COMPANION PASS: Kaitlin Teel

My name is Kaitlin Teel, wife of PBR Bull Rider, Cody Teel. For all our dating years Cody rode in the PRCA. There are many aspects of rodeo I miss and also so many people. Rodeo is all we knew and we have a lot of great memories of traveling all over the country. The switch to the PBR came right after we got married. Cody was ready for a change and felt like he wanted a new challenge. The PBR is extremely different than rodeo but also similar in a lot of ways. We have made so many great friends and Cody is ecstatic to be where he is and to get to compete at that level. It’s has been so neat to watch my husband compete in some of the biggest cities and arenas like Madison Square Garden and The Staples Center. Additionally, it has contributed to a (somewhat) more stable schedule for our family.

The question I am probably asked the most about Cody or bull riding in general is “Do you get nervous when he is riding?”. Of course, the answer is YES but, I try not to think about the extreme danger attached to the sport if I can help it. I think most of us try to keep that fear pushed to the back of our brains because it is a consuming feeling. The moments things get dicey feel like hours when you are sitting in the stands watching helplessly. I’ve always believed bullfighters don’t get enough credit for what they do. It is truly a craft that goes against all natural instinct and requires them to put themselves in harms way on behalf of someone else. Regardless of the outcome of an event if Cody is healthy, that’s a win to me!

We had our daughter Evelyn Ann in July of 2018. I don’t think Cody or myself had the slightest inkling of how wrapped around her finger we would be. She is Cody made over; she looks just like him and has the same easy-going and sweet personality (most of the time). Little Evie thinks her daddy hung the moon. She does not like to be away from him, and vice versa. The PBR schedule has provided consistency in the sense that we know when and where Cody will be before the year starts and we can plan where we want to go as a family as well as know what our week to week is going to be. It has become a nice normal to be home during the week and travel on the weekends. Or, we send Cody off on the weekends and have a girl’s weekend at home. That usually includes watching The Devil Wears Prada, getting take-out, or cooking salmon (since Cody hates it and we love it). We are also very lucky to have my family close by. My parents help take care of our funny-farm if we are all on the road or my mom will come join Evelyn and I for our girl’s weekends at home.

In November of 2018, with a four-month-old, I made the decision to start my online boutique called Shop Teel. Some might say my timing is impeccable (ha-ha). When I get something on my mind I won’t sleep until I do it. I carry women and children’s clothes as well as make custom denim jackets. My store has been open a little under a year and I am so thankful for the response and my awesome customers. It has been so much fun and I have a constant wheel of ideas turning in my head. Even though the store is “my” thing, believe it or not, Cody has a lot of input for me. I don’t know if he is simply trying to be supportive or if he actually is that interested. He thinks BIG and from time to time I have to reel him back in but it makes it fun having his involvement. We recently took the plunge and purchased a store in partnership with my family in downtown Bryan. We have a long road of remodeling and other exciting things but 2020 is going to be a fun year!

In the midst of the everyday chaos and trying to get everything done, there are things I am not willing to neglect at home. I set aside a few hours every day that are solely dedicated to Evelyn and to spend quality time with her. When I was trying to figure out how to juggle all the different aspects of day to day life I spent many days rushing around trying to get everything done that I ended up feeling so guilty for not spending enough time with her. These are years I’ll never get back and nothing is as crucial as that, everything else can wait. I also try to cook dinner for the 3 of us at least five days a week. When Cody is home he makes his nutrition priority in order to stay in tip-top shape physically so, it is my responsibility to help facilitate that. It is immensely important to me to take care of my family first and my store and everything else comes second to that. There are a lot of days I have to remind myself of that constantly.

If I had one piece of advice about balancing family, business and, also supporting Cody’s riding it would be; pick up the slack. When Cody is on the road I pick up the slack at home. I’m responsible for feeding the dogs, pigs, sheep, pony, cows, oh and the baby. Cody runs a tight ship and keeps our place very immaculate. I try to emulate that the best I can when he is gone (keyword is: try). I find myself dragging water hoses all over the place, watering trees and plants, wiring up panels etc. We have a joke that something ONLY goes wrong when Cody is gone. I have chased our pony down the road, dealt with sick animals and I’ve left the water on over-night more times than I am willing to admit. Cody finally wised-up and installed automatic floats. I probably look like a chicken running around with my head cut off most days but, it’s the least I can do because he certainly picks up the slack for me when I need to work. He and Evelyn spend a lot of time together during the day piddling around outside and playing so I can get orders shipped or jackets sewn. It keeps my mind at ease knowing she is getting the attention and nurturing she needs when they are together, and she loves it. Cody occasionally lends a helping hand when I am swamped making jackets. If you’ve ordered a jacket from me there’s a pretty good chance he has hammered on the rivets (that’s his designated job). One day I will teach him to sew.

We have slowly but surely figured out how to balance everything. We live a very exciting life and we are both striving to help each other to achieve our goals.