My Happy Place (When I'm not at home of course!)

Here are some pictures of my view from tree stand. It is a very peaceful place with lots of wild life. It is not uncommon to see wild turkeys, squirrels, coyotes, kestrels, hawks, ducks, geese, owls, fishers and my favorite deer!

This is the view straight in front of the stand

This is the view to the right (this is where Ariel shot her deer)

This is the view behind the stand (Where I shot my deer this year)

This is the view to the left of the stand

My Opening day Button Buck and the first of many delicious meals

I was blessed with harvesting a beautiful button buck during evening stand on opening day of private land shotgun/rifle season. Yet again our freezer will be stocked with healthy, delicious venison. I truly am blessed!

This was the first meal we enjoyed from this deer.

Venison Tenderloin with Glazed Carrots, Hot Sopressata, Spicy Cabot Cheddar and Pomegranate Arils.

A Virgin Hunter No More!

Yesterday was the second of the State JR deer hunting days for 2010. I was unable to take Ariel out on the first one as we were celebrating my friend Phil's wedding in New Hampshire so I promised Ariel that I would do everything in my power to take her out this weekend. I was worried about my work schedule but my daylight hours were kept open so we left the house well before sunrise and were sitting in the woods by 05:30.

I was excited to spend the day one-on-one with my daughter as we have many times before but today was going to be different. The reason why is because for the first time in her short 12 years of life she was allowed to be the hunter and not just a spectator. Today was just for her and we were both excited to see what events the day would hold.

We were greeted early by a large flock of wild turkey's which graced us with their presence for about 30 minutes before moving on from the woods and into the hay fields. We were up in the "Grand Stand" and cuddled together to help keep each other warm in the 28 degree F. morning air. While sharing some simple conversation I spotted a decent buck walking parallel to us at about 80 yards. He never presented a shot but we were happy just to have seen a deer during our first trip out. About 30 minutes later Ariel spotted a doe walking the same route as the buck had followed by another doe who presented a shot for me but thankfully for the deer I was not allowed to have a firearm with me as it was a day just for JR hunters. Ariel raised her rifle at one point but due to some small branches decided it was too risky to take the shot with her .243 so we resolved to watch the deer as they worked their way through the woods and around the pond.

We decided to head out of the woods to get some food in our bellies and met up with my friend Jayson and his son Ryan for breakfast. Ryan shot a beautiful 8 point wall hanger last Saturday during the first JR Hunting day so we were excited to finally get a chance to hear first hand about his adventure from the previous weekend.

 After breakfast we ran a few errands and headed back out into the woods for night stand.

The we were back in our stand at 14:00 and it was much, much warmer than in the morning - it was almost 65 degrees F. We settled in and I explained to Ariel that it would be closer to 15:30-16:00 before the deer would start moving again. 

Once the sun started settling into the tree limbs the temperature immediately began to drop and I informed Ariel to get ready the "magic hour" was upon us. She rolled her eyes at me thinking I was trying to be funny but quickly realized that I was serious when the first of 2 deer came crashing through the woods and the brook behind us! 

The deer were on my side of the stand and Ariel had to get in a very awkward position to try and take a shot as the deer was standing in the brook. Her first shot was high (It was at this very moment I realized I have never had her shoot at an angle from an elevated position - a mistake on my part) and the deer jumped into the brush between us and a pond wondering what just happened. The second deer began to move through the thicket and crossed into the brook at the same section as the first, Ariel felt confident and prepared for another shot, she took her time and when the gun went off the deer mule kicked and appeared to me to be a good hit! I responded to this when Ariel informed me she had missed - I really doubted her and when we saw the deer again it was acting very funny and looked injured to me. I informed Ariel that she needed to take another shot and I was able to stop the deer by in a gap between the trees by bleating and this time her aim was true. I saw the deer was down and the emotions began to set in for me - I had just watched my daughter harvest her first deer at 12 years old!

