Tacey is headed back to Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired next week. She refers to this as "boarding" school. She thinks it is real funny to tell people we are sending her to boarding school. She will only be gone for a week. Each month she will attend either a week or week-end program at TSBVI. She is very excited about this! We are glad she is excited and has this opportunity.
When she returns, we will again be joining the rodeo circuit. We have missed our rodeo friends so much this summer! We will hopefully be able to see them on a regular basis again. Tacey is excited to be back to the rodeo way of life!
Thanks so much to all of you who have so loyally followed our story for the past several (nearly 10) years! We cannot tell you how much your love, support and prayers mean to us. I am working very diligently on getting past my writer's block and updating this blog on a regular basis again. Hopefully, we will get it all together.
Yesterday was Tacey's first day of fourth grade! I cannot believe how quickly she is growing. Fourth grade was the grade I taught. She is going to the school where I taught and is in my former classroom for part of the day. She thinks that is too cool! Yesterday was such a great day, she decided to go back today. Ha! Like she had a choice!!!
Tacey: National Finals Rodeo and MIss Rodeo America
December 12, 2008
When You Wish upon a Star meets How the West was Won…Tacey Raye Raulerson dreamed of attending the National Finals Rodeo and the Miss Rodeo America Pageant in Las Vegas.With the help of Western Wishes, Wrangler, the Miss Rodeo America organization, and others, those dreams came true!
We flew to Las Vegas where we were whisked to the hotel by a limo from The Mirage where Wrangler had secured a room for our stay.Western Wishes founder, Donnalyn Quintana, had made special arrangements for our family to attend the rodeo, the Miss Rodeo America Pageant and Cowboy Christmas.
Tacey’s face lit up as she was told a stretch limo was waiting for her at the airport.Tacey thinks riding in a limo makes her a true celebrity!In fact, she won’t allow us to sit in the same seat as her.She wants her seat all to herself!
As the family checked into the hotel, Donnalyn met us at the front desk.Other members of Western Wishes, Buzz and Michelle, were waiting to watch the NFR on the big screen and to meet all of us. We had a wonderful time eating, visiting, watching the NFR and getting to know our hosts!
We took the party upstairs to our room where we soon heard a knock on our door.Imagine our surprise as we were greeted by a room service waiter bearing a tray of cookies and candy bars along with a carafe of milk in an ice bucket!The treats were sent on behalf of the Mirage personnel who had made the arrangements for the limo.We took pictures with the waiter and the goodies.(The waiter really wasn’t too sure how to react to all the hoopla.He probably thought we were a bunch of hillbillies or rednecks!)
This was a fabulous end to our first evening.Even more fun and excitement was to come…
The next morning we had breakfast at the hotel while waiting for Buzz.We then headed to Cowboy Christmas where vendors were waiting to pile Tacey high with goodies and special gifts!It is a good thing one of them gave us a Wrangler bag because we needed it to carry home all the extra things Tacey was given!She came away with jewelry, jeans, shirts, jackets, purses, bags, toys, etc.It was Christmas in early December!
We interrupted our “shopping” to go behind the scenes to meet with the contestants of the Miss Rodeo America Pageant.Tacey already knew 9 of them, but was eager to meet the rest.She was super-eager to see her dear friends, Avery, Miss Rodeo Texas, and Dayna, Miss Rodeo Minnesota.They appeared to be just as excited to see her!They made her feel so special.All of the contestants were so sweet to her and treated her like real royalty!They all allowed her to feel their clothes, their crowns, etc.Each of them also posed for numerous pictures with Tacey and signed her souvenir program.Lots of hugs were passed around.Even though we entered the room with favorites (those we had met and knew), we left the room with lots more favorites!I wouldn’t want to be one of the judges!!
We then continued shopping.Throughout the day, we met several cowboys.Each of them signed an autograph for Tacey and posed with her for photos.We saw Stran Smith, Alan Beck, Flint Rasmussen, Cory Wall, K.C. Jones, Tim Fuller, Lane Frost’s parents and Tuff Hedeman.
We rushed back to the hotel to get Tacey’s chaps.She was going to the Wrangler Suite at the rodeo to meet some of the Wrangler folks so she HAD to wear her Wrangler chaps!The first stop we made was at the Wrangler Suite where she met lots of people.We then headed to our seats to cheer for our cowboy friends.
