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Jamie Virden, Miss Rodeo USA 2009 - We've Moved!

As you may have noticed upon viewing the main site, we've updated! To read my blogs and view photos of my year, select "Miss Rodeo USA Blog" under the "Miss Rodeo USA 2009" tab on the homepage! Thank you all for being such loyal followers of my blogs! I truly appreciate all your comments and support!

Jamie Virden, Miss Rodeo USA 2009 - A Brief Reflection

In the words of a very perceptive four-year-old named Nathan, “Well, summers just around the corner!” Eighty degrees in Henryetta this week and thirties with snow back home in Washington – I may have picked the right time to move down here! I’ve had a week of unpacking but after 6 days, 5 trips to Wal-Mart, 4 massive boxes to be emptied and numerous times of changing my mind, I finally have my place organized the way I want it. Moving is difficult, but finding a spot for 20 pairs of boots just adds to the challenge!

 

It is homey, welcoming and Tom is very impressed with my arena-front view out my window. What he may not notice is that my view includes much more than that. As I sit here and blog, windows open, breeze blowing and birds chirping the arrival of spring, I enjoy every moment of the blessings I’ve been granted. To look out the window and see a beautiful new world that symbolizes the new adventures ahead of me, can be overwhelming. It isn’t a stretch to say that a year ago if you would have told me that I’d relocate to the state of Oklahoma, I would have never believed you. Worlds away from my beautiful Washington, it seems vastly different from all I’ve ever known. Isn’t is amazing the doors that open when you are willing to put yourself out there? I may have a schedule of bookings that I’ll be attending this year, but it is impossible to predict the experiences I will have this year as Miss Rodeo USA. I’ve truly enjoyed all the advice I’ve been given from past queens and their personal stories of their years. What I’ve taken away from most of them is that the year will be unpredictable, and of course, demanding, but you will walk away saying, “That was the time of my life.” This unique opportunity would not be possible without the many sponsors and supporters of myself and the Miss Rodeo USA Association and for that, thank you.

 

Why the personal reflection today? Next weekend I truly kick off the first of my activities and events with a trip to the Dallas Market. From then on, I have nearly every weekend booked through the next few months. I’m so anxious to begin my duties with the first of my scheduled appearances and wonder if I’ll be able to slow down enough to smell the roses for awhile!

 

A pretty view can really make the wheels start churnin’ in your mind, can’t they? Yes, my window does provide quite the scene, but unfortunately it is also revealing an approaching storm. Turns out, extremely nice weather one day and drastic changes the next means trouble in the skies! I better sign off for today but one more quick note - for all those who are consistently checking the main site to be updated, we will have it up SOON! Thanks for your patience! Take care!

Jamie Virden, Miss Rodeo USA 2009 - Home to Henryetta

After a wonderful send off coronation party, I had a busy week of delivering autograph sheets and personal thank-you’s to numerous businesses and sponsors. While I was working down in Oklahoma, a committee of volunteers dedicated their time to gathering donations for my big event and I truly enjoyed seeing many of those who gave so generously and being able to personally thank them. Again, to the community of Ellensburg, thank you for all your undying support! Before leaving town I had one more radio remote, this time with my local station of KXLE. I had a great time on their afternoon talk show with Terri and thank you to him for giving me such a lengthy time slot to chat about my year ahead of me! Soon it was on to the task of packing and a tricky one at that! I may have moved a few times but never across the country! Four big boxes, two overweight suitcases and a stuffed hat can later, I was ready to hit the road. I crossed the Cascade Mountains of Washington and over to the west side of our state to stay with my sister Jessica before leaving. While over there, I received one of the best farewells I was given from Brad Paisley and Dierks Bentley at a truly fantastic concert in Tacoma, Washington. I didn’t have to be singled out to feel they were singing right to me! J One full day with my sister of shopping, dining, and ‘Madagascar 2’, it was time to leave. I’m thankful to say that my flights home were uneventful, considering my last few trips on airplanes have been interesting! I made it to Oklahoma without a hitch and was back in the Duvall’s home early Monday evening. It was a great homecoming and I’m quickly falling back into the normal routine. Today was fantastic! Sleeping in after a day of travel, getting my living area situated in my new home here with the Duvall’s, watching a humorous basketball game of Hayden’s, and picking up my new wheels! I have to thank Dick Bailey Motors of Okmulgee, Oklahoma for being so wonderful and working hard to get me the perfect vehicle to get me down the road this coming year. I’m extremely excited and look forward to learning all the gadget and gizmos my new Jeep Grand Cherokee possesses! This next week has more thank you notes to write, bags to unpack, and as always, more fun and unexpected events that I promise to share as they happen! Well, the intoxicating aroma of Tom’s burgers have made it to my room to signal that its time for dinner, so I’m signing off for tonight! Have a good one!

