The Alaska Trip

You step off the airplane in Valdez, Alaska and realize instantly that “God lives here.” Now, I am a firm believer the God is everywhere. But, if he could only be in one spot this would be it, and I knew it at my first glance off the airplane. From that moment on it only got better. Life is a series of moments, and some stick with you forever. Some fade with time and others are imprinted upon your soul and remain vivid for the rest of your life. The birth of your first child and your wedding day are events that imprint upon your soul, and so is your first hunt in Alaska. It had been a dream of mine for years to travel to Alaska, and even more so to hunt Alaska. When my buddy Justin called to ask about the trip I was hooked instantly, I just had to figure out how to make it happen. Through some sacrifice I was able to make it happen, and on Thanksgiving Day of 2009 I would board a plane to Alaska. The flight was uneventful, save my anxiety at wanting to get there much more quickly than the airlines would carry me. Our group consisted of Justin Harrison, Jason Zerrer, Kris Schaumburg and me. I was flying through Atlanta to Seattle, but the others were meeting up in Houston. So I was on my own until Anchorage and would arrive there several hours before their flight got in. We all finally arrived in Anchorage only to find our flight to Valdez had been cancelled and we would have to catch the flight out the next morning. Not, too big of a deal since we would arrive well before shooting time, but it our group was stressed to no end. We all wanted to start the hunt.
The next morning we were lucky, the plane flew without a problem, and after a slightly bumpy flight on a very small plane we landed in Valdez. The hunt could begin. We were greeted at the airport by Brian and Tim, our guides for the trip, and quickly shuttled back to the lodge. On arrival at the lodge we were served wonderful home cooked breakfast sandwiches and we dressed for the hunt. Once we were dressed we loaded up the boat and headed out of the port. It was the beginning of possibly the most memorable experience of my life.
. As we left the port we were accompanied by a pod of Dalls porpoises, and that was breathtaking by itself. The water is the most amazing blue and as clear as a crystal, and it is buttressed on every side by these massive mountains that fall right into the ocean. It is awesome. The first day was a microcosm of the whole first part of the trip The first hunt took a little while to get underway, but the Barrow’s Goldeneye were cooperative and a Common Goldeneye showed up allowing us to bag both in less than an hour. Greater Scaup and several other species provided some shooting opportunities. But the star of the show was the scenery. Our shooting was less than stellar, but the view lacked nothing.
Day two was the one we’d been waiting for, we had a pretty long boat ride out, but I knew a short time out that it was worth it. The Harlequin, Old Squaw, Black Scoter, Barrow’s Goldeneye, and even the odd Bufflehead made it a true red letter day. And we would finish up with a bag of birds that would make any person proud. I spent hours on a rock next to Jason Zerrer having the time of our lives, shooting decoying ducks and taking in the most awesome scenery God could devise.
On the last day we were on a mission. We still needed a Harlequin or two so we took out in search of them. Ultimately, we succeeded in doing just that along with bagging a few more Barrow’s Goldeneye and a few nice Surf Scoters along the way. That final hunt was also a remarkably memorable experience, but I am certain I am boring you all with details and you’d rather see a few pictures rather than read all the gory details. So I will wrap it up by saying; after the hunt we headed back and packed up, and the twinges of separation set in. I do not know yet when I will be back, but only that one day, Lord willing, I will.

Jason Zerrer on the rock Day 2.


Group Photo on Day 2, from left: Me, Justin Harrison, Kris Schaumberg, Jason Zerrer


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First Day of Kindergarten!

Ok, so the girls and I have been talking about the first day of school for over a month now. I wanted them to be excited about kindergarten. It seemed like everyone was ready. The night before we started laying out clothes and boy Janna knew right away what she wanted to wear. She even knew how she wanted her hair fixed and what shoes would look the best. She was so excited. Julia on the other hand couldn't decide. So after about an hour of not having an outfit picked out. Gordon and I said forget it we will pick something out in the morning. (I already had in my mind what I wanted her to wear and we had even talked about it a while back.) So morning comes around and we wake the girls up and the first thing out of Janna's mouth was "Can I get dressed now?". Julia just wasn't ready to get up. So after breakfast and brushing their teeth it is finally time to get dressed. Janna was ready in a heartbeat. She knew it was going to be picture time soon. Julia, Gordon, and myself probably had a mini WWIII. Nothing fit right according to Julia. (Julia recently has been wanting her clothes to fit a certain way.) After a major breakdown and getting close to time to leave we finally told her she was going to have to go to school in her panties. So out the door we took her. She was not happy, and finally while standing in the garage in her panties she decided it was time to surrender. So I slipped the dress on her that I had already decided would be the best dress for the first day of school, and off to take pictures. Here is our first day of kindergarten picture.

A lot happening!

So this week mom and dad are moving up here. How exciting! This will be the first time since school that I have lived near my parents. I'm not sure who is more excited me, them, or the girls. I have always wanted to live near my family. If we can only get Peggy and Gordon here it would be complete. However, they are the only people I know with a pool and it's so hot they can stay in Brooksville until summer is over. I'm looking forward to July 4th weekend and I know the girls are too.
Next week I start on my masters. I can't believe I'm finally doing it. I'm getting nervous. It's been so long since I've had to take study, write papers, and get grades. I only have 18 months and then I will be done. I'm sure time will fly just like it does with everything else.

Little girls with bling!

This past weekend was quite a blur. We had a severe thunderstorm that damaged a lot of homes and left even more without power. My sister Mandy and her family was one of those. They lost power Friday and Saturday morning when it still hadn't come back on we invited them over for dinner and a place to rest in the air conditioning. Before all of this had occurred Janna decided it was time for her to get her ears pierced. Her dad and I were going to hold off a little while thinking she would forget about it. Well she didn't so Saturday when their cousin, Amelia, came over while her parents took care of things at their house off we went. I was really surprise how well she did. I think I was more scared than her. She sat in the chair squeezing the teddy bear and on a count of 3 she got her ears pierced. She didn't flinch or cry. Wow! I know you may be wondering about Julia. Well she really didn't care one way or another if she got hers done. With that said, once she saw Janna get hers and not cry she was ready. She sat there holding the same teddy bear that Janna held and waited for the count of 3. She didn't cry either. I guess my babies are now little girls. They have done really well with the earrings.

Wow, the school year is gone...

and Melissa and I are officially the worst Bloggers ever. Not one post since the first day of School, oops.

So a lot has happened since August, I passed the Bar exam and became an Attorney in October; Melissa had a successful stint in her first year as head softball coach at Hillcrest; the girls had a great first year of school; Melissa and I were blessed with a great Christmas thanks to the love and support of our family; I was offered a position with a small firm in North Mississippi (Hernando to be exact) and we decided to relocate to take the job; and all that occured from August to February.

After February things have really picked up steam. We put our house on the market; Melissa's parents sold their house; I moved to Hernando (the girls stayed back until school was over); Melissa was admitted into the Masters of Education program at Ole Miss; and she took a Special Education inclusion position for the 9th grade at DeSoto Central High School; and this weekend I am moving everyone to this crackerbox rental house until we can sell ours in Jackson.

So, the updates have abounded and I'm sure I've left out some important detail. But, most of all we need to try and keep this thing updated so I will endeavor to make an entry at least once a week.