3 Years!

Well today marks our 3 Year Anniversary, and it sure did come fast!  What a wonderful 3 years it has been!  Yes, it's been a little bumpy at times, especially with my deployment to Iraq, but it's all been so worth it.  There are many, many more years to come and many wonderful experiences await us just around the corner as we will be starting a family soon!  I haven't written a post in a while so pardon me if I jump around a lot...  Kelli's finishing up nursing school (thanks goodness!) and has all of her tests behind her.  She's just got to pass the NCLEX and she'll be working at Forrest General.  Since I've gotten home from Iraq I started working with a friend of mine, Tim McLemore, building Mobile Kitchens/Catering Trailers.  It's a stress free environment and I'm enjoying it.  I also bought a Metallic Blue 2008 Chevy Silverado 4x4 with 40,000 miles.  I paid cash for it and got a really good deal.  I've been looking into going into law enforcement and would like to join the Highway Patrol if possible.  Kelli and I got another Weimaraner puppy, Kaiser, about 7 weeks ago.  He's growing so fast and is so beautiful.  He is silver colored and has a broad body build with big paws.  His dad weighs around 95 pounds and I expect Kaiser to get up near that.  I've been hunting about 25 times so far this season and have only seen a deer 2 of those times.  Unfortunately I was unable to get a shot off either time, but I know I'll get one soon.  I got a game camera for my birthday on Nov 1st and boy what a difference it makes!  My dad and I planted a big "V" shaped food plot this year right outside of Petal.  We've finally got some rain so hopefully it's coming up good.  If I had a scope for my rifle I would hunt that food plot but no scope means I'll be hunting with my bow all season, but that's okay because I find bow hunting more enjoyable anyways.

Almost Home!

Well it looks like then end is drawing near.  Only 20 days till I ship back home and it can't come soon enough.  I've already begun packing up my belongings and throwing away excess stuff I've collected throughout the deployment.  Looking back over the entire deployment it has been both slow and fast.  The weeks and months seem to zip on by, but the end seemed like an eternity away.  Christmas was really hard.  However, I was able to spend the day via Skype with Kelli and my family as they opened their gifts.  Leave really helped a lot as well.  I've learned a lot about all of the communication systems in the Army, a knowledge gained that will slowly fade because I wont be using it ever again when I get back home.  I'm pure Infantry, but was put in as the Commo Chief for this deployment.  I was submitted for both the Bronze Star Medal and the Meritorious Service Medal for out performing all Commo Sections in our Battalion, and out performing all other sections in our Company, at which all of these sections were lead by Staff Sergeants (E-6).  However, both of my awards were downgraded to Army Commendation Medals.  Speculation is because of my rank: Specialist (E-4).  When I get back home I'll only have 2 1/2 years left in the Army, and I can't wait until that countdown is completed.  I'm pretty excited to getting back home and returning to the normal life.  I love normal.  I'm planning on buying a truck when I get home and getting back to work for a short while until I start going to school at the beginning of next year.  Kelli has been staying very busy with Nursing School throughout this deployment.  She'll only have one semester left when I get home then she'll be working at Forrest General Hospital in Hattiesburg.  We've been talking about starting a family in the near future and we both look forwards to having children.  Can't wait!

Mid Deployment

Well it's been a rough adventure so far, being away from home and loved ones. I was able to take a 15 day leave on October 26th and was happy to be able to spend time at home for a little while. It was just too short. I traveled from Iraq, to Kuwait, to Ireland, to Dallas, and then to Jackson. The return flight was the same stops as well. I now have just under 3 months left over here and the end can't come soon enough. I've gained a lot of knowledge while in Iraq. I've learned a lot about the movement and radio systems the Army has. I've also learned being separated from your spouse is very hard on you emotionally, physically, spiritually... We've hit the rainy season, and over here when it rains it definitely pours. It rained on and off for about 2 months. Everything turned to mud and it's very miserable. Now it's starting to dry up and get pretty cold with the highs only reaching around 60 degrees. Christmas is just around the corner. I've been able to get into the Christmas spirit even though it's almost depressing. I usually listen to my iPod while working on trucks and hum Christmas songs out loud. For all those who have to be away from their loved ones on Christmas, Kelli and I know what you're going through. May God be with you all through this Christmas season.

