A Guest Post from Nip!

Recently I mentioned I was trying to talk Nip into a guest post.  He and B went to the cabin for the first time.  We began a tradition of boys weekend/girls weekend.  I shared my weekend here.  I'm honored to present you with Nip's first guest post.  Nip isn't a talker but knows this was one amazing weekend that must be shared.  I really wanted him to post because this quality time he spent with B just shows a little bit about what a great man, husband and father he is.  Sometimes we forget to give our husbands credit.  Here goes the post.  Please show him some love!

Over the past few weeks, B has been having little outbursts and meltdowns and had been saying he doesn’t get enough time with me. On one hand, it upset me he felt that way, but on the other, I loved that he loved me so much he needed more time with me. What better way to accomplish that than to have a boy’s weekend at the cabin.

When we told him the idea he was quite upset he had to wait two weeks to go. But the day finally came. I picked him up from school on a gray, cool misty day in KC and we ran home to get our stuff and kiss the girls goodbye.

The cabin is a little piece of land that has always been a major part of my life. It is out in the middle of nowhere with no phone, few TV channels and poor cell reception. I used to spend weekends there with my dad and brother hunting, fishing, swimming in the river or one of the ponds, playing on tractors, bulldozers or backhoes, splitting wood…you know, guy stuff. The main rule when were out there was that no girls were allowed! Granted, my sisters have been there, but I don’t think they appreciated it like we did. There were times I dreaded doing some of the “work” with my dad when I was younger, but as time went on, I loved everything about it. Now that I am older, I couldn’t wait to introduce my son to the same things I experienced in my youth.

The cabin is about 3 ½ hours away from our home. On the way down the rain started pouring down, the wind picked up and it got a lot colder. So cold that in a few hours on the road the rain turned to blinding snow. B was so excited to build a snowman at the cabin, but was upset when I told him it wasn’t sticking to the ground and there wouldn’t be any snow tomorrow.

As we pulled off the blacktop into the driveway leading to the field you have to cross to get there, the road was muddy and the tree canopy was looking a little spooky in the rain. On cue, B stated “I think I’m going to get a little scared now.” I was afraid this might happen and hoped that we wouldn’t be heading for home in a few hours. But his  fright quickly passed and as we plowed through the mud, we finally reached our destination.

B’s first impressions of the cabin: “this isn’t what I thought it would be like”. I think he was expecting a fancy lodge, not the small cabin with a concrete floor and a loft for the sleeping area. But, he was excited and it took a while for him to wind down after checking out everything. Finally, at about 10:30 with the fire built and an episode of Seinfeld on the TV, we set down together in the recliner and he was quickly snoring with me in the chair in front of the fire. The weekend was already a success at that point. After trying to get him to sleep in the bed upstairs, he stated he was afraid he would fall out of the bed, over the loft and onto the concrete floor. So, B slept on the couch.

The next morning, we woke up at about 7:00, had some Pop Tarts, donuts and cinnamon toast and took a look around in the daylight. My dad, Papa (who lives about 20 miles from the cabin)  showed up a few minutes later and it was time for the fun to start. The first order of business was to do some duck hunting. Now, remember it had rained about 4 inches the previous day and we thought B had some waterproof boots. They weren’t. About 30 yards out of the cabin, B’s feet and legs were soaked and we still had about a ½ mile to walk in 40 degree weather. But B surprised as he didn’t miss a beat and claimed he liked that his feet were wet. So, on we went to the duck blinds. When I was B’s age, my father would make me get up at 5am to go sit in the blind in 0 degree weather and hunt. I hated it then. B? He loved it. Granted, it wasn’t cold, but he thought it was great being there with me and Papa out in the free space. However, with no ducks flying, he quickly got bored and we gave up after about an hour. As Papa was moving the decoys, some ducks flew by and I got one. On the way down, a very concerned B told me he didn’t think I should hunt because he liked birds and they were nice and that when he became President he would outlaw it. I was worried what he would do now that I actually shot something. He and Papa ran over to get the bird and he thought it was the greatest thing he had ever done, carrying it back. After that, we walked back to the cabin to warm up and grab a snack.

Later that morning, we decided to walk along the river to see if we could find any pheasant and quail. There weren’t any birds out this morning, so B decided to make “sand angels” along the sand bar. His second change of clothes were soaked again and now were quite sandy. Again, he didn’t care at all. However, he didn’t like walking through the tall grass that had a few pricklies and stickers here and there. I guess when the grass and thorn bushes are taller than you, it can be tough.  As the 3 of us stood on a hill overlooking the river, ponds and land, B state, “wow, it is really pretty here”. The place had him. I knew he was loving it and this was the first of many weekends we would be spending here.

That afternoon, B decided he wanted to try out the backhoe. I just knew he would love playing on it, so I was excited to show him how to work it. Well, he liked to play on it, but was terrified when I started it up. He ran inside crying and feeling embarrassed. My dad, calmed him down by saying that when he was a little boy, he too was terrified the first time he heard a diesel engine. My brother and his oldest son, who is B’s age, came down to see us a few hours later. B and A have really become close and can’t be separated. They spent the afternoon playing on the tractor and in the trees. Then came the moment B had been waiting for all weekend. It was time to shoot a real gun. This was one of my favorite moments. Guns have always been a big part of my brother’s and father’s lives as well as my own. I couldn’t wait for B to shoot his first gun. He didn’t hesitate one second and fell in love with it immediately. He loved to shoot them off real fast. He was fascinated by the safety and how the gun works. He just loved all of it.

Sadly, my brother and A couldn’t stay long and Papa had to leave as well. Soon it was just me and B. We went for one last pheasant hunt, found a deer, raccoon and bobcat tracks and then went back to cook some hot dogs in the fire just as the sun was going down. The day had been tiring, but amazing. B spent the evening using his imagination playing around inside the cabin. He again slept on the couch and was a little bummed we had to leave the next day.

Sunday was filled with more hunting, tractor playing and gun shooting. The end had finally come and it was time for us to leave. As much as we loved and missed the girls at home, neither of us wanted our time to end. But school and work has its way of making you do stuff you don’t want to do. We loaded up and headed back towards the big city.

I could go on forever, but you have probably stopped reading by now and some of the things are just between B and me. The ride home was quiet with a few moments of reminiscing about the things the weekend had held. And the declaration by B that we HAVE to do this every Friday!