February Happenings

February was a fun and busy month that flew by!  Kadee had her cheer end of year showcase, Matthew finished up Junior Jazz basketball, Connor started playing basketball on a traveling team, and Kinlee had a bunch of dance performances.  Sometimes I can't believe how busy we are.  I feel like we run from one thing to the next and hardly have time to breathe.  Although it's crazy, for the most part, I wouldn't change it for the world.  I love watching my kids develop their talents and honestly pray for them that they can do their best in all they do. 

I am still teaching English online and I still love it, except the early morning hours, the time change has really made it hard for me to get up in the mornings.  I am so grateful I can work from home and spend so much time with my kids.  The house is almost complete, we should be in in about 6 weeks and I cannot wait.  Renting has been so hard and I am so ready to have my own home and my own space.  The kids are very ready too.

Rory is very busy and I sometimes hate it.  He is calling the softball and baseball games for the high school on ETV10, he is on city council, he is chief of police, and if he's not doing one of those things he's up at the new house.  I think it will be easier for me when we have the house done and I can do yard work and garden.

The corona virus has made its way to the United States and people are in a full on panic.  You can't buy toilet paper, hand soap, or hand sanitizer anywhere, lucky for my family I already hoard toilet paper so we should be good for the next few months.  It's crazy to me how one virus can cause such mass hysteria, I think of the flu and how so much of it can be prevented if people would be more diligent in washing their hands and staying home when sick.  I'm taking a natural disasters class and so much of it has been on being prepared for these types of situations.  The LDS church has been telling us to be prepared for years, I feel like it's a sign of the times and as long as we heed their warnings and are prepared the best we can be we will be fine.  Anyway, I'm praying for our country, like always, and praying the virus will pass quickly without any US casualties. 

Rory's Hunt

Rory wrote this awesome story about his deer hunt last fall, I thought I'd share it here because it was such an amazing experience for him.

Which Way?, This Way, Wrong Way!

“Hey dad, what are your hunting goals?”  That was the question my fifteen year old son Connor asked me during this year's general season Utah elk hunt.  I asked him what he meant and he said what size deer and elk do you want to hang on the wall. The date was October 12, 2019 and I have not thought about that question for a long time.  Now that I have kids that are hunting my priorities have changed and now I hunt to make sure they succeed.

I told Connor I remember when I was a young man, probably about his age, I always dreamed about harvesting at least a 350 inch bull elk and a 200 inch mule deer.  Now I have harvested some amazing animals and been on some unforgettable hunts, but I have never reached my goal. Connor asked if I thought I would ever reach my goal?  I said you know bud you just never know but honestly I think the 350 bull is easier than the 200 inch buck will probably never happen.

This year I drew out for a deer tag but was looking forward to the kids hunting and my dad drew a 3rd season Colorado deer tag.  The kids also drew out for antelope in Wyoming, which is always a blast. So my Utah deer tag took a back seat in my excited hunts list.

By the time all the kids hunts were done, which they were all successful and we had an amazing time, I only had 4 days to hunt my deer tag before we left for Colorado.  I have hunted this area before and in fact my dad had the tag last year and harvested a nice 4 point. I knew the area and know the area is not known for giant bucks. I was looking for something in the 160-170 inch range or I would just warm up the stove and have some tag soup.

Unfortunately it was Monday morning and Connor had already missed enough school from the other hunts and could not make the trip.  So I loaded up the ol man, my dad Derk, and headed out. We were just hunting from home as the unit was only about an hour and a half from home.  It was a very cold and windy morning.

As we unloaded the side by side in the cold and dark I considered getting back in the truck and wait until the sun came up haha.  I think we have all thought about that a time or two. We bundled up and embarked on the 45 minute ride to the top of the mountain.  I had an idea of where I wanted to be right at daylight.

The ride was extra cold and seemed like it took forever.  Once we arrived at the place I wanted to be it was perfect.  I could smell the cold mountain smell, and the hunting bug hit me hard.  I just knew we were going to find a great buck. It just felt right. Well “felt right” quickly gave way to where in the heck are the deer?  We glassed this canyon where we have always seen deer and we could not dig up a single doe! Was it too late in the year? Did the deer already start to move to winter range?  Did the hot dry summer change where they live? These are all the things running through my mind.