As we were making our way out of the stand and to the deer Ariel explained that the deer was jumped onto the shore just as she was squeezing the trigger and that she thought she may have under it. I was unable to see any visual damage to its legs but I assume that some gravel may have bruised its legs when the round hit under it.

We walked up on the deer and verified it was a clean kill then walked over to the edge of the brook to make sure there was no sign of the first deer being wounded (we actually had a chance to shoot the first deer while taking care of the one that was down but due to the fact I had to leave for work we let her walk.) Ariel was calm, cool and collected during the entire process which surprised me but made me proud and a little envious at the same time - I still come unglued at the seams when I see a deer while hunting!

We spent a few moments admiring the deer and expressing our thanks for the ability to provide for our family with the meat this animal would provide while acknowledging the bitter sweet moment of knowing we were responsible for ending the life of a living creature. These emotions are very important to me and I explained to my daughter that these emotions are normal and that if she ever loses the possession of these emotions that she should stop hunting. I enjoy hunting and raising animals for meat but there has never been a moment that I have been happy with the physical act of ending the life of a living animal and I always do my best to show it the respect it deserves. I hope that my actions have been noticed by my kids and that as discussions with them about it will always be fresh in their memory.

I am proud of how my daughter handled her self today and that while filling our freezer with fresh venison she showed she is still a soft hearted person and especially that she shares my interests in life which include all things hunting and fishing.

Congratulations to both Ryan and Ariel on harvesting their first deer, I pray that you both manage to have years like this throughout your life but remember to enjoy the time you get to spend in the woods admiring all of the beautiful nature that surrounds you whether you get a deer every year or not.



Little Annie Oakley

I finally was able to get a weekend off from work recently and spent Sunday as a Daddy/Daughter day.Since my vacation earlier this year I haven't had much time to enjoy myself and hang out with the family, work has been very busy - which is a blessing (I am extremely thankful for my job - I just grow weary of the 80 hour work weeks).  I received an invitation to sign Ariel up for a Junior Hunting Day Pheasant Hunt last month and after discussing it with her and we decided to attend.

I use to enjoy bird hunting but now that I no longer have a hunting dog I have focused on bigger game and waterfowl so I was excited to have the chance to introduce Ariel to a form of hunting she had never seen. Ariel and I made a couple trips to the range to practice her wing shooting skills and when the day of her hunt came I felt pretty confident she would feel comfortable with the gun and enjoy her time in the field.

We woke up early on the day of her hunt and went out to breakfast together. I am always amazed at how chipper she can be when she is getting up at the crack of dawn to go hunting or fishing but is generally miserable when she gets up for school! We enjoyed the 90 minute drive across state during which we talked about what to expect, listened to music, beat each others arms up with VW "punch buggies" and generally basked in each others company.

When we arrived we signed in and a safety inspection was performed on her firearm, then she was tested on what she learned in her hunters safety course earlier this year. Once the safety orientation was completed the sent us out to the trap range so they could verify she knew proper gun handling and safe operation of her firearm. Ariel has been around firearms since she was very little and knows the importance of safety first and practices it at all times - she made me proud and her diligence towards safety was notices by the instructors at the event also which I learned later in the day.

We were finally heading out to the field where we would meet the instructors, dogs and handlers she would be working with. We arrived at the check point out in the field and another safety lesson was given as well as instructions about hunting with a dog. There were several types of dogs which were being rotated between groups, a German short haired pointer, several labs and a English springer spaniel. Ariel was paired up with a young boy named Greg and as they headed out you could tell they both had butterflies in their tummies as they were excited, nervous and full of anticipation!

