Beach Bums

Each summer, Nimrod's parents, his sister & her husband, their kids and the four of us show up in CA for a week of sun and fun at the beach. We have come to cherish this family tradition and count the days all year long until the time comes. This year we were there for the 4th of July and so the kids got to see lots of fireworks all over the sky. We had sparklers and little ground ones that we lit off the beach. It was such a great way to start off the week of vacation. While it is hard to catch fireworks on camera, I think some of these pics are neat.

Most of the week is spent eating chocolate donuts, playing in the waves and getting sunburned. Oh, we all start out not trying to get sunburned but eventually all the adults get some type of burn. Then we lecture each other about the hazards of it. We do lots of people watching-my brother-in-law has lots of comments to fill in and "tell" the peoples' stories. It is quite entertaining to listen to him make up stuff about people. The men play poker, the women read and sleep, and sleep, and sleep, and the kids fight the waves.

Here is Lil "trying" to read but someone wouldn't leave her alone

If you could have only heard Buckaroo and Punky Girl. They would stand out in the ocean yelling to the waves, "Come on waves, hit me! Is that all you got?" They punched, they karate chopped, they jumped, they fell, they yelled, and they did it with big smiles. However, the big hit with the kids was the boogie boards. They finally figured out how to do this and had the BEST time out on the waves.

Our own "Bo Derek"

He seriously could not stop smiling the whole time he was on a board

WIPE OUT!!!

Of course, Nimrod and the kids managed to get some fishing in. Catching was another story...

Notice the goggles? An accessory for all occasions.

The kids endured family photo time-they really hate it but they have no choice :)

This Chef "lived" in our kitchen. You would not believe how many people walking along the beach would stop and check out his backside! Some even took pictures...what kind of caption goes with that in your photo album?

This is how my babies fell asleep the last night at the beach. Is this not the sweetest thing ever?

Another year has set on a fabulous family vacation

Clarity in the Madness

I am still fighting with my exorcist wii lady but have gained some ground with her. She told me today that I did a good just by showing up-consistency is important, you know. She then told me weight was different than from the last time I did a body check, i.e., I gained weight, but if I become more active I can still meet my goal. So, I thought, I will do more today than I have been doing and see if that changes her little attitude.

Buckaroo and I start playing some of the games, one of which a head butting soccer game. I got hit in the head with cleat! Not literally of course, but it felt like it when I tried to duck it and fell off the wii board. Despite that, we had a blast playing these games that work on balance and firming your core muscles.

However, it was much harder than I anticipated. I had to move opposite of what was on the screen. To go left, I had to lean right and vice versa. It was really messing with my sense of direction and movement. In the back of my mind I kept thinking, this little psycho lady is really messing with me making me do everything backwards. Either that, or I have no sense of balance or direction...this entirely possible. So, we got done, I was sweating, Buckaroo was laughing, all was good.

When Nimrod got home from work I asked to come watch this fun soccer game. We told him about me getting "hit in the head" over and over and how hard it was because you had to move opposite of what you would think you had to. So, he watched, chuckled a little and then asked, "How long have you been playing with the board backwards, all day?"

Oh!

Hmmm....maybe a little common sense and clarity is all I needed in the madness of this wii battle.

An Offensive Machine

Since the kids decided to get the Wii, I decided to capitalize on it and get the Wii Fit. I had been going to the gym but that stopped in April when baseball started. I need to get in shape and heard the Wii Fit was a great way do this. Now, I am not so sure.

I started the set up this morning. I found my cute little Mii person and they put her in a cute little yoga outfit. The little Wii board talks to me in this little chipper voice and is on the screen guiding me through the set up. The first thing it asks me to do is step on the board and I when I did I swear it it said "Oh my." The screen message comes up that there was an error. The little voice asks me "Are you fidgeting? I can't get a good reading. Please step off and on again." Okay, I think this is normal and step off and then on but am cautious because I really think it said "Oh my" when I stepped on the first time. This time it reads me and says it is time to start the basic test. I have to do these balance exercises, which it gives no instruction for, and then it says to me in a voice now beginning to sound like the little lady from Poltergeist or The Exorcist, whatever psycho move it was, "Do you trip often?" EXCUSE ME? The wii psycho lady is asking me if I trip often. Well, of course I do. Doesn't everyone? But, I continue on, mostly because my kids are watching and I didn't want to throw a temper tantrum at the wii in front of them.

