It's the simple things in life

Another weekend passes its back to the regular rhythm. I was just looking at some pictures and thinking about all that happened this weekend. I couldn't help but smile. I kind of feel like George Bailey, in that I too, have a wonderful life. It is not made up of extravagance, but rather simple everyday pleasures. I want to take you through my weekend but first let me give you a brief rundown of the players in this game.

I am married to Cheryl and we have four kids between us -yours, mine, and ours. The oldest are Paige and Shelby and they are both seniors in high school. We then have John who is 11 and the youngest of the crew, Danielle, who is five or “thive” as she puts it. Like most "Modern Families," we have a lot of things up in the air and going on. If we aren't picking someone up from somewhere, we are racing to get somewhere and do something else. If you have kids, there need be no further explanation.

With that brief review, let’s get to the weekend. Friday night is a barbeque with the family and shooting airsoft guns with John - and of course at John! He just discovered them about a month ago so now we have an arsenal. The older girls are out and about with their friends and Danielle or "Pipsi" (short for Pipsqueak) is doing what she does best - being 5! The night ends and early to bed because Saturday is going to be a big day.

4:30 am - the alarm rings and I am up. It is still Turkey season, and I am still chasing them. For the fifth time this spring I see the sunrise while nestled next to a tree along the Sacramento River. For the fifth time, I hear a lot of gobbles and see a lot of deer, ducks and geese. For the fifth time, I get to experience the thrill of the hunt and the simple joy of being outdoors. And for the fifth time, I come home empty handed! (If you are curious I watched 3 gobblers strut like crazy wanting to come to me - but they were on other side of the river!)

I arrive home by 9:00 am (per my wife’s instructions) to get ready for the Rodeo Parade. Pipsi is excited to see her big sister, the current Miss Tehama County, ride in the parade and wave at everyone. She says, “Sissy is a princess when she wears her tiara.” As you can imagine we are very proud of her and as her float (which is really a wagon) rolls by, it hits home that this is one thing that is definitely good about small town life – parades with flags, scouts, tractors, horses,

And of course, princesses!

Saturday afternoon is spent at home doing as little as possible. We had talked about going to the rodeo, but it just never got off the ground. Late in the afternoon, Cheryl and I get ready to go to a friend’s house for food and drinks. Our friends live in the country along the river (yes, the same Sacramento River) and this time I get to see the sun set, which was awesome. I also traded my 12 gauge and camouflage, for wine and my wife.

It’s Sunday morning and the house is alive. Today is family picture day and given that I live with 4 females, you can imagine the hair spray, curling irons, and complaining about clothes I have to endure. I found John at the breakfast table with a blanket wrapped around him and hunched over a bowl of cereal. The look on his face was telling. John cherishes his mornings to sleep in and this one was lost to family pictures. I guess when your 11, family pictures don't even exist on your list of reasons to get up. To ease the pain I promised him we would do something fun in the afternoon and that seemed to buy points with him.


The pictures were taken at the same park we had used twice before. In the first set, the girls were 9 or 10 and now they are 18. Hard to believe that much time has passed and that I am really that old. The photographer had Paige and Shelby sit together for some "Sister" shots and I had a flash back of a rafting trip I took them on when they graduated from eighth grade. We went down the Klamath River for two days on kayaks and rafts. Didn't seem like much at the time. Now, with the idea of them being gone in a few months, it feels good to have that memory locked away. That was a wonderful trip and I hope to repeat it with John and Danielle.

Pictures are done and we go home, change, eat and then the flock scatters. The girls each go their way, Mom and Pipsi go to the park and John and I head out with my friend and his son to shoot some sporting clays. He has a jeep so we decide to take that. We had the boys in the back, the doors off, and we are going down the road under warm blue skies. It certainly makes me want a jeep of my own. A bit later we arrive at the ranch and set up for some shooting. John wants to be the trapper so I set him up to throw for us. He gladly does this because he in not really big enough to support the recoil from his gun – but won’t admit it. Being the trapper is a great cover for this. I am just happy he is there. I can't tell you how much fun it is to be out doing something as simple as shooting clays with John and these friends. A little "boy’s time," is good for my soul I have decided.

After a quick paddle on the lake we call it a day and head back home where the flock had reassembled for dinner. The day is done and with that we prepare for the week ahead.

So there you have it - that was my weekend. Was it extraordinary? Maybe not, but I did see a sunrise and a sunset. I had one daughter in the parade and had another dream of doing the same. I took family pictures, and drank some home brewed beer. I had a date with my wife. I went for a jeep ride and helped some boys spend time outdoors away from video games. I listened to, "Ferdinand the Bull," be read last night at bedtime. I was surrounded by family and friends the whole time. I think Kenny Chesney says it best ... It's the simple things in life.......