March 23, 17
Hello Humpherys Family,
I’ve been stressing a bit because as of today, not too many letters have come in. That only stresses me because I know it’s going to take some time to figure out how to put it all together once they do get here.
So once again I am thinking about what actually did happen this year. Note to self…I will make some notes along the way for next year’s news letter. I just had my 59th birthday this month and it’s very apparent that my memory will be the first thing to leave me.
2016 was a mixture of good and bad.
We lost Bob in August which was heart breaking. I must say that I did learn a lot during that time. I thought I knew Bob quite well, but at the funeral and the days afterward, I realized that I really didn’t know him well at all. It was fun to hear all the wonderful stories about his life and how he always managed to come out the other side of various adventures. It was so interesting to hear stories from Bob’s kids and his sister and brother. I never really got the opportunity to know them well. By the time Mom and Bob married I was off on my own. I realized that he might be the last of an era of great adventurers. Bob was always a very good father figure to me and I am grateful for the love and devotion that he gave Mom. I think the most important thing I took away from the funeral was not only did Bob live his life well, but he left this earth in a very honorable way. The doctor that cared for Bob during the last years of his life made me realize what an incredibly strong man he was. He lived his life with a can do attitude right until the end. In death I learned the biggest lesson from Bob, how to die well. He was comforting others and laughing almost until the end. I miss him.
I am forever grateful that we were able to make a trip out to Wyoming to see Mom and Bob in July. Mandy, Chris, Sawyer, Sophia and I made the trip together. Bryan stayed at home to take care of the horses and hounds. Pam was able to meet us out there. We had so much fun. I am thankful that the kids were able to see Bob while he was still feeling pretty good…or so it seemed, because I don’t think anyone ever knew how Bob really felt because he always said he was doing great for a young fella. One of the high lights of the trip was playing softball in the ball diamond across the road from Mom and Bob’s. Mom was out there playing with us and she hit the ball every time it was pitched to her. She had certainly not lost her touch. It brought back great memories of watching her play when I was a little girl. Of course she was the most beautiful Mom out there with her blonde hair all piled up on her head in a bee hive hairdo.(The higher the hair, the closer to heaven!) She looked like a movie star, but she pitched that ball hard and fast. She was written up many times for her wins in the Missoula news paper.
In November Bryan and I went to Pam and Ray’s for Thanksgiving. Mom was out there as well and it wonderful to spend Thanksgiving together, and Bryan enjoyed finally getting to see where I grew up. It went by too quickly.
Bryan had a good year of hunting. In January he got a tag for a buffalo in the Black Hills. They allow for a few bulls to be culled from the herd each year. That has been some fabulous eating. In September he went to Canada for almost 2 weeks and got a very nice moose. I’ve decided firmly that I am not a fan of moose meat. That was the longest that he was ever gone…I didn’t like it, however it did give me an even greater appreciation for everything he does to keep me in horses. The horse thing is a mutual addiction, thankfully! Back to the hunting count. In November he got a nice Mule deer and then there is pheasant hunting that starts in October and goes thru the end of December. Bryan is an excellent cook and enjoys preparing the wild game. I like not cooking and eating the wild game. I did tell him the other night I will become the chief chef once I retire…which won’t be anytime soon. (Note, horse addiction) The last story concerning hunting was a trip he took with his son Brandyn to the Black Hills elk hunting. This trip was between Christmas and New Years. The boys got stuck…very, very stuck and had to spend the night in the vehicle. They also did not have cell phone reception, but were able to contact help via On Star in Brandyn’s pickup. It was a long night for me, thinking of every possible thing that could go wrong. In my head I know that Bryan is a very good, experienced out doors man, but I was still a wreck until I could speak to him personally once they were out and had cell phone reception. He scolded me for worrying. I should have know they would be just fine. I am thankful they had the On Star or maybe it would not have turned out quite as well. They did not get an elk that trip, which was good. He needs to be humbled once in awhile. (smile)
I had a very good summer. This was my second year barrel racing. I improved quite a bit and got in the money in several races. Mandy had another good year. She is an amazing rider and never skipped a beat from her earlier days of barrel racing. Even Sawyer and Sophia did some PeeWee runs. I’ve decided that this barrel racing horse stuff is either going to keep me young or kill me. Hauling 4 horses, cleaning stalls, feeding, watering, warming up, running, etc. etc. is hard work, especially when we go out of town. That being said…we are having so much fun I hope I can continue for a very long time. I truly thank God for Chris and Bryan who do so much to help keep things going too. I love my horse, Hollie. Bryan says that she was meant for me because she is such a brat. She is a character and she has so much heart. I have another horse that I raised. She is out of a very special palomino mare that I lost in October from colic. It was an awful way to lose her. I am so thankful that I have 2 offspring out of her. One is a buttermilk buckskin who is in Oklahoma now getting some training. I’m hoping that she will be my next barrel horse when I retire Hollie. Hollie will go on to give us some beautiful smart babies in the future.
I love spending time with Sawyer and Sophia. I go thru withdrawal if I don’t see them at least once a week. I know that Mandy will fill you in on all the details about their little lives. I will just say that they are a huge blessing and this Grandma gig is better than I could have imagined. I try to take advantage of it because I’m sure some day it won’t be cool to hang out with Grandma. Sophia calls it: having a Grandma party when they get to spend the night with me. We usually have popcorn and watch a movie and do horse stuff if the weather allows. Sawyer is no longer into sitting on Grandma’s lap or anything too serious like that. Instead he shows me how to bounce a ball off of my knee or he throws the football as hard as he can to see if I can catch it. I usually do.
I think I’ve covered the major happenings. Bryan and I are planning on making it to the family reunion this summer. It’s been way too long and I can’t wait to see all of you. I look forward to reading all of your letters.
Love,
Kim and Bryan
