I’m beyond grateful for the adventure and freedom that has come from being a rodeo wife. I haven’t worked since the year my husband and I married, which just so happens to coincide with the first year he made the NFR. As I said before, I’m grateful for the opportunity to do what I want when I want, go where I go with whom I want to go and raise my daughter in a lifestyle I’m proud to be a part of. However, I miss my old grind more and more everyday. It’s one of those consequences that some of us full time rodeo WAGS seem to bury and hide. Kind of like the fact that we just wore our really expensive sponsored boutique western wear in a hot Port-a-potty full of aggressive flies and Redneck vomit just before we instagrammed our #OOTD.
Twice now I’ve tried to go back to my pre-rodeo career and twice I’ve failed. It seems Rodeo just isn’t finished with me yet. My first attempt was a serious tragedy! Prior to moving to TX, I’d interviewed and accepted a job offer from a beautiful young business owner whom I clicked with instantly. In fact my interview lasted 3hours because we got so caught up in conversation. Just a week before we were to relocate and I was to jump start my career I got one of the most surreal and tragic phone calls. My new boss had suddenly passed away and her husband wasn’t sure if he would continue or sell her business….. it sold. My second attempt was more recently when I had finished and passed through a video interview for MY DREAM JOB. I was offered a final interview and kindly had to decline because my husband, who has still thankfully been successful in his rodeo career aka extreme gambling begged me to reconsider. So here I am, co-piloting a rodeo rig, forever chute help, meal prepping for a one year old and an athlete, and acting as a personal travel agent.
Let’s get real. The point is (to my husband and maybe a few others out there as well)….
husbands, boyfriends, lovers or partners who are blessed with a full time rodeo assistantship; please for the love of god, when you begin to complain, or make excuses, or just simply hangry on the rodeo trail; remember this…. this was not our dream. We have now adopted your dream, we want so badly for you to succeed that we’ve willingly and are actively suppressing our dreams to help you achieve yours. Because we love you and ultimately we love rodeo, just be mindful of that next time you become sour. We are lucky to have stumbled into this life with you, but maybe, perhaps you are even luckier to have had us stumble upon you. Because maybe that extra support was just what you needed to handle that stress, because maybe that love is what helped you to push your dream further, because maybe our sacrifices are what catapulted you into your dreams.
Levity and Lipstick 