Jamie Virden, Miss Rodeo USA 2009 - An Evening to Forever Remember

How do you begin to describe such a wonderful evening such as my coronation fundraiser held this past Friday? Trust me, it is difficult to put into words how overwhelming the support was in a room full of over 200 close friends, family and community members. The month long preparation paired with a hectic week before the event, came to an end at one very successful evening. I need to stop right here and thank a committee of people who joined together to plan every element of this coronation. From food, tickets, auction items and more, these people did more for me than I ever imagined. While there is too many to name, you all know who you are and I thank you for your time and dedication to this fundraiser! As I mentioned, the week prior to coronation was a busy one but the single event that kicked it all off was Thursday evening when my national director, Amy Duvall came into town. My family and I were so thrilled to have her here as our special guest for the weekend and I appreciate all the work she put into this even though it should have been her vacation! Friday included many errands and last minute planning but soon it was time for the big night. Dressed and ready to go, my sister, Amy and myself headed Central Washington University’s ball room and were instantly greeted with guests and many of those who volunteered their time to help out. A BIG thank you to the CWU Rodeo Club and their advisor, Kay Davis. They helped out by taking tickets, handing out programs and as a past member, I know how hard this group can work and their contribution to this night was no exception. An hour of social time was only a few hours too short to be able to make my way around the room to visit with my many guests! I signed dozens of autographs, posed for photos and before we knew it, dinner was ready to be served and I had yet to find my table! Only moments after being seated, I was up and about once more to take a gander at the truly fantastic silent and live auction items that were so generously donated those in Ellensburg and beyond. We had quite the array of items and more than a few bidding wars! Soon the program was about to begin and our master of ceremonies, Rod Goosman took the mic and started us off by introducing the CWU Rodeo Club as our hosts. Following the Rodeo Club was a very special guest by the name of Marji Morgan, the Dean of the College of Arts & Humanities at CWU. It was an honor to be the topic of her speech and to have such wonderful compliments directed toward me. I’m happy to not only make my hometown proud but it over joys me to feel the support of my college as well. A big thank you to her for sharing the evening with us and Marji, I hope you enjoy my mother’s famous huckleberry pie that is coming your way from our dessert auction! Before I knew it, the mic was turned over to me and I had the perfect opportunity to share some of my adventures thus far as well as some expectations for my future events. Coming from a small town that seems worlds away from my new home in Oklahoma, I was pleased to be able to share more about what I’m doing this next year and what I represent as Miss Rodeo USA. A quick thank you to Rod Goosman for all you did to keep the program flowing smoothly from behind the podium and I appreciate you ‘winging it’ a bit and working with me on stage! We make a great team! Once our smiling audience was full from a wonderful meal, it was time for desserts! We may have provided some delicious cupcakes but for those with a bit stronger of a sweet tooth, we held a dessert auction. The cakes and pies were baked by family and friends and they provided a fun way to not only raise money, but I had a few very special queens-to-be help me display the treats! Emma, Payton, Emilee, Keara, Macenna, Kendall and Madelynn: Thank you girls for your hard work! On that note, a quick but special thank you needs to go to an avid blog-reader and quite possibly a future MRUSA, Dakota Adams! Thank you Dakota, for not letting a single person pass through the doorway without a signature on my guestbook! Way to go girl, much appreciated! Next was the live auction filled with some incredible items that if I weren’t trying to earn money, I’d be bidding myself! Salmon fishing trips, overnight stay in Idaho, pack bags, a unique leather jacket, Ariat purses and much more graced the capable hands of the Ellensburg Rodeo Royal Court members as they walked them around the room while the auctioneers hollered away! The evening may have been concluded once the auction items ran out but Jose from JP Enterprises entertained us with music until the last person walked out the door. Thank you for your contribution to the night, I truly appreciated you setting such a wonderful mood and keeping everyone energized late into the night! Less than a month of planning for an event that seemed to fly by quicker than a blink of an eye, but I treasured every moment. I can not thank enough; my coronation committee, CWU Rodeo Club, dessert carriers, auctioneers, JP Enterprises, auction item donors, CWU Event Planning, and the people of Ellensburg. The support and encouragement that has come out of the wood work in our small town has been more than impressive, it is flat-out overwhelming at times. I can’t express how influential the involvement of my hometown has been on my success. Without them behind me as they’ve been, it would be hard to imagine myself as Miss Rodeo USA 2009. Friday evening was a testament to how my community will forever stand behind their hometown girl, whether she is residing in Ellensburg or settling in Oklahoma for the year. From the bottom of my heart, thank you to all who have contributed to making my coronation a successful memorable experience. I will miss you all over the next year but I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to share my stories and they are just a click away for all who would like to follow me in my journey. Again, thank you to everyone involved, I appreciate you all more than I can express. Until next time, God bless!

