Cowboy Up

On Thursday night Bennett and I were dusting the house (something that desperately needed to be done) when our friend Sarah called. She said that she was listening to the radio and had heard that it was Military appreciation night at the Killeen Rodeo. Translation: Free. Free parking, free dinner, free entrance. Sometimes being in the Army really does have its benefits. So Bennett and I threw aside our dusting (poor house) and headed to Killeen for the night.

The radio said that the dinner for military families would start at 5:00pm, so we made sure to get there exactly at that time. However, the dinner didn't actually start until 6:00pm, so we spent an hour waiting in line. It was a nice night though and Bennett had a fun time running around with all the other kids while we waited.

We finally did make it inside, at which point we were fed a delicious cowboy meal catered by Schoepf's, Matt's favorite BBQ joint here. Usually I don't really care for this kind of food, but for some reason I absolutely devoured everything on my plate, Bennett's plate, and the little boy's plate sitting next to us (he offered it to me). Living in Texas must be starting to rub off on me.

After our meal, we headed outside to see the cows and horses. Here's Bennett watching the 1st Cav Team gear up.

Inside the arena gates there were a ton of booths set up with lots of fun things to see and do. Mostly I just took this picture for Matt, so that he could see my cowboy boots, which I DO wear...when necessary.

The highlight of this night was when we passed a man selling pony rides. There was not even a hesitation on either mine or Bennett's parts. Unfortunately, the man said there was a weight limit, so Bennett had to have all the fun for us.

Needless to say, Bennett loved it. Afterwards he begged me to let him ride the cows, but I think we will hold off on that for a few more years.

This little face is my favorite.

Eventually we made it over to the bleachers to watch the actual rodeo. Bennett insisted he stand directly in front of the fence to see the horses better, and he never moved from this spot until I told him it was time to go home. If we could bring horses into sacrament meeting my life would be so much easier.

Watching the Cavalry perform. At one point these guys shot off a real cannon without warning and I almost jumped out of my skin. Bennett, on the other hand, never flinched. I can't decide if I am proud of this or slightly concerned...

We didn't stay at the rodeo very long once it started, but what we did see was very fun. We got home just in time to put Bennett in bed, finish cleaning the house, and welcome Griffin and Ashland who came for Memorial Day Weekend. But that is a different blog post. So until then.

Ya'll come back now, ya hear? Yee-haw!