The Holidays

During the Holidays, I think we all tend to miss our loved ones we've lost.  The memories never fade and the traditions that are broken because those loved ones are no longer here.  For me, I always have a moment of tearing up thinking about these things.

Christmas Eve was always spent with my father and his wife, Barbara.  They would come to our home, exchange gifts, and have dinner.

 

Christmas Eve to me will always bring back memories of my father, laughing, enjoying dinner and spending time together.  Unfortunately, his wife chose to not remain in contact with me or my family. So, not only did my children lose two grandfathers, they also lost another person in their lives that they have known since their birth.  I'll never understand her choices, or why a person whom we treated as our own family and loved, chose to walk away from seeing my children grow up, something my father will never witness.

 

Christmas Day is always spent with my Mother and my husband's mother and family.  My mom's house seems a little quieter without my step father there, and it seems to be a reminder that he is gone as well.  We still go through our normal traditions, but there is always a void. 

 

Although there is alot sadness for those we've lost around the Holidays, there is also a heightened sense of thankfulness as well for those that are still here.  I enjoy every moment of watching my kids open gifts and their excitement.  I enjoy the quiet moments with my husband by the fire place, relaxing together on a chilly night.  I'm thankful for them and for the moments I have to share with them.  I think losing so many of my family members in the past several years, have really heightened my senses of just appreciating the moments.    I think sometimes we get so caught up in the business of the Holidays, taking for granted that the people that are here now, will be there the following year as well.  Truth is, none of us can be sure of that, therefore, it's good to slow down and "smell the roses" as they say. 

 

Onto Team DO3!  We are growing daily!  I am so relieved to have Team Jersey sponsors!  Currently, our Team Jersey sponsor is Dog Pound Printing.  We are fastly going through the 50 shirts they have sponsored too!

 

It was probably the #1 thing I stressed over, was being able to afford to continue to give new members a Team Jersey.  However, it was very important to me to be able to continue to do so.  To me, when you join a sports Team, or any Team, having something to connect you all is what brings you together.  I know that most of the Team members have pride in wearing their jersey and wear it often.  So no doubt the Team Jersey sponsors will get alot of coverage!

My next Team Jersey sponsor, will be Nutrena Horse Feeds!

I am very thankful to both of these Team Jersey sponsors for supporting Team DO3!  I think we should be set for 2013!  Bring on the members!  I hope to double our donations!

I am moving forward with Non-Profit Status, and should be a certified 501c(3) for 2013, which will help me and anybody who sponsors Team DO3.  2012 was slightly different, as in the beginning of the year, I had sponsors who sponsored ME personally as a barrel racer.  2013, I will be accepting sponsors moreso for the Team in form of Year End Rewards or the Rodeo Kids Program.  Therefore, the Sponsors page will feature all of these companies, instead of having a Year End Reward page.  Sponsors will be the sponsors of Team DO3.  I want anything I receive from sponsors to benefit the Team, not myself. 

Unfortunately, the Sharon Camarillo clinic  was cancelled.  The participation was non-existant.  I had several sign up, then several cancel.  The only weekend I was able to have it was Memorial Day weekend due to Sharon's schedule being filled by the time I secured an arena.  Perhaps it was just a bad weekend, I don't know.  All I knew, was that I didn't want to stress all Spring about getting 12 riders in order to pay Sharon for her time.  I felt losing my $500 deposit was better than stressing all Spring, and having to pay several thousand because nobody signed up, but was too late to cancel.  I thought it was something different to raise money for the charities, but not all my ideas are good ones I suppose.  I just couldn't afford to spend more money to raise money for charities.  I have got to concentrate more on money coming in to DO3 for operating costs, instead of just spending my own money and harming my finances in 2013. So, I'll be learning about Grant writing in 2013 as well! 

So many things I am diving into that I would have never thought in a million years I would be doing when I started this all.  Things I am having to learn about that I would have never guessed I'd be learning.  This year has been a whirlwind no doubt!  DO3 took alot of turns that I certainly didn't plan.  I am very happy that it took on a life of it's own.  I suppose DO3 had a destiny that even I didn't know.  I feel as though somebody else has ideas of their own.

I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go. I will counsel you with my eye upon you. Psalm 25:12

I seemed to have a rough start for 2012 and my plans, but I am very proud of where Dreaming of Three/Team DO3 ended up at the end of 2012. 