Jamie Virden, Miss Rodeo USA 2009 - Oklahoma Initiation Process!

PART 1: How long does it take to feel like a true Okie? I found out in a BIG way! Apparently, a tornado will do the trick! The afternoon of the 10^th, I found myself in Oklahoma City for a visit to Mitchener & Farrand Jewelers who provide a truly gorgeous diamond accented banner pin each year for Miss Rodeo USA. As exciting as this visit was, it turned slightly stressful once I realized that the dark clouds, blinding lightning, rumbling thunder and pounding rain were the signals for the upcoming tornados. Someone asked me, “Didn’t you hear the tornado sirens coming into town?” This Washington girl looked in here rear-view mirror and assumed a semi-truck behind her was having some serious brake problems! And an FYI…when the weather is nasty…TURN OFF THE CD! Listen to the radio! I was practically 100% unaware of what was going on around me while my new Dierks Bentley CD played on repeat! While at the jewelers, I spoke with Mark Mitchener and he assured me that I was welcome to stick around and be close to their shelter or if I’d rather take off, just to tune into the radio to be aware of where the tornados are located. Mark, thank you for not only for wonderful sponsorship but I greatly appreciate your offer of your shelter and calming words! I took his advice to continue down the road…with the radio on…and set out for home. Moments into my trip, I heard the radio mention the street I was on and that a funnel was forming behind me. Panicked and unable to reach my director, Amy, I pulled into the nearest and largest store I could find, Bed Bath & Beyond. Once inside, it was much easier to calm down without seeing the storm surrounding me! Minutes later I got a hold of Amy and after assuring her I didn’t stop to shop in-between tornados (hehe!), she told me to get in the car and if I left immediately I would be ahead of the storm. The sky had turned black and quite scary while I was trying to leave the city. The roads were packed and to add to my fear, the storm was hot on my heels according to the locations the radio was mentioning. Needless to say, I got home much quicker than I should have and felt much safer with the family home and with me! A few hours later the storm picked up in our area and between the high winds and pounding rain, a notice of a tornado threat came across the TV that was very close to us. We rounded up our shoes, coats and a few blankets and we headed out for the underground shelter. We may have only been down there for approximately 15-20 minutes but an experience like that will make you realize the true force and danger of Mother Nature. The night continued with bright flashes of lightning, winds and rain but no more trips to the shelter, thank goodness! Is this some kind of initiation process?! Oh well, it makes you tough right? In the two weeks in Oklahoma, I faced a nasty ice storm, fire threat close to home, and tornados…I think I’ve received a very unique, “Welcome to Oklahoma!”

