Cruising 2011

Dave and I are on a cruise to the Bahamas. Preparing for the trip we have really worked at getting our bodies in shape along with eating healthier. In order to do this we have a friendly bet going on to see who could work out the most at the gym.. They display the top 15 people at the end of each month, on a bulletin board at AnyTime Fitness here is Stephenville, TX. Dave won February with 37 and I was second at 33. Yes, there was some double dipping at the gym for both of us, every chance we could. Considering we left at 5:30 am on February 27th, I must give more credit to Dave, he was up at 4am and went to the gym while I slept. The day before we left I told him that I was going on vacation and was not going to worry about what I eat or when I exercise.

The day we boarded the ship we noticed they were having raffles and giving away Spa treatments including massages. Dave and I got there on time and decided to take a tour of the Spa facility. In the mean time we filled out the raffle tickets and were looking forward to the drawing.

By the end of the tour Dave had a handful of pamphlets and an appointment for acupuncture. He also asked more questions then any of the other ladies and was quite the eager participant.

As they stopped in each section of the Spa and described who ran them and what they offered, the one particular section that caught both of our attention was the gym. They exclaimed that on the average people will gain 7 to 14 pounds on a 7 day cruise. I started thinking maybe I will make a few visits to the gym and maybe not stuff my face like I had planned. At the end of the lecture they told us they were having a competition. Whoever lost the most weight or, as most of the winners were, gained the least amount of weight, would win a massage. Dave and I weighed in and now are on a quest…who will win the cruise challenge! Dave weighed in at 214 and I at 128. There were many folks weighing in for the challenge but since Dave and I have been going to the gym every morning and night, we have seen them weed out pretty quickly.

Talking to one of the trainers he told us of another lady taking it seriously. Dave is trying to get her name so we can send chocolate cake to her room. What…. she doesn’t have to eat it:o)

Oh and the raffle… how can I forget this. They started to pull names out of the box for prizes such as a facial, seaweed wrap, massages and some really cool stuff. Then they pulled out a bag and two tickets to a butterfly exhibit. Dave turned to me and said “I hope they don’t pull out my name”. We both laughed and then the lady pulled out Dave’s raffle ticket and announced his name. Everyone was clapping and cheering him on as he went to the front to collect his prize. And then… they made him dance in order to receive his winnings. It was too funny!!!
Dave is still distraught about being the only one to have to Dance in order to receive his butterfly tickets and bag.

Just before our trip Dave bought us a new video camera called a Bloggie by Sony. If only I would have had that with me!!!

By the way this cruise that we chose…well…I am not trying to be impolite but… it is for senior citizens. Not the 60 is the new 40′s but the….well…. Dave and I feel like teenagers. I wonder how many folks may die on this cruise from old age.

We are off to the Wyndham resort is Nassau. Hopefully Bloggie will get some use while we hit Wilson around on the beach.
Chat with you later..

Montana Circuit Finalist and Go-Round Champion “passes” through Stephenville Equine Hospital

When Katie Rasmussen made the decision to purchase Nowdatsrealysmoken from Dave and Tandi Rider of Hoof Prints Ranch in Stephenville, Texas, she chose Dr. Mitch Hutchinson of Stephenville Equine Hospital to perform the all-important prepurchase exam. Rasmussen, who hails from Chotea, Montana, specifically asked for Hutchinson, who originally practiced in neighboring Washington State.

Once back in Montana, Nowdatsrealysmoken went from just plain “Dave” to “Super Dave,” earning Rasmussen a birth to the 2010 Montana Circuit Finals Rodeo (MCFR). Only the top 12 barrel racers in the circuit qualify for the finals, and Rasmussen entered in 11th position.

“I squeaked in,” said Rasmussen, wife of noted rodeo clown and entertainer Flint Rasmussen. “I was 12th with one rodeo to go, and the gal in 13th place was only $60 behind me. I had to travel clear to Bowman, N.D., (from Pendleton, Ore., more than 1,000 miles), and it was snowing.”

Rasmussen tied for seventh and picked up $209, while the barrel racer behind her in the standings failed to draw a check. Had Rasmussen not placed, however, it would have allowed her chaser to pick up the last place check of $84 and pass her in the standings.

At the MCFR, Rasmussen and Super Dave turned in a 13.32 to take home a fourth-place check in the first round. A tipped third barrel in the second round cost them a check and a spot in the average.

Prior to the third round, Rasmussen was honored with the Montana WPRA Circuit’s Sportsmanship Award and received a beautiful Montana Silversmiths bronze. She also won the Joyce Arms Best Dressed award. Tammy Thompson, Arms’ daughter, presented Rasmussen with a framed photo of her mother running barrels and her favorite poem, “I Live for This,” and an exquisite Double J headstall.