After the rodeo, we headed to the Gold Coast.This is where they hold National Finals Tonight each night after the rodeo.While waiting for everyone to arrive, we enjoyed some ice cream where we noticed an actor from Home Improvement, Mickey Jones.I approached his table and asked if he would come meet Tacey.He invited me to join him and visit for a while.Several minutes later, we finally made it to the table with the rest of the family.He was super nice to Tacey, posed for several photos and made her feel like a super star!
We went to the lounge where National Finals Tonight was being recorded.In the audience we met, Gary Leffew.He posed for pictures with Tacey and visited with her.
We returned to our room at the hotel to once again find surprises.The room service personnel had delivered Tacey another tray full of cookies and candy, along with 2 carafes of milk, one white and one chocolate.It was actually sent by the Room Service staff!I guess we made such a big deal about the delivery the previous day they wanted to do it again.A basket of stuffed animals and other treats was also waiting for us.The same people who sent the cookies the previous night sent this surprise!Wow!!!Talk about being treated like royalty!!
The next morning we had to be up and ready super early!Annette had flown from Texarkana to Vegas to fix Tacey’s hair and make-up for the Miss Rodeo America Pageant.We were amazed at what a fantastic job she did!!I just kept saying, “That is really Tacey’s hair!That is really Tacey’s hair!”Wait until you see the pictures.
When we arrived at the Orleans hotel for the MRA pageant, Tacey was whisked back stage to prepare for the beginning ceremonies.Tacey, along with other visited queens, was escorted onto the stage by Master of Ceremonies, Tim Fuller.Tim gave an awesome speech about Tacey that left few, if any, dry eyes in the house!I was peeking from behind stage while wiping tears from my face.It was so moving!Tim had tears in his eyes as he brought Tacey off stage.He was a true gentleman and a new hero in Tacey’s eyes.
Tacey and I quickly made our way into the audience where we joined the family on the FRONT row!That was too cool!
Avery and Dayna both made it to the top 10!We were so proud of both of them.They represented their states, but more importantly themselves and God better than anyone could ask!They were winners just by their glowing auras!
Immediately following the crowning of Miss Rodeo California as 2009 Miss Rodeo America, we hurried to the Rodeo Round-up, the first annual reunion of rodeo stars.Tacey was once again escorted onto the stage by Miss Rodeo America 2008 and Miss Rodeo America 2009.Bob Tallman introduced each of them to the audience.He then told Tacey’s story.Again, very few dry eyes were in the arena!
We headed to the hotel for a short rest time.We then got ready to attend the rodeo.Unfortunately, there were some problems with the tickets we were promised by an acquaintance.Since Western Wishes thought we had tickets, they didn’t get extra tickets for us.By the time we found out the promised tickets weren’t coming, it was too late to try to get other tickets from Western Wishes or anyone else.As it turns out, we took the opportunity to rest at the hotel before we headed to the Gold Coast to prepare for Tacey’s appearance on National Finals Tonight.I was also able to reach a cousin I hadn’t seen in 25 years!!She came to the Gold Coast to visit with us and to watch Tacey “perform.”It was wonderful to spend time with Kathy.We were practically inseparable as children!
After doing some fancy dancing with Buzz on the dance floor, Tacey was taken back stage by Donnalyn and Michelle.There she visited with Bob Tallman, Donnie Gay, Joe Beaver, Dan Miller and cowboys from the NFR.Tacey was the first guest on stage with Dan Miller, Donnie Gay and Joe Beaver.You can see her interview at the following link.Click on Dec. 6 in the right window.Her interview starts about 11:10 into the show.http://thev.tv/archive/rodeo/
As soon as her interview was complete, Tacey was ready to head to the hotel and her bed! The rest of us we ready, too.As much fun as we had that day, we were also very tired.
The next morning we slept a little late.After breakfast, we headed back to Cowboy Christmas.Even though Tacey had done a lot of shopping, the rest of us still had lots of things we wanted to see.After they finished church, Kathy and her husband, Greg, joined us for the afternoon.We had lots of fun showing them all the neat western things and introducing them to friends.
