Unexpected surprise

So about a month ago, Bret was all excited about the on line auction that Safari Club International holds every year.  The first one was held in Dallas, and it must have been a good year for oil or something because the hunts were going for ridiculous prices.  We were looking for a hunt in New Zealand for next year and also for a Tanzania hunt. We had no luck in Dallas, so we waited for the next auction which would be held in Las Vegas two weeks later.  The prices of these hunts were going for a more reasonable sum and we were actually getting excited.  The New Zealand hunt came up and we started bidding.  It kept going up and up, and it passed where we said we would stop.  Bret looked at me and said "what do you think?"  I said, "bid one more time and see what happens."  So we bid one more time, and the guy we were bidding against didn't bid again!  The auctioneer said "Sold! to on line bidder Bret Heileson!"   I couldn't believe it!  We were actually going to New Zealand in 2016!  I've wanted to go there for a long time and a trip was finally bought!  We paid a bit more than we wanted but it's still a good deal.  We had a year to plan for this, so saving up the money we would need for the trip seemed easy.  We would be going in  May, which is really not a great time to go since its during the school year, and it would be Ben's senior year as well. But I wasn't worried about it to much as it was still a year away.  So imagine my surprise when a couple of weeks ago, Bret asks me what I thought of going to New Zealand THIS year.  What???  I'm not ready!  I need to get in shape for hiking in the mountains , and find someone to stay with the boys, and a sub for seminary, and wow that's really soon!  Bret had received an email from the Hunting guide in New Zealand and he said they were already booked up for 2016.  But he had openings for May of 2015.  We talked about it and figured it was now or never.  We didn't want to wait 3 years to go!  So Bret and I are off to New Zealand May 16th! 

This is were we'll be going. It's not far from Greymouth, which is on the West side of the South Island.  The lodge and camp are located in the Haupiri River valley.  We will be hunting Tahr, and Red Stag.  I'm super excited to be going on another world hunting adventure!! For the Tahr we are actually going to be flown by helicopter to the top of some mountain and camp there in tents for 2 days! Because that's where these animals live.  The Red Stag will be down in the valleys.  Bret wants me to shoot the Tahr.  I just hope I don't freak out and miss.  Bret will be going for the Red Stag.  We're going to be seeing some sights as well. Lots to see there, lots to get ready, long flight ahead! 

      

Cold

Well the first week back to school after the Christmas break has been a rough one.  Monday morning came dark and early. Getting up to teach seminary and getting the kids off to school again was going to take a few days to get used to. But its nothing I hadn't done before and it was nice to get up again and have a spiritual boost to start my day.  Tuesday morning came and all seemed well.  We were expecting some snow to show up sometime in the afternoon, but seems like they've been saying that for weeks and nothing ever came of it, so I wasn't to worried.  Going out to the barn to feed my cows, pigs and goats is not something I look forward to in the winter, but it has to be done.  I like it once I get out there and am greeted with all the sounds of hungry animals who have just noticed your arrival. I noticed as I went back to the house that the sky had started spitting little snow flakes.  I went to the store around 10 am and as I was checking out I looked outside and saw it was snowing harder. So much for afternoon snow, but it made my day to go out to my car blinking against the snow that was hitting my face.  I love snow and we haven't really had any this winter, so I was excited.  Back home I was enjoying the nice snow fall through my windows and wishing I could put my Christmas decorations back up and make cookies!  But as the wind picked up and the temperatures dropped it wasn't looking like a nice snow anymore.  But  hey, who doesn't love a blizzard.  Not that this was anywhere near blizzard like condition, so I was a little surprised to get an email from the school saying there was an early out due to the weather.  I was a little bummed, I was enjoying having the house back to myself during the day but I new the kids would be excited to be home early.  I wasn't completely sure why they were closing the schools, the snow was expected to end around 2, then they could get everything plowed before kids get picked up at 3:30.  So instead we have to pick them up during the snow fall when nothing had been plowed yet.  Personally I think that would've been better but what do I know.  I couldn't get up the hill to get to the school pick up area, stupid van, so I went to the other parking lot, which isn't as steep, because nothing had been plowed yet, and just walked in and picked up Keaton.
It has stopped snowing by the time I had Keaton in the car and we were headed to the Middle school.  We all got home ok, I was a bit grumpy about getting stuck on the hill to the school but no worries.  That evening the winds started blowing very hard and the temps went way down below zero.  So we got the notice of a two hour late start for Wednesday.  Ok great. We get to sleep in a little and the kids still go to school, no seminary, which was a bit of a bummer, but oh well.  A little bit later we get a notice from the school that now they've decided to just cancel school because the wind chill will be ridiculous all of Wednesday with even more ridiculous wind gusts!  So much for getting back on my sleep schedule.  Thursday was cold but good enough to get a whole day of school in before the winds picked up again and the temps dropped.  Thursday night we get the call that there's a two hour late start on Friday.  Good grief.  I hope next week it warms up a little!   Where was all of this during Christmas break when we wanted it.

Christmas 2014

 Well sorry for the absence of blogs lately.  I got a new computer for Christmas so we're up and running again! Yay! 
Christmas Eve, one of my favorite days of the year.  It's a fun filled day with family, yummy food, and lots of happy excited children running around and screaming, who can't WAIT to open the presents! I also love having the house all decked out with festive Christmas decorations. 

 Jennie and Sheri were there to help with the food, and we had our tradition of beef tenderloin. Every year the pressure is on for the best steaks that melt in your mouth and make you just close your eyes when your chewing and say mmmmm.  This year did not disappoint.  I look forward to these starting in August!  So thank you Fareway for having them, and thank you Bret for making enough money so I could buy them.

                                                                 So many presents!

 Debbie sent us some fun Christmas posters that we all had fun with, and I'm sure it will be apart of the Christmas Eve tradition from now on.  By the way, Bret took some of these pictures and he doesn't use the right settings.  So the blurry ones are one's he took.

Ok.  Now on to the rest of our Christmas.  After everyone left we all went to sleep and woke up early Christmas morning and opened all our presents.  Then headed off to Wisconsin for our winter hunting trip at Edenwood Ranch and Preserve.  We were hoping for a winter wonderland with snow, but it was not to be.  So the snowmobiling, sledding and skiing might not happen on this trip.  But it was a hunting trip, and you can do that in any weather.  So..............

 Ben Bret and Sam, went out with the guide and Ben was able to find a great Fallow deer, stalk it and while resting his gun on a tree was able to bring it down. 

 That afternoon we all went on the ATVs.  It was so fun driving around the trails through the woods, and looking for Elk, Fallow deer and Whitetails. 

 We even spotted the albino Doe and her two fauns.  One is albino and one is brown.  They looked so amazing, so visible compared to the normal brown animals you see in the woods.

 The boys spotted a big rock and being boys had to climb it.  Keaton had a bit of trouble, but made it with some help. 

                                                                          My boys.

                                                                   I have the best life.

Sorry about not updating my blog lately. My laptop had an unfortunate meeting with a bottle of Pepsi, thanks to my lovely sons who borrowed it to watch a movie. So I'm attempting to do this from my phone. Hopefully a new laptop will be coming soon.