What A Weekend!

Have you ever had a weekend that felt like a short lifetime?
Well, that is exactly how mine felt. I breaks into 3 parts.

Part 1: Middle School Volleyball Tournaments

We had to play Friday after school, which they won! Then we had to play again on Saturday... ALL DAY! Those girls worked their little butts off! But it was worth it because they took first place! I have to say, I was so proud of them. It was really cool for me because I began to see some of the things click into place.
You know the things, I would teach during practice and they just didn't get it or see what I was saying. Well there were some girls who, just clicked and began to understand what I had been talking about all those times in practice.
Anyways, it was a long fun day, and they ended up winning and they deserved it. It was fun to watch them grow as a team.

Part 2: First Day of Hunting Season

Yup, opening day. Ryan and I went out early in the morning looking for elk. We both have cow tags for our area.
We sat out in the cold, for oh about 2 1/2 hours. I was cold, very cold and getting crabby. I couldn't feel my toes or my fingers and I was only aware I had a nose due to all the snot that had decided to turn to water and run down my face.

We didn't see any elk close enough for us to shoot at, so we decided to go home get a nap and go out again later that afternoon.
We get home, I don't nap I veg on the couch and watch TV. Ryan starts a fire, and finally I begin to feel my fingers and toes, and it sucks. They hurt and they are cold still! (You all know that feeling, the ow tingling)

Right when I get all warmed up, imagine that! It's time to go back outside.
We sit in one area for about 3 hours then get tired and call it a day. On the way home we decide to just drive down the road to see if we run into anything.

Wouldn't you know it, we see a pretty decent buck jump up and take off running. So we of course follow it. We go through the gate drive a ways, jump out of the pickup and jump over the fence to follow the buck.
Then, I look up and what do I see standing on the other side of the coulee? Why cow elk of course!
So I sit down and shoot.
Ryan, doesn't see them at first, but turns to look at what I just shot at. See's them. So we are now both sitting in the middle of the pasture shooting at this cow elk.
We both hit her, but his gun has a harder hit (being as it's bigger) and down she goes.
By now, we have an audience on the side of the road.
I feel like I belong in the circus.

Part 3: Cleaning and Hanging the Elk

Cleaning the elk really wasn't that bad, Ryan drove the truck right to her and we drug her to the top of the hill on a flat area. Then Ryan cleaned her out and we loaded her. This all was fairly easy, especially since it's just the two of us and the elk.

Then comes the hanging part, this took forever and just was a nightmare to keep it short.
In a nutshell, we tried to hang her several times, with no success. Picture me trying to lift a dead weight elk. It's heavy, awkward and did I say Heavy?
Well, I couldn't pick the dang thing up very high, this of course was frustrating to Ryan.
I'm sure you all know, it doesn't make the situation better when people get mad. Well for some reason that little tidbit went out the window for the time being.

Just picture this. Ryan and I trying to hang the elk, no success. We get mad, things are said out of frustration. So me being mad, cold and now tired go sit in the truck.
Finally Ryan gives up on me, and just hangs her with the tractor. Probably what should have been done from the beginning!

Will we never learn?