I hope everyone had a wonderful and restful holiday season and were spoiled as much as I was by Santa this Christmas!! Starting out this new year I started reading back about all the wonderful adventures 2008 gave Nikkole, Kateri, Kerri and I and realized that I haven’t told you anything about myself and how I came to be your Princess!! Perhaps this has sprung from all the free time I had locked in a hospital room in Punta Cana this past New Years Eve, reflecting upon why things happen to you in life.
I was born and raised in Montreal (QC) until the age of 10 when my family moved out to Okotoks. So you could say I’m a healthy mix of east and west. My mother was the inspiration for it all, she was a native Calgarian before she met my father and as it may, the 1976 Calgary Stampede Queen. My younger brother and I joined the Okotoks Outriders 4H club from who’s peers sprung 2001 Princess Alison Collins and her sister Karen was Queen the next year. So the 3 of them convinced me to run for local queen contests and that’s how I became the 2005 Airdrie Pro Rodeo Princess. Airdrie being the supportive community it is, convinced me to represent them in Edmonton at the CFR in the Miss Rodeo Canada competition. 2006 had been a tough year for my family as we lost my brother that year so I was undecided as to running, but I figured that horses and rodeo might help me heal. That is when, in 2007 I became the first lady of professional rodeo representing Canada and the CPRA across the country, the U.S.A and Australia. When my reign was over I returned to my nursing studies at Mount Royal College and was fortunate enough to work for John Scott in the movie industry for the television series Heartland. This is where I first met Kateri, and she and my old 4H friend, and classmate; Kerri convinced me to run for Calgary Stampede Royalty. It did not take too much persuasion, as this had been my dream since I was a little girl growing up watching my Mom ride in the parade with the Alumni every year.
Dreams sure have paid off girls!!