The first bird that went up was a big cock pheasant, he launched himself into the air and headed right towards the group of people standing at the field check point. Ariel had her gun at the ready but was aware of her surroundings and stopped herself from swinging which made me proud and was a great relief to the instructors (there was an instructor behind her who would have stopped her gun from following through if needed but there was never a need to intervene.) After an adventure with the other shooter (for another time I don't really want to post it here) Ariel was up as the primary shooter again. Her bird exploded into the air and as it took to flight the sound of her gun echoed through the field as the bird came crashing back down to earth! Ariel had just successfully shot her first pheasant. It was a hen pheasant which might not have all the shiny colored feathers but are beautiful in their own special ways. Everyone congratulated her as she held her bird and admired its feathers. After several minutes we moved on to the next field and another large rooster was flushed, the primary shooter missed and Ariel followed up with her shot but the bird continued on flying all the way to the wood line to roam free another day!

The sun was high in the sky at this point and before departing the field area the instructors told me to go back to the check in area we were finished eating. When we arrived at the club house area there was an instructor who was taking the birds and cleaning them for the kids while teaching them how to do it for themselves -  Ariel watched and listened as he dressed out her bird despite the fact she has seen it done time and time again with chickens, ducks, geese and an occasional turkey. Once her bird was finished they wrapped it up and we put it in the cooler I had in my truck with some ice to keep it cool. We washed up and enjoyed a nice BBQ style lunch that the sportsmen club provided for us. After we finished eating we enjoyed conversation with several of the other families that were there then we headed over the the check in station as we were instructed by the field guide. Much to our surprise they were waiting for us because they wanted Ariel to go back out and fill her second tag. The instructors and dog handlers were so impressed/comfortable with the way Ariel conducted herself they wanted to give her another chance to fill her 2 bird limit!

As we walked back to the truck I was full of emotions, I remember my first hunting trip as a licensed hunter with my dad and know that the memories made today will be cherished by Ariel for years to come. There was also a lot of pride, pride in the fact that my daughter was kind to those around her, safe and conscious of her surroundings at all times, an excellent shot and just proud to be her loving father! 

We cleaned her second bird and made our rounds thanking everyone who made the day possible for her and headed home. Once we were in the truck we discussed the days events, the lessons learned and thanked God for the day spent together and the yummy pheasant dinner that was now in our very near future!

The sound of Silence

This past week has been very quiet around the home-front while the kids are away at summer camp. Ariel went to New England Keswick this year with her best friend Taylor while Alex chose to go back to Pine Brook with his cousin Noah. Rebecca and I have been enjoying the quiet time spent together and thankfully my schedule has allowed us to actually see each other this week which made the week that much better. I have to admit I miss having my kids around and not just because they help with taking care of all our animals but I'm grateful that they choose to go to camp every year. We forgot to bring a camera with us when we dropped them off but I did manage to get a couple pictures of Alex with my blackberry before leaving.

Boy's Night Out

Thanks to my crazy schedule I have been lazy with finishing my posts and putting them up here on the blog. Today I am getting my company vehicle serviced so I decided to take a little time and share my night out fishing with the Boys last weekend.

I took a vacation day so I could enjoy some time relaxing over the holiday weekend and on Friday afternoon I drove down to the shore and went on a charter fishing trip with a couple of my cousins and a family friend.

The weather was beautiful which made for calm seas, a spectacular sunset and an overall great night on the water. As it was the 4th of July weekend we also had the enjoyment of watching over a half dozen different fireworks displays along the CT and Long Island shorelines. The fishing wasn't as good as it had been on previous fishing trips but I still enjoyed spending time with everyone. The crew of the charter boat were a pleasure to be with and they made our trip that much more enjoyable - I think a family trip with the kids next year is definitely in our future.

The Pitter Patter of Little Feet...