PART 2: After my tornado scare, I made it home to the Evergreen State…but not without a small glitch! It makes me slightly nervous that I’m having such problems with my flights before the bulk of my flying begins! I made it to Denver where I caught my connector within 10 minutes of boarding because my first flight was late, but I shouldn’t have been worried about the time frame! After finding my seat, the captain informed us that they were unable to get the fuel tank caps off both manually or electrically. She said it could take 15-60 minutes! Well, long story short, they got the fuel in then realized it was unbalanced and we were back in the same boat of trying to get the caps off a second time to balance the two sides! Oh well, what’s an additional 90 minute delay?! At least I sat next to a wonderful older gentleman from southern Wisconsin that entertained me throughout the entire flight with stories of his children, wife, career as a cardiologist, how he developed many of the ICU units in hospitals across his state, and much more. It amazes me how much you can learn and enjoy the conversations with those you have not had the opportunity to meet. Boy, those people with their headphones plugged in miss out on a lot during flights! Mr. McNichols and I had a wonderful visit and soon we landed in Seattle. I was thrilled to see my whole family waiting for me at baggage claim and ready to take me home. My first night back in my own bed was fantastic but I have to admit I was up and ready for little Nathan to come peeking into my room saying, “It’s not dark outside no more!” I guess it goes to show that I miss Oklahoma just as much as I miss Ellensburg when I’m there! I’m here in Washington for the next two weeks and my days are filled with radio remotes, news interviews and my coronation this coming Friday. Not only am I excited to see my community, enjoy a great meal, and have a fun evening but I’m so excited to share this event with two very special people! Dawna Ditmore from Bend, Oregon who owns Livin’ The Dream Tack, a sponsor of Miss Rodeo USA, is making the trek up to Ellensburg to join in the fun, as well as our National Director, Amy Duvall! I hope they both have a great time and I can hardly wait for them to see what I love so much about my hometown of Ellensburg,Wash. A special thank-you goes out to all that have worked so hard to make this coronation the buzz of our town. I look forward to seeing first-hand all that you’ve put into this party. Thank you all and I’ll be checking back in after the big night of the 20^th!

Jamie Virden, Miss Rodeo USA - Homeward Bound!

