Hunting stories

It wasn't as bad as I thought.
Here I was at a wonderful gathering...friends, purses, jewelry, wine. Nice conversation when my phone rings. I had to answer it as it was home and I had not told them where I would be going. It was my husband telling me that they were back from hunting. He took the boys out with him. Rusty and Todd built this wonderful stand on KT's property that they call the Condo or something like that. All of the kids can fit it in and should be able to move their squirrely butts around a little without spooking the deer. So he relays to me they saw 3 doe and a buck. Jordan got it all on tape. Todd didn't shoot because the video recorder went dead. But they were excited for me to get home so I could watch this tape.
Hmmmm...how long do I stay? I discuss this with fellow shoe/accessory hunting fanatics all with fantastic ideas. "Take a picture of each one of these purses and discuss in detail the color, lines, beauty before you watch the deer video." Many similar responses ensued.
Here I was...you can liken parties like I was at to a deer farm. Basically you pay good money to have it all right there- all you have to do is decide which you are going to shoot. And, yes, the bigger the rack, the more expensive the trip package. As usual, the money spent is well worth it because you never leave empty handed. Well, unless you don't spend (and sit down before you read this) I walked out emptied handed (except for a wonderful banana torte that Kelly made!) A co-hunter good friend found a wonderful accessory for the shoe hunt party...could Kathy be the 2 time winner???
I went home. Andrew immediately went into story mode. It was adorable because he has 2 - Todd and Jordan who are master story tellers so he does a fabulous job at uniquely reciting his version. Jordan made great attempts at trying to remain silent. Andrew even threw in directions from were the deer had entered. He was confused as to why Dad had not shot. The video was short but very neat to see. Jordan was the camera man and did a nice job of catching them as they came into view.
Story telling brought us to the prior night. The boys and I were driving home when we caught a glimpse of 2 deer walking through some tall grass. I shined (boy, am I a sucker) the headlights on the deer. I certainly got sight of the first one- a nice buck, thick rack, maybe 8...by the time Jordan got home it was at least a 10 with 4 dropped tines and though we didn't see the first one that was a buck too with an equally big rack! Jordan's adrenaline takes over his vision.
The night is late and we head off to bed but I can't close my eyes until I let Todd tell me his version (I mean by that, he won't let me close my eyes....) So he endearingly tells the story of how excited his boys were to see this in front of their eyes. And I know deep down, they are hooked, all of them. Hunting is officially in their blood for good.
And thank God it is for me too! I spent a joyous night with true friends at the Osthoff this past weekend. What an amazing time! And, you know, there was not one shoe purchased- we did not even see a shoe (but a lot of accessories). Just proves Ladies, that it is not about the kill (and I do not recommend Elkhart Lake if you are shoe hunting). It's really about the relationships you build, the stories you can tell, and the lessons that you learn.
Get out there and hunt!
Invitations are coming but this is open to all. And not to forget about the season and fast forward to the party but you would not believe some of the raffle prizes this year- you are not going to want to miss this!
Hugs,
Paula

I challenge you!

I am totally not kidding when I say this. I was at my son's baseball game last night and by the end of the night noticed that the back of my left foot was hurting. I actually had on this new pair of shoes (can you imagine that?) and was wondering if i actually had 2 different sized feet. OK, so flash back to the Kohls story when I said I walked out with a pair of brown shoes...well, I forgot about the black shoes but they were flats...again, not what i was looking for, but anyway. SO I'm at the game, watching, hurting, wondering. This morning I am getting ready for work and I put on those shoes knowing but they match the outfit, you know. I take them off to check the sizes which would be crazy right? Because they always check the sizes when you check out...I even saw HIM so do (HIM...may have been my first mistake!). Sure enough in God's heaven...2 different sizes 8.5 and 9. Did I fail to mention to you that the other pair of shoes...the brown ones...ALSO DIFFERENT SIZES...8.5 and 7.5. Now, this is nuts. OK, I really am not going to accept responsibility for this (even though I know it is God telling me to quit buying shoes! but I can't) so this is were the blame lies:
1. In the shopper....what woman is out there mixing up the shoes? STOP IT!
2. The employee...she is not doing her job in the shoe section. You need to be especially diligent in the clearance section were the deals are hot and the shoppers are not.
3. The man check out...yes, yes, I know Womens rights- we asked for it but come on, he is sub par, although, I must say, very nice.
4. Lastly, I really think it is a new stragedy by Kohls to get you back, not that $10 back for every 50 you spend isn't enough!

I am challenging you Ladies...do not try on one size and then another. We could avoid a lot of hardship! And don't leave your hunting area before checking what you killed...you don't want to come home with a cow if you meant for a deer.

Shop smart.
Paula

Bunions!

