Bring on fall!

     It has been a couple weeks since I posted on here for a couple reasons.  One, because for the past three weeks we have been in a continuous battle with Century Link to repair our internet service which appears to have finally been remedied, at least for now.  And two, because we have jumped right into fall with the same amount of recreational business that we had this summer!  So before a squirrel chews another hole in my internet line, honestly what they said probably caused the problem, I'll update you all on our fall fun!
     Two weekends ago Dad, Curt, Ryan and I all met up over south of Boulder, MT for opening weekend of elk season!  The weather was supposed to be hot all weekend but we went into opening day filled with excitement as Dad and Ryan had watched about 80 elk feeding into the bottoms the night before so we knew we were going to have a pretty good chance of getting into them.  Opening morning we devised a plan to hike into the timber line long before sunrise in anticipation of catching the elk coming back into the trees from feeding all night in a hay field on the bottom.  Not being able to sleep with the visions of big bull elk dancing in my head, I got out of bed at about 3AM and slowly the rest of camp got up as well and we headed into the dark timber just before 5AM.  Dad and Curt set up on one side of a big draw and Ryan and I went to the other.  Unfortunately no elk came by us at first light but it wasn't long before Ryan spotted a nice bull with a few cows about half a mile up the mountain feeding in a meadow.  We quickly closed the gap between us and the elk and I sent out a bugle, but with no response we had no choice but to try to sneak up on them in the trees.  We finally found the bull but never got any closer than about a hundred yards and didn't get a good shot.  We still hunted the timber all the way back to camp with no luck the rest of the day.
    

    The following day we slept in a little since the elk clearly weren't bugling yet, and headed into a different spot to still hunt more timber.  Just Ryan and I went in this time as Dad and Curt had a different plan of checking out another area on the four wheelers.  We hiked straight up gaining 500' of elevation in about half a mile and immediately came upon a cow elk in her bed!  Ryan got ready with an arrow and slowly crept closer to the cow as we were about 60 yards away and he needed to close the gap for a better shot.  As he did this his eyes caught another cow who had gotten out of her bed and was onto us.  Without hesitation Ryan ranged her at 40 yards, drew back his bow and let an arrow fly!  His arrow was redirected form it's course just before reaching the elk by a tree branch and both cows busted down the mountain!  Even though the tree branch ruined it for him we were both completely amped up after that!  We kept working down the mountain running into elk over and over again and towards the end of the day we came across a spike bull in full velvet, Ryan had a clear shot at him form about 30 yards but unfortunately spikes are the only illegal elk in these mountains!
   

     All in all we had a blast as we always do and it was the perfect way to kick start a busy fall for us!  We plan on going back in this week with hopefully a few more talkative elk that are easier to get onto!  And if not, we'll at least get a few more days soaking up what is in my opinion God's most magnificent accomplishment!

Remember, sometimes the best remedy for whatever it is that ails you is some peace and quiet in the woods!

Water, water, and more water!

     In the past couple of weeks Kelli and I have spent enough time on, around, and near water that I am starting to feel a little bit like a fish!  It started two weekends ago when we got invited to join the Nagle clan up at Priest Lake in North Idaho for a weekend of camping.  We rented two inflatable stand up paddle boards, which we've all been dying to try since first seeing them while in Hawaii, and along with our canoe we had plenty of watercraft to enjoy the lake with!  We got there Friday afternoon and immediately set up our tents and set out for the water.  The SUP's were everything we had hoped they would be, even the sun dropping below the mountains was nearly not enough to get us off of them.
     We came back to our camp, which was just a short walk from the waters edge, and filled our bellies with some amazing pulled pork sandwiches that Ryan had prepared.  The rest of our evening was spent hanging out around the campfire until we were paid a visit by a park ranger who easily stood 6'10" and I was asked to move our car to the overflow parking area.  "Tall Timmy" as Kelli called him was very polite but this would not be the last time we saw him:)  So once the car was moved we let the fire burn out and got some rest for a busy day!

