Houston Rodeo

First off I would like to gripe after which I promise I’ll be more positive. I HATE offshoring!! Since Sunday our Internet hasn’t been working. When we called we were connected with a man with an incredible Indian accent who said his name was John. Hmm… He tried to help but due to his not understanding Justin clearly and Justin getting frustrated, we were given a number to call the following day in the morning. Due to work and such we ended up not calling yesterday, but rather this morning. Once again we were connected with another man who had a very not-American sounding voice who said his name was John. After doing the exact same thing as the other man named “John” he finally said he would connect Justin with someone in San Antonio. The man in San Antonio wasn’t much help either, but that’s another story. I would just like to say it is frustrating that so many companies are offshoring. With the state that the economy is in and the fact that so many companies want federal help it is upsetting to me to know that Americans are going unemployed while “John” in wherever-ville is employed by my US based Internet provider. I don’t mean to sound like a racist or someone who dislikes other countries that are worse off than we are from being used for some services, but it is frustrating when they are the customer service department yet they don’t understand when you say “brand” or “router”. Okay, I am finished.

Last weekend Justin and I cashed in on one of our Christmas presents from his parents to attend the concert of our choice at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. While the concert I most wanted to go to was Brad Paisley (I never thought I’d really like country but Justin got me into a few people), it was a Thursday evening and I needed to work as much as possible last week. So we took up the Saturday choice- Josh Turner.

I only know a few of his songs, but I like them- even if some of them are more country/Christian. I have to say, the concert was GREAT! I really like it because his wife is the keyboardist for his group and he and his band have a good sense of humor when the perform. When introducing his wife (while introducing the whole band) he said, “No, she’s not fat. She’s pregnant.. Granted I don’t know how that happened…. All we do is kiss.” Justin and I laughed but the people in the stadium didn’t get it I guess because not a lot of people laughed. But yes- I liked his concert. Granted, the entire experience was interesting to say the least….
This was the first rodeo or anything like it that I’ve really attended and apparently the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo is the largest Livestock Show and Rodeo in the world. It’s for a good cause- helping Houston area schools—so I was glad to know that it was staffed by volunteers and that the money spent there went to a good purpose. Because the rodeo is such a huge event a lot of times people will need to park a few blocks away and take buses to the arenas, so this is what we did since it was the cheapest option and it would be better to ride in the bus than to walk in the drizzle or the day. In the bus they show videos about the rodeo to get you excited and such for the upcoming events. The opening shot was on a man going bareback on a bucking bronco. Now, I’ve always been afraid that I’m a stubborn snob when it comes to things but I could help but think, “What the heck am I doing here?? I’m too smart for this!” I was surrounded by 10-gallon hats and mullets… and the men were even worse! Okay, that was mean. Sorry. Not everyone was like that.

When we got off of the bus the volunteers were actually really nice. Justin’s family goes to the rodeo at least once a year and they have a tradition to buy these cinnamon rolls that are about the size of the average human hand (open- not in a fist). So we walked around looking at different things and Justin decided it was time for me to experience my first up-close experience with livestock. So we entered the building where they were. For a little background information I’m going to mention a few things. Every Christmas Justin’s family goes to a condo they have in a ski-resort town named Crested Butte in Colorado. During the drive up there they pass through several farming towns and ranches. Apparently Justin’s mom and sister have a love for the smell of ranches and cows so they’ll roll down the windows to get the full effect. I think that part of the reason they go to the livestock show is because they love the smell so much. I’m glad they weren’t with us that day because I started dry heaving when we entered the building. My loving husband didn’t make me stay in there for very long (which I am grateful for). I’m sad to admit I am a city girl and don’t see that changing. Luckily the animals weren’t actually there when we got to the back area where they were supposed to be- heaven knows how strong it would have smelled. After a few minutes in this building we decided to go to the rodeo so I could experience a rodeo up close.

All I can say is WOW! There were points when I thought, “Why would anyone in their right mind do this?” and other times when I thought it was kind of neat. I think it kind of awakened my inner animals-rights self because some of the events I didn’t like (team roping and calf-wrestling and such). I felt my mind was going numb from watching these events so we got up and walked around and went back in for the Chuck Wagon racing which was neat as well as the Calf Scramble where members of local FFA groups tried to tie a calf in order to get money for their group to buy a calf to later sell. But my favorite event of the evening was a new event they added this year called “Mutton Bustin’”.

Mutton Bustin’ is where ten kids between the ages of 4 and 6 compete to ride mutton across a stretch of the field for the longest amount of time. For the most part, the kids fell off once the mutton was let out of its cage, but one kid (a little 4 year old) was able to ride it until almost the end. It was great. Some kids cried or were sad after they finished, but most of them hammed it up and raised their arms to receive their cheers and stuff. It was REALLY funny.

After the concert we walked around some more and found a place that sold chocolate covered CHEESECAKE ON A STICK! Yeah, it was weird, but tasted DELICIOUS! They just had a regular cheesecake that they sliced up and dipped in chocolate similar to the chocolate at Dairy Queen that freezes really quickly. In addition they sold chocolate covered strawberries on a stick. I’ll admit that Justin and I bought one of each and enjoyed it while looking at acts that’ve performed at the rodeo over the rears. I hope this hasn’t come across and condescending to those who enjoy rodeos- it’s just not something I’ve ever experienced. I guess it’s just part of living in Texas? I know I won’t be here for the rest of my life so I should live it up while I can. Who else can say they’ve seen 4 year olds race across a field on muttons?