Or should I say the "Lack Of the Pitter Patter of Little Feet!" In no way are we expecting - that would take a miracle! The kids have been on vacation in sunny Arizona with my brother Stephen and his family the past 2 weeks. This has made the home front very quiet with the exception of the regular crowing of the roosters of course.
I have still been dealing with back pain but I am feeling much better and have been busy with work as well as lots of chores around the house. I also have several posts that I started with some of our vacation adventures that I hope to finish and share with everyone in the near future.
Till then I am keeping myself busy with Ariel's chores caring for the chickens. I have a broody hen that I am going to try to let hatch out some of our eggs and see what kind of strange mutant mixes we end up with.
The kids have been enjoying themselves and will have some great memories of the time spent with their Aunt, Uncle and cousins. I am very grateful that my brother "adopted' the kids for the past 2 weeks and especially for the opportunity for them all to get to know each other better.
Hopefully I will find some time to finish a post or two before they come home and I look forward to posting some of the pictures from their many adventures as well.

An Extraordinary Life - All things Abe

An Extraordinary Life

That was the banner above the photos of Abraham Lincoln.

One of the things Alex was most excited about on our vacation was the chance to visit the Lincoln Memorial. Alex has been infatuated with the 16'th President of The United States since he first learned about him several years ago. The Smithsonian Museum of American History had a lot of information and displays that were about Abraham Lincoln which kept us all intrigued for the first day of our museum tours.I think what intrigued me the most was the "life masks" that they had of him. There was one that was cast during the first year of his presidency and then one that was cast less than two months before his assassination. It was sobering to see how much his presidency visually wore on him and aged his body. I realize that society has changed a lot since the 1800's but I think that our current Government officials could stand to take a day off to spend some time at the Smithsonian Museum which is within walking distance from their offices and get a refresher on American History and learn what it takes to be a true "Man of the People."

After seeing how much his physical appearance changed over his Presidency and all the trials and tribulations he faced throughout his lifetime not to mention the stress his family faced with laying his body to rest (it took 36 years which is longer than I have been alive) is the reason I decided to use the song "I Am Weary (Let Me Rest)" in the slide show.

Weekend with Miles the Monster - Let's Go Racin!

Here is a slide show of pictures from our weekend at the races in Dover Delaware. It was a combination of NASCAR Truck Series and Nationwide Series Races as well as qualifying and Practice sessions from the Cup Series. We had great seats and our favorite drivers - Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick had their pit stalls right in front of our seats so we were able to catch all the action of their pit crews during the race! Kyle won the Pole Position for both of the races we attended and ended up wining the Cup race on Sunday as well! The kids really enjoyed the Hospitality Package that we purchased with our tickets. It's called "Take a Kid to the Races" and included games, rides, give aways, food and lots of other fun activities.

Below is a video of Kyle Bush's Victory Burnout after he won the NASCAR Nationwide Series Race on Saturday!

I think we will be making a yearly trip to Dover for our NASCAR fix - the racing was great, we were able to see the entire track from our seats, the people at the track were great and we were able to exit the track in less than 20 minutes rather than the normal hour of grid lock!

Blackberry Delight

No this post is not about a delicious dessert but as I am typing about tonight's events it makes me as happy as harvesting the first handful of summertime treats. I am laying here in bed in pain but still smiling after hanging up the phone from a conversation with a complete stranger. This stranger was named Mrs. Michele Simms and she was a blessing to talk to.

Why would I talk to a stranger you may ask, well it all stems from when my blackberry went missing while I was on a crowded metro train last week in Washington D.C.
I assumed it would never be seen again. Immediately after realizing it was gone I used Rebecca's cell phone to call AT&T's customer service and have the line suspended.

Normally losing my cell phone wouldn't have bothered me but the hard drive on my laptop recently died and I hadn't taken the time to transfer all my contacts from my blackberry to my new hard drive so with the loss of my phone I also lost 5 years worth of contacts and information.

After returning home from our trip I have been either in bed or at the Dr's due to my back injury. I was very surprised when I checked the voice mail for my home business line and found a message from AT&T with the phone # of a woman named Michele who needed to talk to me because she had something that belonged to me.