     The next morning I rose early and started to make coffee before the sun was even streaking through the trees, I was only alone for a few minutes as the Nagles tent soon erupted with two kids who did not like sleeping in a tent very well!  The first words out of Ryan's mouth, even before both eyes were open, were "we need to get a camper"!  We got some coffee in both he and Jill and ate a big breakfast before heading down to the beach area for a day fill of adventure!  We laid on the beach, paddle boarded, and canoed for a few hours before heading back to camp for a nap.  The kids took a nap under Kelli and Ryan's supervision while Jill and I drove down to check out the other state park campground to see if we wanted to try it out next year or just come back to this one.  These campsites fill up for the season in the first couple months of the year so we decided to scout things out now so we could make a reservation next January.  When we got back we took off on our final adventure of the day which was a 5 mile drive followed by a 2 mile hike up the mountain across the road from camp.  Jill had done some research and found a natural water slide that we simply had to check out.  The hike was pretty brutal, I had the Jax man on my back and I thought he was coming out the top a couple of times!  But once we got to the water slide we forgot all about the hike!  There was something really special about riding down a shale rock that has about an inch of water flowing over the top of it and grabbing on to the ski rope at the bottom if you'd built up too much speed to stop!  It was both extremely exciting and scary at the same time!  You'll have to check out Jill's blog if you want to see pictures cause all I got were videos of the craziness.  Once we were done with the slide we hiked a little farther to check out a beautiful waterfall at the top then came back down to camp for a spaghetti dinner followed by yet another evening of paddle boarding.
     The next morning we packed up all our gear, in the rain I should add, then took the boards down for one more ride.  I think it's safe to say that someday I will own one of these boards as I simply didn't want to get off of it! 

     The next weekend we continued our water theme by hosting the Vollertson family, some friends of ours from Kalispell, while they combined a doctors visit for their daughter with a family trip to Silverwood theme park.  We had a lot of fun all weekend!  Friday while Kelli worked I took them through nearly all of Manito park, then took them downtown to Riverfront park where the kids got to play on the worlds largest radio flyer wagon!  Then we barbecued at our house and got up the next morning to go to Silverwood.  There's two sides to Silverwood, a theme park side with regular rides and a water park side with water slides and wave pools.  We started out on the theme park side and after we got warmed up with a spin on the tilt a whirl and the octopus we were ready to tackle a roller coaster!  They have two wooden coasters there and we decided to try the "Timber Tremors" first.  If your thinking the name should have caught our attention and made us think twice your absolutely right!  Luke sat next to his daughter, Kelli sat next to Kristi, and I sat next to their son Chase.  Luke asked the girl strapping us in if this one is fun and she said "if you like 50mph with a 200' drop then yeah, it's fun"  I think if any of us would have heard that before the ride started we would have bailed!  She wasn't kidding either, as soon as it takes off you head straight up then make an immediate left hand turn into said 200' drop!  Oh and the last half of the drop is inside a tunnel!!  I immediately felt myself coming off the seat so I reached over and put an arm in front of Chase cause I thought if I was coming out of mine he had to be floating in mid air!  Kelli told us when it was over that her sunglasses fell off and sat there for a split second defying gravity and Kristi snatched them out of the air saving us from buying another pair of Oakley's!  I think every one of us was literally tremoring after the ride was over so the name of the ride is very appropriate! 
     We then headed back over to the water park side where the kids had a ball on slides and riding our backs in the wave pools.  We then sat in line for about 30 minutes to ride down a water slide where all of us sat in one tube together.  Finally Luke and I climbed the stairs to the slides that go straight down and raced each other to the bottom, this was a blast until I mistakenly let my feet come apart while coming to a stop then gingerly limped away after using the wrong body part to slow myself down!  We spent the rest of the evening drying off and warming up before Chase and I hit up one last ride after we ate dinner.  As we walked out of the park Luke and I each had one of the kids on our backs and both of them were fighting to keep their eyes open by the time we got to the car. 
     All in all the last couple of weeks have been a blast!  We have got plenty of water exposure which in my opinion is the key to a good summer!  As our summer comes to a close I look forward to opening week of elk season this weekend and late season golfing which should last even longer over here!  The more I think about it I just don't think our summer will end, we're just going to carry the fun right over into winter!

Remember, you haven't had a complete summer until you've accidentally swallowed a fair amount of water that didnt' come from a faucet!

Breathtaking!