Next test, some standing positions, checking my posture. I think, "No problem. What can she yell at me for here?" I won't ask that question again. Apparently there are issues with my posture as well. Now I have to put in my age and my height. In her sing-songy voice she tells me just a minute, she will figure my "Wii Age" and then "we" can decide what training I should do. She comes back with an age seven years older than me. SEVEN years!!! Holy cow!!!! And, she tells me that my BMI is high and makes my cute little mii person chubby, come on lady!

I feel like I just signed up for the military. My poltergeist trainer just beat me down. What did I sign up for? This little computer generated machine kicked my butt and I didn't even see it coming. And I didn't actually exercise.

Maybe tomorrow when I do actually exercise, I will trade her in on a better model. Some Austrian guy that chants "You cun du it" sounds much better to me than a little psycho lady saying, "Oh my" every time I step on the board.

Wiiiiiii...Booooom!

The kids have really wanted a Wii for quite sometime. With neither one of us being video game type people and the economy not being all that great, buying a Wii was not on the top of our priority list. Then, my in-laws graciously gifted the kids some spending money for vacation this summer. There were no restrictions on it so they could use it for whatever they wanted. Immediately they decided they would put the money together and buy a Wii. I told them they had to wait until vacation was over because there may be things they want to get while on vacation. They didn't know we were surprising them with trip to Disneyland and I just knew they would blow it all at Disneyland and the Wii would long be forgotten. They took the money to Disneyland with them and bought a few trinkets, fun stuff but nothing really over the top. So much for what I know!

Now we're back home and they were just dying to buy the Wii. We had to wait until we went to town for the day to purchase it. So, yesterday was the day. Buckaroo had a dr. appt and we had school supplies to get so off to the big city we went. Of course, the first place we went was to buy the Wii. This was at 10:00am in the morning. They had to endure all the errands, a dr. appt and the drive home. At last they could play their Wii. But wait, mom has to set it up and make dinner. Well, in my house food comes first (a personal pleasure I like to indulge in) so we ate. FINALLY, the Will process begins.

I have to put the system together, no small task with our cumbersome entertainment center. Then we make the little Mii people. It was fun but the kids were chomping at the bit to get the games going. It was Punky Girl's day to go first (a little rule that saves my sanity and alleviates fights-odd days are hers and evens are his). Buckaroo did very well at stepping aside and letting his sister fumble through her first experience with the Wii. See, he has played many times at friends and knew exactly what to do. His patience was spread thin, bu he did fine. After all, we set a time limit of 10 minutes per turn to help speed along taking turns. At last, Buckaroo got his chance. He geared up the baseball game. He had a perm-a-grin on his face as he was getting into his hitting groove and then Boom! NO, not a grand slam on Wii, a power outage from the storm raging outside that I had failed to pay attention to. I couldn't believe it. He got his five minutes of glory and then it was over. The build up, the waiting, and then nothing. I really thought tears would erupt and hysterics would occur. Luckily, the storm was so amazing, the Wii was temporarily forgotten and we had family time on the couch watching the storm. No Wii can beat that!

Splish, Splash, It's a Blast!

As baseball started to wind down, the kids took swimming lessons at the local pool. They have a blast and sometimes learn a thing or two about swimming. The best part for me is that my friends also enroll their kids and we actually get hang out every morning and visit. And, I get some great photos of the kids at the pool.

Do you remember that Christmas Buckaroo lost his front teeth?Well, now they are growing in--at random rates. Makes for interesting smiles.