How long does it take to feel like a true Okie? Apparently not long at all! I may be a born and raised Washingtonian but Oklahoma is feeling more like home with each day that goes by. Not only have I finally grasped my locational bearings, I’ve come to enjoy the weather and working hard to accept the flat terrain as well! Amy’s mother, Rosetta even assured me that the grass will eventually turn green and beautiful! Few! I’m relieved at that, coming from the Evergreen State! As I drove the hour drive to Muskogee for my first dentist appointment with Dr. Jones, it really began to sink in. I truly feel blessed to have received this opportunity as Miss Rodeo USA 2009 and I know that I will take every experience to heart. My first trip to the Merle-Haggard-made-famous town of Muskogee was an eventful one. I managed a successful maiden voyage with Bob the GPS unit (named after MRUSA Trail Boss, Bob Oliver), enjoyed my first visit to Dr. J’s office, had a great lunch at El Chico’s with Dr. J and staff, and even visited one of the largest Wal-marts I’ve ever seen in my life! My visit with Dr. Jones also consisted of working on my MRUSA autograph tear sheets and I can’t thank him enough for his creativity, patience and attention to every detail. I think we’ve created a wonderful tear sheet and thank you for putting so much time into this project, I truly appreciate it! A few days later I was off to the city of Okmulgeefor my first eye appointment at the Eye Center of Dr. Ward and Dr. Hall. After my eye exam, Dr. Ward was nice enough to provide me with contacts and a trendy new pair of glasses! Can this girl be treated more like a queen? I think not! A week of complimentary dentist and eye appointments provided by two fantastic sponsors, I consider myself one lucky girl! Thank you to them for their steadfast generosity to our association! I may be busy here in Oklahomabut friends and family at home are working just as hard to plan a coronation to celebrate my accomplishment and to raise money to support me throughout my year. Thank you to everyone back in Ellensburg, Wash. who are helping to make this upcoming event a success. I can’t wait until the big night of the 20^th! If anyone is in that area during this time, please feel free to join us for a wonderful dinner, silent and live auctions as well as entertainment and dancing! It is sure to be a fun-filled evening! On that note, I will also be holding a fashion show at the Clymer Museum of Art in Ellensburg on Sunday, February 15^th at 2:30pm. I would love you all to join us for an afternoon of modeling, fun stories from the pageant and deserts! I will be returning to Washingtonthis coming Thursday and I hope I’ll have better luck traveling than my previous trips, but regardless, I’m thrilled to head home to see familiar faces. I’m homeward bound and until next time, God Bless!

Jamie Virden, Miss Rodeo USA - Smile Pretty!

While most of this experience has seemed like a dream, there is nothing like getting all dolled up and posing for a camera that will make you feel like a true queen! I spent last Friday in the extremely capable hands of Jim Grillot, our Miss Rodeo USA photographer. The evening was full of smiles, quick changes, hundreds of photos and quite the audience! Not only were Amy and her daughter, Hayden assisting me in the shoot, Kristin Scott (Miss Rodeo USA ’08), Dr. J and Debra Jones (Sponsors of MRUSA), and Georgianne Gilliam (Miss Rodeo USA ’02) all came by to join in on the fun! I feel so fortunate to have received the incredible items that our generous sponsors have provided and I had a wonderful time posing with all the beautiful gifts. I can’t thank these contributors enough for their thoughtfulness and support of our association! After my smile felt ready to fall off or freeze in place, we wrapped up the shoot and headed to dinner to complete our evening! This Italian girl will never pass up a Carino’s Restaurant after that wonderful meal filled with the great company of Kristin, Dr. J, Debra, Amy and Hayden.  My weekend was full of finishing a to-do list a mile long, from calls and emails, to getting situated more in my new home here in Henryetta. As I assume it would be for anyone, it is an adjustment to leave home and live somewhere completely foreign to you. What I’ve come to find out with the Duvall family, is that I may have left my family back in Washington for the time being, but I’ve been adopted into a new one here in Oklahoma. How incredibly fortunate I am to have this opportunity to not only get to know these wonderful people, but to lighten the financial burden of long distance travel for committees who wish to hire me because of my central location and on top of everything, not having to worry about rent! I may be only a week into my move but it is not difficult to see the generosity and convenience of this incredible deal! On that note, I’ve spoken with many of the Miss Rodeo USA sponsors in this past week or so and I have been thrilled to hear ways in which I can give back to their businesses, events to look forwards to with them, as well as their overall warm wishes for my future year. I appreciate each one of you tremendously and I can’t wait to meet you all! This week brings more errands, phone calls, hopefully some extra time to play with Hayden and Nathan, and maybe a few more relaxing rides on Tom’s horse, Doc around their property. There is nothing like time in the saddle for a reality check…or an escape from reality, sometimes both! All I know is that I’m loving every minute of this new experience and everyday brings a new adventure.

Jamie Virden, Miss Rodeo USA - Headed To My New Home!