The Sandbox

Well, I'm currently deployed to Balad, Iraq. I believe the hardest day of my life was when I said goodbye to Kelli for a whole year. But the good news is that time is flying by. I started Mobilization on May 1, 2009 and will be back around May of 2010. I'm the Company Commo guy. I have my own shop and it's my job to make sure all of our vehicles have their communications up and running before they leave out on missions. We are currently doing Convoy Security, which means we provide security for civilian contracted convoys all over Iraq. The weather over here is absolutely miserable, especially when there's a dust storm.

New Years Buck!

Okay, so I didn't kill this buck exactly on New Years Day... It was on Saturday the 3rd, but close enough. I killed an old 8 pointer behind my paw-in-law's place. The front of his rack was broke off on one side but I didn't mind; He made up for it with a split brow tine and a kicker on the other side. I was the happiest man alive. I called the 8 pointer up with Primos "The BIG Can" at 6:15 AM (still dark). He came into the middle of my rye grass patch where he moved to the outer edge and rubbed a tree. He finally hung around long enough for light to hit and this is when I realized he was an 8 pointer. I shot him at 175 yards with a 30-06 using 150 grain bullet. He ran 25 yards and dropped dead. This is the second biggest Whitetail I've ever killed. I know, sad right?

Snow Again!!

Well what do you know, snow in December... and a lot! We got around 4-5 inches Thursday, December 11th. We had lots of fun playing in it, almost too much fun. We went sledding, had snow ball fights, built a huge snowman, and did some snow skiing with a plastic garbage can lid, a four wheeler, and a rope. haha We had a blast! This was Kady's first time to see snow, so she didn't know what to think. She kept biting the snowflakes as they fell. She really loved it. Roxy doesn't like snow and likes her dog house where it's nice and warm.

Cruise 2008

Well we're back and we had a blast! The weather got kind of bad. The wind was super strong. I'd say 30-50 miles an hour, which means lots waves and a bumpy ride. Our shore excursion in Cozumel got canceled because of it. I was really looking forward to snorkeling in Cozumel too. We just rented a scooter and rode around the island. We saw some ruins and did some shopping. We stopped at a little resort and ate some authentic Mexican food and swam for a little bit. In Calica we went and saw ruins in Tulum and then went and walked the streets in Playa Del Carmen. It was very nice. We went on the Holiday with Carnival Cruise lines out of Mobile, AL. The boat was pretty little, only accomidated 1500 guests and 900 employees. The food was absolutely delicious! The staff was very nice and friendly. Our watiress was the best! Can't wait to go on our next one!

Dead Deer in Deer Country!

I killed my first deer of the season today November 22, opening day of gun season. I killed this buck in Jefferson Davis County with my 30.06 around 5:20 PM. It was exactly 150 yards away. I shot it through the shoulder and it dropped; didn't take not one step. I mistakenly shot this buck for a 6 point. I thought it had a brow tine and another matching side. I was wrong. I believe this buck was a cull. It's good to kill off the bad genes.

Family Update!

Well things are going great! Today is our 1 year Anniversary! It doesn't seem like a year has passed already. It sure does fly. We're going on another cruise to celebrate our Anniversary. This time we will be cruising on the Holiday out of the Mobile, AL port and going to Cozumel and Calica. I'll blog about it when we get back!

Well I'm currently employed at a Warehouse/Service Manager at Grover Brother Restaurant Equipment and Kelli works for her father at his Alignment shop. We both enjoy our jobs, mainly because we get to be around our families.

Kelli has recently been accepted to nursing school at USM. She's going to make a wonderful nurse. She's so excited. The plan is to get her through school while I work full time and then once she gets done, vice versa. Kids have got to squeeze in there somehow. Haha.

Well Kady has grown so much! She's getting a bit calmer, thank goodness. She still has so much energy and is a Houdini (Master Escape Artist.)

I still haven't killed a deer yet. I missed one with my bow a few days ago, but I should be getting one sooner or later... I hope.

Hunting 07-08 Season

The season wasn't a very good one for me as far as kills go, but it was enjoyable. My brother in law, Ryan, took my brother, my father, and I, Pheasant Hunting in Utah. We had a blast. It was a great experience to watch the way the bird dogs work and everything. It was a bit cold though. That morning it was -17 degrees. Walking through snow and reeds waste high really keeps you warm though. We killed quite a few and really had a very enjoyable time. It was everyone's first time to hunt for Pheasants, except for Ryan of course.


I killed a doe behind our house with a Marlin 30-30 lever-action.
She dropped dead in her tracks. This was probably the biggest doe I have ever killed. I didn't weigh her in, but she was on up there. Kelli tried to drag her but couldn't even budge her. I had the doe processed for sausage and bacon burger. Talk about delicious!


