The Liebster Award!

So I've been looking forward to this post all week! Buckaroo Barbie was nominated for the Liebster Award by Emily from Fuhriman Ranch, Mindy from Rodeo Tales & Gypsy Trails and Josie from Wild & Wooly....thank you so much ya'll!!

The Liebster award is given to "newer" blogs that have 200 or less followers to help bring awareness to up and coming blogs! The rules are as follows:

1. You must post 11 random facts about yourself.
2. You must answer the questions the nominator set for you.
3. You must create 11 questions for the people you nominate.
4. You must choose 5-10 blogs that you love (with less than 200 followers), link them to your post and let them know they were nominated. 
5. No tag backs. 

11 Random Facts About Us

1. We drink about 20 cups of very strong, very sweet, hot tea a day. 
2. We consider pizza to be its very own food group. One week, Liz ate an entire pizza a day by herself. Num, num, nummy. :) 
3. We talk to our horses and dogs in weird, squeaky voices.
4. Liz worked for reining cow-horse trainer Jay McLaughlin when she was 17. It was a really challenging and rewarding experience. Our dad quit her job for her though because she wasn't coming home when she was supposed to and was getting behind in her school work....oops!!! 
5. Adrian started riding ranch broncs when she turned 18 and dang near got kicked out of the house because the mums was NOT happy about it. 
6. We are best friends. 
7. We believe that joy is a choice, not an emotion. 
8. We cuss like sailors. We wish we didn't, but we do :( 
9. Liz HATES elevators. What is cool about being suspended in a metal box thousands of feet above the ground where you could possibly plummet to your death? And Adrian LOVES heights. She went parasailing when she was 7 and wants to go sky diving this year. Yikes. 
10. Adrian has a dog named Boyfriend and Liz has a dog named Roo. 
11. We've only roped in town together twice. But we want to change that and start team-roping together this year! The Goemmer girls are our inspiration! :) 

Here are the questions we were asked! (Liz answered these)

1. Favorite horse/dog/or cat? My favorite horse would have to be Albert, my Colonel Freckles horse I have now. My dad gave him to me when I was 15, he had bucked a guy off and broke his back and we really clicked. I love roping off of him, and I can always trust him with little kids. 
2. What was your first car/truck? My first truck was a 1997 F-250 with a 460 gas engine...it was so expensive to drive but I loved it!! I named it The Sexy Beast. It was passed down to Adrian and now our mums drives it! The heater doesn't work any more but it still runs good. 
3. Are you a neat freak or a pack rat? Pack rat :) The house can be messy, but I want it to be semi-clean! 
4. What color are the tops of your favorite pair of boots? I don't have them any more, but they're still my favorite. They were Olathes and the tops were bright yellow!!! 
5. Favorite Disney Cartoon? Tom and Jerry. 
6. What was your high school mascot? I was home schooled so I didn't have one!!! 
7. Favorite dinner meal? Ohhh this is a hard one!! Either pizza, or steak, twice-baked potatoes and cheesy cauliflower, finished with creme brulee!! Yum!! 
8. What is the brand of your favorite pair of jeans? They're the old originals from Cruel Girl. They don't make them like that anymore so Adrian found them for me on eBay! 
9. Sunrise or Sunset? Sunrise! I do a happy dance every morning! :) 
10. What picture is on the background of your computer right now? A very grainy cell phone pic taken at the Californios last year of me, Adrian and Emily! 

Here Are Our Nominees! 

