This weekend was supposed to be the weekend I was heading to Florida. Unfortunately there have been a lot of set backs lately and we are looking at another month of work. The days keep getting longer and my sleep keeps getting shorter. I have had many times in my life where I have felt tired, but these last few weeks top them all.

We are doing the final tie-in next Friday and I pray all goes smooth. We are tying into a live line so it can be a little sketchy. Things have been busy around here lately which is good because it keeps my mind distracted from missing home. I've been waking up at 5am for 4 months straight, no weekends and its catching up with me.

I can't wait to be home sleeping till 7am every morning. I miss my family and friends badly. I promise I will be headed yall's way as soon as they let me throw my bags in the car. I miss you all and can't wait to see ya'lls tan faces. BAHAHA! :D

XOXO,
Tiff

So my 23rd birthday is 11 days away and I had the crazy idea to attempt to write a short and simple little poem to celebrate my 23 years. So here it is, dont laugh to hard. :)

23

Twenty-three years of life flash before my eyes

Lots of hellos, and lots of good-byes

Hit some lows and had lots of highs

No matter the outcome my spirits never die

For my parents taught me to always try

And to never deceive yourself with lies

 

So many friends and loved ones I’ve found

I always love to have each of them around

Even my cute little floppy eared hound

I’ve always kept my feet on the ground

For a daughter of God I have been crowned.

 

Twenty-three years seems like such a long time

Yet I have so many more mountains yet to climb

There are so many things left to define

But I have a good feeling that things will be just fine

I'm sitting here listening to some music on my phone and it's bringing back memories of running dogs with the guys. I can honestly say I really miss my woods bad! There is nothing like hopping in your 4x4 truck, jamming out to some Hank and riding dirt roads for miles and miles without having to see anyone or talk to anyone. It's where I used to escape from all the yuppies and civilization. I'm missing it really bad today.

I probably put more miles on my Toyota in the woods than I did the black top. I remember for years I was in those woods every day after work. I was either riding and just listening to music, or blasting the iPod while I floored it through mud holes hoping I didn't get stuck. If I wasn't doing that I was shining for some ole horny heads, running dogs, tracking, meeting friends to sit around a fire or whatever came to mind. It was always my place to get away from all the worldly chaos. Life didn't get any better than being out there. I respect those woods more than most people respect their homes.

Time out there seems to pass without care. You feel as if you are in a totally different world. It was my first love, and I will always cherish it with the upmost respect. I feel very lucky to have something that I am so passionate about. This goes to you National Forest, thank you for always being there when I needed a quite place to get things straight. Also to all my friends that love the woods as much as me. I miss you all and sorry I had to miss this hunting season. I can't wait to see you all again!

Well today is the end of another month on the pipeline. Things are moving right along and April is just around the corner. As we get closer to the end the crews are getting smaller but it makes work easier for me. :) Tomorrow is pay day which is always an exciting day for everyone.

 

I know it sounds like I am rushing through life, but boy am I ready for April so I can cross that Florida line. Looks like we are going to be in NC another time before it's all said and done though. Just hoping I can get home for a little before that day comes. I hope all is well with everyone and know that I can't wait to see you all.

 

P.S. If any of you have wondered what the countdown is on the bottom of my page, its till I get to come home! :)

Have you ever heard something that reminded you of someone? Or better yet, have you ever heard someone say something that sounded just like someone close to you? Well I experienced that today. One of the lady's I worked with said something this morning and all I heard was my great grandma Davis saying "Tiffers".

It is crazy how the longer I am away from family the more I miss the little things. When I first left I missed my family, truck, friends Gunner, the woods, and hunting. Now I just miss my family, everything else is just material. Having the comfort of your family near to you is something that should never be taken for granted and I did that until now.

Everyone in my entire family has been on my mind since I've been here. I think about them all day and pray for them each morning and night. Life is to short not to appreciate every moment with the ones you love dearly. I am making it my goal to never take for granted the time I do get with my family and to cherish every moment with them, good and bad.

I guess today Grama Davis is on my mind the most today. I think today is a good day to call her and let her know how much I love her and how much we miss her. I don't hardly ever call her, and for that I feel terrible. I love her very much and I need to show her how important she is to me. You never know what tomorrow may bring so make sure your loved ones know no matter what is going on in life, your love for them still remains the same. I love you my sweet family and miss you very much and I can't wait to see you all and give you hugs!

