November 2009 012

November 2009 012, originally uploaded by trlrover.

November 2009 008

November 2009 008, originally uploaded by trlrover.

November 2009 002

November 2009 002, originally uploaded by trlrover.

November 2009 011

November 2009 011, originally uploaded by trlrover.

November 2009 007

November 2009 007, originally uploaded by trlrover.

November 2009 006

November 2009 006, originally uploaded by trlrover.

Chris' Eleven point trophy buck he shot 11-15-09.

Bennett Springs

This was the 2nd annual camping trip with the Medley family, this time landing us at Bennett Springs in Lebanon, very close to home. The Medley's left on Thursday evening to get a spot (and it was a GREAT one!) before they were all consumed as it was Free Fishing Weekend. Chris, Aaron and I went up Friday afternoon (Austin had plans elsewhere) after the Huggler tent was pitched and the bathrooms found...it was time for Bryon to work his magic on the open fire. We brought t-bones and ribeyes, they had HUGE potatoes. I'm really sorry for those of you reading this because it is hard to comprehend how delicious this meal tasted. The boy can cook!!

The back drop was absolutely perfect. A breeze keeping us cool, trees engulfing the campsite, polite neighbors (unlike last year's trip), along with great conversation and laughter! I, unfortunately didn't get to 'camp' as I had obligations at work so I just commuted Friday and Saturday. I caught up on some reading, snacked, and got caught in Grace's excitement over snakes, losing her flip flop in the river (a nice gentleman rescued it), the raccoon that successfully opened the massive food storage container in the middle of the night. Seriously, Lisa said it ate a half a bag of marshmallows and dragged a loaf of bread under the truck. Yep, she had soooo much to tell. It was really a wonderful, relaxing weekend despite my missing a large part of it.

The guys pulled on their waders so they could trout fish. Aaron had been looking forward to this for quite some time. He came back full of excitement, along with wet socks! Hahaha!!

Mom went up with me Saturday morning, we weren't there very long when her best friend Brenda (she has worked at Bennett Springs for several years) found us. She sat down with us girls, enjoying lunch with us and we discovered it was Brenda's birthday. Of course we had to sing!! It was so cool :) Judy, Lisa's Mom pulled in Saturday afternoon, it was nice to visit with her as we hadn't seen her in a long time! Her and Grace ended up going for a nature walk. I opted to stay at camp and read but when they came back, both girls were bubbling over with stories!! Judy looked hot and worn out, Grace looked like she could fall over but I'll bet they would have done it again..LOL!!

There were so many cool memories made this weekend...yep, even with Gary's 'Jethro' belt as he called it. The s'mores being consumed as the smoke blinded me! Or how about all the kiddos playing, riding their bicycles or the sense of security in this very full campsite. It was amazing.

This is definitely God's Country!

Pretty Pedals

Lunker Brown...Part II

Austin's brown trout came back the end of March and I must say the Taxidermist did a great job! Yes, it is hanging in the living room :) a must see for everyone that walks through the door!

Finally, (sigh)...Bryon loses!!

I told Bryon I would be blogging about him being the Loser, finally! Bryon and I are very competitive when it comes to playing games. He (barely) kicked my butt in Scrabble, dethroning me as Queen. Then forced me to lose in Monopoly...ha.ha!! So when the guys announced they were going upstairs to play a game of cards...Lisa and I followed. Aaron started out at the table but I ended up taking over (during the practice hands) and of all things ended up being Bryon's partner when the game of Pitch began. Chris made the comment that whoever plays with Tammy will lose. I was not overly ecstatic with that statement as you can imagine but I played my heart out and WE lost not only the first game but the second one as well. The best part of this? We being partners didn't dare make fun of the other about losing. Bryon suggested that the Medley's vs. the Huggler's and see what happens. The Huggler's won! Bryon once again LOST! WOOHOO!! I was soooo happy that Bryon wasn't the one basking in the glory of ME losing. So, for the last game we once again switched partners, Chris and Bryon vs. me and Gary. By this time I was trash talking 'cause it was so much fun to see the frustration written all over Bryon's face..LOL!! Yep, you guessed it, Gary and I won. It didn't matter who Bryon was partnered with, this definitely wasn't his game.

Oh, Bryon...how does it feel to be the L~O~S~E~R? Sucks, huh?!

