Starting a Journey!

I stand motionless, I stand waiting. In a few weeks the things in my life that were so far out of focus have become alot clearer. I have asked for help and help is what I have received. Taking me from the depths of despair to heights that I have longed for. My mind is clear my eyes are focused. I have been here before and I have deceived myself. I have struggled and I have searched more desperately. I have been looking all this time at the wrong mountain. When you look at this picture whats the first mountain you see? Its the closest one of coarse. Look further....See the mountain in the furthest distance. That's the mountain! That's the one that I long to stand upon. Yes...the valley below is filled with fog and it is filled with the unknowns that are sure to be there. But I welcome the journey! I welcome the fog I welcome the challenges that lay ahead of me! For I know that its a journey that is worth taking and its a journey that must be faced. I also know that there isn't a time limit, its not a race. Know matter how long I stay in the valley the mountain that awaits my presence is going to be there. And when I have found my way through the fog I will truly be able to see the view and all its beauty with clear eyes. My heart will be purified! My soul will be cleansed! Will I take this journey alone? NO! I'm sure to fail or get lost if I set out on my own. I have guidance, guidance from the one who will never leave my side. From the one who will provide me with the tools that I need to make this journey successful. When I fall or when I get scared all I have to do is call on him and he will lift me above the fog and keep me there until I can see clear enough to press on.

A life out of focus.

Just as I think that I have it all figured out, I fall, I have my feet swept from under me. How many times do I try to put myself back together? So many times I have described myself as a empty shell of a man. Knowing all the while why I feal empty. Knowing what it is that is missing. I have once again pulled the peices of my life back together. Not to fix them or fill them with things but to take them to be mended. To take them to the one place where they can be left and healed for good. To take myself to the one place that I can be filled with what needs to be. That is my prayer...I long to feal full.

No pictures for this one. Just me and my thoughts. If thats not what you wana hear then stop reading.......Strong? Fun? Smart?Good Natured? Big Heart? Trust worthy? Good listener? Good moral values? Did I mention strong? What does all that get you? This.... sitting hrer typeibg wasted wourds on a computer. in just a blink of an eye you can go from fealing completely satified and full to the piont of over flowing to this.....A empty shell of a man. Something is not right with this????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

Parenting 101 ?????

Stop...look ...listen...feal....what do you see? Are you seeing the things that you need to? Most of the time I think that I do see the things the way they are. My biggest fear is to become one of those who become so consumed with their own lives that they cant see what they need to. Its been said that" in all that we do in our lives, if we fail as parents...nothing else is gonna matter". how true is that? You only get one shot at doing it right...... This I do know for certain! (been there)

Look for what you cant see!!!

Some times things get over looked. Day in and day out some things are right in front of us. We look at them and just keep going. But every now and then its nice to stop and take a look at at what surronds us. Not just to look at it....to see it! See it for what it realy is. Embrace every little detail of whats staring back at us. Although views like this one are constantly changing some things stay the same. Things like the lighting, the colors, the clarity...they change. But the foundation, it never wavers. The mountains never change. I have looked at this same mountain countless times under many different circumstances. I cant remember a time that the fog has blocked its entire view. Constant, strong, and always breathtaking. Its ALWAYS there when I look! Even when the night falls on it and the stillness of the dark envelopes the earth, I can still feal its presence. How lucky am I???

UFC. Fake or Real???

Went to Atlanta to watch the UFC fight. First one Id ever been to and thanks to a realy great friend I got to go!!! So this is my question..fake or is it real? At first glance Id have said fake. But after having been there and looking closer at it. Id say its as real as it gets. Nothing fake about and the deeper you look at it, the more real it becomes!

Down town Atlanta was pretty dang cool. No where near as busy as I thought it would be. We went on a carriage ride with cowboy Troy. On the carriage ride we found out where the bars were. Soon as th eride was over....Hooters it was. When Hooters was over we went to Hard Rock. It was cooler than Hooters and they made good drinks. After last call it was off for some walking. We walked to centinial park. Lots of pictures and laughs.....And all that was just a drop in the bucket to the rest of a very memorable week end!!!! Thank You!!!!

