Stampedin' with the 'stache!!

So it is that time of year again in Calgary. Yup that is right the greatest outdoor show on earth has arrived and kicked off in style on Friday July 6, 2007. It is a time of year when close to 1.5 million visitors will travel from all over the world to our great city to take in the sights and sounds of the midway, rodeo, chuck wagons, and nightly fireworks. You know the Calgary stampede has arrived again each year by the show of hats, boots, buckles, friendly yeee haaaws and most important of all... my infamous handle bar moustache!

Many of you many not know, or simply do not care about this phenomenon that was started three years ago, as I sat on our deck enjoying a cold beer and the summer nights I had an epiphany. I was born in Calgary and live here, yet I don't have any real Calgary spirit when it comes to the Calgary stampede. I thought about how I could change this and what would it take to get into the spirit of the stampede. I could get a hat, some gator boots and wear tight hiked up wranglers for 10 days. The hat worked, but the boots and tight jeans just weren't a good fit. Then it came to me, I had to grow a mean ole handle bar moustache and make it a yearly tradition. So I grew what is now known around these here parts as simply the "STACHE".

In order to grow this stache and have it a surprise for its official unveiling, I had to start by growing a beard. Now three years ago, I had never tried to grow a beard, but to my surprise I could quite easily. So let my beard grow for about a month before the stampede kicked off in July that year and then on the Thursday night before the madness began, and people flocked like locusts to our great city, I shaved the beard and left the beautiful 'stache.

Now he beauty of all this and real kicker is that it turns out Katie absolutely hates, and I mean HATES my stache and couldn't believe that I had actually taken the time to plan this all out to a tee for my city and stampede spirit. She was even more disturbed by the fact that it was going to be staying for 10 full days and that I had made it a annual event for the stampede. After some crying and yelling (just kidding) she decided that she could live with it for the 10 glorious days of stampedin', but still asks me why I hate her so much when I grow it every year.

So to all you stamped lovin' peps!! Enjoy the stampede and show your spirit with pride. And I OFFICIALLY GIVE YOU THE STACHE OF 2007!! YEEEEEE HAAAAWWWW!!!



Check it out here to see what the stampede is all about!!