We then changed out of our "cocktail" attire and into jeans and sweatshirts to go to the Professional Bull Riders Challenger Tournament at the VA Horse Center. I love going to a rodeo, even though I've only had the opportunity to go to a few. I have been excited for the past few months, ever since I first heard that it would be in Lex.I am a true country girl at heart, even though I didn't grow up on a farm and have only ridden a horse, I think, twice in my life. I love everything "country" and watching cowboys ride a bull for 8 seconds is one of those country things I love. While they were starting the tournament, I realized a few reasons why I love cowboys so much. Now this is a broad generalization, and not to say that if you are not a cowboy you are not these things, but here is my list:
Cowboys ...
- LOVE the USA. They love their country, they send their sons and daughters to the armed forces, they are volunteer firefighters, they are proud of their heritage. The introduction of the flag and the national anthem was quite impressive.
- LOVE GOD. The prayer before the start of the bull riding was awesome. Every cowboy went to their knees while they thanked God for their country and their life. They asked for protection for themselves and for their animals. It brought tears to my eyes. (BTW - a prayer is said before every NASCAR race too.)
I love that my husband has embraced my cowboy love lately. He was very excited about the PBR night and got us some great seats. He is also now the proud owner of a camo hat and a pair of Wrangler jeans (not the tight kind, but Wranglers none the less). He is now on the look out for a nice belt buckle.During the intermission we went to the balcony area of the arena. We were pleasantly surprised that no one was up there, so it was a nice quiet escape for a little while. Chuck's asthma did not like all the dirt the bulls were kicking up. It also gave us a nice view of the barrel racing.
It was hard to capture much in pictures, but here is a short video of the rodeo fun.
