Hunting Update...Deer Season 2012

Long time, no blogging.   Decided to break the silence by giving a hunting update.

I have only been out into the woods on 3 different occasions this season so far, totaling about 4 hours on the stand total for the entire bow season...so, I am hoping to capitalize on these last few days before firearm opening and try and get one hanging.

In the meantime, here is the latest from the Smith's and what is going on here... in our neck of the woods.

Caleb has logged the most hours in the woods so far, even though he is now a freshman at Spring Arbor and not living here at home.  He has been able to come home and hunt on at least 4 different occasions.  About 2 weeks ago, he decided to harvest a doe and get things going.  We decided to donate this one, knowing the season was young and hoping to bag at least a couple more between the 4 of us hunting in the family this season.

I was pleasantly surprised to find out that Zack, my youngest, who has not been our serious hunter, had honed up his bow skills with brother Caleb's help (who has been the more serious hunter) while I was gone last weekend.   Zack has now been in the woods on at least 3 different occasions in the last week, and two days ago, 15 minutes before dark, he had a "wall-hanger" (buck-of-a-lifetime) 20 yards away from his ladder stand...but it never presented a good shot.  Zack handled it pretty well, somewhat disappointed that he could not get a shot off, but still extremely excited to see a buck of this caliber within shooting distance...AND, the best part is that he called this big boy in by grunting and rattling...and was even able to get him to turn his direction when he was heading away by using his own vocal mouth call of a doe bleat...so all in all....Dad is pretty proud of the little guy (well, he's not so little anymore, he is actually taller than me by a half inch).    

Anyway, this is the most recent hunting news from the Smith's.  More to come...we hope.

Catch-all Clean-up

Today I decided to dive into the top drawer of my dresser...which is a serious catch-all...and has been collecting stuff for at least the last decade...maybe longer.  I truly believe my boys especially, are fascinated by this assortment of "stuff", because for years I have been catching them in the act of getting into it...and telling them to stay out of my top drawer, mainly for personal privacy, but partially because I had even lost track of all the stuff that was in there and I didn't want them to discover some lost treasure that I might find one of these days when I got around to it.  Anyway, for whatever reason, today was that day.  I opened the drawer and decided to discover what all was in there, and also because I was running out of room.  To my surprise, among a lot of other stuff, was an emotional experience in the making.
Sure, I found a variety of nick-nacks and miscellaneous items galore, which I won't bore you with, since that is not the point of this blog entry.  What I discovered that was worth writing about was a poignant reminder of how fast time flies and how much I am now wishing I could turn back the clock.
Somewhere along the way I had received 2 small books on being a good Dad.  One entitled, "How to Be Your Daughter's Daddy, 365 Ways To Show Her You Care" and another much like it entitled, "How to Be Your Little Man's Dad, 365 Things To Do With Your Son".  Finding these 2 books stuffed back in the back corner of my top drawer immediately brought me to tears.  First of all because they were stuffed way back in the back corner and had not been removed in years and then right along with that and all mixed in with the emotion was knowing that time had indeed slipped away.   Being my daughters daddy and little man's dad is basically history...chapters of my life that are mostly gone.   Then at the same time discovering a pile of wallet size pictures of my kiddos over the past few years and having the visual evidence right before my eyes of just how fast they had indeed grown up.  It was too much.   But that wasn't all...I kept finding more things that continued to drive home this same message.
My own Dad, somewhere along the way, had sent me a copy of an article from Christianity Today, in a section of the magazine called "A Father's Heart", and an article entitled, "The Little Things".   He sent it to me to encourage me to treasure the time spent with my family and protect it and not neglect it.
And then I found a "TUIT"...you know, a round tuit.   One of those little coin-like things you keep in your pocket and pull out at that perfect moment (which I don't think ever actually occurs, except in movies) when you catch somebody saying, "I will take care of that when I get around to it"...and then you casually take your round tuit out of your pocket and hand it to them nonchalantly and tell them to "Get ur' done".  The TUIT kinda did me in too.  It all came swirling down and just nailed me.  The whole drawer was throwing signs at me from different angles that kept telling me my kiddos were not kiddos anymore...that my time as a daddy was soon to be, if not already gone....that my times for using these books as practical suggestions of things I could go and do with my kids was now so outdated that they were irrelevant...gone...done...history.   The round tuit wouldn't even help.  I couldn't do these things when I could get around to doing them...they just were not even a possibility anymore.
So I sat and stared at this stuff causing me to think back on my past years as a "daddy", and I began to reflect.  Sure, time had indeed slipped away, and sure I am a bit of a work-a-holic and there were missed opportunities that I now wish I could go back and do over and re-live and re-prioritize the time spent with my kiddos, and yes I feel sad about these things.  But, guess what I also realized?  I realized that even though I may not have been the perfect father, I do have a lot of great memories and if I needed to refresh my memory of these past years, all I had to do was pull out the 2 drawer fulls of pictures and spend a day looking at them all. (by the way, I think that was one of the 365 things in the book I could do with my kids...so maybe some of these are not outdated after all).   I realized that I really love my kids and am really enjoying the age they are at right now too, and the talents and skills they are developing and the young adults they are becoming.   And, I also realized it is not too late to still be their daddy...and maybe won't be until we get to heaven.

