Hey all! First off I would like to say wow!  My first week of being Miss Rodeo Utah 2010 has been amazing, hectic, and the greatest week of my life!  I would like to thank my parents, family, rodeo family, and sponsors for helping me reach this lifelong dream; I couldn’t have done any of this without all of you!

For all of those who don’t know me, I’d like to use this opportunity to share a little about myself.  I am the twenty year old daughter of Mitch and Deanna Wardle of Lehi, Utah.  My love for horses began when my grandpa let me ride his cow cutting horse in the local 4H program, after that I was hooked.  Not long after that my aunt and uncle introduced me to the world of rodeo, and thanks to them I learned so much more about livestock, my western heritage, and the responsibilities related to each.  More recently I graduated from Lehi High School and then attended two years at Utah Valley University where I earned my associates degree.  I plan to continue my education after my reign as Miss Rodeo Utah.

So what’s new?  In my first week on the job I had the opportunity to travel in my new Larry H. Miller Dodge truck to, “the daddy of ‘em all,” in Cheyenne, Wyoming.   During the week I got to know some of the other state queens, and what an amazing group of girls they are!  I was also able ride in three of the famous Frontier Day’s Fly-bys. 

 Now let’s be honest here, I am very well known for being ridiculous and keeping everyone entertained with my simple mistakes… otherwise known as blonde moments.  So I thought I would share a few that happened while I was in Cheyenne.  My first night in Cheyenne I made it in just in time to attend the night show and concert.  This was my first time meeting all the girls and I was really hoping to make a good impression.  Shortly after I arrived and had introduced myself to everyone I noticed a song I recognized playing in the background, I’m sure many of you know the tune, “Toes in the Water” by the Zach Brown Band.  As the song continued to play I noticed some of the words were different than I recognize and loudly exclaimed that I had never heard the “unedited” version of this song.  All the girls around me stared wide eyed and all burst out laughing at the same time.  Then someone laughingly said, “Well, now we know Utah is here!”  What can I say, I like to make an entrance.

The following evening at the Miranda Lambert concert, I had another memorable “moment.”  I was sitting next to the lovely, and very funny, Miss Rodeo Oklahoma, Chassity Sisco.  I turned to her and asked her if she knew the time, and then laughed and said, “Oh, wait I have a watch on.”  I looked down at my watch but then realized it was far too dark at the concert to see the face on it.  So I held it up trying to catch the light for a moment, and then turned back to Chassity and asked her if she had a light.  She immediately pulled out her phone and shined it on my watch, but we were still having a hard time seeing it because of the glare it was creating.  A moment later we both gave up on the watch, turned to face each other and started to laugh.  Chassity flipped her phone over and promptly told me that it was half past ten.  I’d like to blame this moment on my lack of sleep, but you can choose to believe whatever you’d like!

My next stop is Heber, Utah for the Mountain Valley Stampede.  The rodeo runs August 6^th and 7^thand start time is 7:30pm.  Be sure to get there early to get the best seating and for pre-rodeo entertainment.  I hope to see you there, and hey, maybe you can be there in person for my next blonde moment!

-Marti