Well the day went on and it did not get much better, or warmer.  We searched, glassed, froze, and glassed some more. We reminisced about hunting trips and all the fortunate hunts we have had the opportunity to go on together.  Since I was just a small lad, my dad has taken me across this great country chasing everything and teaching me how to be a responsible and humble outdoorsman.

As the short day was giving way to evening the sun was promptly starting to head west and it appeared the bucks, or lack thereof were going to roam the mountain free from the worry of the human predator.  One small group of does that we had seen twice throughout the day made their way out of the quakies and started feeding. I was even hesitant to even look at them because I had looked them over so many times earlier and new as hard as I tried to put horns on them I  just could not do it. Going against my better judgement I decided to check them out one last time for the day.  

Ummmmmm dad, I believe that doe over there has horns and she has good ones?  Dad just laughed as he knew I was pulling his chain. I’m serious, that is a nice buck.  Dad spotted the motionless deer staring right back at us in hopes that we did not see him if he did not blink.  The buck was like a statue and would not move so we could look at him real good. Finally after nearly 5 minutes he turned his head and I could see he was a beautiful four point buck probably in the 160 range.  The decision was made that he was just not the one I wanted to hang my tag on.  

With merely 30 minutes left of good shooting light we moved on.  We only had time to go one of two directions. I said lets go this way and check some sage flats that we have seen deer in the past.  Dad agreed and thought that was a good idea. Literally at the last second, and I still have no idea why, I decided to go the opposite direction.  My dad was as puzzled as me and all I could say was I just think this way is going to be better.

We got to a place where we could glass and had seen deer in the past and decided to watch until dark, which was only 15 minutes away.  I had just pulled up the reliable old Vortex Razor HD’s when I saw something that looked like a crafty old buck sneaking through some sparse quakies.  He had is nose nearly in the dirt taking in the glorious smell of a doe in estrus. He appeared to not have a care in the world. I could not believe what I was seeing!  It was one of those times that you just know without having to take a second look.

Scrambling to get my frozen hands on the ice cold stock of my favorite deer rifle I was just waiting for the giant to realize he was in a bad spot and make a dash for the thick timber or the cliffs and ledges.  Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, I was able to hold the Creedmoor to my shoulder.

I knew he was within 100 yards so I didn’t even waste the time to fire up the Burris Eliminator 3.  He was still just moving right to left ignoring the fact that I had practiced and shot many rounds in hopes of a time this exact scenario would play out.  I excitedly, but confidently squeezed the trigger waiting for the picture in my scope of him falling.

My smile and confidence came to a screeching halt when he continued walking in the same direction without a worry in the world.  Wait, WHAT!!! I did not just miss the easiest shot on a truly magnificent buck, did I? Now waiting for him to explode out of the country my heart and soul sunk.  I quickly chambered another round and tried to calmly wait for him to clear a couple of trees before I could have another shot.

What the heck was going on?  He never lifted his head, he never ran, and he looked like he had only one thing on his mind, and it wasn’t me!  He cleared one last tree and I settled in and let the Hornady 140 gr. ELD-X bullet fly. This time the picture in my scope was finally the outcome I wanted as I watched the old warrior fall.  

Making the short walk over to him I didn’t know exactly what was waiting for me, as I never took much time to analyze him on the hoof.  I can officially say there was absolutely no ground shrinkage! He tipped the scales right at 219 and some change. I could not believe what I was seeing.  The celebration with my dad is something I cherish. We have been on so many adventures together and the true happiness and excitement we share together are better than anything.

This buck far exceeded anything I could imagine and I am grateful for the opportunity of sharing the experience with my dad.  He has taught me everything I know about hunting and has taken me and my brothers hunting since I was born, literally. I love taking my own kids now and sharing with them the love of the outdoors that my dad showed me.

I would like to thank my wife, Sarah for knowing my love for hunting and the outdoors and working extra hours to help pay for my taxidermy bill :).  I have 4 awesome kids, Connor 15, Kadence 14, Kinlee 9, Matthew 8, who all love the outdoors. I am the Police Chief of a small town in Utah, which I love so much.  We are a close family and the outdoors and hunting is something we love to do together. I have been a member of Eastman’s for at least 15 years and my dad was before that.  We love all the stories and the information in the MRS section. I have found several awesome hunts based on the awesome info.

