With the exception of a few zero degree days and about 6 inches of snow, our amazing fall continues!!  

We are all on auto pilot!

Joseph continues to work 8-12 hours a week.  I think he is leaning towards 8th grade basketball, which will start in January.

Jacob has been hunting 3-4 times a week.  He keeps holding out for the 'big' one.  He finally got a doe recently and it is hanging in the garage.  There is a lot of pride in the fact that he can do it all, start to finish.  The last several months he has been texting a professional hunter.  Did  not know that was even a thing, but it is. This hunter has several sponsors, a podcast and has even been featured on a tv show or two (the names are escaping me).  He told Jacob the best way to get into the industry is to come in as a photographer/videographer.  Well, this coming weekend he is going on a 3 day hunt with him and will do all the filming.  Excited to hear about it and where it might take him.  The hunter did say most of the people he brings under his wing is early 20s, so Jacob has a huge jump on others.

The countdown is on for Benjamin.  He will be moving out the first 2 weeks of December!  He will be about a mile from here, so anticipate we will see him once or twice a week!  He is still mulling over the job situation, but has told me a change will be made by Thanksgiving!

I am headed out of town this week for a big work job.  Taking two of my college age employees, so should be a good time!  I set off for Cleveland a few weeks ago, road tripped out there with my mom.  Always enjoy the one on one and seeing the countryside!!

JR is gearing up for snow shoveling!

A few hunting picture and...a rare shot of Benjamin.  Him and I went to see a comedian, Preacher Lawson.  Really enjoyed it and this was a selfie we got with him.

 We have had some wonderful fall weather!!!  

Benjamin and I recently made a very quick trip to Texas and while there, we were able to stop in to some high end car dealerships.  It just made my heart sing to listen to his enthusiasm and excitement.  Oh, the facts that kid has stored away in his brain.  We also toured the Cowboy stadium, what a structure that is.  While in DFW airport, he followed a flight radar map and we walked the airport trying to find the huge international planes so he could see them up close.  Recently there was a huge 747 that flew through the area and landed for a few nights at our airport.  The buzz in town over a plane that big.  Benjamin was absolutely giddy!!  How I wish I had connections to get him up close or even inside something like that.  It belonged to a UAE royal family, from what I understood, and word has it that only a handful of people had flown over on something that big.  I love when I see my boys get excited about things.

Benjamin is still doing excavation work.  He enjoys the variety but things are slowing down a bit as winter is approaching.  He is hoping to do this until November sometime and then pivot in a different direction.  He still has plans to move in with a friend mid December.  Benjamin and I recently went to a Rend Collective concert.  They are a band we saw years ago at an outside weekend festival.  Sure was fun doing something social with that kid.

Jacob continues on with football.  He is starting varsity and getting lots of play time.  On the field for all defensive plays, most special team plays and some offense.   I had to laugh at last night's game because I looked up and he was getting ready to punt the ball on fourth down.  I asked him afterwards what that was all about and (their kicker was out with a concussion) they had a punt contest during football practice and he punted the furthest (63 yards) so he was the stand in punter.  (During the game though we had a good laugh cause he got a ton of height but very little yards.)  They are currently 0-7.  Hard to keep the morale up but so proud of him and his energy and leadership.  After one away game, our athletic director (Matt) sought me out.  Matt told me that a parent from the out of town team wanted to make sure that Matt found #3's parents and told them that #3 was the most respectful, polite player he had ever seen on the field.  Jacob (#3) was talking with all the opposing players, helping them up, laughing, having fun on the field, despite a 9-50 loss.  Those are the comments that mean so much to me.  I have also enjoyed Jacob dressing up for themes each week at school.  When the boys were younger they never wanted to dress for spirit week, etc, but fun to see him getting in on things.

Jacob has been out bow hunting every weekend.  He has yet to take something down, although he has  his eye on 'the one'.  He and JR will soon transition into rifle season.  Don't think the other two will participate this year.  Jacob got his bear back from the taxidermist.  (I have a picture below of its claws...huge)  He has also gotten into bird/duck hunting, but nothing yet.

Joseph is just cruising along.  We are already starting to have discussions about him taking drivers ed!!!  He continues to work about 10 hours a week.  It is neat to see the confidence he has built with this job.  As I picked him up today, I told him it is amazing that he mans a drive through window and at one point, the speech therapist wasn't sure if he would ever put a sentence together.  It has also given him a new perspective on ordering when he goes through a drive through.  And he is currently a saver, which makes me very happy.  It is so easy with debit cards these days to just swipe and not really realize the transaction or 'feel it'.  I am trying to encourage cash as long as I can.

