Elk Hunt

Little did I know 16 years ago when I married a hunter that we would have a freezer full of elk meat. 

In August, my husband and his friend went to Idaho for a week long vacation hunting elk.  He ended up with a 6x6...I'm still not exactly clear on the specifics, but it has something to do with the horns on each size.

Can you say, "Happy Hunters"!  This is my husband and his friend that he went on the hunt with.

I told them they looked like the Beverly Hillbillies on way home!  I think they each had three large ice chests full of meat and then all of the other stuff they took with them.

The horns are almost as tall as Shelby!

Venison and fish are quite common to have in the freezer, but we've added another big game variety to the family diet. I ended up moving all the elk and fish to the dedicated outside freezer, and they fill the entire thing up.  I really hope he doesn't shoot early in the quickly approaching deer season...there's not any room!!

It's taken me some time to get used to cooking venison, but the elk meat has been wonderful!  So far, we've had elk burgers...delicious and roast...equally wonderful! It's not as gamey tasting as the venison, so I think it's much more versatile.

Saying Goodbye

My husband's mother has been sick for a while.  Six years ago, she went in for routine bloodwork and found out she had a huge tumor in one of her kidneys.  They removed it in it's entirety and she did great for several years.  Maybe two years ago, the other kidney had enough and she reluctantly, grudgingly started dialysis three times a week.  The week of Christmas, she fell on the way to the dialysis van and while she didn't break anything, the news wasn't good.  Her body was riddled with cancer, if there was a spot it could be, it was there.  Two weeks ago, on the weekend of his birthday, my husband flew up to say goodbye.  After making the decision to stop all treatment, Mom passed away this past Sunday in her home surrounded by her family.  We put him back on a plane Monday for one last trip.  It's been hard.  Hard because we had to send him by himself, hard because he knows that this will be his last trip home and hard because he had to say goodbye to his mother.

Mandy

Happy Father's Day

Today marked my husband's 13th Father's Day and my daddy's 34th!  

This year, I slacked a bit and was the last one of my parent's four daughter's to call...I won't tell anyone, but I was just giving the others a chance to beat me at least once in their lifetime!!  I have an incredible daddy, and I thank God frequently that He chose this man and my mother to be my parents.  Growing up, he taught me many important things...how to make a number of great animal calls (monkey calls being the best), how to drive cautiously, yet at the same time quite agressive (I learned to back up in the front portion of a cemetary andy my mother hated it when he'd let me drive us all to church). Also on driving, when he says floor it...he means step on it! On the day pictured below, he accused me of going soft when I didn't get up in speed fast enough (he topped closed to 100 mph that day) on our "country tour".  I learned a love of plants and the joy of watching your hard work bloom and grow.  Most importantly, my daddy lived out, and still does, the example of how my Heavenly Father loves us...unconditionally, without any strings and just as you are! That didn't mean that he never disciplined us, but we always knew that regardless of what we did or didn't do, he loved us no less.  I've always been proud to be his Daughter #1...birth order, of course!  

My husband did what he loves to do in the summer, fish at the coast.  He was in a bay tournament with friends yesterday, and then this morning went out with his hobby buddy.  They didn't catch a thing, very few did this weekend, but he did have a great time relaxing in the heat on the water!  The girl's sent him their text messages this morning and had his cards ready when we got home.  Steaks and baked pototes were my gift...if you knew the way they used to come out and the way they'd do now, you'd understand why a non-charred steak is a great treat around here!  Now, he's trying to convice the oldest to get him some ice cream!!

Isn't he handsome!

Hope everyone had a wonderful Father's Day!

Mandy