I’ve had a busy week so far! Monday was one of the most unique and exciting experiences I could have imagined. I visited the Washington state capitol of Olympia to be honored at the House of Representatives…talk about “Jamie Day” at the capitol! I spoke to both the republican and democratic caucuses; met the Speaker of the House, Frank Chopp; visited the historical office of and spoke with the Secretary of State, Sam Reed; and visited with our Governor, Chris Gregoire in-between appointments filling her busy schedule. It was truly a wonderful first trip to the capitol and a very unique one at that! I must thank Cheri Marusa for planning this trip and getting me through doors and into places that rarely the general public gets to see! You were so wonderful and I can’t thank you enough for that once in a lifetime experience! As fantastic as it was to visit with my state dignitaries, one of the best parts of the day was visiting with 3^rd grade classes that were on a field trip from the Tacoma School District. They were very in tune to their guide’s lectures but leave it to a rodeo queen to distract the entire class! I was afraid I was going to get detention if I interrupted one more tour stop for photos and autographs! They were wonderful and very attentive students! After a full day at the capitol, it was home to pack and hit the road for Oklahoma, but not before a quick pizza party at my office, Windermere Real Estate where I’ve worked for four years. I’m sad to move on because of the full time schedule of Miss Rodeo USA but to all the Realtors, thank you all for your continued support, love and encouragement. You are all incredible people who I’ve enjoyed creating strong friendships with. And because I know many of you constantly checking the blogs, to my boss, if you want me to work over this next year…you’ll have to book me through the IPRA office! Just kidding! Wednesday morning came WAY too soon…especially since I left my house at 1:30am to cross the mountains over to Seattle to catch a plane at 5am. My wonderful dad drove me over and dropped me off, thank you to him for letting me sleep even when you were just as exhausted! If any of you read my pageant blogs and followed my first trip to Oklahoma, you may remember that I haven’t had the best luck with flights so far! Thankfully I made it to Dallas/Ft. Worth before hitting a bit of a speed bump. This Washingtonian is well accustomed to snow fall, yet Oklahoma gets hit with ice storms and as you can assume, it causes everything to be shut down! So what do I do when a big ice storm hits Oklahoma….try to fly into it! My flight was pushed back a bit, but four gate changes and about four miles of airport walking later, I departed for Tulsa. Thank you so much to Mike, Georgianne and little Lily for picking me up at the airport. I was great to see smiling faces! I appreciate your hospitality and kindness for welcoming me into your home and providing a wonderful nights rest. This afternoon I was picked up by our national director, Amy Duvall and headed to my new home for the year. It takes a truly amazing family to welcome a stranger into their home for such a lengthy time and I can’t begin to show my appreciation. Tom and Amy’s kids, Hayden and Nathan will be keeping me busy all year but I’ll love every minute of it! It’s time to hit the hay for tonight but tomorrow brings big hair and big smiles with my official photo shoot with Miss Rodeo USA photographer, Jim Grillot! Stay tuned and cross your fingers for a good hair day! J

Jamie Virden, Miss Rodeo USA - Hittin' the Ground Running!

Much has happened since I arrived home, so much for “go home and take a breather,” but I wouldn’t have missed a moment of it for the world! After an unfortunate, but successful, battle with a flu bug, I was up, going and well rested to start my week. It all began with a few local interviews and soon I was covered on Northwest Cable News in Seattle in addition to Yakima, Wash.news channels and multiple phone interviews with various newspapers around the state. It has been incredible to see the enthusiasm of those in my home state and to share in the excitement with me. If you want to check out one of the interviews online, visit