Gear List: Savage 6.5 Creedmoor, Hornady ELD-X bullets / Scope: Burris Eliminator 3, Vortex Razor HD Binos, Swarovski spotting scope/ Kings Camo, Danner Boots/ Bog Pod Tripod

Rory Bradley

 

January Happenings

January has been a busy month but an extremely long month.  I'm still healing from my surgery and although I've been working out I'm still feeling some pain at my surgery site when I do too much.  Life goes on though and I haven't been able to sit and rest for too long before I'm running the kids from one activity to another.

Connor has been playing basketball and it's been a rough year.  He hasn't got to play as much as he would like and went from starting games at the beginning of the season to barely playing at all.  We were told it is because a mom was angry that Connor was playing more than her son, so she went to the coaches and complained and now he is suffering because of it.  Last week he was finally getting some playing time and came down on his ankle wrong and now has a bad sprain.  That poor kid can't seem to catch a break and it makes me so sad for him.

Kadence has been extremely busy with cheer, practicing and cheering at games 5 days a week. On top of that she and a friend did the science fair and she has continued to do tumbling and hip hop once a week.  Her team placed 4th in both regional and state, but I am so proud of them.  They were the only middle school to go up against very large Junior Highs.  To place 4th in the entire state is pretty amazing!  Not only did Kadee rock competition, her and her friend Taylee took 2nd place in the Science Fair and get to take their project to Cedar City for the regional fair.  I am so proud of Kadee,  I have loved watching her cheer the past 2 years and truly can't believe how fast it's gone by.  I'm grateful for her amazing coaches who saw her potential and encouraged her to reach it.  Before cheering Kadee was a shy girl with little self-confidence.  Cheerleading has given her confidence, strength, and some amazing friends.  I can't believe we've had our last competition and our time with MHMS will be ending soon.

What can I say about our little Kinlee?  She is busy doing what she loves- dancing.  She is always making up dances at home and loves everything about dance.  She is sassy and loves to talk, so she gets in trouble at school sometimes because she talks and talks and talks.  Besides that she is doing really well in school and loves to read when I can finally convince her to sit down and do it. 

Matthew has been playing Jr. Jazz basketball and he loves it. He is playing with the 3rd and 4th graders but you would never guess it, he is just as good, if not better, than most of them.  He is doing really well in school and loves his teacher.  I think 2nd grade is my favorite, it's been such a fun age with each of my kids and I'm kind of sad I won't have another second grader. 

It's taken me an entire week to finish up this blog entry.  Between school, work, and running the kids around it's hard to find the time to sit and write about what's going on in our lives, but I really need to make it a priority.  I hope I can do a little better in February and maybe even post more than once, we will see.   

2019 A Year of Change

Our little family has had a lot of changes in 2019.  We started out the year with Kadee having regional and state cheer competitions.  Her team took 3rd overall which is amazing considering they were the only middle school competing with Junior High Schools.  She also became a teenager, the big 1-3!!  I can't believe I have 2 teenagers in the house, if I think about it too much it makes me sad, they are growing up way to fast.

Connor made the middle school basketball team and got to start Varsity.  This year was tough for him because he didn't feel like the coach liked him very much and for some reason the coach had him sit the bench a lot.  Although it was hard to watch, it pushed him to work harder and he has excelled at basketball so much this year.  8th grade was definitely a year of growth for Connor and he did a lot of maturing through the school year.

March brought warmer weather and the Wellington Elementary Spring Music concert.  This was Matthew's first year performing and he was so cute up on stage.  Kinlee had a duet with her best friend Kaydree and loves to be on stage and the center of attention.  March was also the beginning of competition season for dance.  Kinlee's first competition was in Richfield so we made reservations and stayed in a hotel with just Kinlee.  We taught her about the birds and the bees and took her to dinner at a delicious Chinese restaurant there.  She loved the one on one time and asked if we could make it a tradition every year.  Matthew started basketball and hated every minute of it!  He is really good at sports and the age group he was in was for kids who were just learning the basics so he got really bored.  I decided that next year I'll play him up so he can be in a more competitive league.

