long as I finish in the money!!"

I SHOULD HAVE BEEN A COWBOY or in my case.....A COWGIRL

I have been staying with my Aunt and trying to keep things running around here but somewhere in the mist the clothes have doubled and still waiting to be washed. The week has flown by me and I sit here and wonder where did the days and hours go? Friday some of the kids and I loaded up to go on a 19 mile trail ride. I rode my new mare, Jazz, and was a little nervous riding her. We got along beautifully. Half way through our ride we got caught up in a storm. It was raining so hard that I couldn't see and the lighting and thundering was awful and we won't even talk about the wind. There was no where for us to seek shelter but under trees and I wasn't even going to go there so we rode on. The whole time I was riding, I kept singing, 'I should've been a cowboy' by Toby Keith. I honestly felt like I was in a western book just riding the storm out. When the rain let up, I dropped the reins and let her have her head and away we flew. It was like we was out in the flat country and trying to out run that storm.lol Even the boys on their mounts was having a hard time keeping up with me. When we got back to the truck, the boys rode up and told me that I was laying on her neck and steadly spurring her. I told them that after what we had just came thru I wasn't going to let any grass grow under our feet. We all looked like drowned rats. Even though the rain was stinging our faces and arms, horses quivering underneath us every time it lightened or thundered, our clothes plastered to our bodies, we had a good time and even talked about doing it again.

I HAVE CLOTHES TO WASH BUT..........

I stayed at the hospital Friday night with my Aunt. She didn't sleep any during the night she has her days and nights mixed up. She wants to hold your hand the whole time that you are there so I didn't get any sleep that night. I came home Saturday morning with the intentions of getting me some rest then getting up and washing clothes and cleaning house. Well, just about the time I was drifting off to lala land my hubby comes in and says he has 3 cows that are out, so up I get. We look and look and couldn't find them. Came back to house and started gathering up clothes then my cell phone goes off playing 'MAMA'S DON'T LET YOUR BABIES GROW UP TO BE COWBOYS....' I answer and my son wanted to know if I was at home and I said yes well he informs me that he is on is way to my house with hay for us to unload and put up. So the basket of clothes get throwed into the laundry room. We finish unloading and then my phone rings again, it's hubby. He has found tracks from the cows and needs help trying to locate them. I glance at the pile of clothes and tell ok but I have got to wash clothes asap. All of us head out looking for cows everyone going in different directions. After awhile we come back to house to refuel 4wheelers and I gather more clothes up to start washing and throw a load in washer, phone rings again, hubby again, he has found cows but needs help herding them into a neighbors pasture. I tell him okay but I have clothes to wash. It takes us a while to herd them but we do and I head back home with intentions to wash clothes. I throw the wet clothes in dryer and try to start another load in washer phone rings again. I answer yea what's your mainest problem now, don't you know I'm trying to wash clothes..... hubby got another project that he needs help on. So another load of clothes gets throwed into room and forgot about. I finally get back to house it's now after 9 I have had about 2 hours sleep since Friday morning and my tail is dragging and one can not get into laundry room for all the clothes. I take a look at the pile of clothes and think I have clothes to wash but........I'm going to bed