Do any of you remember the bumbling bee video from the 1990's? The words went, "I'll can say it that my life is pretty strange..." I think Punky Girl could be the new actress for the video. I actually started calling her Amelia Earhart because she wore the goggles all the time, swimming or not, on the top of her head. I think they became her symbol of bravery and independence. Or else, when we saw Night at the Museum she just liked the look.

All smiles for Buckaroo as he comes down the slide.

It's Summertime!

Yes, the Kenny Chesney song is running through my head. We are in the middle of a HOT summer and are spending some time inside to avoid melting, literally. For all of you in who live here, you know exactly what I mean. Gone are the carefree days of "Two bare feet on the dashboard, young love and old Ford..." (all of which I had one summer). Now I livin' the life of, well, I can't quote the words of the song because this site is G-Rated but if you know Rodney Atkins music, you know what one I mean. But, I am keeping on going. Actually, Life is Good-my new motto thanks to the awesome clothes. By the way, if you haven't tried the shirts, they are really soft, really! I digress, moving on...

Summer is here and we are having a blast with the kids. I noticed that the last time I posted was in March so most of you don't know how much fun we have been having but that is because most of our family fun has to do with baseball and since baseball started the first of April and we were at the park five nights a week that is where most of my awake time has been spent. Although, there are times I even dream about baseball (being the president of our local little league does that to some people....namely me) so even some of my non-waking hours are spent on baseball. Kindof obsessive-compulsive, I know.

Before I get in to baseball and our amazing few months we had with it, I thought I would share some of the events going on in our lives. The last time I wrote, I talked about the numbers in our lives and sadly I have one more tally to add to the numbers. Keith's grandma died on Good Friday. Yes, if you have to pick a weekend to die, Resurrection Weekend is definitely on the top of the list. But, for those of us left here, it wasn't so great. That makes a total of five deaths Keith and I experienced through both sides of our families, with both of us losing our grandmas. We have grieved quite extensively over these deaths but found that good does come out of them. We have been able to spend a vast amount of time with family that I don't think any one of us would have taken the time out of our lives to do on a normal basis. Two of of Keith's cousins got married so we have two more women in the male dominated family-yippee! Shouts out to the new Peterson women--trial by fire with all the funerals but you two came out with flying colors, glad you're with us.

I also got to spend some time with one of my sisters and one of my brothers while at my Grandma's funeral. I really had a blast being with them and getting to know them as an adult. Most of my memories are of them when I was younger. Now I have great memories of them that we created together as adults. Hey Sis, stay way from eagle watching--it creates quite a commotion on off the roadways. Sigh, I miss talking with them. I must get better at that considering we all live in the same state!

Okay, now for the grand finale (I think I Have seen a few too many fireworks this year)pictures are coming. I know that is why most of you tune into my zany ramblings.

Take Me Out To the Ball Game!

This is the first year Punky Girl got to play ball, T-ball that is. She has had to sit and wait for three years watching her big brother play. FINALLY she got her turn "up to bat" and has never looked back. After the first practice, Punky Girl picked out the teammate she wanted to practice with because "he was the only one that could catch and throw" she wanted someone who could "really play" with her. I figured out Punky Girl thinks highly of her playing abilities. She doesn't suffer from a lack of self-esteem (no news flash there). She would walk around the fields like she was an eighteen year old B.M.O.C. struttin' his stuff. It was soooo funny to watch her swagger out there on the fields.

Would you doubt this face? She is here to play!

This is called "gungfighter position"--she has her guns out and ready to field the ball.

She just hit a "home run" out of the ball park--good thing a home run in tball means out of the infield. Although, give her a year and she will be really hitting out of the park.

Sliding was her favorite part. Do you notice the blue 'stache? That was permanent for about a month since she had one every game. Gatorade may help the athlete but it wreaks havoc on the athlete's upper lip.

