Then and Now: 5 Years- Some Pancakes and a Stink and Triggers

So, a few months back we went to the Caldwell Zoo with Lisa and Jack.  (We won’t talk about all the problems with the truck that followed that trip!).  While there I “manufactured” a shot to compare Jack then and now.  I knew I wanted a similar shot of him, so I helped myself with a little gentle push of Jack.

I thought I’d share those two pics today now that I’m starting to catch up on a back log of pics that I have for editing.  (New Computer= Freeing Lightroom with some Speed!- Sorry got geeky there, didn’t I.)  As I looked at them I noticed that I also had then and now shots from the same two visits in our kitchen.

It’s amazing to me how much this kid has grown in such a short time, but then again, part of me can’t believe it’s only been five years since the 2005 shots.  Was he really that little then?  It won’t be much longer and he’ll be taller than me. . . and really not that much longer than he’s taller that Cody. . . or at least I expect he’ll get that tall.

Ok. . . Comparison #1- In with the Rhinos where it definitely stinks.  I couldn’t quite get him to make the same expression. . . .

Summer 2005:

Summer 2010

;

A side note that I find interesting: The difference in his size and my camera is fairly obvious.  But what’s not as obvious is the similarities in his shirts.  The first shirt, a humorous look at 10 things not to say on a road trip, is from a trip he took with his Nana and Papa.  The second shirt is from the trip we took with him last year. 

Comparison #2- While #1 is somewhat staged, this one certainly isn’t.  It’s something that happens everytime Jack comes up.  In fact, it even happens at the deer lease and finally happened just last week when we were at his house.

Summer 2005

Summer 2010

Back then of course, we helped him make the pancakes.  These days we just sit in the living room demanding he cook us breakfast. . . not that he isn’t a willing participant or that if he wanted us to come in there we would.  But, he can make them from start to finish on his own now- all those early mornings of getting up to help him fix pancakes are paying off now- I can be lazy now.

Comparison #3. . . so while typing this, I realized I had yet another pair of then and now shots from these two visits.  While the others show progression in size and cooking abilities, this one shows a whole other progression- one that I’m sure Uncle Cody is super proud of and one that Jack is more than happy to make. 

Summer 2005

Summer 2010

Cody had promised that Jack would get to shoot the pistols next time he came up, so they had to squeeze a little time in this trip to do so.  Jack posted one of the pics from shooting pistols on his facebook and his comment says it all “I love that gun”

Another interesting to me side note: Back then, we had introduced Jack to Johnny Horton music (is there any better road music at that age?) and so the coke cans he was shooting became the “Bloody British”.  Just last week, Cody said that a Johnny Horton song came on the TV while he was down there and Jack started singing it.

2010 A Week in the Life- Saturday, April 24th

2010 A Week in the Life- Friday, April 23

2010 A Week in the Life- Thursday, April 22

2010 A Week in the Life- Wednesday, April 21

Here’s my pages for Wednesday:

2010 A Week in the Life- Tuesday, April 20

Tuesdays!  I love Tuesdays!  That’s date night.  We earmark Tuesday nights for us time- watching TV together in the chair.  Most often, it’s the one night with very little to no sports on the television.  NCIS had their season finale last week, so now, we’re minus a couple of shows.  But, Deadliest Catch is still going on.  So, we’ll watch that and I’m sure the hockey playoffs and Royals baseball will be in the picture as summer moves along. 

A Week in the Life- Monday, April 19

I finished my Week in the Life pages!  Now to get them uploaded and printed.  I just love this first picture.  Cody was letting me to his office after I walked next door.  That’s been a big transition for us.  When he drops me off, I have to remember he’s not going to just go park but rather, he has to go around the corner.  And in the afternoons, I have to wait for him to come and pick me up.  Thankfully, when we’re both in town, we still get to eat lunch together although our time together is a bit shorter. 

Oh and I haven’t been on the treadmill in weeks. .  .  shame on me.

