This was my 9th year as a volunteer for the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo’s World’s Championship Bar-B-Que Contest.  I’m on the Judging & Scoring side of the contest’s committee and I love every minute of it.  Last year I did a blog post every night when I got home of my favorite pictures from the day but I think that was before I fell in love with Instagram, ha!  This year I made a 15 second video slide show of my favorite pics and highlights of each day and posted them on Instagram.  If you missed those posts, here is a look at what goes on each day behind the scenes at the WCBBQ:

When I’m at the BBQ or the Rodeo it is an observation overload, this actually means I’m in heaven. 🙂  I took over 400 pictures in 4 days, so a slide show was a good sharing solution for me.  But, don’t you think it would be a shame if you only got to see my favorite pics for just a split second?  I do!  So here are a few of the best:

 

These are my very good friends, Jason and Laura.  We’re on the committee together and we went to high school together.  We were feeling very sad because we lost a friend that week.  I wanted a picture of us together with the sun shining through it.  My friend Morgan says her mom used to say those sun beams are glory.  So I wanted God’s Glory in the picture too.

This hat cost this man around $700.  It’s pretty awesome.  It’s a straw hat with red, white and blue vent holes.  The handmade hat band was beaded porcupine quills of the USA and Texas flags.  He said it was all from The Hat Store.

 

This is the best hat band I’ve ever seen.  One of our Final Round judges wears it every year and she was happy to tell me all about it.  On an old belt she puts her collection of annual pins from the HLSR.  The thickness of the belt absorbs the sharp part of the pin so it doesn’t make it through the hat, that’s a good thing!  I started my pin collection last year!

Every night these guys were on guard at the entrance to serve and protect the BBQ.

Were you a reader last year?  I had a very embarrassing moment trying to get a picture with with Texas A&M’s Head Football Coach, Kevin Sumlin.  So my friend Leigh and I were joking around that this would be my picture.  No way was I going to ask for a picture again,  he should just be able to relax, right?

Well, maybe taking a picture with us isn’t completely out of the relaxing category.  But we don’t need any justification for this, it is just greatness!!!  My friend Leigh made this picture happen, loved it!

And that’s a wrap!  To learn about the mission of the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo click here.