     A few days ago I was lucky enough to join dad at one of the greatest places on earth if your a golfer, Bandon Dunes!  If your unfamiliar with what that is it's a golf resort with four 18 hole courses on it and one 13 hole par three.  It was built on the Oregon coast on top of the same sandy ocean soil in which the old courses in Scotland are built on.  It is truly the only golfing experience anywhere near us that is true links style golf.  The owner of the resort went to his team of course designers with three simple rules, no golf carts, no real estate, and protect par.  Well I can attest to the fact that he did an awesome job in all three categories!  We played two of the four courses in one day and after barely breaking 90 each round I felt really good!  It was not only the most grueling test from a physical standpoint of walking 36 holes in one day, but also mentally wrapping your head around some of the difficult lies, bounces, and roll outs we are all too familiar with seeing on tv during the British Open.  Dad and I both agree that after spending a little time in the bottom of bunkers so deep you only hope to get out of it, and watching numerous good looking shots just keep rolling right off the green and into trouble, we have a much greater appreciation of what the pro's go through every July!  I simply can't put it into words how special this place is so I just have to refer you to the pictures so you can see for your self.  

Action on the par 3 course the day before we played the big courses

It's hard to see from this angle but im on the green and hes about 40' below me!  He got it on the green form there too!

140 yards out, pot bunker with a 5' face, no problem!:)

surveying his options from the 15th tee at Pacific Dunes

Action and his caddie walking up the fairway

This is the signature hole on Bandon Dunes, 385 yard par 4, I don't think I need to explain why it's the signature hole:)

some cabbage!:)

This is the course motto and above the pro shop at Bandon Dunes.

     As you can see if your a golfer you can see why this place would be worth the trip.  And if your not a golfer theres over 15 miles of walking trails including one that goes down to the beach, plus you could easily walk along with the golfer in your life and take in all of the breathtaking scenery!  We sat on the 16th tee box at Bandon and watched a small pod of whales breaching just off the shore!  I could tell I was experiencing something special when I had to be reminded that it was my turn to tee off!  When I can get so fixated on the scenery around me that I forget that I'm playing golf, it's something pretty special!

Remember, even during some of the biggest events of your life it's the small things that leave the largest impression:)

Family ties

     About a week ago my dad asked me to join him at The Fairways golf course here in town for a round of golf.  He is playing in a tournament over Labor Day with my younger brother Curt and he wanted to play a little skins game with me to get his competitive edge kick started.  The Fairways is an 18 hole course up on the hill as you leave Spokane and it is laid out similar to the course the tournament is at so he thought it would be good practice.  We met up for our 3:00 tee time and when we got to the first tee I started going through my routine.  Kelli makes fun of me all the time for it, but on the golf course I am a huge creature of habit!  Before the start of each round I put my wallet, keys, and cell phone in one pocket of my bag and replace them with a green tee, a ball marker, and a divot repair tool.  Now I have probably close to 10 different ball marks and divot tools and the only randomness in my day comes with the selection of each one, I simply reach into my bag and the first one I grab is the one I'm using.  If it sounds like crazy superstitious garbage, it's because it is, but ask any golfer and chances are they all follow some sort of similar craziness.  Well on this day the ball marker I chose was a half dollar from 1986, and the divot repair tool was the one pictured below.

     In case you can't read it in the picture this particular ball mark repair tool is from the Austin Country Club.  A few years ago Kelli's uncle Jeff Moan tragically passed away at far too young of an age.  He was her mom Donna's youngest brother and he lived in the Austin area and worked at the historic country club on their grounds crew.  When Donna, her brother Rod, and nephew Rocky went down to do the daunting task that no family member ever wants to have to do after loosing a loved one, they returned with a few golf items that they gave to Kelli.  This divot tool and a bag tag from the country club are the items that we kept as I told Kelli if they go in my golf bag I'll never get rid of them and we'll always have a small reminder of her uncle. 
     I wanted to keep them first and foremost for their sentimental value to Kelli, but also because the ACC is arguably one of the most historic golf courses in the country!  With members like Tom Kite, Ben Crenshaw, and Ben Hogan, and of course the legendary teacher Harvey Pennick, the notoriety of this one golf club rivals that of any other!  I have all of Harvey Pennick's instructional books, I was also in a car wreck that nearly killed me like Ben Hogan, and I still putt with a Wilson 8802 just like the one Ben Crenshaw used while winning the Masters and acquiring the title of the best putter of all time.  I simply had to keep these items of Jeff's just so I could hopefully connect in some small way with a man who was privileged to work there!
     I never got a chance to meet Jeff but Kelli and her mother have told me enough about him to know that we would have gotten along great!  This divot tool has been in my bag for over three years now and in all the golf I have played in that time I have never once randomly grabbed it to use for a round until last week.  As soon as I put my hands on it I could feel Jeff's presence.  I know that may sound weird to some people but it's true, with each ball mark I repaired my mind pictured Jeff repairing pitch marks of his own on the hallowed greens of the ACC.  My round of golf was nothing special on paper, I shot 75 which was barely good enough to beat Dad with his pops for handicap, but it was surely special in my mind.  I told Kelli that after the way I felt walking around the golf course with this in my pocket I might just have to change up my routine and remove every ball mark repair tool besides this one!  I know Jeff left this earth too early but God must have needed someone with a true love of the game to maintain one of heavens beautiful courses so I'm positive that's where he's at, one day we will get the chance to meet and tee it up together.  Until that day comes though I will continue to use the divot tool Jeff left behind, making every round I play just that much more special!