Good Morning, Good Afternoon, Good Night

Buckaroo played up a division this year. This was a big step for him and. I was unsure if was really ready, but he kept saying he was. Well, he was right. The first time he took the mound, it was all business. I couldn't believe his composure on the mound. He took signs from his coach, i.e. dad, and has three different pitches. I didn't even know this about my own son. To me, they were just playing catch in the backyard. Well, I was wowed at his pitching. This pictures don't show it, but he is awesome!!! The team went 11-1 this season. Buckaroo struck out the first 6 batters he faced-he was the closer the first two games. Overall, he struck out 29 batters. Not too shabby. I think Mark Grace would say that is definitely "big league." Buckaroo's batting was great too. We could always count on him to get a hit. Although his size is not intimidating, his fastball is.

Taking signs from the coach.

See that tongue hanging out? It is a family trait. When he or Nimrod are doing something important, that tongue is hanging out.

How I love to watch him play. His passion for the game is amazing. I love to watch him be so in tune to what he is doing out there. Go "Young Guns!"

My Life In Numbers

Well, in the last few months, my baby turned 5!!!, we had 4 deaths in our immediate family, 3 family members had 3 different infections (ear, eye, and sinus) 3 weeks in a row, I worked 2 part-time jobs, and I am 1 grateful woman.

Each of these events marked a significant point in my life, some more than others, and I will spend more blogs pondering what transpired with each one but today I will start with 1.

1 God-how I could have survived these few months without Him, I never want to know.

1 family-I do have the best family-blood or otherwise-it is beyond anything I could ever hope for
1 day-one more day to life a life I am thankful for

1 woman-just me being happy being me

The List

A Gun

A Bible

Fish

Some books

What does this list sound like to you? Maybe a survival list? A hunter's packing list? Well, if you are thinking along this line, you are wrong. This would be my son's Christmas list. Yeah, I know, not a normal list but then again, this is what you get when parents start picking things they always wanted as a child. The gun, of course, came from Nimrod and his idea that Buckaroo needed his own shotgun to go bird hunting with him. The bible was actually a request from Buckaroo (yes, I cried when he asked for a bible, I was so full of little fuzzies inside). A fish-this was me. The kids love to play with their uncle's fish and are very intrigued by it. So, I thought beta fish for each of them would be good. I always said that if I ever picked a pet it would be a fish. Guess what? I really like the fish. Yes, me, the anti-pet person loves these fish. I talk to them when the kids aren't around and check on them constantly. I have grown quite attached these last few weeks while I hid them and took care of them before Christmas. Anyway, I digress....Lastly, books--I am an English teacher what else would you expect for me to get my kids? Fortunately for Nimrod and I, Buckaroo liked these gifts and few others he received. Whew, we get to live out our childhood wishes for one more year!

Hope all of you had a love-filled, joyous Christmas!

What is Wrong With Me?

So before I even get into what has been going on the last month I have to tell you what I have done. Most of you know my extreme distaste for animals. It is no secret I call our dog 'noxious stinko and mean it. Well, Punky Girl is the polar opposite. She loves, loves her dog. She got her daddy to take her shopping today to buy a Christmas present for her dog. They went to the local pet store and got a bag full of doggie treats for our "lovely" dog. Anyway...tonight I wrapped doggie treats for 'noxious stinko. What in the world?? What is wrong with me that I wrap doggie treats? I don't even care if he is fed and now he has a present under my tree. Who invaded my home...kids, that's who. Suckered again by those adorable little munchkins.

My Christmas Wish

The day before Thanksgiving Buckaroo lost a tooth. I joking said that all I wanted for Christmas was his 2 front teeth gone. I knew it would make the perfect Christmas card. How would I know he would take me seriously? Wait, this is Buckaroo I am talking about. He does everything seriously. One little wiggle and he was working those teeth like mad. In a matter of 10 days, he lost 4 teeth. The tooth fairy and I are tight now :). Like all good dramas (that is how I view life with kids-one drama story after another-no tragedies but lots of comedies) the second front tooth was the last of the 4 to go. December 7-tooth is gone, just in time to make some cute Christmas cards. He came through for me and I got my wish.