2010 A Week in the Life: Sunday April 18

Sunday was a pretty typical day- except that I got to wear sweats again!  It was all pretty normal.  Hockey is of course winding down.  SFA baseball played their last games of the season just this week at the Southland Conference.  We actually went to games two weekends this month- including all three games of the last homestand. . . where we had a really great conversations with one of the scouts at the game.

My Plans This Week

I’ve barely been here, I know.  I’ve been rocking and rolling but unfortunately, I haven’t had much time to blog.  Tomorrow is the last day of the Layout A Day Challenge that I took on this month.  Probably not the best challenge to take on when getting ready to do A Week in the Life and then when your husband changes jobs.  But, I’ve gotten a lot of stories told through my scrapbook pages.  I plan to share those soon!  I’ll try to upload them all after I complete tomorrow’s layout.  Tuesday, it’s on to another project and challenge for me. . . 25 Days of Templates over at Renee Pearson.  More scrapbooking!  More story telling!  I also need to update my 365 pics. 

Speaking of projects, I haven’t yet finished my Week in the Life project.  I’m down to the journaling and hope to get it all finished up tomorrow.  I’m going to post each day’s layouts this week.  I think that as I do, I might give some updates on things that have changed this month etc. 

And then, I hope to do some more blogging and sharing!

A Week in Our Life: This Week, Our Week

As I said, I’m really interested in documenting our everyday life.  And this week, I’m going to concentrate on documenting our life.  I’ve read about this project before on Ali’s Blog but this year seems like the perfect time. 

It’s also a good week to do it.  I really want to capture what life is like now before Cody starts his new job in two weeks.  Things are sure to change- our morning, lunch, and after work routines will change at least some.  He won’t be next door anymore but around the corner.  But lots of things will change over time- our appliances, prices, etc and that part of this project really appeals to the historian in me.

I’ll work on capturing today all week.  I’ve already noticed that I’m finding gratitude in the little things.  I expect that this project will really help me appreciate our every day normal life.   Today’s introit at church talked about meditating on God’s wondrous works.  I think about Mr. Haas and how he talks about the marvel in each breath we take.  I’m welcoming this opportunity take time to think of all the wonderful things in our lives- the little things we often overlook.

It’s fun to think about all the things I want to document and how to do it.  I’ve already noticed though that I’m seeing things I hadn’t thought of that are just a part of everyday life- like being able to see Cody shave while I put on my make-up.

You can read so much more about this project here.

Turkey Lurkey Do and Turkey Lurkey Die

Ok, I’m going to ruin this story. . . so that I can warn anyone who may not want to see a dead turkey, you might want to skip the last image in this post.  It’s the fourth picture- just the quintessential over the shoulder picture)

Since, you can tell where this story is going, Turkey Season began on April 1st and ended, for us, on April 3rd.  Even though it was super short, it has been one of the best!  We’ve turkey hunted now for at least five years without much of a clue what we’re doing and no “success”.  But, are totally hooked!

Cody hooked up with a Turkey Expert named David.  A week before the season started, they went out to the deer lease and scouted.  Cody came back more excited than ever for Turkey Season to begin and shared with me all sorts of things he learned.  He made arrangements to meet David at the deer lease Thursday and Friday to call turkeys, show us the ropes, etc. 

Wednesday evening as we headed to the deer lease, David called to see if we were going to go out the deer lease to “Put a Turkey to Bed”. . . Once he explained what he meant, we did.  I snapped this picture of Cody and I hanging out on the tailgate listening for roosting turkeys with my iphone.

My iphone was the only thing I took with me hunting the next couple of days though I didn’t take any shots of us hunting because I didn’t want to move and mess anyone up.  We walked a lot, we learned a lot.  We started at six in the morning and didn’t stop until early afternoon. 