Me, my two sisters, Keela and Kaycee, my brother, Kody, and my dad, Keith, all went on a big Texas Hog hunt in the summer of 2008. My sisters and brother all harvested hogs with guns, while my dad and I shot ones with our bows. My little sister Kaycee killed the largest hog with a nice set of cutters. I shot the strongest hog in the world I believe. I shot it once in the femoral artery (it was really a bad shot). Once the guide showed up we tracked it for about 200 yards and there was blood everywhere! Everyone thought it surely had to have died. We finally found it standing up under some brush so I shot it again, this time it was a heart shot, but the hog took off again. We continued to track it and found it standing up in a small clearing so I shot it again, this time I hit lungs. It took off again. We finally tracked it into some tall grass where it had bedded down, but was still alive. I shot it one last time with my last arrow. It hit the heart yet again and stuck in the the hog instead of passing through like all of the previous shots. Well the guide told me to just wait and let the hog bleed out, so we waited for 15 minutes and the hog was still hanging on. Finally I just walked up to the hog, grabbed my arrow sticking out of it, and started stabbing the heart repeatedly. It wasn't long after that that the hog finally died. This was by far the craziest hunting experience I've ever had. When we got back to the camp I skinned my Hog and took a few pictures. I had a blast!

Family Addition

I bet you thought this was going to be an announcement that Kelli was pregnant didn't you? Not yet... Hold your horses. In February of 2008 we bought a female Blue Weimaraner from a family in Magee, MS. We named her Kady. She has so much energy and loves to dig and bark! She's a momma's girl and doesn't seem too interested in doing manly things. EX: Hunting. She goes squirrel hunting with me from time to time but has no interest in the sport at all. Our other dog, Roxy, a Red-Nose Pitbull, absolutely loves it though. Maybe one day Kady will come around. Who knows, she might like trailing deer.

SNOW!!!

January 19, 2008

Today it snowed so hard! And it actually stuck to! Usually it rains a lot down here before it starts snowing so it turns into this nasty slush that you can't play in. Well this time it was pretty fluffy, especially for Mississippi.

Christmas 2007

Our first Christmas together! And it was a wonderful first Christmas! I got a much needed Scent Lock duffel bag to store all of my hunting clothes in and Kelli got a White and Blue Ski Jacket from Santa! She got to use it too when we went to UTAH shortly after! We had a blast out there. We got to visit my mom's side of the family and we also hit the slopes. I went snowboarding while Kelli went skiing for the first time and she did amazing! She practiced for a while on the bunny slopes and then I talked her into riding the lift up to the first stop. She loved it! Anyways, we also visited Kelli's Sister, Tracie, and her husband, Ryan, in Roosevelt. Ryan took me, my brother, and dad pheasant hunting. We had another awesome experience. What a fun trip! Can't wait to go back!

Honeymoon

November 22 - 26, 2007

For our Honeymoon we went on a Cruise to Cozumel. We shipped on the Fantasy with Carnival Cruise Lines. What an amazing experience! We were truly treated like a King and Queen. We stayed on the Veranda deck in a suite and even had our own balcony. The food was absolutely amazing, as was the shows and activities. We saw a magic show and a few comedy shows. They even had a show called "A Tribute to the Beetles" that was actually pretty good. Once we docked at the pier we got off the ship and traveled by taxi to a resort where we were given our own speed boat and played in the waters off shore. We visited a small deserted island for a while before turning back to the resort. Once back we had the best Mexican food we have ever had. My mouth is watering for it right now! After our excursion we walked down the main strip in Cozumel. We visited a bunch of different stores and bought a few souvenirs. We had such a fun time! Can't wait till our next cruise!

Reception

November 17, 2007

Two days later on November 17th, we had our Reception at the Old Stake Center building in Hattiesburg, MS on Broadway Drive. The decorations were phenomenal. We chose a country theme and had hay bells, bob wire, and fence posts, along will corn stalks, gourds, and pumpkins. The whole event was unforgettable. We had a ring ceremony to include all of our family and friends that were not able to attend the temple ceremony where we were initially married for all eternity. After the ceremony there was lots of food and dancing. All enjoyed the evening very much.

Marriage!

November 15, 2007

Kelli and I were married on Thursday, November 15, 2007 at the Baton Rouge Louisiana Temple. We were sealed for time and all eternity in front of our family and friends. This was our happiest day ever!