Remember, take a little time to remember those who are waiting for us in heaven, I guarantee you it will brighten your day:)

Almost time for school!

     I swear it seems like every time I blink another week goes by this summer!  I don't know if its because were in a new town and have so much we want to go see and do, or if it's cause were having so much fun, but the time is just flying by!  On some level I feel like a kid again, remember when on the last day of school you thought 3 months off was the greatest thing in the world and then those same 3 months blew by like a storm and you had to go back to school much sooner than you'd hoped, that's kind of how this summer has felt.  Here we are on the verge of heading into August and I feel like June was just starting yesterday!  I guess this means we'll just have to soak up the most from each day from here on out until the leaves fall.
     This last weekend we did our best to soak it all up as we got invited out to Coeur D Alene lake to hangout with some friends of ours from Missoula.  They had their new ski boat on the water and were camping for the weekend and Kelli and I went out to spend the evening with them.  We had a blast sitting around the campfire getting caught up with friends, getting to know some new ones, and of course sharing a few stories:)  I told Kelli on the way home that I feel more relaxed around a campfire than I do the ocean, she thought that was the craziest comment she's ever heard until she realized it's probably because I'm a bit of a story teller!  She's probably right but either way it was extremely relaxing and we had a ball!
     Our time at the lake got me thinking and I think we have at least one more camping trip planned for the summer, but I hope we can squeeze in a few more.  I enjoy sitting around the campfire so much that I don't want the summer to come to an end without being able to have as many campfires as possible!  I know we can always have a fire in the backyard, or go out to the Nagles so Tatum can teach me how to make the perfect smore, but you just can't beat the tranquility surrounding a campfire in the woods!  When the only other sounds you hear are those of your neighbor campers and nature it truly is difficult not to become totally relaxed!  Of course it always helps if your steps away from a body of water to dream of cooling off in the next morning:) 
     As our summers come to a close I hope you all soak up the most of each and every day, cause it wont be long and we'll all have to go back to school!

Remember, every one of us can learn a lot about the important things in life from a 4 year old:)

Not just another day

     Well Curtis and I fell just a little short at the golf tournament this past weekend, mostly due to the fact that I did not perform that well!  We arrived at the course Sunday morning to find out that we were tied for the lead after day one!  I was just a little excited and couldn't settle myself down until it was too late!  Neither one of us played great but we had a blast and now know that it is better to have to make up a little ground the second day rather than keep a lead, I'm not used to that!  Either way it was an absolute ball and both of us have come to enjoy this annual tournament just as much as the big ones we used to play in back in Glendive.  We will definitely be returning to try and win it next year!
     Monday was a travel day for Kelli and I and after we got settled in from our weekend she took me out for an early birthday cupcake downtown!  Last night we all gathered at mom and dads for a birthday dinner for me as I officially turned the corner towards middle age and turned 36!  All day long I kept telling myself that it was no big deal, just another number, much like many of us have I'm sure.  But when we got over to my parents house and my niece Tatum pointed to my seat at the table and said "that's where you sit uncle Mooley, your the birthday boy!"  I realized that it doesn't matter if we're turning 6 or 36, it is more than just another number, it's a special day!  Tatum reminded me of that with the excitement in her voice and the joy she showed from picking out my birthday gift all by her self!  So as we sat around and socialized, ate WAY too much cake, and capped off the evening with a cruise around the lake in the kayaks, I couldn't help but feel just a little bit special yesterday.  When we loaded up to head home and my mother gave me a hug and told me happy birthday one more time she began to tear up and I began to realize that yesterday was the opposite of just another day, it was an extremely important day!  So important that both of my parents can tell you detailed accounts of exactly what they were doing the day I entered this world and they became a family, even 36 years later! 
     So the next birthday you have, whether it's your 21st or 81st, don't just look at it as another day in your life that may not be that special.  I promise you that someone holds your birthday very dear to their heart and never looks at it that way so neither should you!

