What an adventure

We have spent our Sunday afternoons with our family riding four wheelers. We enjoy riding, the outdoors, and spending time together as a family. Last Sunday was no exception. We loaded the four wheelers, the cooler with snacks, and oh yes the dog as well. We were off to a day of fun. We belong to a hunting club with 681 acres that back up to the Barnesville reservoir, the land is just beautiful. When we arrived we unloaded and off on our journey through the trails we went. The sights of nature were amazing... it is so peaceful to cruise the trails and become familiar with God's creation. We were able to see bugs, spiders, butterfly's, and even a couple of turkey. We were gone for about 45 minutes so we started heading back to camp because Brian was coming to meet us as soon as he was off work. When we arrived at camp there was Brian, but no dog, so we set out on a journey to find the dog. Stephen and Brian took off on the 4-wheeler's and Hunter and I walked near the camp whistling and calling the dog with tears in our eyes. The entire time I kept thinking how do I tell my 3 year old baby that his best friend is not coming home. I just continued to ask God to help me find our sweet, gentle, loving dog, and help me to say the right words to calm my little boy. After 15 minutes Brian comes back and for a split second I was relieved....no dog not even a sign of him. So I jumped on the ATV and headed up another trail that had not been covered. As I reached the top of the trail, it comes out on the road, so I was getting ready to look both ways for cars when I spotted my husband squatted down on the side of the road and flagging me to come his way. My heart was racing, I just knew it Dude (the dog) had been hit by a car and now I had to explain this one. I started talking to God again...heavy, really heavy. When I made it to Stephen there he was my doggy, yes he perfectly fine, just extremely tired. Apparently he came looking for his family, the one's who rescued him from a life of abuse, and the one's that he truly loved. If this sounds like a love story...well it is. I did not want a dog when we rescued our American bulldog from a life of abuse and I have not regretted it to this day. So we take him back down to the hunting camp and no one left him again, we have learned our lesson needless to say.
Once the drama was over it was time for some fun. Brian and I took off on the trails. I loved spending time with my oldest son ( he is a teenager so we are not cool to hang around), well, I showed him today. We came to the first mud hole and he thought I was scared so being the sweet boy he is he said " Heather just get off and I will take your 4-wheeler through there" I gave him the look and just full throttle through the muddy water...squealing along the way. I have not seen that kid laugh that hard in a long time. By the time the day was over he and I both were covered in mud, but we had a blast. I always say that we are not redneck, we are just country folks. I think today I had a little redneck in my blood though. Thank you boys for such a fun filled day, and teaching me that girls can get dirty to.