Our Monthly Pick

OCTOBER

THE POWER OF PINK
 As you all know October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  This subject touches my heart in a very special way.  When you see me wearing pink, I’m not only showing my support for Breast Cancer, but for all the Cancer patients in the World.  I have lost some very dear people to cancer, including all four of my grandparents and numerous other family members and friends.  It is so special to me to attend any event that includes Pink Night-Day with their production.  To see nothing but a cover of pink when you look in the arena and in the bleachers is absolutely breathtaking.  It is like gazing upon a field of beautiful pink roses….which brings a tear to my eye, remembering my grandmothers love for pink roses and the color pink in general.  She would always tell me, “Wear pink, everyone looks so pretty in pink!”  She was definitely right.  Gram was beautiful in any color, but she had an exceptional glow in pink.  Part of it was because she was such a beautiful person in everyway, inside and out.  She had a special love for everyone in her life, even people that she really didn’t know.  She was very kind, very generous and very genuine.  What a wonderful person that cancer consumed.  However, if she could, she would tell us this is what God had planned for her and that she is glad to be home to her maker and Almighty God.  What an amazing woman…. Gram took a piece of my heart with her.  I’m sure you all remember someone very special that has succumbed to Cancer, but I’m also sure you all know of someone that battled and won.  October is such a special month…. we can remember our loved ones we have lost and help fight for those who are dealing with Cancer now and may be diagnosed in the future.  Thank you to all the producers that support The Power Of Pink and incorporate the program in their events.  You all are a blessing to the cause! 

Always remember “Everyone looks pretty in pink!” Wear your pink and show your support!

2006 Pikes Peak or Bust Tour Rodeo (Pink Night)

ARCHIVES

SEPTEMBER

YOU CHOOSE ~ My mom sent this to me in an email today and I wanted to share it with all of you!

John is the kind of guy you love to hate. He is always in a good mood and always has something positive to say. When someone would ask him how he was doing, he would reply, "If I were any better, I would be twins!"

He was a natural motivator.

If an employee was having a bad day, John was there telling the employee how to look on the positive side of the situation.

Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I went up and asked him, "I don't get it!

You can't be a positive person all of the time. How do you do it?"

He replied, "Each morning I wake up and say to myself, you have two choices today. You can choose to be in a good mood or ... you can choose to be in a bad mood.

I choose to be in a good mood."

Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or...I can choose to learn from it. I choose to learn from it.

Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their complaining or... I can point out the positive side of life. I choose the positive side of life.

"Yeah, right, it's not that easy," I protested.

"Yes, it is," he said. "Life is all about choices. When you cut away all the junk, every situation is a choice. You choose how you react to situations. You choose how people affect your mood.

You choose to be in a good mood or bad mood. The bottom line: It's your choice how you live your life."

I reflected on what he said. Soon hereafter, I left the Tower Industry to start my own business. We lost touch, but I often thought about him when I made a choice about life instead of reacting to it.

Several years later, I heard that he was involved in a serious accident, falling some 60 feet from a communications tower.

After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, he was released from the hospital with rods placed in his back.

I saw him about six months after the accident.

When I asked him how he was, he replied, "If I were any better, I'd be twins...Wanna see my scars?"

I declined to see his wounds, but I did ask him what had gone through his mind as the accident took place.

"The first thing that went through my mind was the well-being of my soon-to-be born daughter," he replied. "Then, as I lay on the ground, I remembered that I had two choices: I could choose to live or...I could choose to die. I chose to live."

"Weren't you scared? Did you lose consciousness?" I asked.

He continued, "..the paramedics were great.

They kept telling me I was going to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the ER and I saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I  got really scared. In their eyes, I read 'he's a dead man'. I knew I needed to take action."

"What did you do?" I asked.

"Well, there was a big burly nurse shouting questions at me," said John.
"She asked if I was allergic to anything. 'Yes, I replied.' The doctors and
nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply. I took a deep breath and
yelled, 'Gravity'."

Over their laughter, I told them, "I am choosing to live. Operate on me as
if I am alive, not dead."

He lived, thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of his
amazing attitude... I learned from him that every day we have the choice to
live fully.

