I received this e-mail from Tracey's mom and was so excited I wanted to share it with everyone! It’s so wonderful that Western Wishes has made it possible for Tracey's dream a reality. She has done so much to inspire others!
Here is the e-mail:
"Well...I know several of you have been wondering about us. I haven't been sending regular email updates lately because things in our lives have been a little crazy and hectic. We are all doing well. We had a few weeks where we took turns being sick. We are such a close and loving family that we were sharing our illnesses! Ha!
When we haven't been sick we have been traveling all over Texas. Tacey has made appearances at rodeos, special needs children's events, other special events and cancer benefits. It has been very busy, but a blast!!
An article I wrote about Tacey being crowned as the 2008 Miss Tough Enough To Wear Pink Four States Rodeo Queen was published on RodeoAttitude.com. This is a huge rodeo news web site that many folks check several times a day! This set off a huge cascade of incredible events. Many people read the article and contacted us and others. These contacts led to Tacey being granted a very special wish.
Western Wishes is a wish granting organization that grants wishes to kids faced with adversity and who love the western way of life. Western Wishes learned of Tacey's desire to attend the National Finals Rodeo and the Miss Rodeo America Pageant in Las Vegas. Tacey knows Miss Rodeo America, Miss Rodeo Texas and 8 other state rodeo queens. This makes attending the pageant that much more special to Tacey.
Tacey got to meet Karl Stressman, the CEO of the PRCA, while we were attending the Texas Stampede in Dallas. Karl asked Tacey what she would most like to do at the NFR. Tacey immediately replied, "I want to RIDE in the NFR!" Karl replied that he would do his best to make that happen.
We leave Thursday for Vegas! Tacey is going to participate in the coronation of Miss Rodeo America. We THINK she is going to get to ride in the NFR. She will be riding with someone rather than riding her own horse. Even though they regularly ride in smaller arenas and at rodeos, they aren't really ready to ride independently in a huge rodeo like the NFR. Just the fact that she will be riding is a MAJOR deal to Tacey!
This whole adventure has been a series of incredible experiences! Just as we think we are catching our breaths, we get news of other great things to come! The absolute best thing of this whole adventure happened after we got back to our hotel from the Texas Stampede in Dallas. Here is the story. Each time we leave a rodeo, we talk about the awesome people we have met. We talk about the cowboys openly showing their Christianity and faith. They pray before every rodeo. You also see them praying right before and after their rides. If someone gets hurt, you see the others immediately bowing their heads in prayer. We talk about this. As you can imagine, the talks get fairly deep, fairly quickly. That night as we were talking, we talked about salvation, heaven, hell, etc. This has been a common discussion over the past few months. That night, however, Tacey bowed her head and asked Jesus into her heart! It was such an unforgettable moment! Last week-end we were attending a rodeo and special events in Sulphur Springs. That Sunday my brother, a pastor in the area, baptized Tacey. Another memorable moment in this latest adventure!
Michael, Tammy and Tacey Raulerson"
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