Although Thompson wasn’t sure it was a good idea to switch gear before a run, Rasmussen decided it was important for Super Dave to look good and chose to use the new headstall.

“Since I had tipped on the second night, I figured change might be good,” said Rasmussen. “It’s funny too; Dave is usually so calm and laid back and that third round, he was wild. Everybody kept saying that they had never seen Dave like that and asked me if something was wrong. I could tell he was just really excited. He was pawing the ground waiting for his turn, and I had to stay on him while waiting, because I couldn’t control him on the ground.”

With some advice from her friend and National Finals Rodeo qualifier Rayna Rice on how to approach the first barrel from the offset gate, Rasmussen and Super Dave turned in the fastest time of the event, a 13.01, to win the round.

“The set up at the Montana Circuit Finals is really funky,” explained Rasmussen. “We enter from a corner gate, but it is a run in, so you head straight for the first barrel. The first two days, I was hugging the left side of the alley. I kept running by the first barrel, because I couldn’t get enough shape going in. I still placed in the first round, going by (the first) quite a bit, so I knew Dave was firing in that tiny pen. So the third round, Rayna told me to hug the right side of the alley, and she walked (on foot) with me and Dave to help me keep him under control and keep him to the right. Well, we were tapped off just right, I got the shape I needed and we ran the fastest time of the finals by a long ways. Then Rayna came in after me and ran the second fastest time of the finals, so we were one and two.”

THANKS TO DR. MITCH HUTCHINSON FOR YOUR PART IN PAIRING THIS GREAT TEAM!

 

Interesting piece on the economy.

http://www.newsweek.com/2010/11/08/the-top-10-places-in-america-poised-for-recovery.html#comments

2011 Schedule for Lone Star Arenas barrel races

Lone Star Arena barrel racing line up in Stephenville, Texas.

2011 Schedule
November 19-21, 2010 Race 1
January 7-9, 2011 Race 2
March 18-20, 2011 Race 3
May 27-29, 2011 Race 4
July 22-24, 2011 Race 5
September 9-11, 2011 Race 6
October 27-31, 2011 Finals.

These barrel races are Great!
Plus, they are only 3 miles from our house and our cabins, rv spaces and stalls fill up so that’s even better:o)

Cabins are $75 per night

RV spaces $20

Stalls are $5, 10 or 15 depending on what stalls you take.

www.hoofprintsranch.com

281 Fireworks

281 Fireworks.  Click that link to watch our ad for the fireworks stand.

Come buy Fireworks from us here at 281 Fireworks.  Dave, Parker and I will be giving out some great deals!  We really over bought and need to sell the big stuff.  The kind you see set off by the professionals.

Just a half mile South of the Hard 8 BBQ on 281.

1495 S US Hwy 281

Located on the property of Hoof Prints Ranch!

Dash Ta Fame

Dash Ta Fame is being enrolled for 2010 in the WPRA’s Pro Elite Sire Incentive program! Spread the word!

Robin Hofmann
WPRA Pro Elite Sire Incentive Program Manager
(405) 615-4998 Cell Phone
(405) 288-6472 Home/Office

Raffle for complete breeding to Brother Is, includes collection and shipping!

We are having a raffle for a complete breeding to…

Brother Is – Dash Ta Fame X Gonna Getta Gone x Barrymore
Full brother to Gonna Be Famous

This will include one collection and one shipment
along with the breeding.

You can get tickets on Brother’s web page with
a credit card.

http://www.hoofprintsranch.com/htdocs/stallion_BrotherIs.html

1 for $10
3 for $25
6 for $40
10 for $50

This is a transferable breeding and you can use it,
give as a gift or even sell it.

Great deal for those who would like to breed to a
super nice stallion by Dash Ta Fame with Mare
Power.

Barrel racing incentives include Future Fortunes Inc., VGBRA, Triple Crown 100, MBRA and JJ Classic.

Be sure to watch his videos while on his web page
to see how nice he is.

Thanks,
David and Tandi Rider

Barrel Racing Clinic

Bed N Barrel Racing

I will be putting on a four-day barrel racing clinic here in Stephenville, TX at Hoof Prints Ranch on November 21st to the 24th, 2009.  This clinic will be geared toward the intermediate rider that wants to learn to barrel race or a 5D to 3D rider that would like to step it up.  I will only be taking in six (6) riders.  This is not a typical barrel racing clinic.  Our main focus will be Barrel Racing but our second focus is to have fun doing it!  This is an over nighter for four full days and four nights of learning barrel racing techniques, eating food cooked by Chef Dave, taking a trip to Teskeys and ending it with a barrel race at the famous Lone Star Arena.  The package prices will start at $425 to $650 depending on what housing you prefer.  If you are interested in this opportunity, please contact us for more details.  The limited numbers will fill quickly as it will be not only educational but very memorable.  There will be photos and videos capturing this fun event.

www.hoofprintsranch.com

Bloggers come hither!