You guessed it she found my Blackberry and wanted to return it to me! I had been praying that it wasn't stolen and that I had just lost it and hopefully would some how recover it but I admit my prayers weren't said with much faith that they would be answered. So my first response was to ask God for forgiveness in doubting His caring about the little things in my life after that I called and left my contact information with Mrs. Simms! After missing each others calls I decided to give her one more call tonight and this time we connected. I am very grateful for her act of kindness and really wished there was something I could do in exchange for her kindness. We ended up talking for a few minutes and she told me how she had come across my phone and saw the picture of the kids on the display. We had a nice conversation and after I told her about the blessings in my life she agreed and exclaimed "God is good!" We continued our conversation for a few more moments and despite never meeting her in person I can honestly say that this woman loved God and that she made an effort to live her life in a manner that others would see this.
The past several months I have been conscious of my actions and have been trying to be kinder to those around me and live a life more becoming of Him, while this has not always been an easy task I can take comfort in and learn from the kindness of others. It may just be a small electronic device that brought us together but the lesson learned was so much more! Thank you Mrs. Simms and I look forward to meeting you some day and hope you are blessed for your kindness and selflessness.

This is a picture of the Rainbow that we saw the evening I lost my phone while driving from the Nations Capitol back to our hotel in Virgina it just seemed fitting to include it into today's post.

Racing and Hospitals and Chiropractors - Oh My!

We arrived home at about 02:00 this morning from our fun filled family vacation. We were able to stop into the 2nd location of the air and space museum on Friday morning while in route to Dover. The museum is located at Dulles Airport and was featured in the 2nd Transformers Movie. The kids were very surprised when they entered the hangar and as we walked around I was amazed and found a few surprises of my own. Friday and Saturday we had a great time and really enjoyed watching the kids as they experienced their first Nascar races at the Monster Mile!
We were extremely thankful for the great weather we had all week and the ability to travel without any issues. I went to bed last this morning and was feeling a little sore and my lower back was bothering me - when I woke up later in the morning I was in a lot more pain but decided to take it easy and stayed in bed. After about an hour I was in so much pain I could no longer hold back the tears and decided it was time for a trip to the hospital. Rebecca took me to the hospital. I was released from the hospital and the only thing that was different was I had been given pain medication to help with the discomfort. Rebecca called our Chiropractor - Dr. Curry at his house and he met us at his office and was able to adjust my spine and pelvis which provided some relief and helped me walk without assistance. So now I am home in bed and despite being given a doctors note to stay out of work this week I am going to try to get some sleep and see if I am able to perform my scheduled jobs tomorrow. I know my evenings will be spent relaxing until I am feeling better so I will begin posting some pictures of our vacation adventures throughout the week.

Vacation week leaves little time for Internet

I have taken lots of pictures this week of our adventures as have the kids. Thankfully we are enjoying every moment of our vacation and I have not had much time for the Internet - thus my lack of posts. Don't get me wrong I love sharing my adventures but I think I will take the time to post some of the photos when I return so I don't miss out on anything while we are still on vacation. The past several days have been spent enjoying all the different museums, yesterday we spent the entire day at the zoo and today we showed our gratitude by visiting Arlington National Cemetery. We also walked to several of the different monuments today. The only down side of the week was today on the Metro I had my Blackberry stolen (or it some how fell out of my holder unknowingly) I was using it for directions when we entered the tunnel for the Metro and shortly after arriving on the Mall I realized all I was left with was an empty leather case! Tonight we went and visited our friends Matt and Christa who live about 5 miles from the hotel we are staying at and enjoyed a delicious home cooked meal while relaxing with friends - Well Rebecca and I relaxed while Matt played tag games with the kids out in the tennis court. Tomorrow we are going to try to visit the Air Museum at Dulles airport and then we will be off to the NASCAR Truck race in Dover Delaware in the evening.

Road Trip

We decided to take a road trip this year for our family vacation and spend a couple days in our Nations Capitol - Washington D.C. We packed our bags yesterday and after a great night's sleep we took once last trip to the chiropractor and hit the road. The kids were excited not only to be going to D.C. but also about all the sights on the ride there. They were able to take in the Manhattan sky line for the first time this morning and get the reality of what I consider filthy city living! We took our time driving today and enjoyed the nice driving weather.

