Adventures

There is this thing that boys do. It's weird and girls try to understand it. The get all dressed up and disappear for the weekend. They usually take coolers and come home after a weekend away expecting food on the table.

HUNTING

I was first introduced to this concept about six years ago when my little brother started hunting with a bow. I thought it was cruel and disgusting.


Fast forward three years or so. 


Brandon and I first began talking through Facebook. Immediately after he confirmed me as a friend I began stalking his photos (yes I am slightly ashamed but looking at them now still reminds me of that time) and I came across this.

WHAAA? 


As a kid, I used to hide in the van when we visited our property because I didn't like the woods, bugs, outdoors, sticks, etc. I am not a city girl by any means or a country girl. I consider myself a tweener.  As I stared at the photos of him dressed head to toe in camoflauge I remember uttering the words to one of my fellow interns, "He is SUCH a country boy." Then I became aware  of my thoughts thinking knowing I had no intentions of ever becoming a hunteress.


Fast forward another year.


I went on my first hunting excursion with the boyfriend last winter, but not a minute before I passed a hunter saftey course.  Although sitting in a class with a hundred others dressed with at least one article of clothing didn't really bring me comfort. I was not dressed in any camo. 


That week at five in the morning I am awakened and quickly dress in my hunting garb. Oversized pants that aren't mine, boots similar to UGGs, a camo hat, and of course my flourescent orange. Hot!! Not so much, I felt like a clown.


Besides being somewhat chilly, I really enjoyed our breakfast of Little Debbie chocolate donuts and Yoohoo. Then the waiting began. And more waiting. And more. I'll skip the details but when we saw that deer step out of the woods my heart began pounding. Then the gun shot. I took a second to take it all in sort of freaked out. I adjusted. The coolest part was seeing how excited Brandon got.  It was just like a kid in a candy store.


Fast forward one more time to last week. 

View from our shooting house infested with spiders.

I get drug along hunting again in the rain. I went last year a few times, saw what it was all about, and would rather stayed at home crafting. I thought I paid my dues. But it was an overnight hunting trip and he didn't want to leave me home alone. So I gave in. (Help earn some good wife points early in the marriage and while we don't have children). I skipped the morning hunt to cook breakfast and stay warm, plus I was not feeling good at all. Then we set out in the afternoon. 

Two of us up in a tree, twenty feet off the ground on a windy day, not my cup of tea. How did he get me to do this. Why am I here. This is such a waste of time. Is that a bug crawling on me. Well I had about a thirty minutes of negative thoughts like that. Then I started to appreciate it for what it was. Time with Brandon, just Brandon. Something that we lack during the eight months of baseball season. 

Moral of the story. Do things for others just because they want to share with you what they love. Do these things because you'll look back one day and regret you never did them. Do things to create memories because thats what life is all about. Do these things because maybe you'll end up liking them too.