Before I get in to my weekly flab to fab rant- let us digress for a moment -or many moments- to be in awe of this woman, Natalie du Toit. The shortened condensed version is that Natalie is the first ever woman amputee to compete in an able-bodied Olympics. Her story is amazing, inspiring, and much better than anything that I could possibly have to write about today. If you have a spare few minutes, read her story. She has said, "I still believe in myself as a whole person." (Photo: Laureus World Sports Awards) This is the quote that hangs on her wall:The tragedy of life does not lie in not
reaching your goals;
The tragedy of life lies in not having goals to reach for.
The tragedy of life lies in not having goals to reach for.
I think I am in love with this quote.
I think I am in love with gummy bears again too- you know that bag I mentioned not liking last week? Well, try and try again. I just couldn't give up on those bears. No need to worry, attempt after chewy, sugary attempt of taste bud training and our relationship has rekindled, good as ever.
Back to having goals....
Whew. Do I ever have a new goal to reach for today. The major dilemma is deciding if I want to reach for it. Earlier, my husband called from work with a, "You had better sit down for this."
I should have known. A similar phone call came about a year ago, only it started with a "congratulations!"
It is that time of year: summer coming to a close, school starting, fairs happening, ripe tomatoes in my garden and cool nights. It all brings us to the one downfall of my favorite time of year, fall. It is the thorn in my side. It is hunting season.
Are you shaking? Are you crying? Are you weeping and wailing?
Last year's phone call:
Him: Congratulations!
Me: On what?
Him: You drew.
Me: Drew what?
Him: On your hunt.
Me: What hunt?
It should be noted, I had not ever hunted before, had never necessarily wanted to hunt. However, I did at this point own a gun that my husband had lovingly bought me for Christmas the year before- because, you know, I would use it so often......
Today's call:
Him: "You had better sit down for this."
Me: "Uh-oh. What?"
Him: "Just sit down. You aren't going to like this."
Me: imagining a speeding ticket, unexpected bill, loss of job?? "Ok. I am." I wasn't.
Him: "You drew on your hunt........."
My husband's work allows him waaayyyy too many opportunities to peruse all that the state of Idaho's hunting regulations have to offer. Last year, he decided his 6-month-pregnant wife would really enjoy hiking and crawling, (yes, I am serious, crawling-I believe "real" hunters say stalking), through sagebrush in the hopes of shooting an antelope and then feeding her family the meat throughout the winter. Against the 90:1 odds, I won. Luckily for my entire family, and several speedy antelope, I am a terrible shot.
This year, he decided to go for the big one. The hardest hunt to draw on. Nearly 1000 desperate hunters put in for their chance at a few tags. This woman who couldn't care less got one of them and her elated husband got another. Here we go again.
I know that I am being a little cruel to the man I just gushed over a couple days ago, but really- how am I supposed to go hunting with a baby attached to my chest? Because really- there is a baby attached to my chest quite often.
He has good intentions. He says he wants us to be able to spend time together....rriigghhhttt. I do like going with him into the great outdoors- I just don't know that I necessarily need to be shooting at something.
What to do? What to do? I would burn lots of calories hiking. And since I just mentioned an exercising activity, this post now counts as my Thursday flab to fab check-in, but really, I want to know what you all think. Are there hunters in your family? Do you hunt? Would you hunt?
THANK HEAVENS my husband is not a hunter...knows nothing about it and has no desire.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with this one...how lucky can one get?!?! :)
Yeah, not much hunting in San Antonio...I've never thought to be thankful for that until just now. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteI am SOOOO thankful I married a city boy in this department. Although living in the area I do, he gets a lot of offers ALL the time. But so far he has no desire to go hunting. He does like to go shooting however, which is just fine with me. I don't need a stinky skinned animal hanging in my garage and then having it carved on my kitchen table. Yuck! I know all this because my dad used to hunt and I remember coming home from school and wanting to throw up at the bloody skinned carcass hanging in the garage, and I hear horror stories all hunting season from my sisters husband. I'm not an animal activist or anything I just have one word to describe the whole hunting experience GROSS!