"Family time is sacred time and should be protected and respected." -Boyd K. Packer

Today I would like to take the time to recognize a very special lady in my life who never gets the proper acknowledgement she deserves.

 

You carried and nourished me for 9 months in your stomach without complaint, you actually begged to keep me. When I was born you thanked Heavenly Father for such a sweet baby girl, and continue to thank him today. So I would like to thank YOU for once.

 

Thank you for being a loving mother, a forgiver, a devoted wife to my father, an honest daughter to Heavenly Father, a giver, a person who welcomes people with open arms, a women who smiles and brightens every day, a woman who laughs with no cares in the world, a fearless women and most of all my best friend.

 

I have put you through things that I am not proud of and wish I could take them back sometimes. I know I have caused a majority of those grey hairs on top of your head but you love me anyways. You love your kids and husband unconditionally and would do anything for them. There are a lot of mothers out there that think they're kids owe them for all the years they took care of them. Not my Mom, she thinks she hasn't done enough and wants to keep giving. You are a modern day super Mom! :)

 

Thanks to you, you have a son who is a dedicated and hard worker, he loves his family and Heavenly Father with all of his heart. He is such a strong and smart man thanks to you and Dad always showing him right from wrong. Thanks to you, you have a daughter that lives with no fear because she was taught you can never get what you want unless you try. She is one day in the future going to be a great mom herself thanks to you showing her how to love her kids unconditionally and never giving up on them. Without you there would be two kids in this world thinking they knew everything! Psh! Who wants that? :P

 

Mom you deserve a special thank you everyday for being so amazing, but tomorrow especially because tomorrow marks your birth 30 years ago. ;) I wish I could give you a big hug and kiss today and tomorrow but since I am so far away please just make Dad give you both. I am so proud to be your daughter and call you my mother, I hope you have an amazing day tomorrow. Always know no matter how far I am, you are always in my heart and on my mind.

 

Happy Because I love you day Mom!

 

Love,

Tiff aka Your Brat

My first snow

I'm going to try to update everyone quickly so it's not boring. Let me start with I am currently living in North Carolina working on a pipeline. I miss my family and friends dearly but really have loved this time away from everything. I am mostly going to write on this blog for the family so they can keep up with whats going on in my every day life.

I experienced my first REAL snow Saturday after work. It has snowed here a few times but never sticks to the ground. Well Saturday when I got home from work the wind was blowing so hard that the window was whistling in my hotel room. After a little bit I was kind of getting spooked because normally howling wind where I am from means tornado or something bad. So I ease over to the window and there is quarter size fluffy white things flying around outside and the ground is getting white. I just stood there for a minute until it sunk in.

Out loud as if someone could hear me I some what yell..."SHUT THE FRONT DOOR!!!! It's actually snowing out there! " Then I'm running around the hotel room looking for a big jacket, found it! As I am about to dart out of the door reality sinks in.... wait a minute its a little hard to see out there, maybe I should ask Mom since she knows stuff about snow. Mom gave me the okay and said just make sure the building doesn't get out of sight. Okay its on like Donkey Kong now! So I call up the troops(fellow coworkers that live in the same hotel as I), and yell in the phone each time "Its snowing outside! Get your jackets, slide your boots on and meet me at the side door!!". So we all head outside to play in the snow as if we are all 5 year old kids with no cares in the world. I had a BLAST! I made my first snowman, had an awesome snowball fight, slid down a hill, and even ate some snow. HAHA!

The fun was over when my butt, feet, hands and nose starting going numb. So I headed in to the room and made some hot chocolate, took a bubble bath and then snuggled up on bed and watched TV. It was perfect except the whole time I was so wishing my brother was there so I could hit him with a snowball and that my parents where there to laugh at us. Plus snow is great and all but I still prefer my Florida sunshine. HEHE! I took some pictures so y'all could see a little bit of my fun. :)

 

So long Facebook! I won't miss you...

There comes a point in everyones life when they realize that some things just aren't worth the hassle they cause. I have came to one of those points in my life, and I just hope I made the smartest decision...

