Can We Say...It's RODEO time again in Houston!?!

Wahoo! It is exactly that time of year again; where people from all over the state and country come to Houston, TX to celebrate the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo!

RODEOHOUSTON is ranked as the world’s largest rodeo and invites only the top cowboys and cowgirls in the sport to compete. Reliant Stadium, the home of RODEOHOUSTON, is the only stadium of its kind built specifically for rodeo and football. This event is HUGE in Houston and last approximately 3 weeks and contains something for everyone; Rodeo, Livestock animals, Petting Zoo, Calf Scramble, BBQ Cookoff, Carnival, Food, Shopping, Dancing, Scholarships, Fireworks, auctions, and much more. Each year, champion cowboys and cowgirls compete in the world’s richest regular-season PRCA rodeo. In 2008, contestants competed for a total purse of more than $1.3 million. The stakes get higher in 2009, where contestants will be riding and roping for more than $1.4 million in prize money. Winning a RODEOHOUSTON champion title is a big stride toward earning a paycheck that will lead a contestant to the NFR.

The Lone Star State hosts a colossal, Texas-sized picnic to launch the annual event; The World’s Championship Bar-B-Que Contest is three days of cooking, competition, eating and dancing. The judging is all business as teams vie for the coveted title of World’s Championship Bar-B-Que Contest Grand Champion. Trophies are awarded to teams preparing the best dish in each category (brisket, chicken and spare ribs) as well as an overall winner. 209,313 guests joined the feast in 2008 and it is always a party to remember!



The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo's educational program is a significant part of the Show's mission — benefiting youth, supporting education, and facilitating better agricultural practices through exhibitions and presentation. Since that first scholarship in 1957, the Show has committed more than $130 million in direct educational program support.

Shopping is also a big deal! In this gigantic, one-of-a-kind Western shopping mall (Reliant Center) show patrons can purchase everything from Western clothes, fashion clothes, furniture, horse trailers, hot-tub spa's, gourmet food, unique arts and crafts, custom monogramming and agricultural machinery. All types of food can be found as well, from traditional barbecue to fine cuisine.

The carnival is Texas sized as-well and has a ride for everyone. You won’t want to miss a ride on La Grande Wheel — the Western Hemisphere’s largest portable Ferris wheel! The views are beautiful when sitting at the top of this giant Ferris wheel.

Oh, and I can not forget the talented line-up of country entertainers that that perform each night after the rodeo! The concerts are like non-of it's kind with a round rotating stage in the middle of the rodeo arena. Talk about 73,000 screaming fans in the audience; the sound is incredible!

Sproost Sytle Quiz

I checked out this website, sproost.com found from Katie's blog at Bower Power and took the same quiz to see how accurate it was with my personal decorating style. I must admit, it was pretty accurate and neat to see the results it came up with. I even took the quiz a couple of more times for fun, because they do show a couple of different room choices to vote on. My results were pretty much the same give or take a couple of points on one style or the other.

My personal style is a mix of 3 specific styles, and I totally agree on them:

69% Wine Country Style
15% Classic Style
16% Classic Country Style

Wine Country Style
Tuscan sun, here we come! The Wine Country style reflects the feelings evoked by the seaside regions of Europe such as the South of France, Spain, Italy and Greece. The style manages to be both refined and casual, such that you can mix beautiful antiques with more rustic wrought iron or wood and the result is both sophisticated and cozy.

Furniture is large and comfortable, colors are bright and cheery, and regardless of the color palette the spaces almost always feel warm. You can easily translate the style into the perfect family environment but you can just as easily emphasize the more formal pieces and make your room the perfect adult getaway.

Classic
What's old is new again! The beauty of Classic style is how well it takes all of the beautiful forms, colors and textures of the past and reinvents them in a way that feels both fresh and inspired.

The style itself is a mix of European influences and French, English and Italian antiques and replicas are often used together. Furniture is well proportioned and comfortable and the rooms give off an air of sophistication and grace. Oil paintings depicting still-life or nature scenes and emphasizing symmetry of pairs helps maintain the traditional nature of the room. Windows are often covered with opulent fabric shades and/or drapery.

Traditional rooms give off an air of history that seems to say "I was here long before you, and will remain long after you've gone." And yet, even with this level of sophistication, the rooms are soft and inviting.

Traditional Country
Even if your backyard isn't acres of farmland and you don't actually have a cow out in the barn, your house sure brings you back to a time when that was the case for many.

You love spaces that feel casual and lived in. Furniture is practical and comfortable, and yet at the same time its very stylish. The best part of country style is how much it highlights collection and found objects. Antiques here, garage sale finds there and Aunt Milly's hand-me-downs throughout. Unique items that used to serve very practical purposes are now on display, and their history seems to permeate the home. Each space in the home seems to invite friends and family to come in and stay a while. There is a true sense of home felt throughout.

So take your personal style quiz and and share your results!

25 Random Things

I was tagged on Facebook, so I thought I could also post this on here. Rules: Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 5 people to be tagged. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you. I am tagging these ladies: Karen, Katie, G&D, Courtney, Abby.

1. I truly believe that my husband has made me a better person; I love being his wife!
2. I still don't 100% feel like I am an adult in my mid 20's.....until I see the mortgage note every month.
3. I look forward and am so anxious about having kids and starting a family, but at the same time I am not in a huge rush to do so.
4. My mom and dad are the most wonderful and generous parents I have ever known; my life is so blessed because of them.
5. I have the best girlfriends in the whole world; my old girl besties and my new girl besties, I do not know how my life would be without them in it.
6. I am so happy and proud to say I am from Texas and live in this great state.
7. My brother and I are completely opposite but have so many things in common.
8. I am still completely in love with George Strait!
9. I love milk! I drink at least one glass every night.
10. I really want to learn how to play the piano someday.
11. My beer of choice is Bud Light Lime; best beer ever!
12. Fishing is one of my favorite past times and I wish I went more often.
13. I did not get my first dog, Dakota, until I was 20 and since then my life has just been that much better.
14. My husband broke his ankle playing softball 4 weeks after we got married; so glad it happened after the wedding!
15. Scott and I got engaged on the Kemah Boardwalk which is also where we took our first official 'Big Date' 5 years previous.
16. I love to clean and organize but I absolutely hate to fold and hang up laundry!
17. Decorating is one of my true passions in life; I am obsessed with it and would love to do it for a living someday.
18. I really enjoy entertaining and having friends and family over at our house! The more the merrier.
19. Kirklands, Hobby Lobby, Target and Bed Bath and Beyond are some of my absolute favorite stores to shop at.
20. My grandpa Myron is my hero. I miss him everyday and our family farm is not the same without him.
21. I can spend countless hours looking at houses on HAR.com even though I live in a new house; I love looking all the different floorplans and such.
22. I enjoy to cook but don't do it as often as I should; I am usually very hesitant to cooking new recipes because of the uncertainty of how it taste and I hate wasting food and money if it turns out 'not so great'.
23. I really don't like cold weather, brrrrr.
24. I love wearing high heels!
25. I hate riding in cars, especially 2 door cars--I get all claustrophobic. So glad we have an SUV and truck in our family.