Actually, my Christmas wish is right here in this picture and I get to have it all year long.

Christmas Play

Part of the busyness of our lives has been the kids being involved with our church play. It was a musical telling the names of Jesus. I was surprised Buckaroo wanted to participate but he did and so the whirlwind of practices began. The first couple of practices went well. Buckaroo was gung-ho about learning the songs. Pretty soon Punky Girl was singing along and the next thing I know she has a part in the play as well. Buckaroo had a minor speaking part to begin with but our pastor asked if anyone wanted a solo part and Buckaroo volunteered. I was floored! He inherited his music abilities-or lack thereof-from his parents. The first couple of practices were quite interesting. (If you could only see the face I am making). But the thing about Buckaroo is that he is focused and determined. He made me so proud of how hard he worked at it. He continued to practice and work with pastor. He proved that determination really pays off. Will he be on American Idol? No, but he did make his momma shed a tear when he performed; not because he brought the house down but because he did his best and his best was perfect to me.

My favorite part of the play was when he got to read the story of the birth of Jesus. What an honor to be able to read of our Savior's birth. He may have a potential career in speaking (it will come in handy for the press conferences when he goes pro). Look at that little grin!

Punky Girl's role was that of a cheerleader-don't ask how it fits in to the play. Anyway, she got into the part and even let me curl her hair and everything. She was just the cutest!

Punky Girl's Performances

In addition to the church play, Punky Girl was in two other performances. Her music class had a little recital performance. She was super adorable. I am totally biased of course.

Punky Girl is definitely not the shy one.

In her school play, she was a ferocious lion. Her roar is quite scary! However, I find her cute as button.

Here is the "little Lord Jesus" laying down his sweet head.

Fa-la-la-la

So, Christmas decorating was different this year. Prior to kids, I did the decorating of the house and tree. Nimrod would tell me how wonderful it looked and I relished in the fact that I could do it exactly how I wanted. Then, we had kids came along and they helped do the tree ( few ornaments anyway) and then I finished the tree and decorated the house. They also asked why we didn't have lights outside like all the other houses. So, Nimrod bought 2 token strings of lights and that was it. Well, each year he has added more strings. No biggie, I still did the house and tree. All of that changed this year. Punky Girl and Buckaroo wanted to do the tree-ALL of it. I was delegated to handing the ornaments off to them. And, she wanted to help decorate the house. I had a big choice before me. Do I want it done the way I like it or do I let her help and let go how I think things should be. I took the high road and let her help (big of me, I know). It turned out to be so much fun for the two of us. She did most of the work and took ownership in decorating our home.

I have no idea what what they are doing here, but it is a funny picture.

Punky's wall decor of Christmas Pasts.

The grand finale of the whole day was that unbeknownst to me, Nimrod was outside busily working on Christmas lights. Mr. Two-Strings has become a light artist. This is the view coming down the road to our house. We went from the bare minimum to a cross on our roof and our pillars striped. Who knew my husband was so creative with Christmas lights?

Our Knight

Buckaroo chose to be a Knight for Halloween. It was about the sword more than anything else but he really played the part.

The thing about this Knight is that he has the gentlemen qualities to go with the costume. He defends what is right, fights for truth, is tender to his sister and loves his mom.

By night Buckaroo is a Knight, but by day he is a basketball superstar. You are looking at the next Steve Nash (that is if he doesn't become the next Randy Johnson).

Local Firechief

Punky Girl is obsessed with firemen and firetrucks and anything to do with fire fighting-no news flash here. I thought I'd post a few pictures of her obsession since it is part of our daily lives. Punky Girl teaches fire safety to her students in our den in the afternoons. When she is not teaching she is out going to fires and putting them out. This pretend play goes on all the time. I love to listen to her conversations with her students. She was a fire chief for Halloween.

To feed into her obsession, her daddy painted her big wheel red so that it could be her fire engine.

When it was Fire Safety Day at her school she could hardly contain herself. It was like Christmas for her (punned intended). When one of the firemen asked if she wanted to be a pretend patient and get wrapped up, total perm-a-grin for the rest of the day!

