Life's Greatest Moments

The deer hunt has always been like a holiday in my family.  From the time I was little I looked forward to going deer hunting with my Grandpa John.  Riding around in the truck or jeep eating kippered snacks and unlimited junk food would be anyone's idea of a good time, right?  As I got older he even taught me how to drive the jeep on those cold, often wet, weekends!  When I got to be a teenager, I started to enjoy spending time with the Averett Girls on opening weekend for the annual shopping extravaganza while all the boys went up the canyon.  Even though I didn't go out on opening weekend, my dad would still take me hunting on the horses after the opener.  I shot my first deer when I was about 13 or 14 and one of the first things we did was take it to see Grandpa.  When I met Nate and realized he was eager to get into hunting but hadn't had much of an opportunity, I knew we would be a good match! The Deer Hunt of 2018 didn't start off any diffe...

I’m not sure what motivated me to sign up to run a half marathon.  Maybe I was intrigued by the idea of running 13.1 miles, maybe I wanted to prove to myself that I could finish, or maybe I just had one of those insane snap decision moments to do something at least a little bit crazy.  I told myself when I signed up that I just wanted to get in shape physically but in retrospect I think there was some deeper reason I made the decision. Either way my blaring alarm woke me up at about four thirty AM that crisp July Saturday morning to do one of the hardest things I have ever done and learn a lot about myself and my capabilities in the process. I lay there for a minute, eyes closed, bracing myself to get out of bed when a voice in my head whispered, “Why did we decide to do this?  No sane person would ever CHOOSE to get up this early on their Saturday off to run!” I didn’t know how to respond to the voice, because truthfully, in that moment I was thinking they were right...

I have felt for a very long time that I should start a blog.  I'm not sure why that is, my initial thought is that I simply need a place to write down my thoughts.  That may be true; it also may be true that I need to better document our adventures as a family.  My hope is that I can accomplish both, and in the process if my writings help or touch some of you along the way that will be an added bonus. Life is a funny thing.  As I get older I am learning that there is so much joy to be felt, and along with all of that amazing joy comes what some might call godly sorrow and sadness.  Experiencing both is why I believe we are here.  There is no way to describe the pain and suffering that comes with losing a loved one, and there is no greater joy than meeting a new family member for the first time.  I remember when I graduated high school I was extremely sad that that part of my life had ended; I had no idea that the experiences that lay in wait for me w...