Once we arrived at our Hotel we drove into Old Town Alexandria and loaded our Metro smart cards for our daily commuting. I decided that rather than hang out in our room we would drive around and get to know the surrounding areas in the Capitol. The kids were amazed at the sites and sounds and enjoyed catching a glimpse of Arlington National Cemetery, the Lincoln Memorial, Capitol Hill, The White House, as well as driving up and down both sides of the National Mall. I think the highlight of my night was when I drove past the Pentagon and Alex realized that it was a real place - not just something out of the movies! I look forward to the next couple days of getting to wander around the museums, memorials and not only entertain ourselves but get an education doing it. I will be sure to take lots of pictures and hopefully give everyone a couple of updates throughout the week.

Earth, Wind and FIRE!!!!!!

No, this post is not about music - it's literally about Fire! It has been very, very windy and has finally stopped raining the past few days here in the North Woods. Today I was working from my home office and due to the wind we had a brief power outage which caused me to lose my Internet connection for a short period of time. I decided to make myself something to eat for lunch and while standing in the kitchen I noticed something orange in my neighbors property. It took a moment for my mind to process what I was seeing - Fire! My first thought was is my neighbor crazy burning on a day like today but I quickly realized that this was not the case. I called 911 and got the fire trucks rolling and then Rebecca and I started pulling hose to knock down what we could. When I first saw the flames it was a small area burning and within a few moments the woods were ablaze. The local fire department showed up quickly and started positioning their tankers along my neighbors driveway and the other neighbors back yard and after about 2 hours all the flames and smoke had been eliminated. One fire man stayed on site for about another hour to ensure there were no hidden hot spots. When all was said and done it was close to an acre of woods that burned and for the most part there are only a few trees that were a total loss, most of them were evergreens that once the flames ignited the sap there was no getting near them! We were all so involved with helping fight the flames that we didn't take any pictures until it was all over and Alex asked if we could take pictures of the fire trucks before they were all gone. I am very thankful that we were home otherwise it would have been much worse especially once we realized all of our neighbors were unaware of the situation.

Alex's Racing Career

It's that time of year again - Pinewood Derby Racing! Alex came home several weeks ago with the flier that announced the date for the Awanna Races. I made sure the next week he had the money to purchase a couple of the pinewood derby kits that they provide (one for race day and a couple to use as rainy day projects we can do together as a family.) I sat down with Alex the next night and we decided on the basic design he wanted for his finished car and then we shelved the kit and thanks to my work schedule being crazy I totally forgot about it! Thursday afternoon Alex asked me if we were going to work on his car and I ensured him that we would work on it Sunday afternoon. It was at this point that he informed me that the race was tomorrow (Friday) night and that Sunday would be to late! Thankfully with some 11th hour dedication we were able to finish most of the car Thursday night and with a final layer of clear coat Friday morning we were guaranteed a starting position Friday night!

We arrived and registered Alex's car which he named the "Mach 18" and weighed in at 3.1 ounces. Alex was up against some serious competition but was all smiles as he realized that they were all friends. He ran a total of 4 race heats and finished 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 2nd (there are 4 cars that run each heat.) Despite his great runs they have moved into the 21st century and have begun to track the times/speeds of the cars which determines who moves into the finals now rather than the average of each cars heat race results so his race career ended early which actually worked out well as I had to go to work.

We all had a great night despite the disappointment of not being one of the top 3 finishers. On the ride home we talked about the different cars everyone had built and the excitement of finishing each of his heat races without a single crash, we also reflected on how well his car ran despite the limited time we invested in its construction. I think what stood out in my mind from the evening was the fact that despite wanting to win all of the kids were cheering for each other and the good sportsmanship that was showed all evening between all the competitors.