Does That Same Old Star?

Autie Em pointed out that she "missed" me since I have been MIA in blogland lately. It prompted me to remember what I wanted to talk about--things I miss that I didn't even realize I missed.

While Nimrod and I were hunting-I promise, no more hunting stories-we were out really early in the morning and really late at night. While we were riding along and I had nothing better to do, I started looking around, mostly up. WOW!! I forgot how many stars there are in the sky. I saw the Milky Way again, which I didn't even know I wasn't seeing anymore. I had forgotten that it should be bright in the sky for all to see along with all the constellations whose names I can't remember. Nimrod and I talked about when we were growing up how there were so many stars then. It never occurred to us that we wouldn't see them anymore. We don't live in the city and think we have pretty great visibility of the stars, but not like it was. We were saddened by the fact that our kids don't get to see the same awesomeness of the stars that we took for granted. To quote a country song, "Does that same old star still shine where you are?" Sadly, no. But, I determined to get our kids out and see God's greatness in the sky. I encourage you to do the same thing, whether you have kids or not. Go some place where there are too many to even fathom that there could be that many.

Another thing I miss, fruit pies. My dad used to buy them for like $.10 a piece or something really cheap. We ate them in our lunches every day. Snackshack pulled out some while we were taking one of our many snack breaks. I forgot how much I loved fruit pies. I probably would have eaten all that Snackshack had brought but that wouldn't have been very polite. Now they are like $1.79 a piece or something outrageous. AND, I would never let my kids have them for lunch everyday, but don't tell them that.

On the way home from work today I realized how much I miss interacting with and teaching teenagers. I have a great group of kids working hard and when they earn that credit they realize their hard work is worth it. I also got to talk with a kid about making better choices and making a life different than his siblings. He wants more from life than what he has seen. Helping the students, academically or with life choices, is something I didn't know I missed until I started doing it again. No, I don't want to back into teaching full-time, I would miss out on the REALLY important things in my life like my kids and the things important to them. I do, however, like this little niche I am filling for our district and will enjoy it as long as I can. Finally, something I miss that I can have back without all the calories :)

Have you pondered about what you are missing that you didn't know?

The Big Hunt

Pre-Hunt
Nimrod and I got to camp around noon the day before my hunt began. We got the trailer organized and then quietness... it was weird having no busy tasks to do, no kids to take care of, no Internet, no phone service. So, I did what all good moms do, I took a nap. Man, it was great! Late that afternoon we went scouting so I could find an elk and kill it first thing in the morning. Took the quad on an hour drive and then hiked awhile to glass a tank. Right at dusk a few small bulls came in to water and then Nimrod found a big one. He was over a thousand yards away but he looked good. The sun set and we couldn't see anymore so we headed back to the quad. In the midst of the darkness, elk were bugling all over the place. Imagine walking through trees, not being able to see anything but the person in front of you, and every few minutes you hear this noise that sounds like those plastic tubes we used to whirl around as kids followed by a few grunts. I don’t even know the letters to describe the sound but is very manly and outdoorsy sounding. Anyway, we were in the middle of a bugling frenzy and couldn't see anything but just knew that come tomorrow we would find the perfect one for me to kill. After an hour ride on the quad, ON A DIRT ROAD, we were back at the trailer. It was eight o’clock and needed to be in bed by nine so ate a quick dinner and off to bed. Nimrod was a little exited but I fell asleep right away, despite me already taking a nap earlier in the day.


DAY 1
3:00am-We wake up and it is pitch black outside. No moon-good conditions for hunting elk, bad conditions for someone who doesn’t really want to be up that early. I got up and put my make up on and got ready. Yes, I said makeup. I know, I know, but it is so part of my routine that I can’t help it. Besides, when I kill that big bull, I want to look good in the pictures.