Do you ever think these kind of thoughts when you clean out your top drawer?  Just wondering.

Where moth and rust destroy...and earthly items don't last

Vehicle problems or maintenance have been very abundant in my life lately...not only personally, but also for the campground, so consequently I find myself overwhelmed and mildly frustrated.  I am thinking a horse sounds pretty good...maybe even a bike...but unfortunately I have heard horses are high maintenance and moody and a bike leaves nasty skid marks.
What I have been reminded of is that we should not put our trust in material things and find ourselves captivated and addicted to the material world.  Every time something I value gets destroyed, vandalized or otherwise de-valued in some way, I find myself once again reminded of these truths.
This has been driven home with the transportation in my life over the past couple months.  If it is not one thing, it will  be another, and it is never ending.  My hair is getting grayer and less abundant by the minute...and my sleep is being disrupted.
A couple months ago, the boys were on their way home from school and one of the hundreds of deer that regularly hog the road, caught Caleb by surprise and left its mark (literally) on our "new-to-us" Honda Civic.  I had not even had time to think about getting comprehensive insurance on this vehicle, since we had only owned it a few weeks and I had called very quick to get the PLPD coverage.  So...I had to fix this one without the help of insurance, and most of the work was done myself...(with a little help from a local body shop...and Rene' even pitched in one night when we were tearing it apart).

Just this past weekend, the Malibu found its way into a ditch, along slippery roads, as Emily was on her way to babysit one evening.  Fortunately, insurance will cover this one...but it is totaled, so now we have to find another vehicle.  The bad news on this vehicle is that I had just got it "up to snuff".  Had it in the shop to repair a couple issues I could not deal with and I had gone through and fixed a few minor items and performed regular maintenance just a couple weeks prior to the accident.  But, moth and rust, with a little help from us...are destroying.
The good news:  In neither case were any of my children harmed at all.  OK...Emily did have a slight bruise and Zack still sees deer flying past him on a regular basis (but his drooling and twitch are getting much less pronounced).  Seriously though, I thank God for His protection on my family that occurs regularly as they commute 30-40 miles daily, back and forth...but especially for the protection that occurred with these two accidents.
Here is the lesson to be learned, and of course I am preaching to myself here, to once again get this into my brain:  In Matthew 6: 19-21, Jesus tells us that the treasures we accumulate on earth are susceptible to moths and rust, but the treasure we store in heaven is safe. He also notes that where we store our treasure is where we store our heart.  So, how do we go about storing up treasures in heaven?  Making deposits in people, loving and caring for people, being more concerned about people and their future in heaven...than stuff.