Homeschool Wood Shop

The regular readers of this blog know that we are a homeschooling family. This year Rebecca's father decided to perform a wood shop class with Alex and his cousin Noah. They spent several Thursday's working with their Grandfather and this past week we got to finally see their completed projects. For this project the boys built multi-compartment bird houses which will be hung in the yard where we can hopefully watch the miracle of life this year and many years to come.

Here is Alex and Grampy posing with the completed bird house in the back yard.

Me hanging the bird house with the help of my climbing tree stand and admiring the view along with Alex and Dad's handiwork.

The final placement and view of our new bird house

Battleship Cove

Today we decided to take a family field trip to Battleship Cove in Fall River, Massachusetts. It was a cool spring day and perfect for a day of fun and education. I have to say I was in awe of the entire exhibit - I have driven by it year after year but never stopped to take it all in. The exhibit is made up of a PT Boat Exhibition Hall, The Battleship-Massachusetts, The Destroyer-Joseph P. Kennedy Jr, The Submarine-Lionfish and the Missile Corvette-Hiddensee. There is also a 9/11 Memorial, The Fall River Carousel and the ever present gift shop. The Battleship was amazing and seemed to go on forever, I began joking that we were lost as we kept going deeper and deeper into the hull of the ship when I noticed that Rebecca looked a little panicked! I decided it was time for us to go topside and had no issues convincing Rebecca that it would be nice to get some of the fresh air out on the main deck! We had a great day and enjoyed touring all the ships. If you are interested in more detailed information about the site and the ships you can find it at: http://www.battleshipcove.org/

That slight tug on your heart.

Have you ever felt that slight tug on your heart or the nagging feeling that a simple call to someone is needed? I have had more than one occasion when I honestly felt that God placed someone on my heart and in my thoughts so that I would be able to lift them up during a tough moment in life. Some times a simple call to let someone know you are thinking of them can make a huge difference in their lives. I recently heard this song on the radio and it make me stop and think of the times I have been made aware that me taking to time to listen to someone else has helped someone and wonder how many times it has made a difference without me knowing. I realize how quickly life is moving around us and how easily it is to be distracted or caught up in our own lives but I think if we all took the time to listen for that still small voice and tune into that slight tug at our hearts for those around us the world would be a better place.

The Name of the song is "The Call" by Matt Kennon

Mixed Emotions on a day over taken with green

Happy Saint Patrick's Day - What exactly was the original reason for celebration you may ask?

St. Patrick's Day is celebrated on March 17, his religious feast day and the anniversary of his death in the fifth century. The Irish have observed this day as a religious holiday for over a thousand years. On St. Patrick's Day, which falls during the Christian season of Lent, Irish families would traditionally attend church in the morning and celebrate in the afternoon. Lenten prohibitions against the consumption of meat were waived and people would dance, drink and feast—on the traditional meal of Irish bacon and cabbage.

While I may be of English/Italian decent I have had the pleasure of personal celebration on March 17th most of my life as it was my fathers date of birth. Since his death on Valentines day in 1993 I have found St. Patrick's day to be bitter sweet. While I always enjoy wearing my green "Erin Go Bragh" hat every year I also find myself wondering what life would be like if my dad was still here with us.

While Corned beef may not have been the traditional meal of the Irish (back then only the rich lords of the land could afford the salt required to preserve meat) we as New Englanders have always had a way with making a boiled dinner into something mouth watering not to mention the awesome things that become of leftovers especially my homemade corned beef hash! I must admit I indulge in corned beef dinners throughout the year but watching my kids sit around the table on St. Patrick's Day with a plate full of Corned Beef, cabbage, potatoes and carrots transports me back to my childhood and the celebration of my dad's birthday, trying to be the first to butter his nose and my fathers yearly disapproval of me and my brother smothering our cabbage with ketchup!

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Every year I learn to focus more and more on my life's blessings while still honoring my fathers memory despite there always being a feeling of sadness when I realize the joys my family would have if he were still alive. I realize that he can't read these words but they make me feel better so...
Happy Birthday Dad - I miss you and Love you but most of all I wish you were here.