Attitude, after all, is everything.

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.
Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6:34.

After all today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday.

AUGUST

“Everything Happens For A Reason”……I believe this to be true and I also believe that every person we meet becomes a part of our lives for a reason.  This holds true with Pam and Dr. Justin Youngren of Beulah, CO.  Dr. Youngren is a human and equine Chircopractor/Acupuncturist and Pam raises, trains and grooms dogs.  Last year, I was having a confusing lameness problem with my mare and Jack Vanwey of Florence, CO told me about Dr. Youngren.  I did not hesitate to call him and start treatment on my mare immediately.  We are so lucky to have met Dr. Youngren and Pam and have much gratitude in their abilities and knowledge.  They have fixed many different problems with my horses, dogs, calves, myself and Brandon.  Brandon has rode some of their horses and has also done some horseshoeing for them and needeless to say, we have become really good friends.  Friends we are delighted to know....

Six months ago, my barrel horse started having numerous different health problems and I couldn’t put the pieces together.  He was still kind of working and I didn’t want to rock the boat.  What finally made me ask Dr. Youngren to look him over was the fact that he had a knocked down hip.  Much to my surprise that knocked down hip was the least of my worries.  Through numerous conversations Dr. Youngren pieced everything together...the diagnosis amazed me.  The horse had severe toxic metal poisoning.  We started treatment nearly 12 weeks ago and the horse is an entirely different horse.  It is going to take some time to recover 100%, but with time, I know he will be great.  I ran him at a jackpot last week.  Even though it wasn’t the greatest run, we won second.  He has a heart the size of Texas and tries 110% every time.  I want Dr. Youngren and Pam to know how thankful we are to have them in our lives.

I also want to express my good wishes to Pam with her new horse Toolman they recently purchased from me.  I raised him and my dad broke him to ride.  Two years ago, I took him to my good friend Rick Manucy in Buckeye, Arizona (he has trained numerous horses that have made the Wrangler NFR) for 6 months and he started him on barrels.  Pam and Toolman went to their first jackpot last week and I was very impressed with her.  Toolman has never been to many places and I thought he and Pam handled it like champs.  She placed and won a “Think Pink” bronc halter. Congratulations!!  The “Think Pink” campaign is a benefit for Breast Cancer Awareness. Once again, I want to express my sincere gratitude for all they have done for us!  If any of you would like to get in touch with Dr. Youngren or Pam, please contact me for further information.  

Happy Trails!!!!  Kacee & Brandon

JULY PICK STORY:

Since Pueblo, Colorado is currently the home of the NATIONAL LITTLE BRITCHES
FINALS RODEO our MONTHLY PICK is two very special young ladies who call
Pueblo home and they are competing at the finals July 17-23.

Twins, Samantha and Nicole McKnight became my students when they turned 5 years old.  I gave them riding lessons and taught them how to ride on my old horse, Dark Nite Bid, better known to everyone as “Tucson”.  Two very nice articles were written about Tucson and published in the Quarter Horse Racing Journal and America’s Horse a few years ago.  I’ll try to find them and post them on the website.  I was so thankful to have Tucson for many reasons, but at this time to baby-sit these “little” girls and teach them how to ride.  Samantha and Nicole give thanks to me…I give it to Tucson.  Samantha and Nicole will be 13 years old on September 12th and in the past 8 years, I have come to love and adore these two young ladies and their parents, Frank & Malinda.  I am so proud to know them and be able to watch them compete.  It makes my heart smile just to see them on a horse.  I boast about them often, and give credit to their parents for not just allowing me to give them riding lessons, but pursuing what we started and taking them as far as they want to go.  Samantha and Nicole are very sweet, loving and genuine, and both of them are the first to help any fellow barrel racer or contestant.  There isn’t a day that goes by when I’m around them that I don’t see them offer to help someone.  They are so sweet…when they went on their summer vacation with their grandparents they brought me two beautiful bracelets they  bought when they went shopping. 

If any of you make a trip to the NATIONAL LITTLE BRITCHES FINALS RODEO, cheer loud for them, they deserve it!