Thursday, we had the amazing experience of watching a hen walk less than 12 feet in front of us down the road while we weren’t in any sort of cover.  The hen just walked right on by as David talked to her.  She walke dby David, myself, and Cody, then into the woods about 10 feet away from Cody.  Too Super Cool!

We met another new Turkey hunter as we caught up with Scottie just after the hen experience.  (I grabbed my good camera which was in the truck to capture this image while sitting in the truck).

Despite being super tired and hot, the two experiences together along with all that we were learning, made us so thankful we get to do things like Turkey Hunting.  Thursday night, we went back out to “Put a Bird to Bed” though it was really to windy.  It was a beautiful night and as the sun went down the stars came out in all their beauty.

Friday was windy and we didn’t hear a turkey all day!  But, that didn’t mean the learning stopped.  Just an amazing couple of days.  You know, folks learn to deer hunt from other folks and I think the same is true of Turkey Hunting which, at least around here, is much more difficult.  (Cody and I both recognize the value of leanring more about our hobbies)

Saturday, we went out with Chris and set out to use the knowledge we’d gained.  After locating some turkeys with our new owl call, we set up.  Chris began calling and sure enough, here came a turkey- the turkey would become Cody’s first.

So, now, officially Cody’s turkey season is over- he can only get one in our one month season.  I think we’ll probably go back out there later just to keep learning and gaining experience though.  Today on the way home I had to laugh when Cody said that all the talk of his turkey season being over made him start putting May on things instead of April.

Horns

So, a week ago Friday, Cody was able to get his buck’s horns back.  He had a local taxidermist do a European Skull Mount. 

He realized, sometime after he had dropped off the horns and before he picked it up, that he really hadn’t had a chance to check out the horns.  He’d been in a rush to get out of the woods before it got dark.  Then, he made quick work of getting it the meat into the cooler.  Then, of course, we made a mad dash to the house since we needed the cooler space.  We dropped off the horns fairly early that next morning.

As he looked at the pics I’d taken, he was finally able to study the horns on his buck. . . but it wasn’t the same as being able to see them in person.  So, Friday, he spent some quality time with his horns- and the horns of deers past.

It was often hard to have a conversation with him- I’d find him staring off into the dining room looking at his horns.  I think the fact that he shot a buck was such a shock and then to see just how wide and tall the buck was became yet another shock.

Truth be told, the horns were so wide that it was hard to get a good shot of them from our dining room.

Cody has spent the last week proudly showing off his horns to all of his friends.  I suppose his joy has gotten to me. . . I’ve told him to hang them on my fireplace. . .  and if you’d have told me even a year ago that I would be saying that now, I’d say no-way.  But, I just feel like that’s where they should be

This Week at the Lease

We ran into town and I thought I’d share a short blog post by cell. I’ve loved having our own little humble abode. Each time I make the beds I start singing Daryl Lee Rush’s “White Trash Paradise.”

Cody is in “paradise” with his buck that he got last night. For those who want to see pics, click here:

http://www.jenkinsprojects.com/Deer/Deer11-12-09/index.html

Things are looking good ’round here.. .

In the Back

I was looking through some writing/blog  prompts today and one of them was “what’s in your car trunk?”.  Of course, we don’t have a trunk. . . we have trucks.

And we now have two trucks which really seems to mirky the waters.  It’s difficult to remember which truck we’re in and what is in which truck.  We also need duplicates of things that we don’t have.