Remember, try to approach every birthday through the mind of a child, with excitement and joy, eager to reach another milestone!

The fun continues!

     Well we have entered the month of July and Kelli and I continue to enjoy every free moment we have!  Our 4th of July holiday weekend was the first fun thing we've done this month as we joined some good friends of ours, the Vullertsons, on Noxon reservoir in northwestern Montana for a few days of camping!  Luke and Kristy live in Kalispell with their two kids, and Matt and Julie live in Helena and have two kids of their own, all ten of us, including 3 four legged children, met up on Thursday and set up our camp.

     Kelli and I had bought a tent nearly 7 years ago with some wedding money and up to this point we had never taken it out of its original package!  For some reason every time we had gone out on a recreational outing in the past it was in a cabin, on a boat, or some other form of sleeping arangement!  When we moved to Spokane I told Kelli we were breaking the seal on that thing come hell or high water, nearly even setting it up in the back yard one weekend, and here was my chance.  Now I'm sure many of you have either struggled with one yourself or watched another person nearly collapse emotionally trying to set up a tent so I was a little nervous heading in to our first attempt at this.  Much to my surprise though, we had our tent set up and ready for use in less than 20 minutes!  

     Now that we had our lodging set up we were ready to relax and enjoy our time on the lake!  Luke and Kristy have a camper and they arrived the night before us so they were all set up, once the rest of our gang showed up and got their tent set up we headed out on the water for some fun.  We brought our canoe, Luke brought his raft with a small motor on it, and Matt brought his fishing boat which was big enough to pull a tube.  So between the three of us we had just about every facet of water recreation covered!  We spent a lot of time with both big boats on the water, one carrying a viewing party, and the other pulling my triceps off of my arms!  After a couple different trips on the tube behind Matts boat I quickly remembered that I am a 35 year old(at least for another 2 days) who sometimes thinks he is 25!  My arms felt great all weekend but when we got home and I went to take the canoe off the top of our car I immediately felt like that 35 year old, a very sore one at that!  All in all we had a great time, hanging out around the campfire, fishing, boating, and just relaxing.  Kelli mentioned on the way home that it was the first year she could remember not seeing one single firework on the fourth!  We had so much fun spending quality time with each other and our friends that I didn't even really notice:)

     Overall we had a fantastic weekend of fun with some great people!  We didn't get too much of a break in the action either as this weekend Curtis and I are playing in the Anaconda Country Club mens invitational.  Kelli and I came over to Stevensville Friday afternoon and made it to the Dobsons house just in time to watch my little sister be immortalized through the world on television!  In case you missed it the murder trial she had a couple months ago was covered by Dateline and they aired the two hour show on Friday night.  I followed the trial extensively, even sat in court one day with Ryan hearing testimony, and as you've read on this blog when the verdict came out I still believe the wrong man went to jail for this crime.  But thats a topic for a different day:)  We watched the Dateline with Dan and Donna then early yesterday morning I came over to Butte for the golf tourney while Kelli stayed behind to hang out with her parents.  The girls had a busy day of shopping yesterday and today Kelli's going to get caught up with a couple of her friends who still live in Missoula.  Curtis and I played pretty well yesterday in the best ball portion of the tourney, shooting -11, now today is the accumulate portion of the tourney which means we both have to post a score on every hole.  Last year when we played in this tourney todays format we found out fits our games pretty well as we made up a bunch of ground on the leaders.  Today we should be sitting in a much better position though than last year and wont have to make up nearly as much ground.  If we play well enough we might just even win it!:)  

     So as I get ready for another fun day of golf with my little brother I look forward to the rest of the month of July.  It's a busy time of year in our family as we have like 2 anniversaries and 4 birthdays to celebrate, i kind of loose track theres so many!:)  I hope you all continue to enjoy your summer as we have and don't forget to take a moment as we near the midway point to reflect on all the fun you've had so far!:)

Remember, whoever said to feel young you have to think young must have been a young person!!