3:30am-We have eaten and gotten ready and I look like camouflage Michelin man. I have 3 layers on top, two pairs of pants on and a big puffy jacket. Gone is self-esteem image. I am beyond the girly figure I think I should have. I am now relishing looking like a marshmallow. Our good friend, Wrongway, (think Gilligan’s island-goggles, personality and all) shows up at the trailer.He is a hunting fanatic just like my husband and knows the area pretty well so he has offered his help. We head out on the quad for an hour ride to the place we want to hunt. It is COLD and pitch black. Once we get to the spot, we have to load up with all the gear and head out into the trees and get set up before light so the elk don’t see us. We are walking in the dark through trees, stumbling over rocks and twigs. I am not as quiet as I should be, I guess I need to learn to be sneaky. The three of us follow the elk bugles and I am sure we are going to kill one on opening morning. I will be home by tomorrow with a nice elk. As daylight approaches we are in good position. The elk are bugling toward to us and I am ready for one to step from behind a tree. As the elk are approaching, we here a dog bark in the distance. What in the world? All of us are puzzled by this odd noise in the thick of trees. Next thing we hear is this diesel truck flying through the clearing just beyond us. There isn’t even a road there. Dog-gone-it! The elk clam up and now we hear more dogs. It turns out to be a truck full of 12-15 lion hound dogs and their owner. He lets them out all over the place and adios to elk we were on to. I’m a little lot miffed at this lion hunter!

We walk to a place away from where we were so Nimrod and Wrongway could glass for elk because obviously we weren't going to find one where the dogs were. Around 8:30am we headed back to camp. When we got back to camp Wrongway was laughing. He said he was watching me bob all around on the back of the quad and was waiting for Nimrod to bounce me right off the quad and be woken up by the ground. I had fallen asleep on the quad ride.

That evening we went to the place Nimrod and I went to the night before anticipating we would be among the bugle frenzy again and be able to kill the bull we saw the night before. Well, no one let the elk know that because there were none there at night. Someone must have told the elk I was coming back and they got scared and took off. I mean there was not one elk bugle. No frenzy, nothing! It also could have been my alergy attack that scared them off. I was sneezing like a maniac. My nose was running and I had no tissue so I had to use my sleeve. YUCK!! Let's just say I wasn't really in the mood to kill an elk anyway.

8:00pm-dinner and bed—I am exhausted and have nothing to show for it

Elk: 1 Me:0

Day 2
3:00am-up again and get ready for a new day to kill an elk. I realize that haven't had a B.M. since I have been here. This could be a problem. Not only am I looking like the Michelin man because of my clothes, I am bloated. I decide to take a colace to cleanse the system and hope that it works.

3:30am-back out on the quad ride on the dirt road for an hour. Did I tell you how these quad rides are killing my contacts? I want to scratch my eyes out. I have to wear my sunglasses when we ride, even in the middle of the night. I am just cool that way, ha! Really, it keeps most of the dust out my eyes. This me and my incognito hunting outfit. My mask keeps my allergies in check and my lips from drying out.

4:30am-get our gear together and head out in the dark again. Nimrod and Wrongway are upbeat because the wind is in our favor, there is no moon, and we hear some bugling. All the conditions are right for me to kill an elk. We sneak towards the elk and decide to cut them off as they head towards the place they will bed down for the day. One elk bugles and Nimrod bugles back. They continue this banter for quite some time as we follow it through the tree line. It is probably the first time Nimrod feels someone really understands his language. We really think we got this bull. We’re following him and inching our way, moving in and out of the trees. We know we are on the verge of getting him and all of a sudden, he is going away from us. We move faster, he moves faster. We chased that elk like a dog chasing his tail. When we finally realized we weren’t going to catch him, guess where we end up? Back at our quads. He led us in a circle. We were duped! And the whole time we're chasing this guy, I kept thinking, "If that colace kicks in, I am going to have to go in my pants because Nimrod is not going to stop for me to find a tree."

