Full Story of Making the Finals

I wasn't nervous at all, but was a bit emotional. I got the to show grounds early that morning and when I walked in to the coliseum to watch a couple barrel racers go (the class before mine) I totally started to get teary. It was just so surreal. Even as I was getting ready and warming up I still never got nervous. It wasn't until I was standing in the tunnel waiting for my turn to run in that I got emotional again. Johnette gave me a few final words ("Ride one box at a time" or something like that) and then walked in to get a seat to watch. I turned and looked down the tunnel and at the words that arched over the top "Gateway of Champions". I'd seen it in pictures and on TV, but to be sitting there about to go thru that gateway myself I just started to tear up (as I am now doing even now as I type this 3 days later). But, I pulled it together and had a great ride. Breezy ran down great to all 3 stops up the middle with no bolting. He didn't stop his best, but we still managed to get some +1/2s from most of the judges, other then the 2nd stop where we trotted out and got 1/2 penalties for 4 of the 5 judges. Breezy backed up to center great after the last stop, which was especially good since we had to back a very long way because he had slid so far. Turns were OK, got mostly zeros on them, but I under turned on the 2nd set giving us another 1/2 point penalty from all the judges. The circles were super fun! We ran hard and we ran fast. Breezy guided great and came back to slow great both times. I even forgot to set him up for the 2nd lead change, but he still changed perfectly for me. He did bolt a bit on the last stop, but then stopped HUGE. So most judges gave us a +1/2 anyways. Since I was the 2nd horse in I didn't know what to think of my score. I thought it seemed about right for how we ran maybe even a bit high, but I didn't think it would be high enough to make the finals (which, btw, was fine with me. I wasn't at all disappointed. I
had just had the time of my life showing and that was good enough for me). Johnette thought the score would put me on the bubble so she held on to hope. I sat in 3rd place for a long time and half way through the order I was tied for 5th. It was at this point I allowed myself to hope. We watched horse after horse go and not beat my score. Seemed like a lot of people were really struggling with nerves. I watched some people I thought for sure would be in the finals make big mistakes (like only turned 3 times for example). Finally when there were only a few horses left to go and I was still tied for 5th, Johnette double counted and told me that there was now no way that I would not be in the finals. I had done it! I immediately started balling. I mean balling - huge huffs, can't catch my breath, tears streaming, balling. Even now I still can hardly believe it. Just doesn't seem real.

God is so GOOD!