In the back of the Ford?  The back seat is pretty clean.  There’s paperwork we’ll overnight at lunch, jackets, trash, kleenex, wipes, and I don’t honestly know what else.  But, I do know that when I turn around I can see floor and I can see the seat.  In the truck bed, well, that’s another story.  There’s antifreeze which we’ve tried to keep in the truck since our “fun” in Elk City, Oklahoma. . . and the “fun” we had in September.  There’s also a couple of folding chairs from going to soccer games. . . they actually need to go in the back of the other truck and out to the deer lease.  There’s the mat we stole from Bennie that we have really loved having.  What else?  hmm. . . I’m sure there’s some other junk but it was cleaned out last month when we took the mattresses out to the deer lease.  In the toolbox. . . well no tools and from what I understand, no rope.  What’s the point, right?  The tools. . . the ones we used to have in there are in the other truck but that reminds me that the tools we bought with our September fun are in the backseat of the Ford.  I’m going to have to investigate the toolbox further. . . There’s a first aid kit and jumper cables. I think there’s a charger for the ryobi tool set which has taken up residence in the other truck.  Since it seems Cody is robbing this toolbox for the other truck and who knows where else, I need to take an inventory. . . there should be some fix a flat, straps, and baggies but I don’t know.

That kinda brings me to the other truck, the Chevy- which has really become Cody’s truck.  I can’t begin to tell you what’s in there.  Supposedly, Cody began cleaning it out this week as part of the transition from pre-hunting deer lease work to actual hunting season.  I just know that it’s been his own personal space to clutter up and that every time I try to find something in there, it drives me batty. 

One thing that is not in that truck though is a cell phone charger.  We’ve got one on order.   It’s been clear that there are a number of things we need to buy in order to have things we need in both trucks.  A cell phone charger is just one of those things.  In our confusion on which truck had our vehicle charger, we were without one recently when we really needed one.   Confusion- that’s the other thing that having two trucks has brought. 

The little differences in the trucks make a huge difference.  Cody unlocks the doors to the Chevy with the key fob, but I just stand there until he gets in because I’m waiting for him to unlock the doors like he would in the Ford.  And that Chevy, it doesn’t let you out of the blasted thing when you pull on the door handle.  The Ford on the other hand unlocks so you can get out. 

It really became a problem a few Saturday’s ago when we bought something that came in a huge box. . . I didn’t think anything of it until we got in the parking lot and realized we weren’t in the Ford. . . And it wasn’t going to fit underneath the bed cover.  Thankfully, it did fit in the back seat- so long as I sat indian style in the front seat with my knees touching the dash.

I think I liked it better when we only had one truck.  Well, except with the Ford makes life “fun”. . . then I enjoy knowing that I don’t have to make those repairs can wait.

The 3-Day and the 3rd Door

Last January, my best friend and I decided to do the Three Day Walk.  We whole heartedly went into the year raising funds and training for our 60 mile adventure.  Then, when I realized that the timing of our boys would affect our walk, the opportunity fell by the wayside.  Then, of course, we didn’t get “our” boys. 

I’ve been beating myself up about our decision not to complete the Three Day for quite some time now.  It wasn’t until last weekend when I was talking to Lisa about it that I really began to realize I had no way of knowing and needed to quit kicking myself.

You see, by the time the new year rolled around, I thought there were two paths my life would take in 2009- have kids or give up.  I was working to accept that.  Then came the boys- or at least they came back around- the chance to be chosen for them, our selection for them, some serious talking, and then saying good-bye and turning a corner.

What I realized this weekend was that in my short-sided thinking there were two doors for my life- with kids and without kids.  But, in reality, there was a third door- one that mingled the two paths together for just a short while.  Never in a million years did I think that I would be so far down one path and then plucked from it and onto another path.  I could have never prepared myself for that one.

This all seems like a real bummer post on a rainy Tuesday morning.  But, it isn’t meant to be.  I’m learning to accept what was behind the third door.  And in accepting what was behind that third door, I realize I have to give myself some slack this year.  This weekend I realized that I’ve also got to give myself that slack when it comes to our decision not to complete the 3-day.  It simply got caught in the strife of this year- the turmoil that I never expected when the year began and we started out to make our walk. 

The cool thing that remains is that we got to raise funds for breast cancer research- and I am proud of that- and all of you who helped us raise those funds.  I wanted to say thanks to those of you who did support our efforts and let you know that those funds have already gone towards breast cancer research.