ReplyDeleteI love it!!I love that he said "Congratulations you drew on your hunt"!! My hubby is also a hunter and thought it would be a fun experience for us to go together. I went once and have not been back. He could not understand why I did not think it was so much fun! Good luck
ReplyDeleteSigh...I am a 'hunting widow.' My hubby is leaving in a week, and will be gone 9 days (archery), then will more than likely be gone several days in October as well (rifle). I have gone big game hunting once, but didn't have the chance to shoot anything. Todd would LOVE for me to go with him, but I have 3 kids at home, 9, 7 and 3 that I just can't leave for a week. And yes, I have been one of those wives with a skinned animal hanging in the garage. I do hope that he bags a deer or an elk this year, hopefully both, because my kids LOVE the meat. I on the other hand, will stick to beef :)
ReplyDeleteGood Luck! No my husband isn't a hunter and I am so grateful. For one I cannot eat game meat. My grandma once made barbecue sandwiches out of elk meat and I ate my sandwich thinking it was delicious until they told me it was elk and I promptly threw up. Do I realize that I liked it ? Yes. Do I realize that this is all in my head? Yes. Am I going to start eating elk now? Not a frickin chance!!! Have fun on your hunt! :)
ReplyDeleteMy husband is not a hunter. He has been hunting a couple of times with a friend, but that was fine for him. I can sympothize with you though because at one point in my life I was with someone who all he wanted to do was hunt. He would get up in the morning and go hunt, go to work, and go back out hunting after work. And if he had a day off, he was hunting. I personally, HATED it. Once in a while is fine but when you whole life is consumed with hunting, TOO MUCH!!!
ReplyDeleteMy husband is an avid hunter. The first hunting season of our married life he got an elk and two deer. Last year he got three deer. Before getting married I had very little exposure to wild game. Now we regularly have a freezer full of it. I don't like it. At all. I can't hardly eat the steaks and I've taken up adding LOTS of garlic to the ground meat.
ReplyDeleteI have no problem with him liking to hunt and going. I would just rather not eat the results. And I really, really, really don't ever want any dead animals displayed in my house. (I know they are considered "trophies" to some people, but to me they are just dead animals.)
My husband hunts as well and I to went one time, I believe I was pregnant and now although i don't like being left home to babysit the kids i would rather stay home and sleep in as much as they will let me than get up at the butt crack of dawn, bundle up and go hike around. it is nice that he wants to spend the time with you instead of just hanging out with friends which is what makes it a hard call but i feel your pain. good luck with that I loved your post it was funny because it hit so close to home
ReplyDeleteI don't hunt and have no interest, and thankfully my husband doesn't, either.
ReplyDeleteHowever, time spent WITH your husband doing something he loves (even if you don't) is time well-spent. Then he can reciprocate for you later!
My maternal grandfather is a hunter and so are all of my uncles. I remember several times as a child seeing that poor deer but thinking, mmmm...jerky! For as many years as I can remember they always have a huge hunting trip.
ReplyDeleteMy husband's family is filled with hard-core hunters. They have dead animals ALL over their walls! They are bow hunting at the moment - in August!!! It's just a good thing that Kolby is in medical school he has absolutely NO time to hunt! Out of all the boys, he likes it the least, so I have never been too worried about it, but we don't even see the rest of the boys for the entire season. Well, good luck with your dilemma! By the way, how do you crawl with a pregnant belly?
ReplyDeleteLaughing Laughing Laughing. I must say... Im kind of glad that I got the not so motivated hunter out of the 5 highschool buds. ;) Thanks for your comment. No I did not make the cake... maybe if I had time and no kids to bother me but yeah that's not going to happen. lol I found this lady that does it out of her house and I LOVE HER. Here is a website to help with birthday ideas. I really loved it and got most of my ideas from it.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.birthdaypartyideas.com/
Have fun!! (If you want to do tutus. Let me know and I will tell you everything you need to know. Very easy and cheap.)
LOL I love it. It sounds soooooo much like my husband. He bought me a halibut fishing pole....halibut! I don't eat fish but he thought I woud enjoy going and standing in a boat with five other guys, trying to pull this 2000 lbs fish off the bottom of the ocean, while also pregnant...like nine months! I didn't go.
ReplyDeleteI would not go hunting if you were breastfeeding. You give off a certain smell FYI. But my hubby would love to come shoot it in your place. :)
But we are a hunting family. My hubby is going moose hunting in a couple weeks. Should be good meat!
My husband reminds me almost everyday how many days are left until hunting season begins. He'll be jealous that your husband drew on a hunt. He never gets that lucky.