PS:

A bit out of order...

To think that I coulda posted this picture a long time ago if only id known then how to get it from my phone to here.

A much needed day in the woods turned into a life long memory. Cold, windy, tired, and loving every minute. I let this big guy walk right on top of me before getting a shot off. The story is so much better if you could live it.....enjoy the pix!!!

Somthin different??

Taking a boat ride today we came across somthing...Something a bit different. A large deer laying dead in the water. With no apparent wounds or injuries it made me wonder just what it was that killed him. Sporting 7 points and some realy good mass in his horns it appeared to me to be a mature buck. I made the coment that "Thats what happens to the good ones" a realy good friend replied "I sure hope not". Talking about two completly different things it could apply to many different things in life. It seems that when a deer of that magnitude reaches his prime they just dissapear. As he layed there lifeless and wet I couldnt help to think how he could have created alot of smiles for someone and yet he never got that chance. He for what ever reason completed his life with no one there to enjoy what he had to offer....

Horse Back ridn for your birthday!!!

Today we went for a horse back ride. About 4 hours is what it took to ride to Twin Falls. I hope its a memeories that will stick with her forever. I try so hard to make her life as a kid good, most of the time I feal like Im doing it well. There are days that I dont feal like i give her all she needs. By the smile on her face id say that this was a good one....There are so many things that I know Im gonna struggle with in the next few years. I knowIm not alone with these battles and many many people have done this before me and many will go thru them long after im gone. The way I see it you get one shot at raising your kids. if you fail...nothing else in your life will realy matter. I just hope that I can stay as conected and in touch with where she is in life as I am right now....

Sunset or Sunrise???

So which is better,Sun rise or Sun set??? For me they are completely different. The sun rise is a sign of everyday being new. That each day is different and it starts fresh. The sun set gives us the oppertunity to look back at each day while its still fresh in our minds and refect on what we have survived with the day coming to a close.

A hunter at heart!

How cool is this? Shes been shooting for two days now. Shes already hooked. The challenge of shooting realy will get in your blood! Although shes only shooting 10 yrds, she hits the target just about every time. It amazes me some of the things she says. It realy puts life into my face. Yesterday when she started, she told me numerous times,"Daddy...I love you". As we were shooting she stopped look at meand said. "You know Im lucky just to be able to hold a bow. Some kids are born with no arms. They couldnt even hold a arrow!" It realy made look at what all we do have and can do. Dont take a single second for granted....it could be gone in a flash!

On a funnyer note , my mom asked her"Are you gonna be as good as your daddy?" She answerd her by saying "No...im gonna be better!" Reminds me of something I read ..."Shoot for the moon, if you miss, at least you ll land among the stars!" (that was #13)

Till next time....be goofy!

???

Didnt realy know how to title this one. Youd think my camera was broken or I had fallen off the face of the earth. Well neither is true ...cameras fine and Im still here. Ive gone back to work so there hasnt been many big adventures to right about. Its nice to be working again, maybe I can get rid of the saddle bags that Ive put on. Most everything is going well. Im tryn to decide on where to take Amber this summer. I keep going back to Bush Gardens in my mind. Myrtle Beach pretty much sucks and dont realy have the extra cash to fly some where. Any way Im sure where ever we go, she ll make it fun. I put in for my Illinois hunting permit this weekend. Me and Bran are planning on going this fall. Maybe for 2 weeks possible just one. Thats sure to be a blast. I ve got a realy good friend whos getting a bike this week so, maybe we can do some riding together. That should bring out some pictures....
I got Amber her very own bow and shes shooting with me. She seems to be a natural at it and seems to enjoy shooting. Thats fun being able to share that together. Shes growing up so fast! Any how things are pretty good Id say. Except for this damn stuff that keeps poping up saying that I need to down load something. Computers can realy suck somtimes. There it went again....