April the weather started to warm up.  We celebrated Grandma Rhea's birthday with dinner and cake at Debbie's, Kadee wrapped up the cheer season, and Kinlee had a dance competition in St. George.  We love to go to St. George and stay with Lorla, it's one of our favorite traditions.  After the dance competition we headed to California for some Disneyland fun!!  We started out at Huntington Beach with lunch at Ruby's Diner on the pier.  The next few days we spent at Disneyland having the time of our lives.  Nana Kelli and Papa Gary came with us, but they decided Disneyland wasn't for them and spent most of their time doing other things.  They did go with us to Universal Studios but after all the fun at Disneyland it was kind of a let down.  After Universal nana and papa took Matthew and Kinlee back to the hotel to swim and Rory and I took Connor and Kadee to a Jazz game at the staples center. It was so fun to watch our home team on an away court, but LA is a little scary at night!  We spent our final day at Disneyland and I cried when we had to leave.  It was just so wonderful spending so much time with my family.  It seems like we are all running in different directions and don't always get a chance to connect like I want to.  Disneyland was so great because the kids built bonds and I got to witness the way they interact with each other as they are getting older.    After Disneyland we packed up the camp trailer and went camping out Clark's valley for Easter.  It was nice and warm and dirty, just the way the kids like to camp!

May, June, and July went by in a whirl.  We had concerts, dance recitals, baseball, camping, Wellington Pioneer days, and more that I can't think of.  It was crazy busy but I love our busy life, it actually terrifies me to think I will someday be an empty nester and not have something to do all the time. 

August was amazing!  We spent a week in Yellowstone and it was absolutely breathtaking.  I had never been before and was fascinated by all the buffalo, elk, deer, bear, eagles, and even a wolf.  We had an amazing excursion on the Yellowstone River and spending that time with Rory and the kids was priceless.

About 3 weeks ago I had surgery to remove 8 inches of my small intestine.  I had a blockage over Thanksgiving weekend and it was one of the most awful things I've ever experienced.  They did a CT Scan and it showed that my Crohn's had blocked off that portion of my intestines and they had to be removed.  I spend 4 days in the hospital after my surgery and have barely started to feel like myself again.  Surgery is hard.  Not just physically, but mentally.  I had such a hard time staying down and got anxious and depressed.  I'm finally coming out of it, but it was a long few weeks.  I'm so grateful for my family and friends that checked on my and helped me through this difficult time. 

October was an exciting and busy month.  I blinked and it was over.  My sweet little grandma fell and broke her hip, the poor woman laid on her cold kitchen floor for over 10 hours before anyone found her.  She's been in the hospital and is now in a care center slowly recovering.  We've been up north to see her a few times and she is definitely progressing every time we go up there but is in a lot of pain so she really doesn't move much. 

Rory drove the side x side around Wellington and handed out candy to trick or treaters, he is such a great Chief!

Connor just found out last night that he made the varsity basketball team at Mont Harmon.  He works extremely hard at basketball and is so excited to be on the team.  He just got glasses last month.  He is near sighted and far sighted, so the poor kid hasn't been able to see at all.  He likes his glasses but is already asking when he can get contacts. 

This picture of Connor because it's the only one I have right now!

Kadee has been cheering for wrestling, she also made the competition cheer team so she is cheering 5 days a week.  She has a crazy schedule but still manages to keep her grades up and loves it.  She is so excited to do her standing back hand spring in the cheer competition routine and her confidence has grown tremendously this year.   

Kadee & her cheer squad for Halloween

Kadee's first time cheering at a Wrestling Meet

Kinlee is still dancing her heart out.  3rd grade has been a little rough for her academically, but she seems to finally be getting the hang of things and picking up on the things she was struggling with. I'm actually glad she has struggled a little bit, it has taught her to work hard and that she can learn, even when it's hard.  I feel like she is learning grit. She is doing the musical minors singing group after school on Mondays and loves singing.  She has a beautiful singing voice and is a wonderful performer. 

Kinlee received the perfect attendance award for October

Kinlee received the Kudos club award

Matthew received the perfect attendance award for September

I had Matthew's IEP for speech yesterday and the speech specialist was very impressed with his progress.  She said that if he keeps progressing the way he is he will probably be done with speech before 1st grade is over.  He turns 7 next week and we had a funny conversation.  I asked him if he wanted McDonald's for his birthday diner because he is always begging me to get him McDonald's, he looked at me with a look of disgust and said, "No, I want something good, like Subway!"  It was so funny the way he said it. 