We also took the opportunity to allow Tacey to explore every western sculpture in the building!It was intriguing to watch the artists as they watched Tacey explore their artwork.As Tacey would describe what she was feeling, their faces would light up with joy only a creator could experience.It was too neat!More than one of them had tears in his eyes as he watched Tacey enjoy the art.
Once again we left Cowboy Christmas bearing gifts for Tacey.As vendors met Tacey and watched her with fascination, they asked questions.Moved by her story, they offered her special gifts to make her experience that much more memorable.Their generosity was overwhelming to all of us!
It was hard and sad to say good-bye to Kathy and Greg at the end of the day!Hopefully we will be returning to Vegas in January for the CBR.If so, we will spend more time with Kathy and Greg.If not, it will be way too long until the summer when we can see them again!
We returned to the hotel to get our stuff packed for a 6 am flight the next morning.We had 2 tickets to the rodeo, so Michael and Mom went to the rodeo while Tacey, Dad and I watched it on the large TVs in our rooms.Don’t tell Michael and Mom, but I think we had better seats!Actually, we were sorry to miss the excitement but had lots to do to get ready for our flight.
Donnalyn, Buzz and Michelle came to our room to visit with us and say a final farewell after the rodeo.Again, it was hard and sad to say good-bye but we know we will be seeing them again in the near future as we all work hard toward the debut of the Texas chapter of Western Wishes!Tacey, Michael and I hope to be heavily involved and an integral part of its debut!!
Okay, I will admit getting up, ready and to the airport for a 6 am flight was the hardest part of the whole trip!It didn’t help that we left my parents in their room still sleeping.We made it to the airport and onto our flight.Tacey slept the entire way home!In fact, we nearly had trouble getting her off the first plane and onto the second plane because she was asleep.We had great help from the airport personnel and made it onto the flight home with time to spare.Bryan/College Station was a great sight from the air!Having a wonderful trip is fun, but getting home feels terrific, too!I think we all slept most of Monday afternoon, evening and through the night.
We cannot thank everyone enough for this incredible adventure!From Western Wishes to Wrangler to The Mirage to the MRA organization to the PRCA to all the NFR staff, cowboys, etc. to all the vendors…well I could go on and on naming groups and individuals.Everyone went out of their way to show us a wonderful time and make Tacey feel like the most important person they met.From the perspective of a parent, there is no greater feeling than for your child to be treated so well by everyone she meets except for the feeling you get when you see that person moved to tears by your child’s story.That is truly a priceless feeling.Making wishes come true for a special child can cost a small amount to individuals, but become priceless to that child and family!!
Tacey had a fabulous, fantastic, wonderful, awesome first week of 3rd grade! I still cannot believe she is already in 3rd grade! She loves her teachers, has made new friends and comes home everyday filled with stories and news of the day.
We finished the week with royalty at our house. Miss Rodeo Texas came to meet Tacey! She brought her a special rhinestone horseshoe pin to hold her banner when she is crowned next month. She also brought her a program from the Miss Rodeo Texas pageant and an autographed picture. Of course I took pictures of them together! She visited with us for over 3 hours. It was so neat! We walked her out to the car when she left hoping to see the reactions of some neighbors as this beautiful girl with her cowboy hat, crown and banner got in her car. Do you know what??? Not a SINGLE neighbor was outside!!! Oh, well.
We asked a lot of questions. Tacey kept saying things about when SHE is Miss Rodeo Texas, etc.. I wish we all had her confidence and self-esteem! She did find out that she will be eligible to run for Miss Rodeo Texas Princess in June. She has already started practicing, talking about clothes, and sponsors. She already has her list of sponsors. I hope they all agree when the time comes, because her mind is made up!
College Station is the command center for all the emergency response teams, the military and other agencies that work hurricane relief. That means the area is even crazier than normal. Never mind the first Aggie football game of the season. We stayed home today and kept a low profile! We are stocked on groceries, etc. If people are evacuated to our area, it will only get worse. The grocery stores will be wiped out!
If anyone needs a place to stay, just let us know. We have extra beds and plenty of food. We will be happy to host any family and friends who need to evacuate! In the mean time, lets all remember to pray for all impacted by this hurricane!