One meets his destiny often in the road he takes to avoid it.

The Good, The Bad, The Awesome!

There have been a lot of things happening these last few weeks.  So much to tell.   Bad news, good news, great news.  Typically, when people ask me that question of which I'd like to hear first, I always choose the bad news.  So, I will start there.

A couple weeks ago I went for my yearly check up.  The results came back not so great.  So, I had to return for a biopsy.  (and to my relatives reading this, my mother does NOT need to know any of this.)  To have to wait for the appointment, then to wait for the results, was agonizing to say the least.  Here I am, running an organization to raise money for cancer, and there I was getting a biopsy.  As usual, I tend to make a joke with serious things to lighten things up.  I had told my husband, "Well, if the results are bad, perhaps the Ellen Show will finally hear me and have me on their show!" and that "man won't that kick DO3 to the next level!"  He didn't seem to find humor in that however. 

As I had mentioned before, with my winter "down time" from barrels, I sit and look through photos, creating inspirational quotes to match each one.  This particular quote at the time of finding this news, was one of myself and my (hubby's) horse Smoke.

I know all to well, that horrible things can happen.  That none of us are safe from such things.  With the Holidays coming, I would drive to work listening to Christmas songs, tearing up as I drove thinking and praying that God did not do this to my kids again, not me, not now, I have got alot to accomplish yet. 

Luckily, (without making you suffer waiting for the answer), the news was good, and negative.  Thank GOD!  I am certainly enjoying this Holiday Season alot more, spending time with my family, cuddling on the couch with my husband on the cold winter nights, and being thankful for everything!

During this waiting period, one of DO3's major supporters and sponsors, Island Cowgirl Jewelry  contacted me in regards to helping a man and his wife who ran a horse rescue in New York.  The man, Mike Dodge is dying of lung cancer and currently is in Hospice.  The rescue is H.O.R.S.E. The article is below:
http://www.democratandchronicle.com/article/20121129/NEWS01/311290027/Michael-Doyle-horse-rescue-Wyoming?odyssey=mod%7Cnewswell%7Cimg%7CHome%7Cp

He made a promise to each and every one of these horses and he does not want to leave this world with their fates unknown. They have 11 horses left.  Over the years he and his wife have taken care of or placed over 400 horses and he has given his life to them. His wife, Christine, is no longer able to care for them as she is elderly and not in good health either. 


http://www.hrsny.org/index.html

It took me two seconds to reply to her with a "Certainly we will help!". I quickly sent out a memo to the Team, asked them to put their "thinking caps" on of what we could do, how we could help in quick way.  Something to sell, not a tshirt, as I felt we did them too much in the last few months.  We all decided on a cap for winter!  As everybody usually wears them to the barn, to shows, out and about.  The members also wanted something on them to honor Mike, and therefore we came up with placing "The Promise" on the back of the hats, to represent the Promise he made and the Promise we will try to help him keep.

http://dreamingofthree.bigcartel.com/product/dreaming-of-three-beanie

They are $15 each and all proceeds will go to H.O.R.S.E. to help them care for the horses until they are placed in Forever Homes.  We will have a photo and story of each of the remaining horses soon, as Heather (Island Cowgirl) has flown into New York to document them all.   (http://islandcowgirl-blog.com/)

Last but certainly not least, I finally heard back from an organization in Ft. Worth to help find a Rodeo Kid family!  I contacted The Ronald McDonald House and they responded with gratefullness!  It's something I certainly needed after calling and writing to many organizations without any response.  I sometimes feel like people wanting to do good things are draped in a blanket of suspicion.  I assured RMH that we had nothing but good intentions and certainly have plenty of references.  So I am happy to say, that we have partnered up with RMH to help us with our Rodeo Kids Program in Ft. Worth and hopefully in other cities as well as we grow! 

As I looked through their site to familiarize myself more with their organization, I saw that they collect pop tabs to raise funds for their families in need.  I thought what better way for us to work throughout the year to help an organization that is going to help us!  So I shot out an email to all the Team members, told them my idea, and within minutes most responded and said they would take a container and set it up at horse shows, offices, arenas, etc. 

http://www.ftworthrmh.org/index.html

I sometimes think to myself, am I crazy for continuing to add things like this to DO3?   But why not!?  Most of us go to horse shows, or trail ride...how many cans of pop (or beer!) are cracked open ?  It's a very simple task..to collect them!  My co-workers father works at a scrap yard where I can send them, receive the cash and send down to the RMH in Ft. Worth.  (as no reason to send the caps..alot cheaper to send the check!).  State Captains can do the same in their area as well.  They can cash them in at a scrap yard themselves from their State collections or send the tabs down, it would be up to them entirely. 

