ALLAN ANDERSON: Hi, my name is Allan Anderson. I am in Logan, Utah.
JODEAN WATERS: Hi, my name is Jodean Waters.
ALLAN ANDERSON: That's my mom. So I get to ask you some questions here.
JODEAN WATERS: Yeah, you do.
ALLAN ANDERSON: So I was talking to Dad a while ago and found out something I didn't know. And that's when you're gonna have me. You guys were living in Colorado Springs. You weren't married yet? And you went to New Mexico. Why did you go to New Mexico?
JODEAN WATERS: Because it was out of state and I was underage.
ALLAN ANDERSON: Oh, underage? Because you were what?
JODEAN WATERS: 17.
ALLAN ANDERSON: So New Mexico was like the nearest place where you could legally get married under age.
JODEAN WATERS: Yes. I wore a white dress. Then we had dinner there and spent the night and then went home back to Colorado Springs.
ALLAN ANDERSON: Sounds very romantic.
JODEAN WATERS: Well, we were actually madly in love, though. And it didn't matter where we were. We didn't care.
ALLAN ANDERSON: You graduated from high school, then?
JODEAN WATERS: I did; I graduated from high school. Yeah.
ALLAN ANDERSON: Okay. So before, that, in your high school years, you kind of loved horses.
JODEAN WATERS: Yes, I did.
ALLAN ANDERSON: I remember you had a horse named Dixie.
JODEAN WATERS: Yes, the love of my life.
ALLAN ANDERSON: For some reason that I kind of remember Dixie living forever, being an old horse, like —
JODEAN WATERS: She did live to 32.
ALLAN ANDERSON: And who took care of the horses?
JODEAN WATERS: Me. Mostly my brother and me. Every day, we had to feed the horses in the morning. Then when we got home at night, we fed them again. And then you curry them. And because I was a barrel racer, the next thing I did was groom my horse to the nth degree so that she knew that I loved her and wanted to take care of her.
And so she and I would go off into the pasture and I'd set up the barrels. And you have to practice a lot when you're barrel racers because you're tearing through there in order to get through the three barrels and then back racing that hard, fast. You have to know that your horse will stop when you want her to.
ALLAN ANDERSON: And spin on a dime, and —
JODEAN WATERS: Yeah, as close to the barrel as you can without knocking it over. And when you've got a really good horse that you've trained, that's what Dixie was.
ALLAN ANDERSON: Did you go to rodeos in the area in Colorado?
JODEAN WATERS: Mhm. We belonged to a riding club and we didn't have the big rodeos. We had what they called gymkhanas. And I did my competition barrel racing there, and I did pole racing too, but you have to practice with your horse all year really to be a good barrel racer. And I was. I won the cost of my horse and I won my bridle and saddle and white cowboy boots and cowboy hat and big buckle. Yeah, with a "Congratulations Jodean" on it.
Actually — my bridle and stirrups and things we kept for quite a while on the back of that house on Osceola, Colorado. John put them all up on a rack back there. Did you ever notice that?
ALLAN ANDERSON: Your trophy case? Yeah, yeah.
JODEAN WATERS: Yeah. You know, I don't have any of that anymore, but —
ALLAN ANDERSON: What are kind of the things that you —
JODEAN WATERS: Wish I would have done?
ALLAN ANDERSON: No, no, no. What are the things you're glad you did do?
JODEAN WATERS: Have you and Dan.
ALLAN ANDERSON: So having the kids was a — was a good thing for you then?
JODEAN WATERS: Mhm. Never regretted a second of it. It was ... I grew up with you. Made a lot of mistakes on the way, but never sorry. Ever. And I know you're a pretty happy boy. I know that. Well you're not a boy anymore. You're 63, You're a man. And anytime I want to ask you a question you'd never hesitate to answer it. John always says, "Don't ask them that, that's none of your business." "Well, yeah it is! He's my son. I'm gonna ask him if I want to." How much was that silly car you got? It was a lot of money. I know already, I found out. That was fun though. It's a very fun car. Well, this has been super interview.
ALLAN ANDERSON: Yeah?
JODEAN WATERS: I loved it.
ALLAN ANDERSON: Thanks for doing this.
JODEAN WATERS: Great talking to you, sweetheart.
ALLAN ANDERSON: It's good talking to you too.
