A Hunter's Widow................

Well, update first on surviving Hurricane Ike with little inconvenience and damage. We were the lucky ones. We only went 4 days without power (kind of). Remember our new toy!!!! Well, we parked it in our driveway and lived out of it for 4 days. A/C….power……TV………..computers. So, we didn’t go without really. We even used the built in generator to power our fridge inside the house. We never lost water. We have gas water heater so we were able to take hot showers as much as we wanted and run to the trailer to get all dressed in the A/C!!! We only had limbs and debris in the yard and the back fence blew down but we were already ready to replace that. SO, I have no complaints whatsoever.

I know so many lost absolutely everything. My heart breaks for those on Bolivar Peninsula, Crystal Beach and Gilchrist. Just wiped out. Those in Galveston are trying to clean up and see what they have left. My prayers go out to all of them.

I won’t sit on this soap box for a second but I have struggled with my anger against all those complaining and griping non-stop about Centerpoint not restoring their power quick enough but yet they are standing in front of a nice house, with minimal damage. They still have a place to live. What about those who lost everything? I know, I said I didn't go without power like so many but I swear, if you still had a house to live in, be grateful for goodness sake. Enough said……………………………

Ok, to the purpose of this post…………….my wonderful and much deserving husband had the opportunity of a lifetime dropped in his lap Friday at the very last possible minute but we made it happen. Our company does lots of hunting trips. Tim has been blessed to get to go on pheasants hunts in South Dakota, and lots here in Texas. Usually these hunts are for some employees but to entertain our clients. A spot opened and Tim was asked to go to hunt BLACK BEAR, MOOSE AND CARIBOU in Gander, Newfoundland, Canada. This is something that would cost much more money than we would probably spend on a hunt. Very deluxe big time. Nice lodge. Helicopter every day taking them out to their hunting area and picking them up to take them back to the lodge!!

And, I am so happy that he is getting to do this but I am alone for 9 days. Did you hear me say 9 days? Well, I did have Shan and Matt over the weekend. Shan normally leaves on Sundays to head back to Huntsville but she actually decided to spend the night and leave early this morning. I’ll baby-sit JD and Kenzie tomorrow night. Matt is at his dads but he and I are going to go meet Shan for supper Wednesday night. Other than that, a widow!

I told him I wanted him to kill me a black bear and told him I wanted to have it stuffed, and put by the front door for my “watch-bear”! I’ll put a motion sensor on it to growl when I need it to since he travels so much. He asked if I would settle for a bear rug in front of the fireplace????

He did call me when he arrived and said it was absolutely beautiful scenery. His lodge sits right on the Kaegudeck Lake. I sent my camera with him and told him when he wasn’t hunting, please take pics for me.

Let me just say I am counting down the days, hours, minutes and seconds until 3:00 Sunday. I already miss him like crazy!!!!

Pray for me! Well, I love my hubby so much and can’t stand to be away him....especially 9 days.

TUESDAY MORNING UPDATE............Tim called me last night so excited. He killed an 11 point with 35"spread moose yesterday. He said it was so exciting. He said that when they arrived in Gander on Sunday morning the guide took them by his house for lunch (his wonderful wife, Donna cooked). He said the guide had the most unusual moose mount that he had ever seen and that was how he was doing his. Apparently they take the antlers and make them form an eagle. He said it was so pretty. I can't visualize it but anxious to see it. AND SEE MY HUSBAND!!!!!!!!!!! (Anyone who knows me knows I "google" everything. It was driving me crazy to try to picture his mount. I'm assuming it will look like one of these. Who knows. I'll definitely post a picture of Tim's when we get it.
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OFF to COLLEGE goes MY BABY GIRL!

This was written on Sunday, after getting Shan all moved in- though posted today………..