Everyone wants to have a blog… How fun it will be to talk of your own opinions, thoughts and you don’t even worry if the spelling is correct cuz that’s cool now.  You write a page or two with full intentions to keep it updated, then you do one more because your not a quitter, finally you don’t even try… Whats the use?

My “opinion” is that we try in the beginning to be someone that is intellectual and on the edge.  However, it is really hard to keep up at something that we were never familiar with anyways.  So for all of you beginner and veteran bloggers I say “just write it and they will read it”.  Now these words come from a newby that has 2, now 3 blogs under her belt.  But really, does that matter?  To answer for you, no it does not…  Stick to it and let me know if you have a blog and I will support your time.

I feel better!

Oh and um…when I said “we” I really did not mean to include myself, I was just trying to be nice.  I am intellectual and on the edge.

Love ya…

It’s all “good”!

I have been thinking about this lately.  This being, how much I love Stephenville, maybe I mean Texas, not sure.

Here are a couple reasons.

1.  Yesterday (11/11/08) was 79 degrees and beautiful.  The night before, we got 2 inches of rain and I slept right through it, even though we have a tin roof.

2.  11/10/08 David made tacos and we needed tomatoes.  I walked out in my slippers (it is a concrete path) and picked some fresh tomatoes that grow around a sitting area on the side by the barn. Note… it is November.

3.  We were shopping in Stephenvile and while getting into our truck, two little old ladies walked in front of us to get to the store.  Very typical, a bit hunched over, using the shopping cart as a walker for one of them and nicely dressed.  They stopped just after walking by and told my husband “Nice truck”.  It is an older model (2003) dodge, no tail gate (that’s another story), green, a little added chrome, 4 wheel drive with just a small lift in the front. Nothing too out of the ordinary.  How funny is that…

4.  Real Cowboys!  No, not the Dallas Cowboys.  Not even the performance or rodeo cowboys.  I mean the ones that ride 10 hour days herding cattle, branding, fixin fence.  Yes, I wrote fixin correctly, that’s how they say it here.  I see them driving through town with an old pickup and a stock trailer.  There will be three to four cowboys in the truck with six or more saddled horses and all I can think of is “car pooling”.

5.  Bake Sales.  Born in Las Vegas, NV and with the majority of my raising from there as well, you don’t get to see a real bake sale.  I am talking grandmas apple pie fresh out of the oven.  The best chocolate chip walnut cookies… let me back up for just a moment.  Texans use pecans instead of walnuts.  I just choose to say they are walnuts for my own satisfaction.  Where were we… Oh yes, home made goodies of all assortments.  When you are from an over populated city, bake sale has no flare.  The popularity of criminals putting horrible paraphernalia in your favorite pastry tends to make most folks discriminate against “homemade” foods.  So schools, churches and small organizations go into the store, buy prepackaged foods and sell them in front of the very same store they purchased it at.  But not here… we got great grandma in the kitchen, humming a hymn and blessing each and everyone of those delicious morsels of real fudge.  God Bless Texas!

Where’s the leaf?

11/15/08

Have you ever sat at a red light and pondered life?  Then you mentally wake up and you are at a red light.  You wonder if that light may have turned green, yellow, then back to red, all before your eyes, yet you never saw it happen.

Me neither, I was just seeing if you’ve done that…

Taking Dave to a bowling tournament at the Lone Star Lanes here in Stephenville, we drove by a small, one pump gas station that had gas for $1.74 and diesel for $2.63.  Wow what a deal! Just yesterday we were happy with $2.83 for diesel.  I dropped Dave off and drove straight to that station with  feelings like I had found the fountain of youth. Promptly inserting my credit card, thinking I should hurry before the owner notices the price and corrects them before I get my fill.  Yet I did stop and wonder for a moment if the larger gas station down the road, may have the same price.  Nah, I will give my money to the little guy today.  It being 53 degrees, I jumped into my truck right after I started to fuel it up.  I left the door open enough to hear the click of the handle that notifies you that it has quit pumping.  Noticing the gentleman on the other side of the pump wandering around with a questionable look, I glanced at my pump and found it to be as slow as Christmas. My gosh, it was going to take all day to get fifteen gallons.  I mentioned the slowness to the man across from me and he nodded and left to find a better station.