Oh, for Pete's sake! I already had one of those nightmares. You know the ones, hunters! Where you are out on a mission...ok, let me see. If you are a real hunter...like when everyone else seems to have been successful- a deer there, a huge deer here, or like Dan...like this insanely huge perfect, I mean perfect looking rack...13 inch tines...24 inch spread. Wow! Everyone...my husband and friend with their elk. Even my son, moments after the Packer loss I hear a "pling" from the side of the house...dove down! And then there is the shoe hunter...
I woke up the other day sweating. In my dream I was in a desperate search for this pair of shoes. I'm not sure why I was searching for purple shoes (probably a chakra thing) as I have 2 pair of purple shoes and even that can be too many but I was searching. And what do you think happened? You bet, every size but mine. Thank goodness it was a dream (or a nightmare!)
But as luck would have it, it played out. I just needed a new pair of plain black pumps. I have black open toed, close but with silver stuff, a flat pair with a gold buckle thing on it, a black pointed toe with open back, and some black flip flops but just plain boring black heels missing from my closet. So my second mistake, going to Kohls. WARNING! All of the workers at Kohls must have size 8.5 or 9s because the clearance rack sucks at Kohls. It goes from size 8...with nothing until 10. And I am convinced that it is because all of the workers from Kohls shop them out because I do not believe any woman actually works at Kohls just because- those smart women just want to get even more of a discount! They apparantly just don't feel a Super Saturday every Saturday is enough.
So I left Kohls with a brown pair of pumps.
I think I should be listening more. It is probably God warning me I will get bunions. The only way you can prevent getting bunions is by not wearing high heels or constricting shoes, the 2 most common things I seem to do every day. I am quit sure deer hunters do not get bunions. Yes, I am a podiatrist's dream! While he is dreaming of surgically repairing my great toe, I am dreaming of my next pair of pointed heeled shoes!
Next time, I am not hunting alone.
Paula

SAVE THE DATE!

It's back...and it's hunting season. Get on out and hunt for those shoes and accessories!

This year is going to be no different except that each of us will all have another new pair of shoes! Boy, are we lucky! There are some guys that go out and get nothing!

Same season- now through November 30th.

Saturday Dec 5th is the party at Imagine Coffee house to shoe it all off!

Let us know if you wish to contribute in any way- to the blog or if you have donations. We will also be setting up a Facebook site this year.

This year we will be sending out formal invitations. Look for them to arrive mid October. These will also have enclosed smaller cards you can hand out to your "hunting group".

Remember Ladies, this is all about the hunt! Set aside some time for you during these beautiful fall days. Get together with some friends...hunt for shoes, accessories. And then plan on the party to give back.

And, lastly, I have been joined this year by an amazing cast of fellow, well established shoe hunters. Returning committee members- Shelly Waala, Kathy Buechel, and Kelly Goeden. But added members, Kelly Oppermann, Tanya Rolf, and Ronda Lichtensteiger! Yeah! So if you know them and have questions, don't be shy! They are your local shoe hunting experts!

Sincerely, Paula

They grow so fast!

My husband has been a hunter for 26 years. Can you imagine? He is the type of hunter who enjoys it all - deer, fish, birds. He generally has hunted much of the Kettle Moraine. We often go on walks and I will hear " this is the spot where...." Shooting deer is in the Kettle Moraine has become slim pickings. Hunters debate...too much hunting, overestimated population rates, too much building...whatever the reason, it's hard to get a big deer. It ain't no Buffalo County, if you know what I mean (if you are a girl who doesn't have a hunting husband, you probably don't know what I mean). But, I am happy to report that while my husband has been hunting in Colorado with friends, he and Brad shot a big elk...5X4. Haven't seen pictures, haven't even heard details other than "it was awesome". They will be home in several days and I'm sure I will not hear the end of it.

But just think of it! Having to wait literally 26 years or so....having to travel to another part of the country just to get a decent pair of shoes. I can actually totally relate. Where are the shoe stores in West Bend? I am sorry but I have a job, kids, a life basically and for me to have to travel to even southern WI is a task in itself. Yes, Kohls, Shopko, even Walmart...but it ain't no DSW if you know what I mean (and I know you do!). That is why it has now become extremely permittable to shop wherever you wish. To us, you hunting zones are everywhere- just make sure to have your tag (commonly known as a credit card!).

The other change that is occurring in hunting is 10 year olds can hunt. OK, so my son who is 9 is elated! He has been out practicing on anything that moves in the yard (avoid our yard). He will be able to go with his dad with one weapon between them. When I think that a boy this age could hunt, it frightens me. But i know he will be with my husband and that he will be safe. It would be like if I had a girl and gave her my credit card and sent her out shopping...I, too, would always make sure I was along and have only 1 credit card between the 2 of us. Jordan will do well. He is already hoping Dad pulls a bear tag this year.

Now I am very happy this rule does not extend to 7 year olds. Andrew is a smart cookie and could probably handle it. This little boy already knows how to text and send messages on my cell phone as I found out one Saturday afternoon. I was getting ready in the bathroom when he snapped a picture of me goofing around ( I was clothed). He walked out with the phone and moments later I get a call from Lisa who asks me if I am getting ready in the bathroom. Yes....oh, she had just received the picture and it been sent out to 5 other numbers. I looked at the picture sent- horrific! I looked like a porn star (OK, maybe not a star because I do not have that kind of figure but it was not becoming, let's put it that way!) Anyway, I was horrified! He, of course, just smiled and laughed. No more of that! Todd will be equally horrified, I am sure, when he is able to turn on his cell phone as he descends from the mountain to see his wife kissing the phone...and that is was sent out to 5 other numbers (OK- my mom's home phone, mother in law's home phone, Lisa, Kelly, and Todd- thank goodness!) but still!