Don't Let Jesus Get Lost in the Shuffle

So...just what is this, you might ask?  Let me tell you the story, and how it ended up causing some thought and ultimately "preached".
This little piece of wood was found in a box of Christmas lights as we were putting up our Christmas tree.
Rene' pulled it out of the box and laid it up on the table and I ask, "What is that?"
She responded, "That's Jesus...that got lost in the shuffle."  I immediately knew what she was talking about, and we just both looked at each other quickly, because of what she had just said, and we both knew that what she had said....would "preach"...in a round about way...and after we had time to think about the significance of what she had said, but had actually meant in another way.  If you didn't quite understand all that..well, I am not sure I did either...so I will continue.
This is actually a little carved piece of wood that was part of a nativity scene.  This particular piece of wood is the "Baby Jesus", that was laid in the manger of the scene.  In the shuffle of a Christmas past, this piece had gotten lost and ended up in the box with the string of lights, after somehow being removed and lost from the manger where it should have been.
So, why does this preach?    I am sure you also have already figured it all out and already got the point...but for the sake of those who may have not....here are the thoughts that came oozing through the gray matter, all at once, as Rene' spoke those words which carried a lot more suggested meaning than one might at first think...and maybe only after really thinking about the hidden message that might be for all of us to consider at this time of the year once again.
So, before I try and explain the thoughts that immediately raced through my mind when Rene' said those words, let me begin by asking a question.  Why is this time of year so dog-gone stressful and hectic?  I don't really understand why we have allowed it to become the crazy, fast-paced, shopping frenzy, party-packed time of year where winter and snow and presents and food and lights and stores and traffic and rushing and hustling and bustling and parties and programs and mailings and travelling and tinsel and holly and whole lot of other things that on their own are not particularly bad in and of themselves, but when all thrown together in a one-month period of time...end up spelling Christmas as we have come to know it.  I don't know about you, but every year I end up feeling guilty about what Christmas has become.  Not all of it...but most of it.   And I often wonder how God feels about it all.  And I often feel like I am a Scrooge for feeling this way...so I try and justify some of the better parts of it all...and then I come back around and enjoy parts of it...while down deep inside I still feel like we have just got parts of Christmas all wrong.
And how does all this relate to a piece of wood found in a light box?  When Rene' said, "that's Jesus...that got lost in the shuffle"...all of these thoughts and more raced through my head in a split-second and they all came rushing down at me instantly saying,  I am guilty of losing Jesus in the shuffle...and I don't like it.
I believe there are a whole lot of very good things about Christmas, things that Jesus would be pleased in, and  might do Himself, if He were here now.   I think we should "intentionally"  be about "those things" and make them the priorities of the season.  What are they?  I believe we probably all know what they are...and could list them.  So let's do it!  And then let's do those things...and not let Jesus get lost in the Christmas shuffle.

EGD

Gotta thank my awesome daughter Emily for going with me to my 2nd EGD!   Oh the fun and excitement of medical procedures!   Also, a big thanks to Em for snapping such an awesome picture of me that I will cherish for years to come!  (Truth be known, I do not mind this procedure at all...in fact, I kinda like going into and coming out of the anesthesia...except for knowing you were photographed in the midst of it...although, it could have been a lot worse).  And, here is the best part.   I did not find out until later that same night, as Emily was telling the story, that the doctor and the nurse both came in while I was "still very loopy", after the procedure, and I was acting very out of it and responding to things they said or did in peculiar ways...and she says I ask her multiple times if she got her homework done (which she had been doing in the lobby while she was waiting).  Needless to say, I don't remember any of it.  All I remember is walking out of the building and getting into our car to leave...the rest is not part of my memory....except for the stories Emily told me.

Pre-Christmas 2011

 

 Cousins involved in the Living Nativity at Somerset Beach Campground.  They had a lot of fun putting some real drama into the program this particular evening.

Here are a couple pics of our trip to Arend Tree Farm in Brooklyn, MI...after we spent a little time finding a tree.  A fun tradition...and we were especially happy to have Emily with us again this year.

Thanksgiving 2011

This was our year to head to Greenville and be with my side of the family for Thanksgiving.  CK, my sis was already there a day early, since Kayce, her daughter, is a freshman at GC this year, and she got there ASAP to be with her.  We all rendezvoused at one of our favorite places in Greenville, Mario's Pizza.   If you have never been to Mario's Pizza in Greenville, then you need to go if you ever get to Greenville.  It is traditional italian family recipe pizza, straight from Sicily...and it is not just put on a conveyor belt and sent through an oven.   It is oven cooked in a large oven where we have watched them move the pizza's around and "tend" them and pat and poke them, etc...which we believe must have something to do with why their pizza is so good.
Nevertheless, we also have "traditional" activities when we Smith's and Oglesby's get together...including, the playing of "Scum" (a card game where we get to, or have to wear funny hats if we are the "King" "Queen" or "Scum" for that particular round) (and we have started taking pictures of each trio of hatted individuals...especially since facebook became so popular in our family.
We also tuned-in to the Thanksgiving Day Macy's Parade, watched UofM Football defeat Ohio State (GO BLUE!!!), took in a movie together (this year we saw the new Muppit Movie), had an awesome Thanksgiving Day Dinner (Thanks Mom for all your hard work in making it special for us again!!!), raked the leaves for Mom and Dad, and spent the rest of the time relaxing!  Oh, I did get to do a couple fix-it jobs for Mom and Dad, but mainly just helped them figure out they needed a new VCR/DVD player...and then hooked it up for them.
My nephew, Benton, being the working man that he is...was with us for less than 24 hours, as he had to come late...and leave early to get back to work Black Friday.  (Gotta love it...) (Actually, you won't get me anywhere near anything having to do with Black Friday...and if you know me...you know I am serious!) Anyway, a big thanks to Benton for going out of his way to be with us for the short amount of time he was able!   It was great to see him!
All in all, our time together was short...but sweet.  Love being with my family...and we had a fun time together!