I was going to nominate Emily and Mindy but no tag backs are allowed!! Darn you guys! :) 

Emily from The Rancher's Daughter

Jen from Ramblings from a Ranch Wife

Adrian from Adrian Buckaroogirl

Kricket and Gussie from Boots, Braids and Big Loops 

Sandy and Kimber from Roses and Sagebrush

Beth from Beauty Unconfidential

Lacy from Rosin and Lace 

Amanda from The Barstow's: Our Little House on the {West Texas} Praire

Our Questions For Nominees 

1. Why do you blog? 
2. Do you prefer the desert or trees? 
3. What is your dream job? 
4. If you rope, how old were you when you started roping? 
5. What's your favorite candy or dessert? 
6. Do you like to cook? 
7. What is your most daunting/challenging goal? 
8. Best movie quote, in your opinion? 
9. If you could travel anywhere in the world, and money and time was no object, where would you go? 
10. What do you find most attractive in a friend? 
11. What makes you, YOU? 

xo xo Liz and Adrian 

Introducing Lacey Arbaugh and the Buckaroo Barbie Body Challenge

OK Dolls, I am super excited to share this post with you. Remember the other day, I was teasing you all with exciting updates? Well, here's one of them! We've had some requests to do a Buckaroo Barbie Body Challenge and we're going to do it! Lacey Arbaugh is a mutual friend of a friend, a certified personal trainer and basically a BADASS!!! She is incredibly inspiring (I love her positive updates on Facebook), and is really nice, too! I find her story so encouraging because she faces setbacks and opposition to reach her dreams, and she doesn't allow them to stop her. They're just road bumps on her journey to where she is going, her dreams. How inspiring is that?? She's a total Buckaroo Barbie!

So here's how it's going to work. We're going to have a six week challenge with Lacey heading it up and encouraging us. She's involved in a 12 week challenge herself right now, and she is going to share her meal plans with us once a week and some work out ideas for us! HOW COOL IS THAT?!?! I'm really stoked! Here's a little question and answer with Lacey so we can all feel like we know each other before we get started on our challenge!

Q: So Lacey, tell us a little about who you are and what you do!
A: I am a Certified Personal Trainer trying to inspire the importance of health and fitness to the people around me. My plan as a trainer is to find your goal or dream and make it a reality one pound at a time.

Energy & Persistence Conquer All Things -Benjamin Franklin

I have been training in Idaho for over two years and have met and trained with the most inspiring people along the journey. I currently have three fitness certifications and am in the process of attaining my Bachelor Degree in Kinesiology and Nutrition.

Q: How did you get started in fitness? 

A:  My passion for fitness started in a dance studio at a young age, but when it really started to impact my life was when I decided to push my body further and compete in a natural body building bikini contest. I am not naturally an athletic person, so for me to gain muscle and lose fat, it takes a lot of time and dedication.

Q: What kind of set backs or struggles have you faced as a person/trainer/competitor? 

A:I was recently diagnosed with cystic ovarian syndrome, which limits how hard I train due to constant pain and discomfort. Working around this disease has shown me what the meaning of true strength is, in and out of the gym. It has been a hard struggle mentally, emotionally, and physically trying to find a balance between my down time dealing with the pain and getting back into the gym.

During my down time, I research new training methods and different foods that positively affect my condition so that the moment I can jump back into the gym, I am at my all-time best.

Q: How has that affected you and what have you learned from your struggles? 

A:I have also learned to listen to my body, and I now work around how I feel from day-to-day, adjusting my training program as needed. When I am able to train in the gym, I push myself as hard as I possibly can to keep reaching new goals. I decided that I would not let this obstacle stop my dream in becoming an NPC Pro Bikini Competitor. 

Q: What is your focus when working with a client? 

A:As a trainer, my focus is to promote a healthy lifestyle that will work around my client’s schedule and goals. I like to start by finding out what his/her obstacles and goals are and then build a program specifically for each person. I educate my clients about the many different components that fall hand-in-hand with each other to ensure that they strive to become healthier individuals.

Isn't she stunning? And I'm sorry but her bod is so inspiring!! I want to look like that in a bikini! And I know with hard work, clean eating and some guidance from Lacey, I'm going to get a lot closer to my goals during our Buckaroo Barbie Body Challenge! I hope you Dolls and Gents are excited and use this Body Challenge to encourage you and inspire you towards better health, or kicks you into gear about being serious about your health! 

Go "like" Lacey's page on Facebook please and show her some love! She's an inspiration! 

xo xo Liz