Update 20/20

      Recently I’ve been working with a credit union in the area called Security Services Federal Credit Union doing data-entry/IT work. It’s really hard to describe. Basically we’re testing their new online banking programs to make sure there are no major glitches. However, this has temporarily changed as the system has been down for the last week, and so, I’ve been spending my days killing time online. As much fun as it seems it could be, it’s not too enthralling. But it’s all good, I figure I can use this time to catch up on some stuff since I update my blog about as often as I dye my hair (that’s actually a lie- I dye my hair more often).

       Life’s been pretty good. Following our return from Christmas/New Years trips to Houston and New Orleans (respectively), I began to seriously search for a job. While it took a while, and this job is only a temporary position lasting until the middle or end of May (depending on when we finish testing everything), I am grateful for the work I’ve been able to find. The people here are pretty nice and (as Justin likes to call them) typical computer nerds. Hey- I like it!

      About a week after we got home from our holiday vacation, we were called to serve in the nursery. Why is this such a common calling for newly married couples? What’s the purpose of it- to encourage or discourage from having kids soon? What is your opinion? Justin and I LOVE our calling. We have 8 kids in our group, and while they are a bit wild (the room is probably 5 ft by 12ft. Yeah.. ), they’re sweet kids. There are the twins- Jackson and Lexus (yeah.. We just call her Lexie) who are a handful. Jackson cried a lot in the beginning and Justin has given Lexie the nickname of Godzilla (horrible as it is) due to her throwing of chairs and such during play time. But they’re warming up to us and really aren’t that bad if you give them enough attention. Then there is Lincoln. He reminds me of Elijah, very energetic, cute blond boy. I noticed that he’s been playing with baby dolls recently (I think it’s normal given the fact that his mom just had a baby), but the other Sunday he made us laugh when he tried to breast feed the baby he was playing with. He was very confused when we laughed. Then there is Micaela. She has taken the longest to warm up to us because he parents were the nursery leaders before us, so it’s understandable. Luckily we’ve gotten to be good friends with her parents so we go over there often enough for her not to get scared by us (not scared of ME.. Justin still terrifies her). We’re still amazed at the fact that she can tell you the names of all the states and their capitals- and she hasn’t turned 2 yet. There is Scotty. Scotty’s parents are students at BYU-Idaho who are down for the semester doing an internship here. His parents happen to both be from here, so they live with his mom’s parents. I think that because he lives in a home where there are lots of adults, he listens to us. He’s a good kid. The typical little boy who likes to beat up the play-doh with his wooden rolling pin. There is also Will. He’s a really cute kid. I feel bad for him because his parents are in law school and medical school and so I wonder how much he gets to see them. Every Sunday that his dad brings him in he cries. Last Sunday he wanted to make me cry there were so many tears. He literally hung his head down above the little table with their play-doh and the tears formed a little puddle on the table. He reminds me of my brother Andrew a lot though. He looks A LOT like Andrew did when he was little; they even have similar smiles; it’s great. But he’s happy once he can climb on anything or play with the trains or cars during play time. Then there are (and we’re guilty of it, sorry) Justin and my favorites- Carly and Clark. Carly came into nursery the same week we did and is Justin’s pet. Once we combine with the older class she climbs up on Justin’s lap and stays there during singing and playing time. Justin calls her his little buddy. My little buddy is Clark. Micaela has the biggest crush on him. When we sing “I Love to See the Temple” during singing time she holds his arm and sings to him. She also will randomly grab him and hug him. I don’t blame her. He is TOO CUTE! He’s not very tall; he’s got chubby baby cheeks and a funny personality. He laughs at anything and likes to sing and do hand motions. Plus he’s really good at pointing out certain animals and stuff. I just love the kid. But enough gushing about the kids… Every week there’s something funny to share about them.

       We bought a Wii about a month ago after Justin got a grant. While I feel guilty for having spent the money, it’s been A LOT of fun. We got the Rock Band2 pack and within 2 weeks Justin and I got to the end where you’re playing way too much no-name heavy metal.. We’ve taken a break since then… It’s not encouraging when you’re playing songs you’ve never heard of. But we also got a game called Order Up! which is GREAT! It’s not very hard, but it’s fun and very funny with some of its jokes. Basically you play a chef that gets dropped from a plane and lands on an island called PortAbello. You work your way up the food chain by cooking at different restaurants and stuff. The characters are really funny and yeah.. It made me want to get a few more cooking games, but unfortunately they’ve all been pretty lame since.

We've also invested in a Wii Fit and I LOVE IT! It’s great to have something you can do right there despite the cold rain (as it’s been these last few days). Maybe it’s an indication that I’m pathetically out of shape, but I can break a sweat when I do several games consecutively. That plus it’s a good quick pickup in the mornings.

 

Well, it’s 5 and I’m ready to go home. Have a good one!