Top 5 - Rodeo Edition

I am very excited about our trip to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo tomorrow, and I am even more excited about introducing my daughter to the festivities. This will be her first rodeo, and the carnival is sure to be her favorite thing. I wonder how she will feel about the calf scramble? In honor of our Saturday outing to the Rodeo, I have highlighted the top five things I love and the top 5 things I can't stand about the Rodeo.


Top 5 things I LOVE about the Rodeo

1. Parade (The bands, horses, cowboys and cowgirls of course! My daughter loved the cheerleaders. I loved the women riding side saddle. So traditional and beautiful.)
2. Concerts (especially Brad Paisley…enough said. Can you tell he is my favorite?)
3. Carnival (My daughter is really into Ferris Wheels – go figure.)
4. Texan Pride (There is something about being involved with something that is uniquely Texas. I am proud to be a Texan.)
5. Calf Scramble (A very interesting event – calves and scholarship money – all you have to do is catch one.)

Honorable Mention

• Rodeo Attire – Boots, jeans and cowboy hats. The one time of year you dust them off, and show them off. (The good news is people won't look at you funny because they are wearing them too.)

Top 5 things I CAN"T STAND about the Rodeo

1. Rain (My mother firmly believes that rain accompanies every Rodeo. She has been right before. Let's see about this year.)
2. Animal Poop (I am sure I don't need to explain my position on this. My daughter has named the street sweepers from the parade – The Dusters. We had to cover our faces every time they came by. Yuck.)
3. Parking (If you are not blessed to have free parking, you must pay A LOT to park. It is not very close. I hope your boots are made for walking.)
4. Late Nights (If you go for a concert, the person you paid to see will not be on stage until at least 9 pm. Then you get out of there around 11 pm. Get home about 12 am. Then turn around and go to work for 7 am. Yikes. I am not a night person, but I can make an exception for Brad Paisley.)
5. Can't See It All (I am always torn by what concert to see, and balancing that with when I can get a baby sitter. I want to see and do it all, but I can't. Thankfully, there will always be next year.)

Honorable Mention

• Long Walks – Exercise is good, but depending on where you park you are in for a very long walk. You walk from your car to the stadium gate. You then walk from the stadium gate to the actual stadium. Finally you walk in the stadium to your seat. You will clock a few miles with this adventure.

Who is your favorite Rodeo performer? Are you going to the Rodeo this year? Check out the website (here) for more information.

Have a mighty fine day!