Dallas Date Night #6 - Fort Worth Rodeo

Just a few updates:

1. I have one more date night to tell you about (aside from this one) before I'm all caught up.
2. We're going on our quarterly review this weekend, so look for pictures and questions to come.
3. I know it's Valentine's Day and yes, my honey did not disappoint - so pictures will be coming!

Now, back to our regularly scheduled "Dallas Date Nights."

I had the opportunity to go to the Fort Worth Rodeo TWICE in two days. That's right, this city girl got her fill of cowboys for the next five years all in two nights! One of those nights was with Danny for "Date Night" so, this qualifies as the sixth installment of Dallas Date Nights.

My friend Miriam got free tickets through her work to the rodeo and gave two to Danny and I for a Friday night date. She also had BOX SEATS for the Thursday night prior to that, but Danny couldn't go because of work. Well, I couldn't pass up box seats or a night with a friend, so I volunteered to go . . . TWICE . . . IN A ROW . . . TO THE RODEO. Someone give me a round of applause.

Now, Miriam and I usually eat at La Madeline's, go to the mall, or she makes a cute little snack for us when we hang out. It didn't occur to us, or we didn't stop to think, that we weren't exactly the "rodeo" type. We should have clued in when we had to ask directions to the parking lot and directions on how to get into the arena. SHEESH. Let me pause for a minute while I go dye my hair blond!

In fact, the rodeo was almost completely wasted on us based on the sheer fact that we are . . . well . . . a little girly.

For example, we walked into the arena, get directions to our "box seats" and Miriam looks at me and asks, "Where's the glass? Aren't box seats glassed in?"

My response to her was, "I don't know where the glass is, but those seats are VERY close to the ground. You don't think that dirt is going to splash up at us do you? I do not want to get dirty. I wore my good jeans."

See what I mean? It was almost a waste, but our cameras redeemed the night. Halfway through the show I turned to Miriam and said, "It's a good think we brought our cameras. If it weren't for trying to capture the perfect shot I'd be bored out of my mind."

She looked at me and laugh, "You still have to get through tomorrow night too."

This is what we did ALL night:
And, so, this is the blog about the time that Laura spent WAY too much time in a rodeo arena watching crazy men get bucked off wild bulls. The first night was all about observing the less-obvious parts of rodeo life. The second night was strictly about watching Danny, bright-eyed and excited at the thrill of bull riding, and marveling that God could put such opposites together in marriage. These are her pictures.

Night #1
The Cowboy's Flag:
The Cowboy's Footwear:
The Cowboy's Headwear:
The Cowboy's Drink:The Cowboy's Snack:The Cowboy's Entertainment:
And finally, the Cowboy's ladies:
Night #2
Believe it or not, Danny and I had better seats for taking pictures of the actual rodeo events. We both had fun shooting with the camera and both got some amazing shots.
Ride 'em cowboy.

The bucking broncos were by far the most intense part of the evening. Miriam and I didn't last this long the night before (yes, us girls went home early), so it was exciting to watch these cowboys put their lives at the mercies of these bulls.
This cowboy started off GREAT!
But didn't last too long.
Don't worry - he got up after this fall. I don't know how good his head felt, be his legs appeared to be working just fine.
I have a feeling that this cowboy couldn't sit so well the next day.
The sheer strength and might of these bulls make me wonder WHY anyone would EVER want to be a rodeo clown.
And, we can't forget the cowgirls.
And finally, Miriam and I didn't make it this far into the rodeo the first night either, so when this little guy came shooting into the arena Danny and I couldn't believe our eyes.
This is a monkey, strapped to a sheep dog, and it did in fact corral sheep. The monkey was tied tightly to the dog and would occasionally flop from side to side when the sheep dog turned too quickly. If it weren't for the harness, the monkey would have gone flying off. It was hilarious!

(Actual Date Day: 2/1/08)