Squirrel Eatin'

The story goes there was a pesky little squirrel that was bothering Bryon...so he gave Austin a gun to rid the situation. BANG..BANG!! The pesky little squirrel is dead. End of story. Well, or at least it would have been for most. Aaron runs out to where the squirrel lay and picks it up by the tail, proudly carries it towards the house. This is where I'm freaking out..."put that down, wash your hands!" He grins from ear to ear and almost in sync the boys ask "can we eat it?" I'm really freaked out yelling "no, gross!" and all the while trying not to cuss. Of course, Bryon and Chris immediately tell them to go ahead, clean it good. I am throughly disgusted! My boys eat a rodent? GAG, GROSS, PUKE!!! It just so happened the grill was going so the squirrel was thrown on there, all spiced up (as if that could help) and when finished, brought into the house where the four guys devoured it. Aaron kinda gagged at one point because Austin didn't get all the hair off of it!!! Now, that didn't necessarily make me gag but I did laugh. Oh, the joys of country hunting boys!

Got Gas?

This is definitely a story worth telling, so sit back and enjoy the laugh. The month of February has been kinda rough at the Huggler Hacienda, with sickness and car troubles. About three weeks ago, Chris went out to start my car as he takes it one week a month for his carpool and discovered a flat tire. He used some fix a flat in it and drove it to Marshfield where another one of his carpool buddies drove instead. That same morning, it was very, very cold so while Austin was in the shower, I, being the sweet mommy that I am, grabbed his keys, headed out the door to start his truck. It acted like it didn't want to start and then struggled to stay started. I told the boys as I came back inside that I didn't think the truck was gonna stay running. Sure enough, Austin came back in a few minutes later and said the truck wasn't running at all nor would it attempt to start. Great. Fabulous. Marvelous. I grabbed my jacket and we all stuffed ourselves in Chris' truck, heading to school, not to be late!

So, for two weeks we shared a vehicle. I just so happened to be on the 7-4 shift at work so Austin would run me to work before school then pick me up after school. It worked out ok for us but was a pain in the butt as I had to spend my whole lunch hour in the deli at work. Granted I work only two blocks from home but when the wind is howling and the temps in the 30's, this chic ain't walking anywhere!!

Our friend Ronald, along with Chris, towed Austin's truck to the local garage for a fuel pump replacement. After a couple of days, the garage called and requested Chris to come down so they could 'talk' to him. Holy Crap...when someone wants to talk to you in person...well, it can't be good. So, he loaded Austin up and away they went. A few minutes later they were back home....

...home with a truck that was in the garage, supposedly getting a brand spanking new fuel pump...BUT instead it went straight to the gas station because our teenage genius ran the tank COMPLETELY out of gas. We are talking not one stinking drop of fuel! So, it cost $40 in labor just to inform us it needed gas to fully run. Now, in all fairness, the gas gauge hasn't worked for a long time but the trip works great to keep track of the fuel mileage, a daunting task that I'm sure a certain seventeen year old will now be more aware of.

After the shock wore off, and the tank was finished slurping up every last bit of fuel it could handle...he is on the road again.

Ahhh....got gas?!?

Amish Buggy

This little Amish buggy pulled up to the Market, I grabbed my camera...isn't that what every good, efficient scrapbook-a-holic does?

a Tree is just a tree....

Ok, so this isn't the greatest picture in the world but I couldn't get pulled over to get a good one. This funky tree is on the side of the road between Springfield and Strafford, it is a favorite of mine. Looking at it's unique stature, standing out there all by itself, makes me wonder how it came to lean like that. One of these days (when Chris is driving) I will take a great picture for a scrapbook page :)

Mistaken Identity

Allow me to introduce you to my dear friend and co-worker, Marissa. Her and I have been mistaken for one another since I started working there in Sept. '06. Literally, we have faithful, repeat customers that come in several times a week and call us by the wrong name. We just got the the point of laughing it off. We call each other 'sister' and more than once has her daughter or my son came up to the wrong parent, starting a conversation then realizing they had the wrong 'mom'!!! So, now to avoid confusion, they all address us as mom.

This morning I had just finished checking out boxes of krispy kreme donuts to one of those repeat customers and as she left, she said "Thanks, Marissa! Have a good day!" Yep...mistaken identity.

Sassy Sisters - January

Brenda hosted the January meeting of the Sassy Sisters. We walked through the back door (cause back door guests are best!) and the aroma of homemade chili filled the air. She had a beautiful table set and offered some very hearty chili, perfect for a cold winter's day and some of these yummy little smokies in some sort of sauce...gotta get that recipe. Wanda brought a berry pie and we sat down to a game of scrabble, my absolute favorite board game! Well...Wanda, the old lady (ha..ha) of the 'sisters' flat kicked our scrabbled brains! If you meet up with woman, the one thing you should probably know is she is not as sweet and innocent as she looks!

