Give Thanks

Give Thanks

By Allan Olson

Its official – for my hunting crew the 2014 deer season is over – and it’s the one for the record books, not in terms of harvest but in terms of overall success. This year was the very likely the first year we had five deer hanging in the garage at my parents, with only five shots fired. This included one shot each by two first year hunters. Without them and their doe tags, we would’ve only had three deer hanging.

The weekend for me was spent at my parents hunting. Unfortunately, the deer tally remained the same as it had for a week. I could’ve upped the number by one late Friday night, but it would’ve resulted in a trip to the body shop – whew.  I hunted all day Saturday and left for home early Sunday afternoon. After three weekends of hunting, I was done. The weekend was a little lonely without my hunting partner, Nikolai, that I’ve had the last two weeks. It was really quiet without him, but I’m afraid that with the amount of time I spent in a stand this weekend, he might have rebelled against me and hunting all together. However,  I’m thankful that I was able to hunt with my son and he was able to hunt with his grandfather – my dad. I look forward to eventually, hopefully having all four of my children hunt with me.

There are many things that I’m thankful for. I may not always say that I am, but this seems like a fitting time to express a few of the many blessings in my life, in light of the upcoming Thanksgiving and Christmas Holiday Season.

I’m thankful for another safe and successful hunting season – we all stress the importance of safety while hunting, but we are all fallible and every year we are all thankful for another safe season.

I’m thankful for my family – especially my wife of over 15 years, who puts up with my quirks and faults and keeps the household running smooth. Without her, the kids wouldn’t get their vegetables,  brush their teeth and a whole lot more. Without her, my already chaotic life would really be a mess. She tries to keep me in check and brings me back to reality from time to time.

I’m thankful for my van that keeps me on the road, which leads me to be thankful for the mechanics that keep the van working and warn me if something needs fixing prior to breaking down on the side of the road.

I’m thankful for the house we live in; it might not be perfect and I would love to be able to get some work done, but I’m thankful it’s bigger than the last house we lived in and it provides a shelter for our crazy family of six.

I’m thankful for our neighbors, one that plows our yard, lent us a gun for Nikolai to use this hunting season, one family that our kids can play with, that can take care of our pets when we leave town for a weekend or vacation.

I’m thankful for my kids, each one of them adds uniqueness to our family dynamic. Each one of them adds something really different: Nikolai – for his smartness (and sometimes smart mouth), and his compassion; Abigail, for her exuding love and energy; Marcus, for his incessant talking – yes that really does annoy us, but our house and vehicle would be quiet without him; and Alivia, my youngest– the one who is probably the silliest of all my children.

I’m thankful for my family – my parents who have helped me in many ways throughout my life and provided us with many trips and family adventures while working hard to make sure that could happen.

I’m thankful for my wife’s family, who gave me my wife and who have helped us out in various ways throughout our marriage.

I’m thankful for my many nieces and nephews – even if they are all goofier than I!

I’m thankful for geocaching. Yes I had to throw this in, but it does allow our family to have some awesome adventures.

I’m thankful for the teachers who put up with our children all day and help educate them.

I’m thankful for good health, a job, friends and so much more.

To my readers each and every week – I’m thankful for you as well, and I wish you and yours a Happy Thanksgiving!

Please be safe while enjoying your favorite outdoor recreational activity, and remember to take pictures to preserve a lifetime of memories. Remember to drive safely, and watch out for those buses carrying our children. Thanks for reading, and have a great week! For more of my columns visit: http://allan-crazykids.blogspot.com.