Well, I don’t know where to start. Full of emotions. My Baby Girl, Shannon has just left to head back to Huntsville. She starts COLLEGE tomorrow. I am sitting at the kitchen table in my son, Dustin’s house. He and Tim are on the back patio replacing some siding and putting up gutters. Tim and his brother own 100 acres here in Saratoga. It is right by the Big Thicket National Forrest in East Texas. I love to be here. VERY PEACEFUL. At night you can see a million stars in the sky. It is dark at night. Not a streetlight in sight. Quiet as can be except for the creatures God created to sing or talk with the wind.......oh yeah, or bark, no HOWL, as the case is sometimes with Doc, my son, Eric's hound-dog!

Tim woke up very early yesterday morning to head to Saratoga so he could help Dustin this weekend. Shannon and I slept in a little bit then loaded her truck to move her in to her dorm at Sam Houston State University (SHSU). We could not have fit another thing in the back seat of her truck. I wasn’t driving which means I sleep on a road trip and my seat was so straight up it was quite difficult to sleep. But, never fear, I managed somehow!!!!!! Until the skies opened up to some mighty rain. We pulled off 45 and under the overpass to bring Shan’s suitcase FULL of clothes up front with us. “Where was it going?” was all I could think. We shoved in on top of my feet for the rest of the trip……fortunately was only 3 more exits down.

We pulled up to her dorm and it was still raining cats and dogs. We sat there for a while just looking at each other and finally decided to make a run for it to at least get checked in and get her key and go see her new living quarters. You can’t call it her room because she said “her room” is on River Park Drive and not at SHSU! OK, living quarters is the best I can come up with then. We were drenched but got the key and went to see the LQ………………ON THE 4TH FLOOR, MIND YOU, WITH NO ELEVATOR.

We decided it may never stop raining so we decided to "get ur done"! We made about 10 trips back and forth to her truck with arms loaded, things hanging on our heads, however we could tote it UP 4 FLIGHTS OF STAIRS. By the 2nd or 3rd trip, Mama was needing a break. I am too old and way out of shape. Reminder to my self that I need to EXERCISE. I told Shan, she was definitely going to get in shape with all the walking!!!!! Glad it’s her and not me! Just joking…………………. Oh yeah, another break was needed after the 4th. After the 5th. After the 6th. Long break after the 7th....8th....9th and 10th.

Anyway, below is her very cute and very cool new LQ!!!! We did good, Baby Girl!!!!!!!

Afterwards we headed to Saratoga to just relax and spend the next 15 hours or so chilling and enjoying peace before the SEPARATION.

Another blog to come about the SEPARATION……..

2 Years Today.......................

I am laying in the bed just chilling. It's been a strange day. A very strange day. First of all, today Tim and I celebrate 2 years of marriage. No, that's not strange. That is wonderful. That is joy. That is happiness. Strange is celebrating it with a tropical storm and funeral.

The tropical storm was really not much for us other than some very much needed steady rain. My flowers are grateful. The grass is grateful.

A dear co-worker of ours passed away on Thursday. He was a character. He was someone I will miss at work. A life cut way too short. He was struggling through some personal issues and dealing with a lot. It breaks my heart that he left this earth with so much going on. He leaves 2 sons, 19 and 25, who I watched today at his funeral be so strong. How sad they no longer have their dad around. Another reminder to me, life is precious. We are here on this earth but a breath. We need to live each day as if it were our last. One of my memories of David is that from the day he met me he called my Kimmie. I haven't liked anyone calling me that after my divorce. Mike called me that. But, I never minded David calling me Kimmie. I will now miss being called Kimmie.

Another reminder to me of what I have. My husband means the world to me. He is my fairy tale come true. He is all I have ever dreamed of. I look at him and see someone so very handsome. But that's not why I love him. He is a man of integrity. He is the real deal. Sometimes that is hard for me. I still struggle sometimes with my past and he is the one who suffers from that. BUT, he is patient. He is loving. He understands me better than I do myself. He loves me unconditionally. I am so grateful the Lord blessed our broken roads.

I'm in a mellow, melancholy mood. I am happy. I am sad. I am grateful. I know God has HIS plans in everything that happens. I know David is no longer suffering from the pain he was in last week. I know life is precious. I realize that. Life is good. Life is hard.

