Taking That First Step

It's hard to get started back blogging after letting it go for so long. It's very much like trying to get started back on an exercise routine after you've let yourself get all flabby and out of shape. When that happens, the best you can do is just make yourself take that first step. May, June and July went by without a blog post and I'm determined to not let August get by me as well. So here goes nothing!

I'm very sorry you haven't heard from me, but life has overwhelmed me lately. I wish I could say it's slowed down but... not so much. It continues at break neck speed.

One of the problems is figuring out where to start. So much has happened that I couldn't possibly do it justice. By the time I could find the time to tell you about all that, more stuff will have happened. So here's the abreviated synopsis. Maybe I'll find time to come back and fill in the details. But, if I don't, at least you'll get the overview. In no particular order.



Our Turn

I purchased a ten acre property in Poetry, Texas. This is the place where Mindy and I are building our future together. For now, we call it "Our Turn." Someday, we'll just call it "home." It's kept us very busy. It had a three-piece manufactured home on it that had to be moved. Then there was tree clearing, digging a pond, leveling a pad site for our future home and building a fence and a pier. And more tree clearing. And more cleaning. And... you get the idea. This place will keep us busy for years!

Up In Smoke

You may know there were a lot of wild fires in Texas earlier in the year. Well, my deer lease was among the casualties. It is located just south of Possum Kingdom Lake, an area that was hit very hard by the fires. My travel trailer and all the contents were completely burned up. Also, one of my blinds, a trail camera and some other items. My travel trailer wasn't covered by insurance, but the contents were. (Although only after a large deductible.) Recovery took quite a lot of my time. First I shopped for a new travel trailer. When I found one, it needed quite a bit of work. And, of course, there was shopping for contents and dealing with the insurance adjuster. Then taking the trailer to the lease, setting it up, etc. All this was very, very time consuming, but I'm almost back to square one with the exception of one blind.

Punta Cana

Mindy and I took a vacation to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic with my mom and my daughter. We stayed at the Iberostar Grand Bavaro resort. It was fabulous! The food was wonderful, the people were friendly and the service was fantastic! I highly recommend it!

Roadkill Chili Cookoff

Mindy hosted the 6th Annual Roadkill Chili cookoff. I won second place (behind Mindy's mom, Phyllis) with my wild hog chili recipe. A good time was had by all!

Grandma

I lost my 89 year old grandma last week. The funeral was yesterday. I feel kind of bad "glossing this over" because she was a wonderful, sweet lady and deserves all the honor I can bestow upon her. She had been in a nursing home and was suffering from dementia brought on simply by old age. Bless her heart, she just wore out.

I guess I'll share just this one thing... One of the things I remember about grandma from my childhood is long goodbyes. We would go to her house and, when it was time to go, she just wouldn't let us! To tell you the truth, it was a little annoying at the time, but we all knew it was because she loved us. It was during those long goodbyes that she would tell me, "David, I pray for you every day, every day, every day!" I later learned that when something is repeated in scripture, it's to add emphasis. I don't know if that's where grandma got the "every day, every day, every day" thing, but I do know she read her bible a lot, so it's a good theory.

Anyway, the point is, she really meant that she prayed for me every single day. And I have no doubt that she did. I really don't have any way of knowing what my life would have been like without all of grandma's prayers, but I'm grateful. Years later as an adult, I heard the song "Somebody's Prayin'" by Ricky Skaggs. I couldn't help but think Ricky was singin' about my grandma. And I still think of her everytime I hear that song. When he sings the part, "Lord, I thank you for those people prayin' all this time for me," well... I do feel a little emotional. Thanks, Grandma!

Everything Else

The above is just a part of everything that's happened over the last few months. I turned 50 years old. We lost a very special chicken. My mom broke her leg. And more. So much has happened! But I'll stop there. Remember, I was going to be brief!