Christmas

Jake and I really enjoyed our Christmas weekend in Burley. It's so fun to be with my sisters and all the little kids. The company the activities and the food was all awesome. And of course the parents did a great job of hosting the whole weekend.

A few things happened before the Holiday. I got a gift early!

I came home from work one night and Jake told me he still wasn't home. I open the garage door to drive in and something's in my spot... A new entertainment center! Hand crafted by my hubby.

Here it is all finished and put up inside.

We went to Highland for a few errands and gave the Armstong kids their Christmas gift. It was fun to see them all enjoying the game. Then we headed to Burley for the holiday.

That night held lot and LOTS of dancing. Wii Just Dance was a hit! All the adults jumped right in.

Look at the boys, see how they're all doing something different. It's supposed to be in unison. :)

And of course there was hunting. Has there ever been a trip to Burley without it?

Nelli got plenty of hunting time. It was her first birthday on Christmas Eve. She got to hunt with her sister Lucy for pheasants. Here's pics of goose hunting on Monday.

HAWAII

Roundtrip tickets to Oahu 333 dollars

Private beach house 504 dollars

Spending 6 days and 5 nights in paradise..... priceless.

It's true, we're going here! I found a great deal in an e-mail at work. I called Jake's family and my family and everybody wanted in! I'm so excited everyone will be there. We're going at the end of March.

The picture above is taken from the beach house where we're staying with Jake's family. Sunset Beach.... North shore Oahu....feels good.

Snow Shoeing

Last Saturday we headed across the border to cut down a Christmas tree. I look forward to this every year. It's such a fun little adventure to search for the perfect tree and it feels great to get out. We took Jentry, Tiffany, Jaren and Nelli with us. It was a full truck! We brought our snow shoes and had a blast hiking around.

Thanksgiving

We gave thanks in Highland this year. Jake's family is so fun. Becky mom and Jake's sisters always have something to do. We played a home-made bingo game, they organized a little gift exchange the night before, (we will all be elsewhere on Christmas) and of course Becky cooked her little fanny off. We also celebrated her birthday on Thanksgiving Day!

Polly and Nelli even got Thanksgiving dinner!

Jake and I also participated in BLACK FRIDAY. It was actually really fun! We got up at oohhh 2:30 and crashed Wally for 3 TVs. Two for us one for the inlaws. Then we hit Cabelas (of course) for some other fun gizmos.

We were indeed grateful for our wonderful families. It's so nice to play with all the kids and be with the ones we love. We are always taken care of down in Highland. Jake's sister provided the Armstrong Mansion for us each night. Late night movies with the kids doesn't get old.

And that's what it's all ABOUT

I've taken a liking to this pheasant hunting deal. It would seem boring and a waste of time to most, but I've come to realize it's not about the hunt, the shot, or the size of the game. It's all about the finished product... the PICTURES! The story behind the picture can only be entertaining with proof. Who would any hunter be without the awesome pictures to back them up? Well my camera has been my best tool on our little excursions this season. (ha not my gun) So again I've got to share pictures from our most recent adventure, and one funny little story. :)

aahhh Wellsville mountains








The story:
Our hunting was done for the day. We were driving home. I had been unsuccessful. Suddenly the truck skids to a stop. Before I can even look up, Jake had put a shell in my gun and cocked it. I look up in fear as he reaches across my lap and pushes my door open. "Straight ahead, you see him?!" he coaches. "I don't even have shoes on." I tried to tell him. He is completely unaware of my minor concern for protective footwear. So I'm searching, squinting, trying my best to see the rooster in the tall grass. I can't find him. I'm walking through heavy mud and weeds in my bare feet waiting for my moment of glory. Suddenly he flys up just a few yards in front of me. I pull up my gun, wait for him to fly a little further so I don't obliterate him and BANG! Only one shell, I didn't even have a back up in the chamber. Feathers fall and he goes down. Phew! Nelli does her part... then the camera does the rest. :)







So I hope from this post you have taken a new perspective on this beloved sport. Hunting isn't just ugly clothes and dead animals. It's the pictures that make you smile.

Birthday, Benelli & Pumpkins

Fall is a busy time for us. Halloween, hunting, elections, and my birthday always seems to land on opening day of the pheasant hunt. But Jake is still great to make time for me. I actually had a great birthday. The weather was so nice and I did whatever I wanted all day... mostly in the sun. A few of my friends in my neighborhood took me out to lunch. And we had a fun little party at our place that night with more of my friends. All arranged by Jake, I didn't even know about it!

Here we are a Juniper Takeout

Nixon, Michelle, Cooper, Robin, Me, Laura and Mandy. Thanks girls!

And Nelli is sure loving pheasant hunting. She will jump right out of the back of the truck before we can put the tailgate down. She is great at retrieving the birds now and she has even started to point when she has one, like her grandmother. Jake and his dad Leon on opening day: Newton 2 dogs 3 birds

Jake has been so awesome to let me come along and learn. I enjoy our time together. And Nelli has been so fun to watch. I look forward to more of it. If we're having this much fun with a dog, I can't wait to have kids!

WHOA Nelli

Little miss B started catching on to the bird retrieval thing this Saturday. We drove out to Clarkston with Benelli and some pheasants we bought. It's almost pheasant season and she needs practice. Jake would "plant" the hen and let Nelli find it. She would use her little nose and then "rush" the bird. When the pheasant flew up, Jake and I would shoot. She thought this was quite wonderful. We got some fun pictures.

It took her awhile to figure out how to get the whole thing in her mouth to bring it back. But once she caught on she was so excited to play. This one flew right in front of me and I blew it's whole head off... literally! Yuck.

Who doesn't love the spot........ where the tundra GROWS!?

I've contemplated how to fit this amazing trip into one post. We were gone for most of the month, took 1300 pictures... No way around it, it will be long. I've tried my best to pick our favorite shots. It was just such an incredible experience. From huge, wild animals to great glaciers and mountains. Alaska at it's best in full Fall, it was wonderful.

Everyone was so nice. Jake's boss's wife, Charlie taught me some great recipes and she was so fun to cook with. I loved the plane rides! Bob (the boss) did a "wing over" a.k.a. back flip, with me one day when we flew over Jake's camp. It was such an adventure! Thanks so much Bob and Charlie. The beautiful "three sisters" in front of the Kipchuck river. A landmark from base camp. Jake's boss flew me out to Jake when they killed this moose. I hiked down to Jake and helped him pack his stuff back to the top.

We drove down and stayed in Seward for a wildlife and glacier cruise one day. We started most days with some hot cocoa. We weren't even on the catamaran yet and we spotted a whole bunch of jellys.

We drove through this oneway tunnel to Whittier. One the other side they had a beautiful little town with a full harbor of boats. The tunnel is 3 miles long. The longest in the world! We drove to sterling and stayed in a cute little cabin on the Kenai river. We did some fishing here.

Our little Nelli stayed at Jake's parents with her Grandma Polly Dog. They became great friends the two and a half weeks they were together. We were so excited to see her and take her home. Jake loves these dogs so much. Thanks Leon and Becky.

We have hundreds more pictures and even more great stories to tell. Hopefully we get to share them with everyone in person. We really had an incredible time and to top it off we didn't have a drop of rain the whole time! Jake planned practically our whole trip. He's such a great hubby! It will be hard to top this trip next time.