I love my Lord. I love my husband. I love my kiddos. I love my precious JD and Kenzie girl. I love my family..........my parents, brothers, sister-inlaws, neices and nephews, uncles, aunts, cousins......................I love my friends.......ones I don't get to see much anymore. Ones I see every day. I am grateful for them all. They are all life.......................................

New toy....new college.....new city....new adventure

This past weekend was one of "new" for us. We just bought ourselves a new toy and we got to try it out in a new city while we were at Shan's freshman orientation at her new college! And I can tell you for sure, it was a fun new adventure.

Tim and I have wanted for some time now a travel trailer of some sort. We have rented a bumper pull travel trailer numerous times for camping and mostly for our annual Texas Nascar race in November. We got a great deal on it and it is absolutely beautiful, huge, and so awesome. With our large family it will work great because it will very comfortably sleep 12.

We met Tim in Huntsville, Texas on Wednesday night at the Huntsville State Park and camped there until Saturday. Shan had her freshmen orientation and we had the parent orientation at her new college, Sam Houston State University. This will be another post in itself - will probably wait until we've moved her in her dorm the weekend of August 22nd. I can't believe this is happening but it is a good thing. Shan was so nervous and scared but did great over orientation and is now looking quite forward to it all. We'll be dorm shopping here soon!!!!!!

Well, all is well. Just wanted to share our "new"s with you all!!!!!

A Much Needed Girls Weekend....

Every now and then do you just want to go somewhere away from the hectic life's race we run on a daily basis? And isn't it nice to do that now and then with your best girl buddies? Well, I got to that this past weekend with 3 of the most treasured "girls" in my life (my Mama, my Steph and my Shan). The 4th "girlie" isn't old enough yet to join us but I look forward to Miss Kenzie doing that with us someday!!!!

Well, this weekend the 4 of us headed to a beautiful lodge in Hot Springs, Arkansas and we had so much fun. We went up on Thursday night.........I got to sleep as much as I wanted going up and back. I have made the drive to Mississippi countless times in my adult life so it was nice for my two precious girls to do the driving and me SLEEP. Stephanie threatened me that at the next stop she was getting a stick to poke me when I slept.....or was it when I snored. Seems to be a problem for me these days. I have constant sinus problems and a little overweight so apparently I snore worse than my dad (so my room-mate Mom said. Goodness, I remember his snoring). So, I'm going to loose this weight and have some more tests run on why I have such bad sinuses!!!!!!!!

Back to our weekend. I can just tell you that I haven't laughed like I did this past weekend in A VERY LONG TIME. With all that has been going on with Matt and our family laughing doesn't fill my every day like I wish it did so to get to laugh my head off was such a blast.

We slept in Friday then headed into town for some serious shopping. Got me a great purse, some cute sandals (though they didn't pass Steph and Shan's approval) but they are so comfortable!




Friday night we took a Sunset dinner cruise on the Belle Riverboat. It was nice and again some serious laughing!!!!!






When we got back to the dock we went in the store and actually think we were the last to leave. We found HATS. Words can't describe this experience but pictures sure can. LAUGH, IT'S OK. WE WERE ALL FOUR ABOUT TO PEE IN OUR PANTS.














































































And the best of the night.....................
MRS. AMERICA!!!!!


















Saturday, some more shopping and then we hit a bead shop for some more beads to do some serious necklace, bracelet, and earring making. We had so much fun. My mom is seriously into and has cases and cases and cases of beads. Everything you could imagine. We came home with some cute necklaces. I have been wearing mine and bracelets and earrings since I have been back. Steph wasn't sure at first and said she couldn't get in to it. Boy, you should see her creations. Absolutely beautiful. And Shan, our extremely creative one. Hers are beautiful as well. Mom just watched us and put our clasps and stuff on for us. She also entertained us with some singing.


It was such a fun weekend. A must new tradition for us girls. Thanks, Mama, Steph and Shan for making memories that I will treasure until my last breath. I love you three more than a pig loves slop!!!!!!!!!!