Your Smiling......

Sometimes we loose touch with people and things. We may reconnect with some, sometimes they reconnect with us..... just at the right moment!!

Thanks....Tony!!!!

What a Weekend!!!

Saturday started with a few gobbles from this big bird. Thinking that he had given me the slip. I had all but given up on him when he appeared, on the other end of the field I was hunting, with a hen. I quickly got set back up, with Brandon right behind me this time. The hen did just as she was supposed to and led him straight across the field to us. At 20 yards he stretched his head for the last time. 19 lbs. a 10 inch beard and 3/4 inch spurrs. My Turkey season is done now and Id say it was a pretty good one! You would really have to have the bug to appreciate these birds.

Mathews DXT

I gots my self a new toy...its just under 30 inches axle to axle(realy short) but it bkisters the arrows out of it. Im a bit rusty shooting but, a little bit oil and I ll be shooting like I should be.

Funnest Day of My Life!!!!

My best bird ever....long story!

A Sunday afternoon hike!

The rain stopped and the temps warmed enough to get out and take Amber and Barley for a hike. I dont know who had more fun...dont guess that matters. I know I enjoyed the time I had watching them play in the river. When it was over I had two wiped out kids on my hands! How can a man who has ALL this feal like something is missing??? I realy am lucky to have what I got! To bad every one in the world cant enjoy what I have...

Spring Break!!!!

Spring Break was a blast, We took my daughter and nephew to Keowee for a day on the lake. They did very well. We now have enough fillets in the freezer for a pretty big fish fry. I do hope the memories that we are creating stay with Amber for many years to come. As long as she stays interested in what Im doing I think we will be just fine.

BARLEY!!!!!

Say hello to Barley...my new puppy! 9 weeks old he is soooo cool. A English Yellow Lab hes gonna make a pretty good buddy I do believe. I was looking for a Golden Retriever but when me and Brandon stoped on the back from fishing and I seen him...Well the pictures say the rest. The first night went real smooth, no crying or whinning. He slept all night and never even had to go pee. Hopefully it ll stay that easy! Reguardless....aint he cute????

Jerk baits on lake Keowee!!!

Finaly....the fish were biting when we were there. (even the small ones) They got a bigger as the day went on but never got real big. Good sized ones to filet and throw in a frying pan. We brought home 13 bass to stock the freezer with. All in all I think we caught close to 20 fish. Even though I got smoked and at the end of the day I was down 6 fish. It was a super great day. It tough to keep up with Brandon fish for fish.....

They were hitting Lucky Craft jerk baits. I started with a green backed one. After I was down several bass I tied on a blue one, same as Brandon was throwing and boom! I came back to within one fish of him. He musta gotten scared cause, he turned it on then and put me down 6!

Making of a pretty cool rug!

Im getting this computer stuff to make sense. Her are some pictures of my black bear. 400 lbs. of raw power. This big boar started my 07 hunting season with loads of thrills! Being almost 7 feet tall hes gonna make one heck of a rug......

If you feed'em they will come!

I have deer to watch and learn from in my back yard. This doe and yearling have been enjoying eating from my corn for a few months now. I have seen at least one other young buck that I know is feeding on a regular basis. How cool is this to be able to watch deer from my kitchen window.

Lake Jocasse

Below and above are two (the only 2) Small m0uth bass that I caught. Started out as a clear sunny blue bird day. About lunch time the clouds statred to role in and within an hour it was raining. We fished hard till darkness set in.I caught these two with in a 30 min stretch. All in all it was a great day! Of coarse we could always handle catchn more fish but Im not complaing. My bro-n-law caught 2 as well. The picture on the right was taken the day before from a over look when I was trout fishing. On a clear day you can see all three of the major lakes. This one is lake Jocassee. Smallest of the chain and the tuffest to catch fish on but, it holds some of the biggest fish in SC. Why not fish where youve realy got a chance of getting you string stretched!!!!!! Oh yea....we saw 5 young pigs that day too. Feeding and rooting in the woods along the shore. They were pretty cool to watch. Till next time!

