To Blog or not to Blog........

I have been slacking over the past few months and debated over deleting my blog all together. I have decided to gather my thoughts and start taking the time to blog again...........just not tonight, it bedtime.

The Great Outdoors

With cold weather comes the time of year that most men foam at the mouth, women talk dirty to their husbands, vacation days are spent from the office, and men get to feel powerful........Deer Hunting Season.

In the past years of deer hunting I was always gone without the girls. This year I figured I would take the girls and see what they thought about it. Our first trip to the camphouse was going to be Alyssa's turn then I would take Anniston. I wasn't real keen on taking both because I was afraid they would both hate getting up before daylight and sitting in a small shooting-house. I load the guns, camo, bags, food, and Alyssa into the car and she has a come-apart and doesn't want to go. Get back into the house, Anniston is sitting on go so her and Kel go to pack a bag then Alyssa says as she is crying...."Daddy if you want me to go I will.......", of course she has gator tears and sad eyes. I tell her I would love for her to go. So off we go both girls and me to the camphouse.

To make a hunting season short, each girl went a couple times and got to see deer on the ground after they were shot. Alyssa was in the shooting house with Big Daddy when I shot a deer and Anniston was with me when Big Daddy shot a deer. Alyssa wanted her picture taken with a deer so she could take it to school and show her friends......she ran the other way when it came time for the picture :). Annsiton on the other hand walked right up to the deer grabbing it by the ears and smiled for her pictures.

With the killing of a deer comes the trip to the deer processor, and if you've never been to one your missing out. Most have an open intake area where on a busy night the deer collect until its their turn. Alyssa made it to the front seat of the truck and her eyes were big from 20 ft away. Anniston being the girl who is not scared of much got out of the truck and walked right on in like she had been there before. While the guys unloaded Big Daddys deer I waited to pick-up my deer meat. Anniston got to see a deer being prepared for the freezer, it was an experience just watching her. Annsiton watched in awe as the deer was gutted, and skinned. She was about 4 feet from the guy as he was doing it, hand over mouth in a half grin. About the time he went to cut the head off, she mouthed "Oh my goodness", it was priceless. She wasn't scarred don't worry she thought it was "cool".

When Kelly went to the processor with me she made it about 5 feet from the car, I'm talking up a storm and look back to make sure nobody trips over the dead deer lying on the concrete pad and she is standing by the car with her mouth open and a look on her face like "I'll wait in the car" :).



My loving wife even made it into the woods with me for a morning hunt the last day of the season. She had never been and it was cool having her show interest in wanting to go so she and Alyssa went with me. Unfortunately nothing came out into the field, it was uneventful other than Kel and Alyssa taking turns with the DS.


To sum it up I think me and the 2 older girls got to bond over our weekend hunting trips. They got to spend quality time with Big Daddy and Jay too, they all seemed to enjoy that. I feel blessed to be able to spend quality time with the girls like that, kids are often over-looked by their parents and I want my kids to know how important they are to me.


Alyssa announced that she was tired of just sitting in the shooting house, she's ready to shoot a deer. So I guess I will have to find her a gun. Anyway, the deer are safe until next year, as long as they stay out of the highway :).

Happy Landings

For those faithful readers of my blog (all 3 of you) you already know about my adventures this past weekend but Kelly thought it would be post worthy anyway. While working a shift on the helicopter this past weekend we got a flight from Demopolis to DCH Tuscaloosa at about 1am. The flight was uneventful going to Demopolis and then onto T-town with our patient other that a little turbulence. A front was moving in from the West and it started to drizzle rain as we left Tuscaloosa for our 40 min flight back to base in Evergreen. About 10 minutes after lifting from DCH we encountered low clouds and turned around heading for the Tuscaloosa airport. We would stay a couple hours let the front push through and fly back after to sun came up.

We left Tuscaloosa at about 7am after our nap at BAMA AIR (who was gracious and let us borrow their couches) and started heading south toward Evergreen base. The weather was better yet still cloudy and we were moving right along until somewhere south of Centreville. As we fly over the rural areas of Alabama I always look in the green fields and hunting lands for deer, this day revealed lots of hunters in the woods and 4x4s parked along dirt roads. We came up on an area of low clouds so the pilot went around them and all was good. As we continued south bound the low clouds became more numerous and we lost all radio contact with dispatch. The pilot said since the weather was not getting any better we would go to an airfield outside of Marion and wait; I asked how far away we were and then we ran into clouds and we started looking for the ground. After a minute or so the clouds opened underneath and we could see the some form of civilization. We ducked under the clouds and saw what looked like a small town. We surveyed the area found what looked like a college with a soccer field and big courtyard area, the courtyard won.



