The plan was to leave the driveway at 7AM, but because the fog was so heavy we didn't leave until 8:30. Mark and the boys got up early with us to see Jayden off. It was sweet and sad to see the boys and Mark giving Jayden bye hugs. We were all so sad when she left for college last year and we were only 30 miles away and saw here 3to4 times a week. This will be so hard on us all. Astro and Wess were the horses she chose to take with her and the trailer was loaded with 10 bales of hay and all the stuff she needed. I drove the first shift and we switched just before KC taking the horses out for a short walk. During the whole trip we only stopped for brief potty breaks and fuel ups. We ate lunch in the truck. Each time we stopped one of us would wait at the truck with the horses while the other ran to the bathroom usually while pumping fuel. It always made me so nervous and I would even worry if Jayden seemed to be taking too long. Here she is in broad daylight with her own mom and I worry. What will it be like when she travels home from a rodeo at night alone. I don't like it a bit. The whole trafficking thing has made me a worrier. It is becoming such a big problem and it is everywhere. Jayden has a gun, pepper spray, and a tazer. We have had many talks about safety. She isn't legally old enough to carry a gun, however in a situation, I would rather she save her life and break the law than the alternative. We have gone to the shooting range a couple times this summer and practiced together. I picked out a 9mm Glock for her.
The ride seemed to take forever. The last two hours were the longest, I was getting bored and anxious. It took us 10 hours when we finally arrived at Jayden's new home, her little house in Alva. The horses were unloaded walked around and watered. The pen had a major split in some tin that would cut a horse so bad. We put them in runs for the night until Mark could work on it later. The house was like something right out of the 70's. It had a funky smell when you walked in and was dark and dirty. We scoped it out and decided Jayden had the nicest room. We decided it wasn't clean enough to start moving things in until we cleaned and mopped. We ate at Subway and checked into a hotel for the night. I thought about staying at a cheaper hotel because it would be for several nights, but after seeing them, we chose Comfort Inn. The staff was so friendly and personable, it was a good choice. Jayden ended up staying with me the whole time.
Wednesday morning we arrived back at the little house. This time we were opening cupboards and seeing things up close and in bright light. Oh my! We went right to Wal-mart and purchased many cleaning supplies. I found a dead mouse in a trap. There was mouse droppings here and there. Every kind of surface had a dirty film to it. The floor was a bit dirty and fuzz bunnies rolled around. There was a distinct odor coming from the kitchen so I started there. Jayden had the fun part of fixing up her room starting with a thorough mopping. I discovered the culprit in the kitchen. It was not a mouse, but two very rotten potatoes that were liquefied. It was nasty. Once those were out, things could be cleaned and started smelling fresher. The rich aroma of fresh hay coming from the garage gave the whole house a sweet hay smell. That smell mixed with humid ari wasn't so sweet. That drowned out a lot of the other smells. The former roommates left all there old groceries Morgan K told us to go through them so we did.I wiped down cupboard shelves and doors. I washed the windows. They looked as though the had never been cleaned and had years of cobwebs on them. They were dirtier on the inside than the outside. We loaded 5 trash bags. When Morgan K came home from all day at work, she quick put on some jeans and hooked her trailer up and loaded her horse. I think that is her daily routine. She told me to pitch everything and I told her I would take the food that was in boxes and jars to a local food pantry, which we did. Jayden went with Morgan to ride taking Astro. Morgan seems very outgoing and talks non-stop. I followed and watched them ride. They were at a really nice families home. I talked to the couple, Kyle & Teddi, and they were kind and offered to help Jayden in any way.
THe more we cleaned the dirtier it seemed. I just kept finding more that needed cleaning. The roommates both have dogs, one has been there all summer that we got to meet. It has no manners, jumps on you and at you and climbs up you if you are sitting. There is dog hair and tracks on the floors. After some major cleaning while Jayden decorated and set up her room, I bought groceries and made brats on her little indoor grill. We had chips and grapes with our lunch. Another day I showed her how to take chicken and make quesadillas on her little grill. We had those with chips, salsa, and fresh peaches. I am hoping she will cook some meals and not eat out all the time. It is going to be a big adjustment. She will not have the dorm dinning hall to just eat at whenever she wants and eating out spends a lot of money.
Thursday we went to the farm store and bought a few things. We drove around and saw the campus and bought a few shirts at the bookstore. The campus is small and older style but nice. We ate at a pizza place for lunch.
We went with the Jacob's family and their daughter Alex for dinner at BBQ place outside of town. They are an Iowa family that lives around Madrid. We have talked to them now and then over the years at barrel races. They have two girls, Alex a freshmen starting at NWOSU also and on the rodeo team. I wanted to met up and talk and stay connected having our girls at Alva together. I am hopeful that the girls will befriend each other and stick together. A former Iowa girl named Bailey worked at the BBQ place and I could remember barrel racing against her mom years ago. She gave Jayden a bad look when she heard about who her roommate is. She told Jayden to stay on her good side and don't get too close. Well that isn't what you want to hear when you have just moved in a house for a year with someone you don't know. I will begin praying for the roommate situation.
Friday it got up to 105 degrees, Jayden's roommate Morgan K had already asked Jayden to do her chores for the weekend while she went to rodeos. She had to feed Friday morning and night and Saturday morning for 6 calves and 3 horses. I am a little worried about this Morgan asking so much of Jayden already. She even mentioned she would take Jayden to all the jackpots she wanted as long as they could take the Bloomer to the college rodeos. That is not happening! Jayden cannot participate in the first 3 rodeos because she has transferred so there is no reason for her to take the trailer. That trailer is ours and is to be treated like a Cadillac. I didn't like the idea of her taking it to college in the first place. We don't want teammates using and abusing it. I worry her roommate will be demanding and take advantage of things. We randomly chose a bank in town to open an account. There are lots of banks and churches in the town, so it was just take your pick. Amazingly when we walked in, the first person we ran into was Kyle from roping on Tuesday. He is the banker there. It is great to make connections. We also bought groceries at Walmart and I showed Jayden how to take a roasted chicken, shred the meat, put it into a soft shell, add some cheese, salsa, and grill it to heat it, a quesadilla. I want to know she has a handful of simple meals she can fix herself. The fridge and freezer were jammed full making buying groceries hard. I think most of the groceries are expired. That was beyond my cleaning. I cant throw away stuff that might belong to the other girls. I did some more cleaning and got rid of some more rodent debri. There was a box on a low shelf full of food and snacks that were like a buffet. Apparently it was forgotten. I felt much better with things cleared and cleaned. Mark and Luke arrived around 2:00. Mark helped Jayden fix her horse pen by putting up a panel to cover the bent sharp metal. We went out for supper in the neighboring town having BBQ again. When the storms roll into the area, they really get the thunder and lightning!
Saturday Luke helped Jayden put together her desk.We said our goodbyes and we headed on home. I did not like leaving my little girl all alone so far away. I kept the tears from coming and stayed excited for her in chasing her dreams. I will pray that God keeps her safe and helps her to in pursing her future.
Going to OK on her own is such a big step, a leap into the unknown. I giant step of independence. I am amazed that she is eager to take this step on her own. I can't imagine being so far from home, living with girls you don't know in a house that is old and dirty. She will have to take care of her horses, feed the, cleanup after them, and exercise them without any help. She will have to hook up and haul her big trailer places. I will do much praying over Jayden while she is in school. I will also miss her like crazy. We are like sisters and best friends. She is my person. We make each other laugh, smile, think alike, read each others mind. We are so alike we look alike, We hear it everywhere we go. The hotel manager told us we have the same faces we are so alike. It is like my other half will be missing.
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