Yee haw! Houston Rodeo

Tuesday brought us to the Houston Rodeo! It was amazing! The rodeo lasts about 2 weeks. Carnival festivities surround the entire Reliant Park and the actual rodeo is followed by a concert showcasing a different well-known artist every night. Tuesday night was Rascal Flats!

We arrived at Reliant Park later than planned so we didn't spend as much time experiencing the carnival as we had wished, but we still were able to go to the petting zoo outside where we saw zebras, kangaroos, ostriches, calves, baby goats, baby lambs, small ponies, and a pot-belly pig. I had fun petting some of the animals and watching my nephew as he took in the sight of these animals for the first time.

After the petting zoo, we grabbed some food. My sister-in-law, Shirlee, and I both got roasted corn which was new and delicious to us. My brother-in-law, Neil, got turkey on a stick wish is basically a turkey leg. I didn't try any of it, but he doesn't normally like turkey, but loved it! Since this was nearing the end of a week-long vacation for me, my body was craving fruits and vegetables, so I stuck with just the corn.

Then we went inside to the rodeo and had a blast! My nephew, Ty, was enthralled with all the action in the arena and I wasn't even able to get his attention for a good picture. The funniest parts of the rodeo to me were the youth/calf scramble where kids were chasing calves around the arena trying to harness them with a rope and lead them to the center of the arena. I'm pretty sure a couple of the girls had some serious bruises after being stepped on by a calf and even having it rip through their jeans! The other funny part was the wagon races. I thought for sure these wagons were going to tip every time they took a turn in the arena!

After the rodeo completed, a large stage was moved into the center of the arena for the Rascal Flats concert... which was AMAZING! They played all my favorite songs! My nephew only knows one of their songs, "Life Is A Highway" from Cars. Thats was their concluding song so he was loving it and sang it the whole way home that night. Even though it was really loud in the Astrodome, he was a total trooper for sitting through almost the entire concert.

The first picture to the right shows the stage being brought into the arena and set up. It was fun watching them pull up the power through all the dirt on the floor. Its amazing how so many event centers are versatile now. The second picture is of course the fancy guitar jams! I love listening to guys jam on their guitars, I think its totally Hot! The last picture is of the stage during the concert. The stage rotated so we got a great view a lot of the concert.

fried oreos. Yes, fried oreos. If you ever get the chance to try one, do it! TheyAs we were leaving the Reliant Park, we had to stop and buy some are so so good! I'm sure I gained at least 2 lbs with just the 3 oreos I ate, but it was totally worth it!

It was a total treat to be able to go to the rodeo while I was in Houston. It is a great opportunity for me to let my inner Cowgirl really shine!