Sorry I haven't been able to update in a long time. We have been extremely busy.
Tacey starts school next week! I cannot believe she is going to be in 3rd grade!! How did that happen?
Tacey has been chosen by a Wrangler Rep to be the Miss Wrangler Tough Enough to Wear Pink Four States Rodeo Queen! She is being crowned on Sept 19 in Texarkana, Arkansas.
Tacey will have the privilege of participating in the beginning ceremonies, the rodeo and lots of activities for the Four States Rodeo Queen contestants on Friday and Saturday. She is so excited about all the opportunities she is going to have!! She is going to be outfitted with clothes, crown, saddle, belt buckle, etc!!!! They are really going all out!!!
The next part is a huge SURPRISE for Tacey! She won't find out about it until that day.
On Saturday morning, Tacey and the Four States Rodeo Queen contestants will be participating in a Style Show and interview. Total strangers are donating money, time, etc, to fly MISS RODEO AMERICA to personally escort Tacey in the style show. Immediately following the style show, Miss Rodeo America has to be flown back to her original commitment in Amarillo. Again, total strangers are donating money, fuel, airplanes, etc. to fly Miss Rodeo America in just to meet Tacey!!!!!!!! Wow!!!!!!!!!!!
Tacey is also going to speak and sing at the style show. She will be assisting the judges in interviewing the queen contestants.
I keep shaking my head in disbelief in all that has happened and how incredible this event is going to be. I am writing a proposal to Wrangler for this to be an annual event. It is my dream that Tacey would just be the first of many precious little girls who have survived cancer to be honored in such a way!
Loving, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, Hazel Ezell was surrounded by her three children as she went home to be with the Lord on Sunday, July 6, 2008.Through the course of her 87 years, Hazel held the various roles of a strong woman, from homemaker to laborer, from daughter to wife, from mother to great-grandmother, from hard worker to lady of leisure.After a short career in Dallas, she and her family returned to the family dairy in Pickton, Texas where she lived out the remainder of her life. Hazel had a great passion for life, family and friends.Family was a priority for her.Whether she was cooking a huge meal for the whole family or taking care of her grandchildren, she always made room for more people at the table and more children in her home.Some of the best memories the family will cherish and hold close in their hearts are holidays together, family travels, Friday night dinners, and learning about experiencing life on the dairy.As a faithful member of CaneyBaptistChurch, Hazel’s voice could be clearly heard as she joyfully sang the hymns.Her family and friends could often read her mood by listening for her humming and singing.She was full of wit.Her eyes would twinkle with merriment and she brightened many lives with her smile.Even as her memory failed, she would suddenly enter a conversation with a one-liner that would have every one laughing!Hazel Earlene Nichols was born in HopkinsCounty, Nov. 11, 1920 to Melvin and Viola Nichols.She was married to John Howard Allen with whom she had 2 daughters, Barbara Allen Romack and Patsy Allen Bolton.Following Howard’s death, Hazel married H.M. Ezell with whom she had a son, Michael Ezell.Proceeded in death by her husbands and her parents, she is survived by her three loving children, daughters, Barbara Allen Romack and husband, Hal Romack of Sulphur Springs, Patsy Allen Bolton and husband, Morris (Butch) Bolton of Sulphur Springs, and son, Michael Ezell of Pickton.She is also survived by her brother, Billy Nichols and wife, Wanda Nichols of Seguin, TX.Hazel leaves 4 grandchildren, Greg Romack, Terry Bolton and wife, Sonja Bolton, Jeff Romack and wife, Kelly, and Tammy Bolton Raulerson and husband, Michael Raulerson.She also leaves 6 great-grandchildren, Chainie Bolton, Chelbie Bolton, Cherish Bolton, Landon Romack, Connor Romack, and Tacey Raye Raulerson.The family would like to thank the many friends and acquaintances who took the time to make her days on Earth as pleasant and comfortable as possible.Many special people spent their days with her to provide her with the companionship and care she needed.In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to Caney Baptist Church Cemetery Fund, c/o Billie Phillips, 160 FM 269 S, Pickton, Texas 75471. A memorial service was held at West Oaks Funeral Home in Sulphur Springs on Tuesday, July 8, 2008 to celebrate her life on earth.A private burial was held in the family plot at CaneyCemetery.