Its getting warmer!!!!

As the days get longer and warmer the sound of thundering motor cycles increase, mine included. I had it out for a few short rides stayn kinda local but man what a great summer its gonna be. There is alot id like to do to my bike such as lowering it a inch or so, adding some saddle bags??? Id like to put a set of custom rims on it and thats about it for now. Dont realy see the need in spending extra cash right now being as work is very slooooowwww! Oh yea ...who wouldnt like a custom paint job!!! Any way its fun to ride.Cant hear the cell phone ringing, no radio broadcasting depressing news and wind blowing in your face. Just me and wide open roads that could lead to anywhere. Im wanting, this summer to hop on it on a Friday afternoon and point it in a unknown direction and just ride. Not knowing where Im going or when I ll stop...just ride till I get there. Kinda resembles life huh! The rallys will be fun to hit. But Im not all that big on crowds. Itd be cool to have someone to ride with once in a while. Cant have it all can we? I ll post pictures of it when I find it!!!!

Sometimes things never go as planned!

The fish wernt playing very fairly today but I think it was a good one after all. This lost dog was able to find me in the river. Scared hungery and cold she stuck by me just close enough to work on my sympothy. She followed me for about 200 yrds down river and then all the way back to my truck. I was able to catch one fish, normaly I would have tossed it back. But with a hungery dog not to far behind me I was able to convince her to come close enough to take the fish. She crossed the river (it was pretty deep and fast) and thats all it took I new then that she was coming home with me. I dropped the tail gate on my truck and our next stop was Mcdonalds where she was treated to a 10 piece chicken nugget meal. I brought her home fed her 2 bowls of dog food and water. Then I took her to the local animal shelter. I hope some ones looking for her!!! I dont know who was luckyest her to find me or me to find her? Good luck pup!

Therapy is different for everyone!

Another good day in the river! 4 fish total this was the biggest one caught. My bro n law caught this one and had another one on that would have went 24 or 25 inches. My question is this why does everyone in the world hunt and fish? O well i guess that means more for us that do.... Therapy you say??? Yea I need therapy, therapy to me is THIS and I ll take all I can get. Matter of fact I think I need to make another appointment....

Finaly...a hook up with a wiley brown! A hard days fishn stated as good as it gets, 3 casts and FISH ON! The next 5 hrs contained 2 runs and one mink. Couldnt get a picture of the mink but he was real close. My brother n law caught 1 brown and had a couple more fish strike. All in all we've had better days but as tough as the fishing been so far...we'll take all the days like this that you can through at us! Just as our trip was coming to a close they seemed to start feeding a little better but thats the way it goes ....huh?

When hunting season closes....

The deer woods are quite now and its time to to go after that trophy brown. With crystal clear water and the on set of a cold front...the fish won this go around but, I,ll be back! So far ALL the fishn been kinda slow. Musky arnt running and the bass, well their bass, they never bite.Turkey seaon is just around the corner and the Toms will be struttn'. Till next time....

Somebody say Sausage?

To be allowed the opportunity to enjoy

fresh sausage from one of natures most keen noses is something that many people will never experience. Being able to share the hunt with really good friends.... well you d have to have been there. What can take place in 30 seconds in the outdoors can take the rest of the day to unfold. Chasing Whitetails in the south can turn into so much more than your average deer hunt. How "lucky" am I to have this steroid free bacon in my freeze. Oh yea....it wasn't cloned either!

No Place Like Home!

Wake up early, walk for an hour and a half, climb to the top of the largest mountian in front of you and "THIS" is what awaits. Makes you realize just how small we are and yet we have such a impact.....