ReplyDeleteEvery year when he gets something we ALWAYS end up cutting up the meat late at night. Trust me, I'm pretty grumpy when this happens. This year I told him we are taking it somewhere to be cut and wrapped because I am no longer a butcher. :)
I do like the meat though. Elk meat is so much leaner than beef. We made some into hamburger and it was sooo good!
I share your pain!!! I actually grew up in a hunting home. I think my hubby married me because he thought I would go hunt. Although, we got married opening morning of the bow hunt and spent our honeymoon on Kolob Mountain hunting, well kinda! I have the big dead animal on my wall, should have seen it when it was in our first little teeny tiny apartment. People used to come and knock on our door to see what the shadow was in our window! But yes, I feel for ya! My hubby has 3 tags to fill this year, but they are hunting in central Utah and I am going to go and stay at my sisters the whole time. So I am not to sad, but what to do with 2 elk and 1 deer???
ReplyDeleteBlogger Rachel H. said...
ReplyDeleteTHANK HEAVENS my husband is not a hunter...knows nothing about it and has no desire.
Good luck with this one...how lucky can one get?!?! :)
**DITTO**
Hmmm, that's a good question. Luckily my dh knows that I would never hunt. I love the outdoors... just not so much the morning and the mud and shooting of animals. Good luck deciding what to do. Perhaps someone could keep the baby for you and you could go to keep him company or take your camera instead. It's gotta be better than going while 6 months pregnant! ugh.
ReplyDeleteSo glad my hubby is not a hunter. He is a city boy. I remember when my dad used to hunt and there were skinned deer hanging from the rafters in our garage. Very disgusting. I am just so glad that I can go the grocery store and buy meat that I don't have to cut up or grind myself. Kudos to all you who can and will.
ReplyDeleteI'm not a hunter. My husband is not a hunter. If my husband put my name in a drawing to go hunt and I drew, I would probably shoot him. But that's just me.
ReplyDeleteAs for flab to fab checking in, I'm not dieting anymore because I reached my goal weight. Unfortunately, maintaining is harder than losing! I have the mindset that "now I can eat more!" But I still can only eat so much before I start gaining weight again. It's a delicate balance, and that's something I need to work on.
i can just c ur prego bod crawling around with a gun. it's just awful...although great amusement for thos of us reading!
ReplyDeleteas for the hunting thing, i'm not so sure it's my thing, but hey, if you really want to go...congratulations!
oh, and good luck and better shot than last year!
Good luck with the alone time - I have enough hunters in the family to be able to picture Jason's enthusiasm, your face at the news and even you crawling...err stalking your prey!
ReplyDeleteNo surprise to know that my hubby is not a hunter or cook or really anything to do with food.
We're city folk at heart, and no hunting for us! If my husband even SUGGESTED I go hunting while pregnant I would for sure have him committed. :)
ReplyDeleteI had to laugh, I have the same feeling as you do. Yes, my husband is a hunter and in fact has already hunted in Oregon, before Idaho opens up this weekend, and then once again in October he will head to Wyoming, and in November to North Dakota. I feel your pain. With three boys (2 of which are born in the middle of Idaho Hunting season, one opening day, which at the time he stayed home for that day, but for ever the rest of our lives, my husband will be hunting my sons birthday! - He too has mentioned it me going with him, as of yet, I haven't. I hate being cold, and have a vivid imagination in which I can only imagine being attacked by something I would rather not. So yes I feel your pain, and though you are in search of good advice, I would like to know what is it, because three kids by myself for who know how many days gets tiring. So I will think of you this weekend, as both of our husbands are chasing something, I am praying they can find in the first hour and be done with it!
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, thank you for the link to Natalie Du Toit - what an amazing story!
ReplyDeleteAs for the hunting issue, this has been a source of MUCH contention in our home the past few years. I'm very solidly against it (it's a personal belief on how I want to raise my family, but I don't care what others do) and my husband promised me when we were dating that he would stop hunting when we had children. Well my little boy is now 4 years old and my husband continues to pressure me every fall to let him go, under the pretenses that it's the only bonding time he ever has with his semi-absentee father. What to do?
THis is hilarious! My husband used to hunt a bit back in the good old Idaho days, but since we live in Ohio...it just ain't happenin'! Anyway, good luck with the decision and SERIOUSLY what are the odds?!?!?
ReplyDelete