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Maine
June 28, 2008
We are home from Camp Sunshine in Maine. We had a wonderful trip. I cannot tell you the therapeutic value of meeting with families of children with Retinoblastoma. The children get to talk in groups with the social worker/psychologist. The parents also get sessions with the social worker/psychologist. We all get the chance to talk with each other to compare our experiences and talk through situations. It is incredible. Camp Sunshine treats the whole family!
The weather in Maine was great. A lot of folks were disappointed because it was overcast and rained a little. Two days it got up to 75 degrees and sunny. The other days it was in the lower 60s or cooler. We even had to buy sweatshirts! It was awesome to escape the Texas heat.
One of the best things about Camp Sunshine is that Tacey gets to spend time with other children who are visually impaired and have prosthetic eyes. That does a lot for her self-esteem! In fact, Tacey enjoys Camp Sunshine so much and realizes how wonderful it is for others that she asked the director and social worker/psychologist if she could volunteer! She is too young to volunteer unless she is assigned to a group with Michael or me. We will go back later this summer or during the winter to volunteer for a week. That is just one small way our family can give back to such a wonderful camp!
This week, we go to Dallas for the National Federation for the Blind convention. Tacey will get to interact with blind children from around the nation while Michael and I attend special training and educational sessions for the parents. We are real excited about this opportunity.
Tacey takes every chance we are in town to ride Hope. Hope gives her a little attitude when we first get to the pasture just to let Tacey know he really doesn't appreciate it when she is not around. It is actually amusing at times. As loving and protective of her as he is, he also likes to remind her that he is a blue blood!
Wednesday we went to the hospital in Houston for tests. The doctors are still trying to pinpoint the causes of Tacey's sudden allergic reactions. She has been on new medication since early May and it has dramatically helped to reduce the episodes. Thankfully she only had one reaction while we were in Maine!
Even after the tests, the doctors are STILL baffled by Tacey's reactions. They kept her on the same allergy medicine and suggested we might add an additional medication just to prevent any other reactions. Right now, we are going to stick with just the one medication and hope it continues to work!!!
Yesterday Michael and I took Tacey to the first of many camps for this summer. She is attending at least 4 camps! She would like to attend more, but I don't think Michael and I could stand being away from her any longer! It would also leave her totally exhausted by the end of the summer.
When we got to Kingdom Ranch yesterday, we found that Tacey was 1 of only 2 girl campers this week. We were met with the counselors and staff members Tacey met last summer. She was so excited! Her counselor this summer was there last summer. She and Tacey became very close. Tacey's counselor from last year is a staff member this year so I know she is also keeping a close eye on Tacey.
One of my biggest fears is that Tacey doesn't miss us the least little bit! In fact, it won't surprise me if we get an email telling us not to come get her. That is what happened last year. She just wanted to stay forever!
We pick Tacey up on Friday and then leave EARLY Sunday morning for the airport to fly to Maine. We are again attending the special camp for FAMILIES of children with Retinoblastoma. This is such an incredible camp and is so great for us as a family! We get to meet with other families from all over the United States. Last year 31 families attended. I think we are supposed to have the same number this year.
The week we return from Maine Tacey will have tests done at Texas Children's Hospital. They are trying to figure out why she has been having the allergic reactions and why her immune system isn't stronger at this point. The good news is that she has started taking Zyrtec. This has significantly reduced the number of allergic reactions!! She will have MRIs and additional scans in August. I will let you know that dates so you can say extra prayers!
To learn more about the camps Tacey is attending this week and next:
Most of you think that is just a phrase. Actually it is the name of a horse, a very special horse. I will try to tell the story, but words just don't seem adequate to tell the WHOLE story.
As most of you know, Tacey LOVES horses. She rides as much as possible. She has really been wanting to learn to barrel race. Yes, we all experienced a little apprehension thinking of this precious blind child riding barrels, but knew if she had the right horse to learn on she would do well.
