Sunday, March 4, 2012

Impromptu Picnic

Yesterday afternoon, Doug and I put down everything, packed up the van with a basket, fishing pole and rifle, a blanket and a book and took off into the woods for an impromptu adventure.
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We drove all the way down to the end of the road to nowhere and shot quarters for a little while. It was foggy and quiet out, and the wind was incredible. I felt like I was going to get blown over!

I needed this get-away so bad! We both did. We have been so stressed out and totally taking out on each other. NOT FAIR! Most of our stress has been due to a really slow month of February, getting ready to move again, keeping up with orders, keeping the house clean, the dogs not having a fence, finances, etc, etc, etc. You know the deal. Most of all, we have had a hard time getting motivated every day. We love what we do, so much, but sometimes it feels like a factory and not like art. So, we get frustrated, and since it's just us, two people, we want to scratch each other's eyeballs out. That's the truth behind owning a business with your significant other. It's not always sunshine and rainbows. BUT yesterday we followed one of our very important rules. When it gets stressful and you want to kill each other, get the hell out of the house and do something awesome.
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There is nothing better to relieve stress than shooting stuff. We had a blast shooting quarters with Doug's rifle. He's an incredible shooter, but I'm not so bad myself. I like living in a small town (read village) where we don't really have neighbors, because I sit in the front yard with a fire going and shoot the old sign across the road with my BB gun or shoot the bow and arrow down the street to a makeshift target.
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When Doug got his fishing pole out, I got my book out and some snacks we grabbed at the corner store. Nothing fancy, you can't get anything fancy in this town, but some chips, grapes, macaroni salad, cheese and deli meat. I recently bought this book at a thrift store. I read it years ago, but wanted to read it again. It's an incredible book. The only thing that bugs me is that all of Owen Meanies dialogue is in ALL CAPS and it kind of drives me crazy. But, it's a good book.
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Doug has been tying his own flys, and wanted to mess around with them yesterday. He didn't really expect to catch any fish, he just wanted to see how they fared, but low and behold, an ugly fish found the hook and took a big old bite. We threw him back of course, but look how ugly he is!!
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While we were driving back to the house, we caught a glimpse of a deer on the side of the road. We thought she would just dart into the woods, but instead she revved her engines and started hauling ass next to us. If we slowed down, she slowed down, if we sped up, she sped up, it was incredible. It's one of the amazing things living out in the woods, the wildlife is abundant and since deer hunting season is over, they seem to be a little more visible. It's funny, I thought a running deer would be graceful and pretty, but she ran like a bat out of Haiti and face planted into a ditch. I felt so sad, but she hopped back up and darted across the street behind up into the woods. What a goober!
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I am so glad we took the time to go out and leave the cell phones and work stress at home. It's totally necessary and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. What kind of adventures do you take to get away? Does it help your stress?

I am about to make a big dent in packing before I get to work today. Our power was out this morning from the wind, so I was able to start deep cleaning. Can you believe we get the keys to our place in Tennessee a week from today. I am not sure I'm ready!

xo,
Beca

16 comments:

  1. I've never in my life had a day like that, and it sounds amazing! And those portraits of you two, oh my gosh they're beautiful. I'm glad you two had a rad adventure day! Chris and I get like that too, even though we don't own a business together, it's just the two of us an it's easy to piss each other off. Taking a step back is necessary :)

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    1. well, we need to have a day like this together! we're really good at adventuring!

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  2. You two are easily the coolest couple ever. I kind of love your guts. A lot.

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  3. So damn jealous! We have a good yard for bb gunnin' but I'd really like to set up a low-fi archery range from bales of hay or something. Any suggestion as to design and viability are welcome. We would definitely have to be careful not to over shoot. I don't want to test our neighbors' senses of humor.

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    1. oh man, we just shoot into our neighbors yard all the time, but they don't live there most of the time, so its not a big deal...haha.

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  4. My mister and I are stressing at the moment, too. This seems like the perfect, simple little get away! That is one ugly fish! :-P
    xo Heather
    http://ahopelessnotebook.blogspot.com/

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    1. I swear it helps! hope you get to take a little escape too!

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  5. i need to remember to get out of the house. sometimes if my husband and i have the day off together and just stay around the house i get really uptight.
    i love that book, and i really like most of john irving's books. the world according to garp is awesome.

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  6. wow, i don't think i would be able to see the quarters much less shoot them. fun times! and maybe that's a toad fish. those things are really ugly and also venomous to the touch on the gills/dorsel fin (i think it just stings really bad? i don't know cos you know how i get when i catch fish). also is it bad i busted out laughing when you described the deer face planting into the ditch? sounds like something i would do :)

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    1. doug said they used to call it a dog fish, but he doesn't know what its actually called. he grabbed it with a teeshirt we had in the van and threw it back in...i wish you and andrew were here to go on adventures with us. :)

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  7. this is great, i loved this post! it's definitely SO nice to be able to get out of the house or office and just have fun, especially when your partner is also your co-worker.

    that fish was ugly as hell, and can you imagine, if he looked that bad, how bad he must have tasted? gross.

    i love the pictures of you and doug at the end.

    oh, also, i feel so bad for a pretty deer when he or she is running so fast to get away and they take a spill. one time a deer ran out of the woods in front of me, and although it wasn't super close, it was enough to really scare the deer, and he slipped on the road and fell, but got back up and ran into the woods on the other side. i still wish i would have been able to just follow him into the woods and hug him and rub him so i knew he was okay.

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    1. deer are not graceful at all. I think they're all just terrified because they have to run from hunters all the time. we just wanted to drive past her without hitting her.

      i would never eat that fish, it was gross looking. at least mullet and salmon are pretty. (those are the only fish i can manage eating. I'm not a huge fish eater....oh and shrimp have to have their faces pinched off before i eat them....they have big sad eyes....)

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  8. A Prayer for Owen Meany is a great book, and that deer photo is incredible!

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    1. Am I the only one bothered by the all caps thing? I do love the book though!

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