Happy’s in the house!! We are the bloggers for the next few
days. The happy’s are Lexie Windell, Emily Payne, Brae Troutman, Graceanna
Sessions, Ashley Beaty, Daniel Bonomo, Anna Brady, Josh Davis, Elizabeth Efird,
Taylor Kennedy, Shannon Quaiel, Sam Roche, Logan Scronce, Gina Smirz. We are
very HAPPY to be here!
Today we got to sleep in, isn’t it crazy that 6:45 is late
now? We won’t even know what to do with ourselves when we get home.
Shortly after we got up we loaded the rafting vans to head
to Wyoming River Trips on the rafting buses to meet our guides and get suited
up for our wild adventure on the Shoshone River. When we arrived at the bend in
the river, where we would begin our trip, it was so windy that we couldn’t get
out of the bus and had to travel to another spot farther down the river. On the
way to the new spot we were allowed to sign our names on the van where we saw
the names of many past participants that had done the same. We hopped right
into the warm water (just kidding it felt like Antarctica) and it was no dry
ride. The ride started out pretty peaceful, but it didn’t last long. Soon
enough we were soaking wet, laughing our heads off and holding on to each other
for our dear lives. We decided to take control of these rapids, and the ride
became a more of race, with everyone drenched from splashing each other (THANKS
JOSH AND CHARLIE!). Since we were all so inexperienced, we had some trouble
getting over those insane class 5 and
6 rapids, especially considering the fact that we didn’t have enough helmets
for everyone, and that some people had to be dragged behind the rafts on ropes!
When we finally made it out of the river, everyone huddled together like
penguins because we were so cold! After loading the rafts back on the trailers,
we filled up the buses again and they took us straight back to the campsite
where the counselors had a hot breakfast of grits, sausage, eggs, bread, and
assorted jams waiting for us. YUM!
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| White water rafting here we come!!!! |
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| Henry, Evan, Katti and John ready for some cold rafting |
After our delicious meal, the Sleepy’s and Sneezy’s began
their laundry at the campsite while the counselors shuttled the rest of us to
two local Laundromats, where we made friends with the owners, who were very
accommodating and friendly. While our clothes were FINALLY getting the wash
they needed, many of us took the break we needed! Some people took naps, played
cards, talked to family, and even got that energy boost from Starbucks coffee
across the street. Once our clothes were clean, we needed to get clean
ourselves. Group by group we shuttled back to the campsite where we took turns
showering, cleaned out our bags, and had a true western lunch of pretzels,
chips, hummus, queso, and salsa while we got ready for downtown shopping and
the rodeo. For the next hour or two we lounged around until the cooks began
preparing a gourmet dinner of grilled cheese, tomato soup, and NAME BRAND
DOUBLE STUFFED OREOS, which made up for the fact that the grilled cheese was a
little burnt. We watched a “phenomenal” gun show and were set free to shop for
about an hour. First things first… COWBOY HATS! We spent over half of our time
modeling different hats so we could fit in at the rodeo. Our hour was running
out and everyone sprinted back to the bus where we waited an extra 10 minutes
because some people needed their
caffeine boost for the rodeo. Not to worry though, we made it to the rodeo in
plenty of time! Our seats were great and we snuggled up drinking hot cocoa so
we could stay warm. Some of us even got blankets. Thanks Henry!! Over half the
trip decided to enjoy some rodeo food, which included delicious BBQ slaw wraps
and savory kettle corn.
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| Grilled cheese and tomato soup! |
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| Daniel Bonomo ready for a good sit down meal |
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| Double stuffed oreos :) |
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| Din din before the rodeo |
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| Cooks serving dinner |
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| Maren and Emily enjoying there dinner under the tree |
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| Ayla is having Twizzlers for dinner too |
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| These cowgirls are ready for a good time tonight |
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| Naz, Carmeron and Becca enjoying dinner on their sleeping bags |
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| Logan and Preston about to chow down on some grilled cheese and oreos |
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| Liz and Sam purchase their first cowgirl hats |
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| Dylan, Logan, Peighton, Chloe and Harrison try on hats for the rodeo |
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| Dan and Charlie pose for the camera |
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| Emily, Evin, Jacqueline and Aulden with the serious look |
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| Khristina, Josh and Grace looking good!!!! |
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| Caroline and Megan twinning |
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| SO EXCITED!!!!! |
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| KT^2 loves the USA and the rodeo! |
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| Kyndall, Donovan, Mikayla, Maddi and Jennings all smiles for the rodeo |
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| Oh you fancy, Grant |
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| Cowgirls don't cry! |
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| Breast Cancer survivors! <3 |
After sitting for about 45 minutes anxiously waiting for the
rodeo to start, we finally got our first glimpse of true Western Cowboys and
girls. The commentator Buffalo Bill called out to the stands wondering where
the fans were from. When he called out for those from the south we cawed and we
hollered for the good ole’ south. When Buffalo Bill called out for those from
the east we yelled even louder, which surprised Buffalo Bill. He asked us how
we could be from the south and the east and we responded, “It’s the southeast
man!” From that point on we made it a game, every time Buffalo Bill called out
to the stands, we cheered louder than ever. By the end of the night we were
form the south, the east, Wyoming, Singapore, Canada, and California. About
halfway through the rodeo, Brae joined the kids 12 & under contest to pull
the ribbon off of a calf’s tail. Sadly, he did not succeed, but he had the
loudest cheering section (of course) in the whole rodeo! After an hour or two
of bucking broncos and bulls, we came back to the campsite and went to sleep
under the stars at Ponderosa Campground.
Love, Happy’s!