Off to shop, gotta see if I can break last year's record!
Paula

Party, party, party!

Away from work, kids at school...it must be Wednesday. Todd, Doug, Greg, and Mark leave tomorrow for Colorado. I call the Brokeback Mountain trip especially when I hear of some of the things they need to pack...cotton balls soaked in petroleum jelly??? Oh well, I know they will enjoy themselves. Though I know the trip is to shoot down that big elk of which I have no desire, I would like to place my eyes where their vision will be. I love mountains, pine, streams, air. I know they will not feel defeated even if empty handed. God created beauty!

So if they are off hunting already...I am seriously thinking about taking a special hunting trip of my own. First off, the "committee" is getting together while they are gone to discuss the upcoming shoe/accessory season. Before you know it, you will be out there hunting yourself. Second, a special hunt. Today, I asked permission at a local jewlery store if I could come back next week and "hunt". (I guess the guys have special permission on this land out there). I have the day and time set. I even have a guide. His name is John. I was going to have Kelly but she had some meeting with a Claire...anyway, my hunt is pretty targeted and I am not going to get into the details for my spouse needs to be informed first. But, then again, though he is very good...I mean extremely detailed with telling me the events of upcoming hunts, I hope he listens to my plan as much as I listen to his...And there is beauty in a jewlery store ( I almost felt like I was in Colorado!). Of course, I had to scout the place today briefly- smell the air, check the wind, breathe heavy when I saw the possibilities...they even gave me water ( I must have been really out of breath). Wish me luck!

So back to the party...we will have the party once again in December with the hunt starting just days away. I do actually have a committee and if you wish to help in any way, please let me know! This year, many people I have known and loved (weird how things circle back at you sometimes) have passed away...not just even diagnosed...with cancer and I would love this year to be just as meaningful and fabulous as in years past. Thought I would include a few pics to get you all jazzed up! Thanks to Lisa for the email with all of them!

A blur. That is what the last months have been. I read that last blog entry...February. I have intended to write since, so many times a thought would come. But I require relaxation to bring out my creative side. Believe me, I have been trying. A deep breath here, a yoga stretch there. But here in Hayward, away from all of that- I get inspired.

Russ, my father, passed away on April 20th. Lung cancer. It had seemed it was just diagnosed and that a few weeks earlier he was still saying "I feel like I did years ago. I am fine." But within those few short weeks, he no longer uttered that phrase that often reassured me. He couldn't eat, sometimes I think, wouldn't eat. And within a day, he went from taking a walk in the living room stetching out his side that hurt to laying in bed never to rise again...though he did rise. On eagles wings. And as Chris Tomlin sang, "No more sorrow, no more pain." In those last hours, we held a beautiful prayer with a room filled with family and friends surrounding him with our love and letting God know he was coming.

Since that day, I have felt his presence. God. And Russ. Sometimes I wonder...wow, now he hears my thoughts. Now, he knows I am crazy. Well, it's confirmed, I'm pretty sure he already knew!

Just a few days ago, I went to Relay for Life. It was wonderful to see all of the survivors. Yes, the cancer survivors stood out in purple but there were so many more survivors there. Like my mom. Like Chris, my brother in law. Pat, my mother in law. Tami, a friend. I could go on. They...we...all have had to battle through this disease. Even when you haven't been diagnosed with it, if you care for someone who has, you struggle too. I struggle.

But it is in times like these that I know what matters in life. Love. Family. I read back at that Feb blog and see that I was searching for my diamond (which of course to me had much deeper meaning). And now, I have a brand new ring on my finger. When I returned from China, Todd surprised me at the airport with it. 1. He wasn't suppose to be at the airport, 2. He got down on his knee as he had done close to 15 years before in an airport, this time asking me in front of our children. He has rocked my world for 20+ years. Love. Family.

And with this I want to believe so badly in heaven. I should, I feel angels around me all the time. A place where our souls rest and enjoy eachother. I know I have had glimses- like when time stood still when our children were born. Heaven (and relief!).

Russ' headstone was placed at the cemetry this week. I am not fond of cemeteries but I wanted to visit it. On the way I asked God to send me a song on the radio to listen to, something to prepare me. Nothing, nothing I connected to anyway. I sat there looking at the gravestone, beautiful. Lots of different emotions, thoughts...At one point, I felt all of this presence, I can't really explain- but it may have been what I was thinking that I thought this cemetery thing was just not my thing. And as I got back in the truck, I turned the key, listened to the song on the radio telling me..."God is great, beer is good, and people are crazy." Thank you God. And though I understand our humanitary need for a cemetry, my sentiments exactly.

And with that, I think I need a beer. It's just weeks away from hunting season. My husband is traveling this year- Colorado. While he is helping control the elk population in another state, I think I want to help the shoe population in another part of the world.
www.tomsshoes.com
Peace,
Paula