http://www.nwcn.com/video/?z=y&nvid=324848

I will try and get the rest of the links up for you all very soon! As wonderful as it has been to see friends, family and supporters around town while running errands and such, the highlight of my week home so far has been the Ellensburg Rodeo Royal Court coronation banquet. A title I held in 2006 as Ellensburg Rodeo Queen, it brought back many great memories and put me in the company of lifelong friends. Last night, Saturday, nearly 400 guests filed into a beautifully decorated event room at Central Washington University to see the new court crowned. I could barely get in the door upon arriving because I was swamped with hugs, smiles, and congratulatory comments! As overwhelming as it was to see my community members, the night was about the five contestants vying for the queen and princess positions on the royal court. They all looked stunning and handled themselves beautifully with the mic during their formal speeches. I was so proud to see them all take this experience to heart, whether they were going to walk away with a crown or not. It is a big responsibility and look forward to following the travels of Queen Tegan Coward, Princess Dana Dunnington, as well as the King County Princess, Haley Brown. Girls, you have no way to know the doors that will be opened for you with this tremendous honor. Enjoy! The high point of my night, if I could pin point just one, was a standing ovation paired with roaring applause upon my introduction and a chance to personally thank my hometown on stage. It was a truly remarkable and moving experience. Thank you Ellensburg for your kindness, as always you are the backbone behind my success! What is next for me? Well, I have a to-do-list a mile long before returning to Oklahoma on Wednesday but there is one particular event I’m looking extremely forward to. I’ve been asked to visit our state capitol of Olympia to speak at the House of Representative and possibly the Senate as well. What an honor and yet, they want to honor me! I will be sure to fill you all in on how the day goes! Thank you all for checking the blogs regularly, I will do my best to keep you all informed! Until next time!

Jamie Virden, Miss Rodeo USA 2009 - Almost Home!

My first weekend as Miss Rodeo USA was so filled with excitement, it has to stretch into two blogs! Sunday at the final performance of the International Finals Rodeo, Kristin Scott gave an emotional and touching final ride where it truly hit me that the opportunities awaiting are once in a lifetime. She spoke of friends and sponsors that became as close as family and how they’ve impacted her life. I only hope I can fill the big shoes she has left for me. Congratulations Kristin on a wonderful year and for being a great role model and inspiration for young women like myself. Following her final ride, was my first. Thank you to the Treadway’s for the use of their great paint horse to make my first ride a success and a memorable one. After meeting many sponsors and supporters around the rodeo grounds, it was off to the Biltmore hotel for the awards banquet to honor the winners of the IFR. Congratulations to all the contestants for a successful weekend in Oklahoma City. I was honored to be introduced and say a few words before officially receiving my stunning trophy saddle made by Twister Saddles and presented by Mr. Dale Yerigan, IPRA General Manager. I’m so thrilled to represent the International Professional Rodeo Association and all the wonderful people I’ve met thus far, and it is incredibly heartwarming to feel truly accepted and welcomed into this amazing family regardless of coming from so far away as Washington State. I can’t wait to meet and work with you all, thank you for hospitality throughout this past week. On that note, I must thank the Biltmore hotel for their support of the Miss Rodeo USA pageant and the IPRA, your staff as been fantastic and welcoming throughout our entire stay. To Vernon, Morris, Vicki, Gilbert, David and the rest of the employees, I appreciate your helpfulness and encouragement and I can’t wait to see you all again! I may have left off at the beginning of my trek home in the last blog but the second half of my adventure has to be mentioned! We may have successfully made it to the Seattle area around 11:30pm but because of the fog we were forced to circle the area for approximately 25 minutes and then diverted to Portland, Oregon. Once landing in Portland, we were told to wait in our seats for an agent to come aboard and discuss plans to stay the night, instead we were then told we were refueling and heading back to Seattle. Needless to say, we landed in Seattle on our second attempt and traveled the two hour drive home to arrive in our driveway by 4am. Thank you to Roy Chance for your patience and kindness to wait around the airport for my family and I, we appreciate you tremendously! Here I am, Home Sweet Home, for a week or so anyway! I’ll be heading back to Oklahoma shortly but I will be plenty busy until then. To those I have yet to get back to, thank you to all of my supporters here at home in Ellensburg. I can’t tell you how your support and encouragement has helped me in my path to Miss Rodeo USA. Be sure to check back regularly for more updates and very soon, pictures! Signing off for now!