I took our eldest to the 86th Annual Flint Hills rodeo last night. The event starts at 8pm (about his bedtime). Fortunately it is local and conveniently located. Neither my husband nor I grew up going to the rodeo, so it was only my 2nd or 3rd time to go. Wesley went with us last year and he was smitten; he asks frequently to go to "the radio" whenever we are passing by the grounds...

 Joshua stayed behind with the baby as the rodeo isn't really his thing, other than chatting with friends, he can take it or leave it, so he decided to send me with our cowboy this year and we had a really good time. 

It is quite the event for our small, little middle-of-nowhere town of Strong City. This year it runs simultaneously with the Unbound Gravel bicycle race which starts in Emporia and spreads throughout the state, bringing thousands of visitors to our area. But at the rodeo, there is always a good mix of both familiar and unfamiliar faces. As we walked through the stands and various attractions it left the impression of what the old time carnivals might have felt a little bit like. Lots of movement, animals were snorting and running around, people smoking, music playing. Wesley and I stuck next to each other tightly and weaved in and out of the crowd. We saw bronc riders, bull riders, team roping and breakaway roping. This morning, Wesley was milling around the house before breakfast and his little voice popped up, "Thank you for taking me to the rodeo, mama." 


Love making memories with ya, kiddo

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