Junior High Rodeo Provincials

The weather was great for the junior high rodeo provincials in Nanton, Alberta.

Here's the rundown of the weekend:

Day 1

Clean pole run but the ground was deep and slightly muddy.

Slow goat run - didn't flank very well 14.0 seconds

Breakaway - missed

Not our most fine ride home. Carly wasn't happy. Austin gave a pep talk about overthinking things, having fun, not worrying about what other people think, remembering the basics, etc.

Day 2

Hanna's horse Lena got called up from the pasture to be the goat horse. Lena has been sore and spent the winter at Grandpa's house. She hasn't been ridden for a long time. They took her to the Agridome last night to ride her and do a few goat runs. She took it like a champ.

Clean pole run

Goat got up but Lena worked great.

Sweet breakaway run- placed second for the day

Much happier drive home, especially with a stop at Dairy Queen

Day 3

Clean pole run - only 6 out of 30 girls had 3 clean pole runs. So Carly ended up placing 4th in the average, which is awesome for Carly and Slick, a rope horse that runs poles.

10.1 seconds in Goats. Placed 1st for the day

Missed in Breakaway as her rope hit the post as she left the box.

 

Spring High School Rodeo

 Alberta is still in deep in a pandemic fighting covid-19, but the Alberta High School Rodeo leaders worked and worked to get a plan approved by Alberta Health Services so we could still have rodeos. Everyone has to wear a mask, except right when they make their rodeo run. And no one can sit in the stands. And parents can only walk up to the rodeo fence right when their child is competing and watch or video and then go back to the trailer. It was better than nothing.

We went to Vauxhall, Taber, Foremost, Nanton, High River and Strathmore. Lucy and Carly had some great runs and some not so great runs. Most of the days we went were pretty nice, and we choose not to go to the Sunday rodeos, but I think they had rain or snow most Sundays. There were two weekends where it was snowing in Cardston, but then it was nice by the time we got to the rodeo location.

Lucy missed one of the rodeos because she was in close contact quarantine and couldn't leave our house, plus she only gets to go to one of the rodeos each weekend. And we missed being able to rodeo at Southern Circuit rodeos through the winter, and some weekends didn't go as well as we hoped, so she didn't qualify for provincials. Next year.

Carly did qualify for provincials in her 3 events: pole bending, goat tying and breakaway roping.

Our girls are lucky to have a dad who puts so much time and effort into helping and teaching and encouraging them!

Spring Update

Here are a few spring updates:

Austin and I got our first covid vaccines. Canada has been sooooooo much slower than most of the world in getting vaccines. They finally became available for our age group, but only AstraZeneca. I actually prayed one night if I should get that vaccine or wait for another choice, and the next day my boss text me and said the Blackfeet Tribe was coming to the border to give vaccines to anyone who wants one. So we each went down there. It did take a couple hours to wait in line, cross the border, and get the vaccine and cross back into Canada, but we are so thankful to be able to get it. Everyone was friendly that was helping - even some of the border agents who have given us grief before. Austin did get AstraZenecca the next day here in Cardston. 

The Blackfoot Confederacy even came back the next month to give our second shot, even though in Canada they won't be giving second shots for several months until everyone has their first one. We thought the line to the border would be really long, so we each went early in the morning to be there in line. I got up at 3:50 am to get in line. I drove to the border and then I did sleep in my car for a couple hours. Lucy brought Grandma Nunn to the border to get in with me so she could get her second shot too. We were thankful to be fully vaccinated. I did spend the next day on the couch not feeling great as my body built up the immunity it needs to avoid getting the virus.

It was Drive your Tractor to School day. Only in Cardston. Lucy should have driven our mini tractor, Screwy, but she didn't. But at least she dressed up.

One night I was working late at my accounting office, and Austin said the vet was coming to pump our horse's stomachs because they had gotten into the bag of medicated calf grain and eaten most of it. The chemical in the grain can cause colic in horses if they eat too much, and we weren't sure which horses ate it and how much. So Dr. Todd Gunderson came out at 9 pm to pump mineral oil into each of our horses so it will clear their stomachs. It took him a couple hours to do all 5 horses, but we were grateful the vet could come.

Easter Sunday was General Conference Sunday. General Conference was so good. The Easter bunny came and hid the eggs outside. 

All of our goats had their babies on Easter weekend. We have 4 goats and Grandpa Buck takes care of them at his house - Thanks Grandpa. We had 8 babies that lived.

This string of pictures is while were talking to Hanna one p-day and Lucy and Austin told Hanna that Lena's tail had been chewed off by one of Grandpa's colt. (Lena's tail has been growing back for a couple years after one of our goats chewed it off). Hanna actually started crying, even while we were still laughing and laughing. Then when we told her it was a joke - she left the call. 

We bought new calves for us to rope this summer. We have bottle fed them everyday for 2 months. But they are just about ready to rope. Austin is just building a new breakaway box and roping chute.

 

Kaylynn's Trip to Utah

Luckily, Jill's graduation was right at the end of Canadian tax season. The days before I left, we were trying to get everyone's tax returns finished by the deadline, but I was also trying to get things ready because I would have to quarantine for 14 days after I got back and just work from home.

On Thursday morning, I was already feeling some anxiety about getting everything done and crossing the border and everything. Then I get a text from Jill - Larsen didn't pass his final and didn't pass the class. He was short by 1.6%. They contacted the professor and the advisor and the department head and the professor. Please let him retake the test. Nothing. So stressful and disappointing. Luckily Larsen could still walk at graduation. They will get through it, and he can retake the class this summer, but disappointing and frustrating on so many levels, definitely including that Larsen could have put more effort into the class.

