My younger sister, Brittany, has a wonderful boyfriend named Spencer. Since moving to Indiana, I have called and texted him more often because I am constantly reminded of him. You are probably wondering why I think of him so often and if I am going to profess my love to him on my blog. No, I'm not. You see, Mr. Spencer Ross Jeu, is a duck guide and has an obsession for duck hunting. His duck guide service is called
Duxmen Outfitters and, although I have never been on a hunt with him, I hear he is very good! I like to say that his motto is "If it flies, it dies!" Many times my dear, sweet sister has tried to tame this obsession of his, but after many failed attempts, she has grown to accept it and she even hunts with him sometimes!
So, back to my reason for blogging about this. I was reminded of Spencer again this morning when I left my house for work. The weather is a bit dreary and kind-of rainy today in Fort Wayne so naturally there were way too many mallards, canadian geese, and swans swimming around in our little pond outside. They are NOT scared of people and most people aren't scared of them. However, I am not one of those people. The Canadian Geese need to go! I am not a goose hater, but they walk around like they own the whole city and they jump in front of cars (like the squirrels on that tv commercial), they come in your yard, and I swear they can smell fear!
If Spencer was here he would know exactly how to handle this type of situation. I can't exactly go outside with my shotgun and start killing all the geese. There are laws against that type of behavior and I don't own a gun. So, if you have any recommendations, please post a comment.
Disclaimer: I don't have a picture of the violent Canadian Geese yet, but I will post one soon.
My nephew, Hunter, made this very sweet and thoughtful card for me and Sam. Hunter has the biggest heart and he is always there to brighten your day with a big hug and kiss. Since moving to Indiana I have not been able to reap the benefits of all those hugs and kisses from him. It makes me so happy to know that he misses me and still thinks of me a lot because I really miss him. It totally made my day...no, actually it made my whole month when I opened the mail to find this card from him! We put his card on the refrigerator with other pictures the kids have made for Sam. Truthfully if you came to Sam's house and did not know us, you would think we had kids because of all the kids' artwork we hang on the refrigerator. Obviously we do not have kids, but we are incredibly blessed with the best nieces and nephews in the world! Below is a picture of Hunter and my beautiful older sister (his mom), Brandlyn.
Owen, Keri, Noah, and Ella with the ice cream birthday cake
Allison, Noah, Aaron and Sam
Owen & Logan opening Keri's gift
Matt & Owen wrestling
Sam and I were so full when we left that we both fell asleep for about an hour once we made it home. I love those Sunday afternoon naps. Awakened and re-energized I was finally able to call my family. I spent the remainder of the night on the phone with my family and of course talked to Aspen and Hunter too! Elli isn't quite old enough to talk on the phone. She will hold it up to her ear and smile because she recognizes my voice, but I haven't got a word out of her yet. Aspen just kept screaming "EASTER BUNNY" and "Sam", which was very adorable! Hunter told me his easter basket was full of eggs and candy and assured me we would have plenty for our next Pogey Bait Night. He was equally as thrilled about the sword he received in his basket too.
Saturday morning came fast and the weather was perfect for yard work and we had LOTS of it to do! I have to admit I really enjoy working in the yard but I was not prepared for what was ahead of me this time. Sam recently put his house up for sale so we are trying to make everything look nice both on the inside and outside of the house. 
His dad was very nice to let us borrow his pick-up truck on Saturday and we filled it with new mulch for the flowerbeds. WOW! Who knew it took so much of this stuff to fill flowerbeds?! It took a while just to prep everything...raking leaves, pulling grass out of the beds, figuring out which tape is the duct tape, etc. Speaking of that, do you know which one is the duct tape? Sam's rake broke and he needed me to run inside to get the duct tape. I froze thinking to myself "I have no clue what duct tape looks like." Instead of telling Sam I didn't know I just brought him a few different types of tape. He saw right through me and laughed because he knew I didn't have the slightest clue which one was the duct tape. I took a picture of some of the tape so I could quiz everyone. Which one is the duct tape? No cheating!
Several splinters, many achy muscles, and what seemed like an eternity later we finally finished and I must say we are very proud of our work! Sadly, I forgot to take a picture of our finished project because I was so exhausted. No worries, I will take a picture today after work! The most exciting part of the process was realizing how much my tulips have grown in the past few weeks! Last October I planted several tulips and irises and the tulips are growing beautifully! Secretly, I have always wanted to have a garden, but I don't exactly have a green thumb. I mean I usually can't keep plants alive. They need a lot of TLC that I am not usually willing to give. Tulips however do not need much attention. Just plant, have some patience, and eventually they will grow! The whole experience has made me want to venture out and buy more plants to see if I can keep those alive. We will see...