I officially deleted my facebook as of yesterday morning. There are many reasons why and I could go on and on about how stupid and useless facebook is, but I wouldn't be telling the truth. Because in all reality the only reason facebook has become stupid and useless is because there are WAY to many people on facebook that use it for all the wrong reasons. GOSSIP! Listen people you aren't a journalist for the "Tallahassee's Juiciest Gossip" magazine so get a freakin life and worry about your OWN!

With that being said, I decided if people wanted to continue to dig through my facebook and spread rumors, well it was time for me to nip it in the bud. What a better way to nip it in the bud than by deleting everything there? Well I'll tell you how...there isn't one. So that's why Tiffany no longer is a facebooker. I plan on just simply blogging and accepting phone calls from anyone who wants to know whats going on in my life.

So with guidance from a dear friend of mine I think I have made the best decision and hope I grow from this entire experience. One New Year's resolution down, 3 more to go! :D

Time to get in huntin season shape...

With huntin season just around the corner its time to start getting the ole guns in shape. It seems that my bow has gotten a little harder to pull back so I think its time to get some muscles!

Yesterday I called Dad and asked him if I could come over and shoot my bow. Being the awesome Dad that he is, he was mowing the grass for me when I pulled up. What an awesome guy! Then he of course had to continue to make fun of me while I was shooting my bow. :P So I will no longer be made fun of for making faces of pain while I pull on my bow....time to hulk it up!

So starting today its time to get my arms back in huntin season shape! Wish me luck!

My Garden

This story starts about a two months ago... Mom and I went to Wal-Mart and she got us some seeds so that we could plant gardens at our home. With phone calls all during the week we would update on how our little sprouts were doing. Then they got big enough to put in the ground. We have been updating each other with our success ever since.

Every day after work I go home, change clothes and go straight to my garden. It is my stress reliever, and my relaxer. It's how I escape from the world for 20 minutes of my day, and everything seems to go back to the good ole days.

Since Cody and I are renting our current home I cant exactly till up the land and plant my plants. So instead I bought a couple of big pots and my dad made me an awesome planter. Surprisingly all of my plants are doing amazing!

I started everything from seed and have nourished them to the big vegetable producing plants they are today. Well only one of my plants have actually given me food, but they are all blooming. :]

Yesterday I went home and did my usual, but this time when I got to the garden I noticed a pea was ready to be eaten! I was so excited that I picked it right away and ran back in the house so I could take a picture of it. I was so thrilled to think that all my hard work had payed off.

So I grabbed my phone, because of course the person who I wanted to tell the most was my mom who helped me start this thing in the first place. I took 10 pictures and sent two of them to mom. Then I made the hubby eat one of the two peas that produced.

I told him he had to eat it because it was our first produce! So after him telling me "no"(15 or more times) I gave the puppy dog face and, he of course gave in and ate it! He held back this awful expression, and said "baby I think you are supposed to cook those before you eat them." I laughed and told him that me and my daddy always ate everything raw. Vegetables were lucky if they even made it in the house back then. I thank the hubby for eating that raw pea for me. :]

Hero

This goes out to someone I never give anough thanks to.

As a kid you always have that one person that in your eyes is the greatest person ever. They are called heroes. For a lot of kids it is a cartoon character. For the little boys it is spiderman who can climb walls or hulk who can lift anything. For the little girls its cinderalla with her pretty clothes or snow white with her pretty voice. For me it was someone more amazing than any of these people. My hero was smart, cool, funny, popular, fun, athletic, and always knew how to do everything. That person was my brother. The one person that no matter what my problem was he always knew how to fix it. He made growing up fun, and a lot easier. He knew when to push me to do things, and when not to. In my eyes he was the best hero anyone could ask for. Not a day goes by that I dont think about how much he has helped me through life.

So this one goes out to you cheech! Thank you for all the fun times we have had breaking mom and dads rules. To name a few that will never fade away, the river(harvery mill), bikes on the hills, fourwheelers, ramping dads truck everyday after school, the go-karts(sorry), and tons of other times. May they always stay with us, and never let them fade away. May we make even more crazy times. Never loose your personallity. No matter what people say......you will always be my hero. I love you more than you can imagine, thank you for everything. Your the best hero, and brother. Keep on keepin on!