I could hear a small leaf blowing around near the opening of the truck door. With the joyous find and the time to kill, I felt I should let close friends and family in on this gold mine or at least brag to those who live back west.     There was no leaf so I glanced at the handle sticking out of my truck to make sure it wasn’t precious diesel escaping. Nope, it must be something small blowing around or splashing in the wind near by.  I texed for several minutes, I made a couple phone calls and then continued to text some more.  All the while thinking that there is still a little leaf somewhere making noises just outside the door of my truck.  I make another attempt to look at the gallons on the pump, I look at the handle, now for the leaf.  No leaf.  In the mean time I have been texting a certain friend and each time I would text her I would tell her the amount of dollars that was on the pump to show her that it was taking forever to fill my truck.  That damn leaf… $23… texting… $34.. $44… Honestly… how long is this going to take and where is that leaf at…. I get out of the truck to look for the leaf…  No leaf, just a large puddle of money in liquid form underneath my truck.  The valve did not shut off and because it was of such low pressure, it was flowing out of my truck and rolling down the side and dripping underneath.  When I looked at the handle those many times there was no sign of overflow. Always remember, if you hear a leaf, be sure you see a leaf, because it may not be a leaf at all.

Follow your instincts, they are smarter than you!

Let’s Take Back Our Cookie…..

OK… here is a topic that got me riled yesterday.  I asked Molly (my friend since I was 5 that bought the bowling alley in Cleburne, TX, co-owner of and is the M in www.MTCupTea.com ) yesterday, if we wanted a home baked cookie, where would we go.  We were driving in Cleburne at the time and could not think of a bakery that would have a fresh baked cookie.  I was not talking of Mrs Fields or an Otis Spunkmeyer, not even the kind you buy from the neighbor kid that is working a fund raiser for school.  We even tried to think of a place in Las Vegas, NV, since that is where we moved from in 2006.

Molly made the statement that people don’t care about the quality of a cookie.  They would be just as happy buying a Wal-Mart bakery cookie and thinking that that is what a cookie should taste like.  I told Molly to “Shut her mouth!” that was absurd and the majority of people do not feel that way about a cookie.

I asked David this morning the same question.  Do you know what his answer was? …the same answer that Molly came up with.  This can’t be true.  Is this what the “The Man” has done to the cookie?

This is how I see it happening.  Originally there was a baker that made the most delicious cookie.  These sweet morsels were wanted around the world.  A large corporation bought out the baker for his business and his cookie then opened many cookie stores all over.  Slowly the business changed to cheap sugars and spices with no taste.  Corporate ordered them to raise prices but buy cheaper ingredients.  All the while people are flocking to the store front so as to taste this heavenly treat.  The big businesses started adding artificial flavors and preservatives so that the cookies would last longer.  Pretty soon all bakery’s are doing the same.  They want the bottom dollar to be bigger so they skimp.  Slowly but surely the cookie has become what it is today. Crap.

Yes.. you do feel it don’t you, you feel his presence.  We have been taken by the “Cookie Monster”.  I know, we all thought that he was not real and that it was a childish mythical creature, but he is real and he has taken all of our delicious cookies then turned them into pathetic, useless, tasteless pieces of unidentifiable food substances.

I say let’s take back our precious cookie and send this monster running for the hills!!!

Wow, ok, I need to take a breather.  This got a little out of hand.  As you can tell, I am very passionate about my desserts.

For those that did not know, there was a fire in the kitchen at Pin Center Lanes.  That is where MT Cup Tea is manufactured.  They are now rebuilding it and it will be better than before.  With that in mind… I want you all to come to the bowling alley and buy a cookie or ten.  I am going to have Molly have a cookie a month and start from there.  This world needs a good cookie maker and I say Pin Center Lanes shalt be thy baker of thy Cookie……

This is what Molly gets for not reading my blog!  I keep asking her if she reads it and she has been coming up with some really lame excuses.  Now when she reads it, she will find that she is the New and Improved Cookie Baker.

Brother Is Gonna Be Famous!

So many things to talk about.

Most importand peice would be, Brother Is!  Wow, what can I say.  Have you ever wanted to hurry up and get off a horse because you think you are going to screw them up?  Let me rephrase this.  Each time I ride him, work the barrels or even go for a ride around the property, he amazes me.  He learns so quick and has so much talent that I am wondering who else has been riding him.  Brother turned three this year and knows so much more than most five year olds.  Everything that I show him, he learns that day, in that moment and retains it.  I keep adding videos to his web page to show everyone how he is progressing, with the comments I am receiving, my thoughts are no different than others… he really is something special….

“Brother Is Gonna Be Famous”

We bought Brother over the phone.  We never saw videos or pictures, nor did we have any intentions to look for a stallion prospect.   It was just something that fell into our hands but we knew an opportunity was in front of us.  I am just so thrilled we took the chance!

So You Wanna Be A Barrel Racer

So You Wanna Be A Barrel Racer.

Click on the link above to watch the barrel racing video.  It’s really cool:o)

electronic-brand.com is a Scam!

They hacked into my gmail account and sent emails from me as if I were supporting this website. They were actually on my account when I found them as they were trying to send out more emails from my account.
Here is someone else that it affected so don’t buy from this website.

http://jasmin-fischer.blogspot.com/2009/02/electronics-brandcom-scam.html