My 2008 tribute

My 2009 tribute

The Apple Of My Eye!

The past 3 days Ariel has been attending the State of Connecticut's hunter safety course at the Franklin Wildlife Management Area in North Franklin, Connecticut. Today was the last day of the course and was spent on the shooting range and taking the final exam. I am proud to say that she not only passed the exam she put 6 of 10 rounds into the target on the rifle range and actually shattered one of the clay pigeons on the trap range!
Knowing that she would be unable to handle any of my deer hunting rifles I decided to take a trip to the local Cabela's while she was at class today and surprised her with her very own Savage Arms youth model .243 which she has already proved she can place a round into the paper with!

I can't wait to spend time with her at the range and watching her zero in her new rifle. I am even more excited about the possibility of watching her shoot her first deer this year. She truly is the apple of my eye and I am very grateful that she shares my love of the outdoors.

Nine is Fine

I am always amazed when I look at the pictures of my children from the last 12 months and see how much they have grown. Yesterday was Alex's 9th birthday and we celebrated the day together as a family. For his birthday dinner we had authentic pulled pork taco's and per his request for dessert his Aunt Jackie made lime cheese cake.

I have been blessed with two amazing children and they are both special to me. I am very lucky to have a Daddy's girl and a Son who looks up to me the same way I looked up to my father as a child.

Alex,

You are the best son a Father could ask for. I remember the day that you were born and the excitement when I realized that I would have a boy to follow in my foot steps. I remember asking God to hold my hand as I raised you so that I would make the right decisions in the same way you hold my hand while we are hanging out together. I pray that you will learn from my mistakes and that I will be a Godly example to you as you become a young man. I am proud of you and thankful for your kind heartiness. I look forward to watching you mature year after year and hopefully some day seeing you graduate, get married and even start a family of your own. For now I want you to enjoy being a little boy (despite growing out of all of your clothes!) and have a great time throughout your ninth year of life. I love you.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Love,

Daddy

Lego Fest 2009

Things have been crazy around here and I haven't really had a chance to share any of our daily events. I was thinking about what I could post so everyone would know that were still here when I realized that I never posted any of our pictures from Lego Fest 2009. We had a great outing together back in November and were amazed at all the life sized figures built with nothing but Legos!

Just like their Father - Accidents waiting to happen!

Everyone who reads this and knew me as a kid knows how accident prone I was. I like to think that I wasn't accident prone but a child who made bad decisions - most often in an attempt to produce "Shock and Awe" in those around me, thus resulting in a love hate relationship with plaster casts most of my adolescent years! Well, here I am after 35 years with two wonderful children who are doing their best to carry on my legacy! This year has been a tough year for sledding as it has been single digits most of the time and the snow seems to drift off of the hills before we have a chance to pack it down. This has been a deterrent to many a child but my kids have a shortage of fear sensors (or common sense) which has made for some entertaining adventures and thankfully as of today no trips to the emergency room - although we have had a few close calls! In case you were wondering Ariel's sled left the ground and touched back down over 15ft later, she came out of her sled and traveled about 5 more feet before coming to a windless stop! I ran down the hill and verified that she was OK - she was still trying to catch her breath and after doing a few quick checks I led her in a game of "Simon Says" until she realized I was goofing around. You will see in her interview she is a good sport and loves her Daddy despite my constant teasing.

Family Photo Shoot

Every year we talk about getting our yearly family photo taken and every year we push it to the end of our to-do list. I realized that it had been a while as I was looking at our denim family photo and realized how young the kids were.(Rebecca and I haven't aged a bit - well I have but I haven't grown up yet!) This year I made it a priority and nothing was going to stop me - not even getting paged into work as I was walking out the door to go to the photo studio! Here are some of our favorites - the photographer was nice and spent a full hour with us which resulted in lots of pictures. Here are some of our favorites - fun house style!