As the pilot was spooling down the aircraft a security guard stopped about 50 yards away in his golf cart with an uneasy look on his face. I got out, walked over to the guard who was more than likely wondering what the @#*! is going on. Here this helicopter has come out of nowhere landed in the middle of the campus and I have a dude in a blue flight suit who just messed up my quiet Sunday morning. I told him of our situation and all he could do is shake his head and say "OK". The pilot and nurse walked up about this time and the guard realized we weren't coming to take over the campus we indeed ran into a problem. He started talking then and said this was an all girls college, I said "ALL GIRLS COLLEGE", couldn't be that bad. We all then had a well deserved laugh. After a few minutes a professor (it was a guy) came walking through asking with concern about what was going on; and after telling him of our ordeal and a couple pictures of the Helicopter he took us into a house he was remodeling next door and brought the strangers in blue suits some coffee. I called Kelly told her what happend and I would be delayed getting home. I broke the news to her gently that we had landed in the middle of an all girls campus. She didn't like it when I told her one of the sororities was cooking us breakfast; luckily for me I was just pulling her leg. I had crack a joke it sounded like she was getting upset; or was she thinking about the my life insurance;)?

After waiting a bit the dining hall opened and we were treated to a good hot breakfast, cooked not by the college girls but the dining hall workers. The professor showed us where to go and told us to make ourselves at home. The oncoming crew was driving up from Evergreen to get the aircraft, our pilots are limited to only 14 hour duty days and it was after 9am his duty day was done (they work 12 hr shifts)

After breakfast and talking about our encounter easeing the stress the three of us went outside to enjoy the sunshine, the front was gone. We had a few curious people who wanted to see the aircraft so we let the workers sit inside, and look around, afterall these people took us in, fed us etc. The oncoming crew arrived we swapped out, they took off and we started to 2 hour road trip back (30 min by air). Attached is the helicopter sitting on campus, amazing what a beautiful day it turned out to be.

So to all the people at Judson College thank you for your hospitality, food, hot coffee, shelter and most importantly the "Hockey Field" we used to make a safe landing on.

Our pilot that night/morning, thank you for the professionalism, and cool head that you showed when given an emergent situation; You did a Hell-of-a job. I guess thats why everybody always wants to talk to the pilot :).

Oh yeah, it was a holiday weekend almost all the students were gone. Secondly NO!, I don't plan on quitting. Working on a medical helicopter is a dangerous job but I get to make a difference in peoples lives everyday and somebody has to do it. I was back at work on the helicopter 3 days later.

Godspeed to all.

Behind every strong man there is a strong woman; in my case there are 4. I don't know what I have done in my life to have been blessed with such a wonderful family. First off there is my beautiful wife Kelly. She and I have been together for over 13 years and this year will celebrate a decade of marriage. If you know me well you likely have a good idea that she means the world to me. My heart still melts when I see her smile or when she bats here eyes at me when she tries to butter me up. My wife is one of the greatest things that ever happend to me. She pushes me in a good way to be the best I can be and be a man that is dependable and true to his word. I really could have never imagined a love that we have, I am one of the lucky people who found their soulmate. We have always had the motto as long as we have each other then its ok, and that is how we are. I am happiest sitting at home with Kel and the girls watching TV or playing.

My little girls are 3 of the precious souls that have ever graced the face of this earth. My oldest is a very serious 8 year old who does like to have a good time but takes life as it is. She loves to read and loves to go just as much as she like to be lazy. One thing I can say about her is she has taught me how to be patient and be a good daddy. The 4 year old is about the sweetest thing you will ever meet with a heart of pure love for everything. She makes the world her own and paints it the most vibrant colors that anyone could imagine through her personality are care for people. She loves talking, even though nobody is around she will just pretent she is teaching school or taking her babydoll for a walk. On the contrary when she gets pissed then Kady barr the door she is hell on two legs let me tell you. The baby is a good mixture of both her personality (her name means "Little Fire") is starting to develop and she is a trip. She has always had this contagious smile that could get the devil himself in a good mood. I think she will not have a problem taking up for herself; Alyssa took something away from her the other day and the baby slapped at her, but hey she was deserving shouldn't have taken the toy away from her. It was one of those Hey you better give that toy back moments :).

My 4 girls are my life they are my heart and soul, they give me the strength to go throughout the day. I don't know what I have done to deserve such a special wife and kids, but I try everyday to she them how much I love them.

When I was thinking about my first real post I wanted to dedicate it to my family so whomever reads this will know how much my wife and our girls mean to me. I Love You Kel, Alyssa, Anniston, and Ayden Claire with all my heart.

Hello Blogland

Not sure what an acceptable first post would be, well not even sure what I am going to blog about anyway.............

I may use this as an outlet to vent frustrations, a place to post interesting things I come accross in my work, things about my family (although I don't want to steal any of "Kel's Tales" :)). More than likely it will be a combination of that and more.

Who knows where this will go I sure don't.......it may only go about 2 posts and then again it may go on.

Anyway, more to come...............maybe.