My mom made a last minute trip out here for a few weeks.  Always fun to have her around!  Her dog was hit by a car before heading to Montana, so she has one leg in a cast.  Makes running around with Bree a little difficult.  I will drive out to Ohio with her next week, so looking forward to another road trip.

Work has been busy for me.  Starting to find a new groove and really focusing on bringing on new clients and helping the boss start to grow the business.  I have enjoyed learning about a whole new industry!  

JR is gearing up for snow - we have already had some at higher elevations.  I am so not ready!

School has started!  Crazy!  8th and 11th grade!

Recently celebrated Joseph's 14th birthday.  I always told him when he turned 14 he was gonna start working.  He isn't involved in any type of sport/club, etc so he just hangs around the house a lot.  Well, a few days before his birthday he told me he wanted to go pick up a few applications for jobs.  There are a few places that hire at 14, so off we went.  He got 3 applications and came home and filled them out.  The morning of his birthday, he dropped off the first one and the owner took it from him, had a 2 minute conversation with him and told him he could start the next day!  He was so excited!  It is a local taco place.  He is normally on the drive through window/register or the lobby register.  By law he can only work until 7pm so hoping he can get 8-12 hours a week!  

Some other pictures I forgot...At Rushmore we hit the batting cages.  I won't name names, but had a blast showing up my boys.  I hit way more balls at 40 mph than they did.  I think they were impressed with my abilities.  We also went to a high ropes course, zip line, tubing, etc.  Drove the Needles HighwayThe weather was beautiful!

Jose's cousins moved back to FL a year ago.  Recently their oldest daughter has decided she wants to move back.  She is in an apartment not far from us!  (If you notice an unfamiliar face in a picture)

It is football season.  We are currently 0-2, but games have been closer, so that is progress.  #3!!  This year the coaches are giving 'awards' at the end of each game.  First game he got Defensive player of the week t-shirt.  He had an amazing interception (on of the pictures below).  They both went up for the ball and Jacob came down with it.  The second game he got a 'Crunch' bar.  He had an amazing hit in the second half.  One of those where he read the field perfectly and got in early for a tackle.  Both of these were on video but it is so small, hard to see.

 I planted a garden and it was slow going but once the spring rain stopped, things really took off.  I planted way to much for the space and I hate to pull it out, just to pull it out.  I have dried some of the herbs, so trying to use what I can.  I have to admit, I knew that cucumbers and tomatoes grew on a vine, but didn't realize how the flowers factored in.  Sure is fun watching it all grow and love being able to go pick food for dinner.  I have started canning some of it and decided to use the sous vide method versus hot water bath on the stove.  We will see how it all turns out.  I planted some bell peppers and jalapenos.  Little did I realize I bought a pack of bell pepper seeds that got mixed in with wax hungarian peppers.  So trying to get creative with the produce.

Recently went camping for the weekend.  Took the camper out to a designated camp ground and enjoyed 2 days/nights of just hanging.  Whenever I camp, a day feels like 3 days, so felt like I was away for ever.

We recently embarked on our first ever family 'trip'.  Actually, Benjamin had to work but the four of us set off.  We wanted to go way south but decided we will need to wait another year on that one.  We headed to Mt. Rushmore for 2 nights.  Take in some of the activities there.  We drove all night and decided to catch Rushmore at sunrise.  Took in an indoor water park, miniature golf, air and space museum, go karts, etc.

Some random pictures from the summer

Another catch up post with all the pictures at the end.  A long rambling post too!

(I wrote this the end of June and just now downloading all the pictures to my computer.)

Benjamin recently turned 19!!!  Last year of being a teen ager!  He had a quiet day chilling and then we all headed out to a fancy restaurant downtown.  His bent towards the nicer things just makes me laugh.  It was an authentic quite, candles on table, restaurant.  For dessert he ordered gelato and espresso!  (A first for me, I got to the restaurant and didn't have my glasses, so had to turn the light on my phone to read the menu.  It's becoming way too frequent.  Holding things at arms length won't work for much longer. 

He is selling fireworks for the next 10 days or so.  The quick paced selling is right up his alley.  I have always said it, but he will make money with his mouth and pretty sure it will be some type of sales.  He just needs to figure it all out and then the sky will be the limit.  Not sure what direction he will take in 10 days, but he will figure it out to pay his bills. He was working in another kitchen restaurant but recently quit.  He continues to live at home.  He blew the transmission on his truck recently so he has been driving my van.  Some hard life lessons he has had to learn quickly.  There are some complications with trying to get the truck fixed so he is struggling if it is worth it or you count your losses and move on. 

