Chukar/Elk Bucket List?

Tonight (well really last night since it's after midnight) I, again, attempted to soak up as much of the rural life of Antelope as I could. The night held two more firsts for me - things that I can now cross off my Bucket List, which I didn't even know were on my Bucket List until I was in the middle of it.

The first one, which in my opinion is not as cool, is I cooked and ate Chukar for the first time! For those of you who don't know what Chukar is (I didn't until I moved out here), it's a type of bird - it's in the partridge family (it's okay to laugh at that!) My dear friend and brother, Kory, killed a Chukar, cleaned it all up and gave me some for my roommate and me to eat. So today, I made some chili with the Chukar and LOVED it. Thanks again, K!

The second thing, which I find WAY cooler (partially because I still haven't fully warmed up yet) is I helped butcher an elk! I was totally grossed out at first, but ended up LOVING it! Thankful for the guys allowing me to be there and to hang out and especially thankful that Jesse Washkau let me take a knife to his elk and the rest of the dudes for showing me how.

Below are some pictures. I tried to pick some that were the least gross, but there's only so much you can do.

Kory and Jesse working on Jesse's elk - look at that intensity!

Kory startin' to dance - let the good times roll!

The dudes - Kory, Jimmy, Jeff, and Jesse - takin' a look at Jesse's elk

I, of course, had to get my hands in there. I had just cut off a huge chunk of Jesse's elk.

I, at first, wasn't sure of what to think about all of this dead animal hangin' in a cooler with no skin or heads or anything. It just smelled so awful and it simply wasn't anything I was use to or comfortable with. Clearly I became comfortable with it - seeing that I'm holding a huge chunk of meat that I had just cut off the side of an elk!

There is no way, in a thousand years, that I would have ever thought that I be butchering an animal and actually like it, but I did and I do. Simply amazing!

So thankful for the simple life!

Crazy Week

So this week has been anything but average. The longer I live out here, the more I become adjusted to rural life. Being a city girl, I have had to learn what it's like to drive long distances for things that, I would consider, to be things of convenience - such as grocery stores and movie theaters. Getting use to the simple life. Getting use to nature vs. buildings - such as tumble weed blowing in the wind past my window and seeing cow, deer, antelope, and other such animals on my property or drive to town (yes, that does include elk and yes, I was blind that morning).

I have really attempted to soak up all that is peculiar to me - all that wasn't in my everyday life before I moved here. One such thing is shooting guns. I had never shot a gun in my life until Monday morning. My dear friend, Kory - his wife, Sara, was in my blog two posts ago, took me and his two younger children to the shooting range that morning where I shot a gun for the very first time - and LOVED it! Here are some pictures:

First time with a gun in my hands - a little weird at first.

I got pretty good, atleast for a first timer.

Please take a look at little Brody in the background - isn't he the cutest?

Kory teaching his daughter, Bailey, a thing or two.

Love this picture.

Love the Brodes. The flaps are still covering the binoculars so he can't see a thing

It was Brody's first time too. His arm was fully extended and he couldn't reach the trigger. Seriously though, so stinkin' cute!

Well my adventurous Monday didn't end with a trip to the shooting range. I somehow managed to get my hand slammed into a sliding van door. Yeah that was fun. Kory is also an emt so I took myself and my busted pinky finger up to the Brown's house to be looked at. All is well except for the swelling and discoloration. And the pain, of course. I'm thankful that my friend and neighbor is an emt and was willing and able to help me. Kory wrapped up my hand with an ice pack in it so I could attempt to still work. Here's the evidence:

Four days later, my hand is still a bother, but it is much better than it was - thanks to ice and ibuprofen and tylenol. You never really know how much you use your pinky until it's busted. Thankfully it's healing well.

So here's to trying new things and hopefully not hurting myself in the future.