So, lots of things happening!  Exciting things!  Things that lift my spirits for this Holiday Season, things that make me very Thankful for family and friends, and things that are helping to make DO3 grow!

Failure is a Detour and Not a Dead End Street

As my mind constantly turns to make Dreaming of Three fun, new, exciting and different, wanting to help others in need, I decided to come up with something other than a Tshirt to help the equine victims from hurricane Sandy.  I searched for the perfect design, waves with horses representing a hurricane like force.

I wanted to order in bulk, and have them on hand to sell every time a hurricane struck in the U.S. to help an equine rescue in the area hit. 

I looked around, wanting the have the design dyed into the fabric.  I felt that having it screen printed, they wouldn't last the design would wash off over time  I looked, and looked, and in the U.S. I only found ones that would run me about $30.  I certainly couldn't raise funds with a towel that cost ME $30  Who would buy a beach towel for $40!

So, I went to a site I was told about through work, Alibaba, where you can find exporters for every thing you can imagine.  Nervously, I wrote to several companies that made these towels that were made by "sublimation", meaning dyed into the fabric.  I told them all I wanted a beach towel 30 x 60.  I finally got talking to a manufacturer, and we got all the details straight, the design layed out etc.  I was thrilled yet nervous to wire the up front money.  But, I knew I would no doubt recover my money AND make some funds to give to a worthy equine rescue.

The package came last week.  A small box.    I opened the plastic bag, the material felt so nice.  The colors were perfect.  I grabbed an end, and walked out to show my co-worker.  Pulled it out of the bag, and......

um???????  BEACH towel??  30 x 60?  This is our dog Koda, who is about 7  pounds.  This was noooo beach towel that was sent!  A dish towel, golf towel, hand towel, doggie towel or pixie fairy beach towel perhaps!

So, I refunded everybody that had purchased ahead of time.  Some people wanted to still get the towels and support the fund raiser.   I tried my best to get the manufacturer to correct the mistake between what he claims it was, saying he thought our measurements were in cm, not inches.  I don't believe that for one second, as I am sure he has dealt with Americans before, and beach towel is a beach towel, meaning an adult wants to lay on the beach with it.  In America, Companies make sure if they are not certain what a customer is referring to as sfar as size and if there is miscommunication, the Company fixes the issue, not ask for another $400 to get me the proper size towels!  No doubt he knew what he was doing, I did not however apparently.  Lesson learned no doubt! 

So, I will adapt, and put them back in the store as a dish/hand/golf/doggie towel and hope that people will still want to support when hurricanes hit the U.S. 

http://dreamingofthree.bigcartel.com/product/hurricane-sandy-relief-beach-towel

On a better note, yesterday was the drawing for Year End Reward for all the Team DO3 members who turned in their charity checks!  It was very exciting to me to draw the names, as I worked so hard to get items donated to make it worthwhile prize package for the winners.  I had some help from some of the Team members as well getting items donated, which is a relief at times, as I get burnt out of asking and writing letters always.
http://youtu.be/sY4Szy-opa4
Our camera cut out as soon as I went to read the Youth name, so we had to change batteries, and roll again. 
http://youtu.be/RaIPvsi1V-Y
Our Grand Prize winner is Ronald Allen Jr.
Second Prize is Cindy Kivette
Third Prize is Brandi Reicheneker

The Youth winner is Paige Campf

Congratulations to all the winners!  I can't wait to get all the items to you!  I know next year is going to be bigger and better with more prizes!  As I keep saying, I'm hoping to have a trip to the NFR for the Grand Prize!  But, we shall see what  happens in a year!  In just seven short months, we certainly have come a long way!  I've already got several sponsors already, and they are actually coming to ME, not me having to ask!  Which really feels great!

So although sometimes there are mistakes, as all of this is all new to me, I feel that for the most part things are really going well as we grow rapidly.  I know there will no doubt be more things I need to learn, ups and downs, as my friend Karrin Campf tells me, "they are just growing pains". 

Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”
― Winston Churchill