We wander around for awhile and the men decide to glass this ridge. I snuggle up the the backpack and take a nap right on the ground. 45 minutes later I wake myself up snoring. I asked Nimrod if I scared the elk away with my snoring. He replied "No, but the drool puddle you left is big enough for an elk to come wallow in." Nice guy, isn't he? Once I was awake, we decide to head back to camp. Wait, the colace is kicking in, I better find a tree. I am good to go now. :)




Again, I fall asleep on the quad, Nimrod has to hold onto my hands so I don’t bounce off. We spend our midday strategizing and napping, I am beginning to get the hand of this hunting thing. Walk, stalk, sleep, eat, sleep, walk, stalk, eat, sleep…

This afternoon we go back to the same spot. Wrongway had seen a big bull in there days ago and we thought we could get on him. There were a few clouds in the skyline, but no worries. We walk in and get setup in tree line so when the elk came to feed, we would be there. Guess what? We were wrong about the clouds. We had enough time to get under a tree and the rain came down. Nimrod had a trash bag in his backpack, so I sat against a tree and he huddled over me while the rain poured. He didn’t want me to get wet because I still had an elk to kill so he took the brunt of the water and got drenched. But guess what he kept talking about? "I hope my gun doesn't get too wet. " Talk about messed up priorities! Well, it is the extremely expensive custom rifle he won in at an auction so I guess should be thankful I get to even touch it. :) Anyway, moving on...Wrongway was under another tree, I don’t know how he fared. Oh yeah, the rain gear was on the quad. Good thinking on our parts, huh? Finally it stops and the boys are excited. Rain and cooler temps are supposed to make the elk go crazy. This hunt was a done deal. We were going to nail an elk. As we’re sitting under the tree laughing about how we forgot our rain gear but it won’t matter because in a little while the elk would be here to kill, Wrongway loudly whispers, “Grab the gun, there’s a big bull!” I grab the gun and we sneak around our tree towards the opening where the elk were. Rats! The cow and calf saw us and bolted-along with the bull! What an adrenaline rush for nothing. What were they doing out, it was too early and he was not bugling. No warning, nothing. Just as we get over that rush and quick disappointment, here comes another bull and cows. They are 15 yards away from me. Nimrod has me dial in on him but then tells me he is too small, a 5x5. The first bull I see to shoot is too small? Those of you non-trophy hunters understand my confusion. Those of you that are trophy hunters, totally get it. We become statues as they move on so as not to scare them. We couldn't move anyway because guess what comes with rain--mud. I mean several inches thick mud.

We make it back to our quads, change out of the wet clothes and put on the rain gear so the ride home is not cold and wet. The. ride home was something I have never experienced before. Remember I said we ride for an hour on a dirt road to and from camp. Well, now it is a mud bog. I sit behind Nimrod so I can't see where we are going (and it is dark) but I can fell the pull of the mud on the quad. The farther we go, the heavier the mud gets. Pretty soon it is flying everywhere. It hit me in the head, arm, leg, face-everywhere! I can't see it coming so it I am blindsided by flying mud. Nimrod is getting it as well. He can see from the headlight and can dodge a few clumps but not all. And, we're not talking nice soft mud. We're talking about big, hard, rocky chunks. All of a sudden, Wrongway pulls up beside us and is laughing hysterically. He said that watching the attack of the Killer Mud on us is quite comical. So I start throwing mud clumps at him. We kindof have this mud fight going down the road. Suddenly, we start bogging down and it isn't so funny anymore. Nimrod has to put it in 4 wheel drive as we stall and I start praying. I REALLY do not want to get stuck. It is wet, cold, muddy and a long way from camp. Wrongway can't stop and help us because he runs the risk of getting stuck as well. We finally maneuver out of it and make it back to camp, very slowly. At camp, we realize just how coated we are in mud. Our quad, our clothes, our equipment, everything. Nimrod and Wrongway attempt to clean off most of the mud so tomorrow it isn't too hard to get out.

A quick dinner and shower. Don't even ask about what gets washed out of my hair. It is 9:15 and we're off to bed.

Elk:2 Me:0