Growing Up.....

Let me tell you getting older STINKS!!!! I used to always want to be in my twenties. I thought if you were in your twenties your were the coolest person ever. Now that I am turning twenty April 13th, I know better. You are still just as dorky as you were in 8th grade and you still dress in the same lame stlye you did when you were in 8th grade, only you put a little more spunk in it, but dont fool yourself...you look the same. But some things do change. Like you have responsibillites, and they stink! You have a full time job, college, relationship, kid(Gunner), you actually have to buy the things you want(UGH!), and your money becomes really, really important, and you have to save as much as you can. I miss being able to save just what i needed and blowing it all on what i wanted, it didnt matter if i had two dollars left, mom and dad took you everywhere. Now you cant get what you want, because you have to worry about what you need instead. Why didnt someone warn me about this getting old stuff?!!!! Oh yeah and you know how when you were younger and your coach in there twenties was like the coolest person ever. Well I think it is funny because at that point in time you think you will never be as cool as them, and never get to that age, because it seems so far away. Yeah its not, and Im there now. I am a assistant coach for a 9-10 year old girls softball team, and they think I am the coolest person ever, and you hate to break there hearts and tell them how much of a dork you are. Oh well, lets not let the little kids dreams down...Im cool for now. YAY! Anyways, for all you young readers, dont wish to be older, it will come before you know it, and you will be wishing to be young again. No more naps, and toys, and eating whatever you want. I have come to the conclusion that there is nothing special about getting older, although I do like driving my truck, so maybe I will stay at the age I am now FOREVER! Mom this one goes out to you, since you are a firm beleiver in not celebrating birhtdays...they are called because I love you days. I love you Mom!

Gunner

Friday night me and mom drove to Lyons, GA. to get two black and tan hounds. It was a long drive(bout 100 miles south of Macon) but it was worth it. I have already fallen in love with my baby boy. His name is Gunner, and his brothers name is Buck(Cody's). They are so much fun to watch run through the woods and sniff around. They love to sleep, play, chew on deer legs, and eat all the time.

They turn 7 weeks on 11/18/2009 and they are bigger than my friends 5 month old beagle/walker mix. They are huge! They have the best personalities. Dad said this morning when I left at 7 he wouldnt stop barking and hawling. It is 2:15pm now and he is still having a fit, but the good thing is Dad said I will defenitley be able to hear him run a deer. I guess he must get pretty loud when he wants to.

Now I look forward to hearin ole Gunner open up on one. Can't wait till that day. He is my new kid, at least it feels like having one. They take a lot of time, but its worth it. The day I kill a deer in front of him will be one of the best days of my life. I will have felt like I won a million bucks. Gotta love them hounds!

Freak Nasty

About a month ago I was ridin in the woods and out of no where horns shot across the road. I aint never seen a deer that big in my life. It looked like a horse with a set of horns on its head that didnt quit. I got up there where it crossed and got out and looked at its tracks. Those things looked like elk tracks, not that I've ever seen any but I bet they are big.

So from that day forward I had buck fever and walked all over the place trying to figure out what this deer was feedin on and where he bedded down. Bein the pro stalker that I am, I found exactly what he was eating on. I found 4 huge white oaks that were droppin acorns left and right, and on top of that I found 3 persimmon trees. I knew I had hit the jack pot. I walked down a fire break that looked like a deer highway, and found a creek. Yep it was over for ole freak nasty.

Well the opening day I sat in the perfect spot, and just knew I would at least see him. Little did I know that I would be swinging back and forth all morning in my climber. The wind was ridiculous, and I knew a deer like that didnt get big for no reason. He was way to smart to come out in that noisy wind. So I climbed down with my hopes still high for the afternoon hunt.

So I went home and took a cat nap, grabbed some food and my all time fav drink Dr. Pepper and headed out the door. When I got down there my hopes would soon be shattered. As I was gettin pumped up listening to some Colt Ford, I noticed that some tire tracks were over the top of mine. As I got in there I seen two trucks, and my afternoon hunt was ruined. I found another spot and sat but still was pretty let down.