Matthew received the perfect attendance award for October

It's been a year....

At the beginning of the year I decided I need a break from blogging.  I felt like I was really repetitive and writing about the same things over and over again.  I didn't think I'd miss it, I figured my photo books would be enough of a memory for my family and would cover everything I would write about in my blog.  Then, the other night, I was laying in bed thinking about all the things that have happened this year and realized I need to blog for me.  So I can look back and remember these years, because frankly, they are going by way too fast.

This year has not been the happiest of years.  My Uncle Leon and Rory's aunt Cindy passed away, and hardest for me was the passing of my dear sweet grandpa. It's funny, he's had dementia for several years so he hasn't really known who I was, but just his presence was a comfort to me.  When my uncle DR called to tell me it wouldn't be much longer my heart sunk.  He is the only father figure I've ever known and the thought of being in this world without him is sometimes unbearable.  The last thing he said to me before he fell into a coma is, "I love you."  Even though he couldn't remember my name, he knew he loved me and that is a memory I'll cherish forever.  August was a whirlwind with his passing and the funeral being on Kinlee's birthday.  Luckily my cousin Ashlee took Kinlee with her and her kids to Cowabunga Bay after the funeral to celebrate her birthday, she knew I was stressed and trying to help and I was so grateful she stepped up and took that weight off my shoulders.  I was able to speak at his funeral and pay tribute to the wonderful man that he was, and I was also given the honor of picking out his headstone. Although he is gone, I will never forget the generous, kind, loving man that he was.  I pray every day that I can be as good of a person as he was.  

Connor has had a rough year, he started out in February with what we thought was the stomach flu, but couldn't stop vomiting.  He missed months of school and we took him to several doctors and finally found out it was his gallbladder.  He had it removed and has been healthy ever since.  He was going to play football this year, but before the season even started he broke his hand playing basketball at the school and couldn't even start the season.

Kadence made the cheer team and has loved it, she has grown so much as a person and physically.  She is 5'4" and is turning into a beautiful young woman.  Last week at cheer her flyer fell on her head and she ended up with a nasty concussion.  She had to miss a week of school and is better this week, but still can't stunt.  I am so proud of her though, she has worked so hard to keep straight A's, even with missing a week of school, and has been practicing her jumps and routines constantly.

Kinlee switched dance companies this year and has been working hard to get her back walk over.  She is really good in school and at parent teacher conference last week her teacher couldn't say enough good things about her.  She wants to be a dance teacher and an OB nurse when she grows up and is seriously the messiest child I've ever met.

Matthew is playing flag football and is loving every minute of it.  He loves to Rollerblade and ride his bike and LOVES the IPad.  I actually had to take it away and set very strict limits or he would play it all day, every day.  He is in 1st grade and his teacher loves him to pieces.  She said he is so quiet and well behaved and loves to learn.

Rory had an exciting career change.  On August 22, 2018 Rory was sworn in as the new Chief of Police for Wellington City.  His first day was August 27, 2018 and so far it has been an amazing experience for him.  He has really enjoyed it and loves serving the community we live in.  He has big plans for his little department and I really think he can make it happen.

So if for nothing else, I think I'll continue to blog occasionally for me, so I can look back and remember the good, remember the bad, and remember I lived. 
 

December

December was, as always, a whirlwind of fun.  We had school parties, family parties, trips, and fun.  It went by way too fast and I can't believe Christmas is over for another year.  My favorite part was all the family time and our quick trip up north after Christmas.  We went and jumped at hang time, went to Pitch Perfect 3, did a little shopping, ate lots of food, and swam at the hotel, I love this memory we make with the kids and I hope they remember how hard we tried to make sure they had a happy childhood.  So, as for the month of December, Connor played a lot of basketball, Kadee got to participate in a gingerbread house contest at school, Matthew made his Kindergarten Candy Train with grandma Debbie and Kinlee lost her 2 front teeth in just enough time to sing constantly, "all I want for Christmas is my 2 front teeth" and she got the Warrior Award at school. 

For New Years Eve we did our annual stay at home, pop balloons with different activities in them, eat lots of food party.  We played games, put puzzles together, played hide and seek, had a silly string fight, ate cookies and milk, had a dance off, got in the hot tub, drank sparkling cider, and crashed at exactly 12:01 haha.