I can’t believe how quickly these past few weeks have gone by! It’s only been a little over a I month since coronation, but it feels like three! But to start off, I am so lucky to have had the pleasure to have met all of the contestents. They are some of the most outstanding ladies I know, and I hope to I see them all again this year.
Day one as Miss Teen Rodeo Montana started off as an early morning with plenty of hair spray, lipstick, and leather … pretty much the same as every other day of the pageant. But what I didn’t know was that in just a few hours, I would earn the amazing opportunity to serve as a role model to our youth. And believe me, I had no idea who it would be. And when they called my name, I had to think for a second just to make sure it was actually me! And it still hasn’t quite set in!
From there it was just a whirlwind. As soon as Audrey and I were crowned, we were rushed off to sign contracts. From there we swapped our leather and fringe for some starched Wranglers and took off to the MPRCF to watch the final rounds, and present awards.
Since then I have traveled about 2,500 miles. My first trip being the Montana Winter Fair and Kiddie Rodeo in Lewistown, which was a blast. Thanks to Kate Ruland for letting my mom and I stay with her! The kiddie rodeo was by far the smoothest and most organized I have ever been to! I even got the chance to brush up on my stick horse riding while I was there. And I couldn’t believe how many kids participated in the kiddie rodeo, I would bet there was about 80. Thank you to Mary for the invitation and to Dan for being a great chaperone! From there it was straight to Billings, which isn’t a bad drive if you can sleep the whole way like I did. There, I went to the Hall and Wall of Fame Banquet, and helped auction off some beautiful items.
After that, I went to the trade show in Bozeman where the Montana Trappers Association had set up a booth. There I met Jim and Frann Buell who taught us all sorts of things about traps, animal prints, and different types of furs.
Then came my first big rodeo, the NRA finals in Billings which was a lot of fun. I am so glad I got to see one of my favorite queens, Hannah Burlingham, who holds the Miss Rodeo Western Montana Princess title. She is always making me smile. Thank you to Scott and Hannah for letting me share Twister, even though it got kind of hectic switching back and forth in between flag runs! I also saw Little Texas and Neal McCoy in concert while we were there.
But other than all of that. I’ve just been working on my fund raiser, which is coming up soon! We have finally set the date to April 19 at the Bedford Building in Hamilton. Now we just need a fun band, some tasty food, and all of our friends and family, and we’ll be set to go! Hope to see you there!
HappyTrails
Jennifer Marshall
Miss Teen Rodeo Montana 2008