Jacob and Joseph finished up 7th and 10th grade!  

Jacob finally got a bear!  He went with some friends over Memorial Day and got the bear at 615 yards.  The bear was estimated to be between 18-23 years old.  Was looking forward to trying bear jerky but as soon as they cut the hide, there was a terrible smell.  The Fish Wildlife employee, taxidermist and a family friend said they had never smelled a bear that bad.  No one can explain it, but something was wrong with the bear.  So we were not able to harvest the meat.  Jacob has gotten the skull taken care of but won't get the hide until early winter.

A few days before Jacob got his bear,  he was in the hills scouting for bears.  He happened to see a huge elk across a ravine.  After grabbing the binoculars, he realized it was a dead elk.  A friend, JR and Jacob set out to find the elk the next day.  They were able to hike up to it.  It had died of natural causes and a bear had not yet gotten it.  Jacob harvested the huge rack.

From the moment Jacob got home after his bear trip, Bree was not happy.  She would have nothing to do with him for about an hour.  Bears have a very distinct smell and she knew something was off in our home.  Even a few days after the trip, Jacob had his backpack out and she would not even go near it.   We were going through the house following her with it and she was running.  

Jacob played a few basketball tournaments this month.  He went to a football camp and took a hard hit, so they ended up benching him for a few days.  Fortunately they take concussions seriously and take no risks.

Jacob decided not to have a regular, consistent job but instead wanted to hustle this summer.  So far he has laid sod, done housekeeping, mowed lawns, put up billboards, detailed cars, landscaping and house remodel.  He told me he just signed up for Amazon Affiliate.  Today he saw a free bench with storage on FB and he wanted to get pick it up so he could 'flip it'.  I just stood there smiling as he told me he would sand it, paint it, etc then sell it.  Unfortunately, by the time we got over there, there was a lady literally just picking it up (it was first come first serve).  This dude is saving up for a truck and then a house.  He has some plans!

Work has been very interesting!  With the slow downturn of the economy/inflation, plus some employee issues, we have had our share of struggles.  I recently told my boss that these will be the days he looks back to in 10-15 years and realizes these trials were the ones that forever changed him as an employer/leader.

Joseph has now surpassed JR and Benjamin in height.  Years ago I predicted he would be the tallest and it appears to still be holding true.  Although Joseph has a few more inches until he beats Jacob.

 Three weeks left of school.  Crazy!!!

The weather has finally settled down and looks like we have left the snow behind and won't see it again until November!!

I recently spent two weeks down in Texas with my dad and helped with some medical issues he was having.  Everyone survived just fine with me being gone!

Jacob is the elusive child right now.  Don't see him much.  Between school, odd working jobs (he quit his lumber/hardware store job), basketball stuff, football stuff, the gym and hunting, he is hardly ever here.  He has connected with a few hunting friends and is spending a lot of time with them looking for bears.  It is nice to know they are responsible enough to go out by themselves and of course, they think it is great!  He recently spotted, hundreds of yards away, a dead elk.  The following day, JR, Jacob and one of his friends was able to go find it to harvest the sheds.  A big animal!  It appears the elk just laid down and died.  No trauma and surprisingly, a bear had not found it.

And for the first time ever, he cut his hair short.

Benjamin continues to work about 35 hours a week at a restaurant downtown.  He is considering making a switch but nothing definite yet.  He has launched into the Amway world.  There is a huge network/mentoring that has been amazing for him.  He is getting out now that the weather is warmer and going to car/coffee weekly groups.  He enjoys those connections.  He is also getting into shooting more, golfing, etc.  Great to see him getting out.  He just got the NFL schedule and really wants to go to the Seahawks/Jets game in NY.  He wants to go to NY so bad.  I told him if he wanted a travel companion to let me know...would be a fun trip.  I will always jump at the chance to travel with that kid.

Speaking of travel, everybody in the family now has a passport so we are hoping for a trip this fall, somewhere down south, if we can work it around Jacob's sports.  

Joseph's voice is starting to change!  So strange.  He has finally started hanging out with a new friend and I am so excited!  He has been getting outside more and active!  Hard to believe he will be 14 this summer!!  He could take driver's ed in a year!!!!

We have planted a second round of seeds.  Hoping to get them started inside before we put them outside in about 3 weeks.  The boys are getting into them, especially Benjamin.  Hoping this means they would all learn to eat them more frequently.  Benjamin would actually like to figure out a way to grow them all year.  Not sure that is possible without a really well built green house!

That's the latest!!  Maybe the next post will have pics of all three of them....crazy how much they have changed!