Anyway, my travel to Montana went well and I did a little bit of shopping in Great Falls. The hotel I picked was a really good price, but it was a bit sketchy. Then all night I could hear people, trains, and other equipment working. But I saved $40, right. Then I flew from Great Falls to Las Vegas, and the people on the flight started drinking and so the flight got louder and louder. Then Jill and Larsen came to pick me up, which I appreciated since it is 3 hours from their house.

During the flight, I was listening to a podcast that Jeanette was on, and the interviewer asked her to tell about a moment in time that is simple but that brings her joy.  She told about when she picks up Lola from school, as soon as Lola sees her mom, her face lights up and she comes running. That was a turning point in my trip to calm my nerves and remind me why I was going - to be with Jill. Then I sat there and cried for a while as Jill's life played through my mind. One good thing about wearing a mask is that people can't tell you are crying.

When we got back to Panguitch, we went to meet Larsen & Jill's colt, Ella. She is a cute little horse that likes to chew her mom, Charlie's, tail and mane. Then we ate at the Cowboy's Smokehouse for dinner, the restaurant the Perkins own, where Jill and Larsen work. The food was delicious.

Saturday was graduation (see other post).

On Sunday, I got to go to church with Jill and Larsen. Their fast and testimony meeting was excellent, as they were having a stake fast for moisture and to improve their Come, Follow Me study in their homes. I was also so thankful to sing in church. Alberta hasn't let us sing in church because it will spread covid - even with masks on, we still can't sing. Then we also had Sunday School in person, which we haven't had two hour church yet either. Jill and Larsen teach youth Sunday School, but I stayed in the adult class. It was hopeful that things can return to normal after the pandemic, but also frustrating that Alberta just entered another lockdown because of rising covid cases.

After church, Larsen cooked a delicious dinner of porkchops with mango salsa. Yummy.

Then we started back toward Las Vegas. We stopped and drove up Kolob Canyon, which is part of Zion National Park. It was so pretty and we went on a little walk to a lookout point. I love nature.

Then we headed to Las Vegas and stayed at a hotel by the airport since I had to be at the airport by 5:45 am. It was so fun to be with Jill and Larsen for the weekend, and I am so thankful they have worked and worked to get their education.

My flight back to Great Falls was very quiet. Everyone slept on the plane.  I did a little more shopping in Great Falls since shopping is always better in America. It was Hanna's P-Day so she came shopping with me to JCPenney and North 40 on video call. I do think we were blessed with a tender mercy that one of the western stores had a set of pole bending bases. Our friends, Rick & Kris Olsen, had let us borrow theirs for several years, but they wanted them back and came and got them this week. They are not easy to find, but luckily I found a set in Great Falls. (Plus I paid $180 and Austin had found a set in Canada that were going to cost $600, so we were thankful they had a set in stock).

I had to stop in Shelby, Montana to get a covid test. They are set up to test Canadians who need a covid test to get across the border. They were so friendly, and Dr. Ham gave me a whole explanation about covid as a virus and that vitamin D & C and hydro(something) can help treat it. I really liked him.

Everything went smoothly at the border, especially since I had done my homework and had everything ready and had submitted my quarantine plan through the ArriveCan app. Then I took another covid test at the border and headed home to my 14-day quarantine. 

The day I came home, Lucy got notified that one of her teachers had tested positive for covid and so Lucy had to quarantine for 10 days (it had been 4 since was exposed). So I wasn't lonely in my days at home. She did online school and I did online work. She had to miss the Nanton high school rodeo. Then they announced that Alberta was going into another lockdown and that all schools would return on to online learning for 2 weeks. So then we had Carly home with us too. Lucy's time ended on Thursday, so she got to go to a friend party on Thursday night, a first aid class for her job on Friday, and then to the rodeo in High River on Saturday.

My friends were so thoughtful to bring me quarantine food. Erica Burt brought me a bag of fruit. Barb Salmon brought a box of Dairy Cream ice cream sandwiches (I can only eat the ice cream part), Jewel Hardy brought tortellini soup, banana bread sourdough bread, wheat bread and cesar salad (of course Jewel went all out), and Tammy Sommerfeldt brought brownies. Martha Nunn and Michelle Murray brought me flowers. Our ministering brother, Brother Walburger, also brought a box of Timbits for Mother's Day.

Austin had to be the chauffer, errand runner, and grocery shopper since Lucy and I couldn't do it. He probably hasn't been to the grocery store since last summer when I was in quarantine. And he has only been to the post office to check our mail one other time since we have lived in Canada.

Thank goodness for freedom again!!!

Jill & Larsen Graduate from College!!

Jill and Larsen are graduates from Southern Utah University - well, almost. Larsen has one more class to take this summer. Jill received her Bachelor of Science degree in Human Nutrition. Larsen will receive his Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies in Agricultural Sciences and Business.

They divided the university in half and did two graduation ceremonies just to have less people at a time to prevent covid spread. The graduates first do a processional and walk under the bell tower and across campus. Then they had a commencement ceremony. It was so well done and classy. The valedictorian gave an excellent talk and the commencement speaker was Gail Miller, one of the richest women in Utah, but you wouldn't know it by the way she acts and talks. She is so generous and does so much good, and she gave an excellent talk. The current SUU president conducted and he was so likable and did a great job. 

Then they had a separate ceremony for each college. Jill and Larsen were both in the College of Health Sciences, so that worked out great. Larsen's sister, Lindsey, also graduated so good work to the 3 Perkins graduates. 

After graduation, we went to eat at a locally-run steak house in the middle of nowhere. The food was actually really good. The Perkins, who run their own restaurant, sure do have lots of opinions about food and restaurants.