Archery Groundhog Hunting and Other New Things!

Try Something New Day 21 Day 22, and Day 23

I have to admit that I've fallen behind on my 30 day challenge and I'm having to step down from it. I'm not normally a quitter but I probably shouldn't have jumped in to 30 days all at once. However, in my defense I've had several unforeseen things come up that take priority over this challenge including some private family issues. Things are going well over all and I will try the "try something new" challenge again soon! I've enjoyed it and tried some new things that I probably wouldn't have. Here is an update on where I was before I had to stop...

Last Friday I tried Kentucky Grilled Chicken for the first time! I didn't have much money on me so I tried the two piece dinner and I have to say it was pretty dang good! If you like KFC give it a try!

Saturday morning I woke up early to give my first "non-mountain" running a try. The allure of the trails had pulled me out of bed early on a Saturday before but I wasn't sure if I could do it for a "regular" jog. The alarm clock went off and with a little inner debate I managed to get up, get dressed, and get out the door! I took off at a good comfortable pace and felt great for about a mile. Then for some reason after that I just could not convince myself to run. I normally use running to clear my head but I had so much on my mind that I really just wanted to walk. After much debate I decided that if my mind wanted a change of pace then that's what I would give it! I ended up taking a nice relaxing 4 mile walk and I used the time to solidify some plans. I got pretty much the same health benefits but mentally it was a great new thing!

Later that day Harry and I went archery groundhog hunting! We didn't see anything but we ended up playing and having a great time!

Sunday Jessica and I took Harry to a Japanese restaurant in town. It wasn't Harry's first time at their hibachi grill but it was mine. A friend of ours was having a birthday gathering and we all had a blast talking, eating great food, and watching the kids be amazed by the chef's!

I've been shooting my bow a lot lately and giving total concentration to my shooting. I have a hard time doing that and I normally rush through things. The hard work I've been putting in is really helping my shooting take on a new level! I'm very excited about that and the upcoming hunting seasons! I hope things are great for you all as well!

Women in the Outdoors Reminder and General Update

Try Something New Day 13 and Day 14
Not much to report from Monday except that I enjoyed spending time with my family and friends... also Harry got his 2nd haircut ever and I ordered ribs at a restaurant for the first time. I don't think I'll do that again as I really didn't get enough to eat.

Yesterday wasn’t much more eventful but then that’s not the idea behind my challenge anyway. I had another great evening hanging with my family and Jessica and I watched “Mr. Woodcock”. The movie was pretty funny and we snacked on banana pudding, which I made. Yup, I took my first stab at making banana pudding and it actually came out tasting pretty darn good!

I don’t know what’s on tap for the rest of this week. Probably nothing to crazy but I am enjoying this whole process! Don’t forget about this upcoming Saturday’s Women in the Outdoors event in Bastian VA, it’s going to be a lot of fun!

Deer Scouting, Old Friends, and the Blessings of Family

Today was a good day! Sorry that was a little salute to Ice Cube there! Anyway, it really was a good day! I got up early with little Harry and he and I hung out for a little while and then Jessica got up and cooked us breakfast! She soon headed off to work and Harry and I watched some hunting shows until he took a nap and I got up and began getting ready to head out for the day. We soon headed out and ate lunch with Jessica before driving over to visit my parents. We hung out with my Mom and Dad for a little while and then Dad and I went out on a little mission to find some new hunting areas, and to scout for deer sign on some public ground we are thinking about hunting. We rode around for a couple of hours and came up blank on permissions to hunt, but we did find a few areas that we will be scouting further. It seemed we rode from one side of the county to the other scouting, and we actually saw several deer including a tiny spotted fawn! However, one of the best things of the day was running in to an old friend of mine who was out riding horses (his wife actually helped deliver Harry III but I rarely get to see him)! I got to talk to him, and one of his buddies, for a while and it was an pleasent surprise to see him! After the scouting trip Dad and I headed back to the house, and then Harry and I headed back to Wytheville. We took my truck to the car wash and got it looking nice again and then we came home, ate, and I then tucked him in to bed. He is such a blessing in my life, every time I take things to seriously or get to worked up about anything I can just look at him and it puts everything in to perspective. One of my favorite things in the world is carrying him up to bed each night and he puts his little head between my neck and shoulder and it just warms my heart more than anything ever! It was great to find some new areas that I may be hunting this fall but the best thing in my life is my time spent with my son! Anyway that was my really good day, I hope yours was as good or better!

Last Day of Spring Turkey Hunting, Coming Soon

Saturday is the last chance this year to get my Dad a spring turkey. I really hope we can come through! Dad has hunted and fished most of his life up until the past 5 or 6 years when his health took a slight downturn and he has never gotten to take a turkey. He doesn’t seem too concerned about it but I really want to see the look on his face when he gets one! I know there is a gobbler left alive as of now where we are going to hunt but it’s going to take some help from above to seal the deal on this ol’ boy, so I really hope we get the blessing I’m going to be praying for! If nothing else we’ve had a good time in the spring woods this year and have definitely learned some new things about each other, I can’t wait to share these adventures with my own son!

2-19- 08 update

My little boy is home and doing great! Things have changed around here and time is definitely more limited, as well as sleep. He and Jessica are the most important things in my life and they get the majority of my time, efforts, and energy. However, with what I have left of myself I devote to my passion for hunting. I’ve managed to workout at least a little almost every day since, and including the day of his birth. My workout has varied from doing a few sit-ups and pushups while in the hospital, and of course taking the stairs every chance I could, to full on weightlifting and running while back here at home. I’ve also managed to shoot my bow quite a bit since we got home from the hospital as well. Research on hunting and fitness has also been on my agenda and I’ve done quite a bit of it. Last but not least, while I haven’t kept up my online blog I have written in my personal journal most every day. I know that everyone out there has a busy life and it’s hard to find time to do all you want to be a better hunter but if you try hard enough you can always find time to do something! I hope you are all doing well and striving to be all that you can be.

Here's my boy!

I'll be resuming writing again soon, we've just been settling in with our new bundle of joy! He's the best little guy ever!

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Harry Thomas Nunley III

Hello Friends, just wanted to tell everyone thank you for the warm wishes and that Jessica and I are the proud parents of a BEAUTIFUL baby boy, Harry, and that we finally brought him home today!!! Harry was born Monday night at 9:51 and was 7 lbs. 4 oz. with an insane amount of dark brown hair and with dark blue eyes. He is also the best most laid back little boy ever! We'll have pics as soon as we get them downloaded from the camera's!

Great news!

The Dr. is going to put Jessica in to labor Monday, I'm going to be a dad in just a few days!

Down and Out

I’m 33 years old and I’m probably in the worst shape of my life. I’m not “fat” really I just have no muscle tone and a “beer” belly. I hurt my back for the umpteenth time Tuesday and I ended up missing 3 days of work. I have never in my life missed 3 days in a row. I actually went 8 years in a row at one point without missing a single day. I can’t have this happen again. I have a son due in about 2 weeks and I can’t afford to be down and out and not help take care of him. I recently wrote about how I was going to make fitness a priority in my life and I haven’t done it but that’s going to change. I finally got another treadmill Sunday night and I only got to use it one day before hurting myself but you can bet I will be using it 3-4 times a week as well as weight training 3-4 days a week from now on. A change is coming for me and I won’t let my family and myself down again. I know this entry really isn’t about hunting but if I don’t get healthy and stay healthy it’s really going to be hard to get much hunting done.