I went up in my road the next day just to look around to see where they were sitting, and just as I suspected they were sitting all in the wrong spot. Stupid city slickers! They werent anywhere close to where they should be and they parked there trucks like 150 yards away from there stands. IDIOTS!!! Yeah they really did me in. They had messed up what I had worked so hard for.

My hopes are still high, and I have out smarted them city slickers and got an even better place now. It's just a matter of waitin for ole freak nasty! Maybe the next time I write I will be tellin you all about me killin ole freak nasty. Until then yall keep it country!

The adventures of Dad and the Yota

So if you don't know already. I have a red 4wd Toyota pickup. It is old but I love it almost more than hunting. It is my pride and joy. I started babysitting a lot when I was 12, and all the money I made I would put in my account so that someday I could buy a car. At first I wanted an eclipse, but as times went on I started lovin the way them pickups looked. So at the age of 16 I had my own truck bought out right with my own money. I was so proud of that and still am.

Now ever since I have bought this love of mine, there has always been something to fix. It's the tires, wheels, oil leak, CV axle bushings, bearings, rear differential, idling problems, battery.....the list is never ending it seems, but I have hope for it yet. The only thing that keeps my spirits high is my dad.

My dad is always putting his spare time in it. When I start to get down in the dumps about it my dad is always there to remind me of the possibilities it holds. If it wasn't for this man I wouldn't have a running vehicle that I cherish so much. He always goes above and beyond to get my truck back on the road as soon as possible.

Although I don't know that much about trucks, I always try to help my dad even if I just sit there and ask him questions about the truck. I know I'm no help but I love watching the man I love so much work on something so complicated and whistle while he does it, like its nothing. I often wonder if he ever gets tired of me always asking him about my truck, but then I think about it, and I feel like it is a common ground that we share. I always glow when my dad gets just as excited as me when we talk about my truck.

I love how upset he will get at my truck and start asking it why it has to be so complicated. I feel like they must argue with each other while I'm gone. :) Maybe someday I will be able to teach my dad something new, since he is all the time teaching me things to help me in life. I love him and look up to him. I never want to lose him, or move to far from him(he would take it hard). :) My mom says we act a lot alike, and if that's the case I am proud. I wish all kids could look up to there parents like I do. There is nothing like having superman and superwoman as your parents. :) And as for the Toyota, I will blog more about it later. Maybe even get some pics for ya.

The Woods

There is just something about the woods that I just cant stay away from. Is it the clean fresh air or maybe its the wonderful scenery. Maybe its the big bucks and dirty trucks. Either way its where I love to be at all possible times.

My favorite thing to do in the woods is hunt, but thats not always possible or legal. So I fill in those times with ridin around lookin for deer or walkin around scoutin out a good area to hunt. Then when it gets dark I usally go shinin for deer or mudd a little here and there, or maybe just sit around a fire and eat oysters and tell lies about who killed what. Yep, its what I live for.

There aint nothing better to me then scoutin out a place for weeks, and then sittin in your climber and watchin deer walk out on you. Thats when all that work pays off and you feel like you just won a million bucks. Bow hunting is a huge challenge. Especially when you hunt on public land. You may find that perfect spot, but if your butt cant get out of bed 2 hours before sunrise....you can kiss that spot good-bye.

I love bow hunting, but nothing compares to dog huntin. That is my passion. It really is what I live for. I send my 3 best friends the countdown every morning till it opens back up. We just have a love for that you cant explain in words. There is nothing like haulin butt around the curve, slammin on brakes, jumpin out of your truck, and just waitin for that mack daddy of a deer to run out...or at least thats what you want to see. Yeah there aint nothin like the sound of walker hound hot on the heels of a deer howlin like there aint no tomorrow. It is a passion that I have that not many girls my age do. As a matter of fact I dont know any girl or woman that takes it as serious as I do.

The guys at first didnt know what to think....do we run and pretend that it isn't cool....or do we take her in like a little sister and embrace the fact that we have the only chick in OUR huntin group....well needless to say they took me in like a little sister. I love my group like a family. I have two friends that would do anything in the world for me...Mike and Chris. What great friends they are. We talk to each other everyday without fail. Yep they are awesome. Well enough for today.