Seventeen

January 10, 1992 was the day God made me a Mommy and Chris a Daddy. We had NOT a clue what we were in for but it has been one sweet ride! Austin Caleb came into this world singing a wonderful little melody and has continued to move to the beat of his own drum.

From the moment he looked at me and pressed his little lips together, flashing those dimples he inherited from Great Grandma Schulz...I could feel my heart melting. As he was laid in my arms for the first time, tears stung my cheeks and I remember feeling as if my heart would burst because I didn't think it could hold THAT much love, it was so intense!

A lot has changed in the last seventeen years, he is no longer playing with hot wheels as they have been replaced by a real set of wheels. He has grown into a pretty cool young man and Chris and I both agree, he has made us proud!

Happy Birthday, son! We love you!

Two Little Piggies went to Market

Jan 2009 040, originally uploaded by trlrover.

Yesterday was the day. Bacon and Pork Chop had a 'date with destiny' at the Meat Packing Plant. Chris and Bryon took the day off so they could wrangle them into the trailer and head to town...yeah, they aren't kidding anyone, they went hunting too :-) I didn't hear an exact weight but they were estimated around 300 pounds.

Bacon and Pork Chop were raised on the Medley Farm and although Chris and the boys were out there quite a bit, Bryon and Lisa did the majority of the work. We know all of the hard work, $$$ and time invested in these filthy animals (boy, I forgot how much pigs stink!) not to mention having to get out to do chores in the freezing cold or wading through the mud and the muck.

So, we are sending a huge shout out to them to say "THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING" , seems pretty inadequate for all they've done but it is greatly appreciated : )

Get this party started

We had entirely too much fun on New Year's Eve!! This is proof...as you can see Bryon is holding up what they (he and Chris) polished off during the evening. I can hear Bryon now, protesting that saying "but you drank too" and yes I did, ONE Jack and coke. Chris was supposed to be the designated driver this year but once again...failed :( It's all good...I can be a total dork without alcohol!

We all sat down, getting involved in a great game of 'Springfield' Monopoly. No matter who we play Monopoly with, I am ALWAYS the first one out within the first hour. So, when the first hour flew by and I was still in the game..yea! for me. Lisa was the first one out (sorry!), then Aaron (whom Chris bartered and finagled with so he could stay in the game) was next. Chris barely hung on with a just a few one dollar bills keeping him afloat (see above photo). Soooo, imagine my amount of enthusiasm when Bryon and I were the last two standing! Incredible since I only owned five pieces of property, three of which had houses only. I totally, by Monopoly grace, slid around that board like nobody's business. Then IT happened...my pitiful little dice rolled me right onto Bryon's property with a bazillion hotels on it. I was done for. Bryon let out a yelp and announced that it didn't matter WHAT game I played with him...I would always be the L-O-S-E-R...it's okay though...didn't burst my bubble a bit as when all was said and done, I was ecstatic to have been in the game for nearly SIX hours!!!!! WOOHOO!!!

Alright, I'll accept 2nd place but one of these days when he least expects I will win and then watch me dance :)

Happy New Year!!

Blog out of whack!!

Alright, so there is something major wrong with my blog! I tried to change the layout and it chopped some of my pics in half, sideways and upside down. Then, last night Lisa and I tried to remedy it and I find that it is worse at the bottom of the page. Not sure how to fix it but there's my story and I'm sticking to it..ha..ha..any suggestions, I'd appreciate hearing from you. I'd like to get my blog back to normal, until then, just use your imagination!! Until next post...see ya!

Here's what I chose

Remember back in November when I won that $50 gift certificate from Micheal's Designing Jewelers in Springfield? Well, the day I had my biopsy done, Mom and I stopped by their little shop and checked out the goods. My heart was set on a pair of sapphire earrings but then I went around the corner and spotted IT...the beautiful "flat" pearl necklace. I had never seen "flat" pearls before, but I resisted as I didn't want to buy something on a whim. So, I came home and told Chris all about them. The day after Christmas we ended up making a trip to Springfield so I could bring these unique jewels home! The gift cert. ended up taking care of the necklace but my husband bought me the matching bracelet :) He should have known I'd bring home more pearls!!