It is very hard to find this kind of horse on a limited budget! These kind of horses are expensive and well worth the cost. However a cowboy, Creed Roberts, we met at the Bull Riding finals in Vegas put out the word to his friends. One of his close friends, Clint Wade, put a notice on a forum for barrel racers. The very first day it was posted he heard from a lady who wanted to bring her horse from Oklahoma to Texas for Tacey to try. If all worked, she would leave the horse here for Tacey as long as she needed it. She is called Granny or Miss Frances. Here is the update starting with Friday:
God knew what he was doing when He put certain people in our paths and lives. Frances Dearborn arrived in Texas today with Hope Runs Deep. Wow!!! Hope and Tacey instantly bonded. With Gigi (Tacey's honorary grandmother) leading them around the arena, it became apparent fairly quickly that it didn't matter what she was doing with the lead rope or where she was leading. Hope was responding to Tacey's commands and to Tacey's desires. The lead rope was slack most of the time. Gig was leading them around when Tacey pulled on the reins and told Hope to stop. Hope stopped on a dime nearly jerking Gig, who hadn't heard Tacey, flat on her rear! As if we didn't already know it, that was proof that Tacey is boss!
Frances, Gigi and I even stood directly in front of him having a conversation about what we needed to do, etc. The entire time we were talking, Hope's ears were turned toward Tacey who was still in the saddle. Even though we were right in front of him, he was listening for Tacey! It was incredible!! PawPaw summed it up best when he told MawMaw, "That is a solid horse!"
One of the most moving scenes of the day was when Frances said PawPaw needs to ride Hope when Tacey isn't around to ride. PawPaw put his hands together as if in prayer, looked up toward the sky and mouthed, "Thank you, Lord!" PawPaw's horse, Jet, had to be put down in the Fall. PawPaw has been so sad and has missed riding so much!
We will continue riding and practicing tomorrow. Tacey is excited because we need to work some cattle and she thinks she can be an active participant now! Oh, my!
Creed and Clint,
Words don't really seem adequate to truly express what an awesome thing you have done by bringing Frances and Hope into our lives!
Here is the latest from Saturday:
Wow! Only the second day with Hope and Tacey was in complete control. We warmed them up and then removed the lead rope. Tacey gave the commands and used the reins to let Hope know what he needed to do. He responded very well! Gigi moved around the arena telling Tacey to come that way and do different things. At one point Tacey said, "It would be a lot easier if you would quit moving around!" We all laughed!
Hope responds extremely well to Tacey. He also is very protective of her. He is constantly scanning and aware of his environment if Tacey is not on him. If she is in the saddle, Hope responds only to her! It is incredible.
Tacey is very comfortable in the saddle with Hope. She just needs to get a little more confident in her commands and knowing he really will obey.
This is what I wrote to Frances last night. "Wow! Words can never truly express the joy you have brought into our lives. Your generosity and compassion are truly Christ-like. Your kindness has impacted more lives than you can imagine. Tacey and Hope will accomplish great things together in and out of the arena. Whether they place, win or come in last, they will exit the arena as champions every time!"
Frances presented Tacey with the first buckle she and Hope won together. Tacey was speechless! As most of you know, that doesn't happen VERY often! She put it on and wore it with pride. Yes, a little extra bling was added to her ensemble with her new bumper spurs and spur straps. One of them fell off yesterday, but was found fairly easily. Clay said the space shuttle called to tell them what it was!
Tacey has agreed to wear a helmet especially as she is learning. We found the perfect one! It is covered in denim and has rhinestones on all the seams. To top it off, it is a Hannah Montana!! Oh, my! Bling and her favorite superstar to top it off!
All of you will be able to say, "But I knew her before she was famous!"
We need your prayers. Tacey is on Day 9 of a viral infection. She has fever, a stomachache, headache and a general lousy feeling. She hasn't eaten much over the past 9 days. She is very lethargic and definitely not herself! It has gone through her school. She is in a second grade group that rotates between two teachers. All last week, they had at least 1/3 of their class out each day. Most of the kids have been sick for 6 days. Because her immune system isn't as strong, she just can't seem to shake it. Each time we think she is getting better, her fever spikes again. We would really appreciate your intensified prayers right now! This is really started to drag us all down. She is a little stir crazy with being stuck in the house, while at the same time she has no energy to do anything. We will keep everyone posted!
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