Cowgirl up!

So, up until two months ago, I had only been to one rodeo in my life. In Snowflake, Arizona. That one might not really count. Now, though, I'm a seasoned rodeo veteran. I went to two nights of the NFR in December and the Fort Worth rodeo this past weekend. I love me some rodeo. The NFR was amazing -- big hair, big belt buckles, sparkly, shoulder-padded cropped jackets on women that have no business wearing anything tight or cropped; you get the idea. The FW rodeo was surprisingly more tame. I saw a few fashion flubs but nothing more than too-tight Wranglers. Now, for your reading pleasure, I've got a head-to-head matchup of the NFR and FW rodeos:

• National Anthem: Reba (NFR) vs. crowd (FW) -- I know Stef almost started crying when the whole crowd sang (and she's not even American!) but there's something classic about the announcer paying Reba her appearance fee (of $10) upfront. Edge: NFR
• Announcer: Bob Tallman (NFR) vs. Bob Tallman (FW) -- Who would have thought Fort Worth could get the ProRodeo Hall of Fame announcer to come to their rodeo? Well, they did. I think they gets points just for that. Edge: FW
• Cowboys/Cowgirls: Champion-caliber riders (NFR) vs. Riders who couldn't hit 8 seconds to save their lives (FW) -- This one's a no-brainer. I didn't see a 63-year-old barrel racer in turquoise sequins in Fort Worth. Edge: NFR
• Food: One three-part hyphenated word for you. In-N-Out. Edge: NFR
• Filler Entertainment: trick lassoers & Elvis impersonators (NFR) vs. trick riders, calf wrestling by teenagers, dog tricks & bull fighting (FW) -- Las Vegas, I'm disappointed. Fort Worth beat the snot out of you on this one. Edge: FW
• Funniest Moment: Grandad dancing (NFR) vs. the crotch-grabbing cowboy -- While there will always be something funny about a grown man holding his crotch for a good five minutes (because he got bucked by a bull, but still!) in front of a crowd, I don't know if anything can beat convincing your 95-year-old Grandad to stand and dance while Ricochet is playing. Grandad's got some moves! Edge: NFR

Now, there are plenty of other categories I could come up with, but I think we can all see that Fort Worth doesn't stand a chance. Winner: NFR I guess I'll just have to go back next year. A few more highlights from the NFR:

• Trav protecting our hotel room from aliens
• Mel pretending to be asleep because she thought we'd leave her alone -- poor, naive Mel.
• Trav's pee cushion
• the "Thunder from Down Under"
• my kickers
• watching "Garden State" until 2 in the morning
• Judd & Trav trying to take Grandad on the shortcut to the stadium -- up a 60 degree incline with a cane
• finally getting to see The Trashcan
• Grandad bopping people with his cane to get their attention
• laughing in a hotel room with Mel, Trav & Judd so hard I gave myself asthma
• defrosting contact lenses
• making a cooler out of a bathroom sink, some ice and a couple DPs

Today's features:

{Song: Telescope Eyes by Eisley}

{Belated: Happy Birthday, Lyssa!}