Author: Liz's Gypsy Journey

I think there is a time in everyone’s life when they wake up in the morning and think to themselves “I need to do something fun and let loose a little.” Well this time out in the midwest I had that feeling. Wishing that some of my friends were enjoying the mid west with me. Well little did I know that a couple of friends were in fact in the midwest.

My first haul on this trip was to Nashville Tennessee. I had driven by the city a few times but never found the chance to stop. Well this trip was going to be my chance. I had heard all about Nashville and how much fun this city was. Well it just so turned out that two of my friends from home just happened to be there. A text message later, Uber ride to Broadway St and we were surrounded by neon lights and live music.

Nashville was everything I had heard it was. The streets were alive with people from all over, the music was amazing, and just the atmosphere of Nashville was the best. We had an amazing night out on the town enjoying all that Nashville had to offer.

The next day I made my drop and headed up to Louisville to visit some of my family. An evening with family was also needed. I love the time I get to spend with them. The next morning I was up and headed towards Indiana once again. I got a text saying that my friends thought I should book a load south so that I could come back to Nashville for one last night. So I booked a load for Texas. I got to Northern Indiana grabbed my trailer and headed back to Nashville.

Seven hours later on a Friday I would be pulling back into Nashville for one last night with them. Another amazing night went by. More live bands and memories were made. Looking back the two nights in Nashville are probably the top of my list for nights that were just good for the soul in 2017. Fun nights with good people and amazing memories.

Saturday morning we went to breakfast and saw the WhatLiftsYou wings. I didn’t know they existed but im sure glad my friend had them pinned on her Pinterest board. After a morning with them I was back on the road and Texas bound.

Once I was back from the Texas trip it was time to once again head home to California. I booked another load and started west. I was dropping towards the southern end of California so I was able to go through Oklahoma and visit some friends there. I made it to New Mexico and realised that a lady I have known most of my life had a great chance of winning the World Championship in barrel racing at the NFR. After a few texts from our other friends I was Las Vegas bound to watch the last round of the NFR with friends. I’m sure glad I did because Nellie made a good solid run and won the World Championship. It was such an exciting moment. The best thing in my opinion about Nellie is she is the most humble and nice person you will ever meet. Vegas is always a good time and I am always thankful to spend time with friends.

I made my drop in California and headed home. A couple of days after I got home I got a call to invite me on  duck hunt with some of the Girls With Guns team. These girls are more than just friends they have become part of my crew. They are the ones that I can go to and i know they have my back and I have theirs. The duck hunt was an absolute blast! We had a great time. Whitney housed and put the whole thing together and it was amazing. We bonded, laughed, made memories and just enjoyed getting some of us girls together. It was definitely an awesome thing to come home to.

I got home about a week before Christmas so in my normal I was hustling to get everyone’s gifts. Christmas came and once again I spent it at Jens. It has become one of my favorite places to spend Christmas. We just enjoy eating, spending time with each and just take time to remember what Christmas is all about.

It was hard to believe that 2017 was coming to a close. Looking back on 2017 I felt so blessed. I was blessed to have a job that allowed me to travel and make memories. I had visited 28 states and got to experience things I never would have experienced back at home. I truly enjoyed my life and travels in 2017 and with it coming to an end it just made me that much more excited about starting 2018. Looking back at 2017 I also realized that there was nothing I would change about how I spent my year. I was doing exactly what I needed to be doing and learned oh so much about myself. Im so thankful for this life I get to live.

November is one of my all time favorite months. The seasons are changing, the weather is getting cooler, the leaves get their amazing color and whitetail hunting is upon us. Every year since I was 14 I have had the opportunity to whitetail hunt one of my favorite ranches in Nebraska and November 2017 was no different.

Maggi and I once again loading up our gear and started the journey from California to Nebraska. We decided that we would make a stop in beautiful Moab Utah to check out Arch’s National Park. Arch’s had been on my list of places to see since I was a younger. I have family that had been there and told me stories about how amazing the place truly was. So 14 hours of driving later and we were there.

I never knew that I was a fan of rocks. But come to find out while we were in Arch’s we both were fans of rocks. The way the Arch’s are formed and the rock cliff sides were incredible! We only had a few hours until we needed to be back on the road but boy did we enjoy it! My personal favorite was the double arch. Pictures do not do it justice. From a distance it is cool looking but once you are standing in the middle of the arches you realize just how amazing they are. It is one of those moments where you realize just how small you are and how great your surrounding are.

After spending four hours which was not enough in the National Park it was time to continue the journey to the ranch. Getting to Uncle Brian’s is always exciting. I love getting to see everyone, the wildlife and just the amazingness that the ranch has to offer. First thing we did was set up the blind and I checked on the tree stand where I hunt. We were lucky enough to get to see multiple deer herds and just got excited for opening day. This year I came with a goal in Nebraska. I wanted to harvest a mature older but that would have a decent score.

Opening day was upon us and the tree stand was a bit chilly at a morning temp of 20 degrees but once the light started to shine the trees came to life. I think that is my favorite part about hunting out of a tree stand. You get to experience oh so much. I was blessed to watch yearlings play and run around. Does and bucks eating, moving and even chasing each other. There is nothing better than being able to witness these moments.

The first couple of days went by and I passed up a lot of bucks. A few that were definitely mature enough to harvest but weren’t exactly what I was looking for. On day 3 I decided to go sit up on the parked harvester after being in the tree stand for 4 hours. As soon as I was up on top of the harvester four deer ran out of the CRP and into the alfalfa field that bordered the other CRP field. Out of the four deer two were bucks and the one buck was exactly what I was looking for. My heart began to pound as I came up with my plan on how to make the move to get closer. At this point they were 1200 yards away and I knew I didn’t want to miss out on that buck. I climbed off the harvest and began the walk/crawl to get closer. I got to the end of the CRP which lead to the first alfalfa field. Now alfalfa doesn’t give you a very good covering and I kneeled down and went as quick as I could to the fence. Crawled under not one but two fences and was finally into the area where they were at. They still hadn’t noticed me but the two bucks and one of the does were now into the CRP field in front of me. My heart was beating so hard and when I ranged them I was only 400 yards away. On a normal day where my heart isn’t going a million miles an hour I would have taken that clean shot. But that day I couldn’t. I told myself to ease up and get closer. After some more crawling and walking in the grass I was 200 yards out and couldn’t talk myself into the shot. The one buck had bedded down and the buck I was after was standing broad side to me looking at the doe. A couple of seconds later he walked about 10 feet and I completely lost him I was starting to freak out a little. Next thing I know I hear a truck which ended up being my brother-in-law and niece. My brother took the shot on the other buck that had stood up and the buck I was after came running right out me. I didn’t have time to think he was running hard and I paced him for a second pulled the trigger and made a perfect shot. So many emotions went through my body. I had just harvested a mature older buck. It was an absolutely amazing hunt. Little did I know but my brother had been watching the entire journey from up on top of the cliff and Maggi was watching from a different hill. It was just one of those perfect moments where everything came together and I couldn’t be happy and blessed.

The next day Maggi finally found a buck that we thought was mature enough to harvest. She made a great shot and we both were going home with mature bucks. Hunting in Nebraska is the best. I look forward to it every year.

Once we were both tagged out I made the decision to run to Indiana to pick up a trailer to haul home. We ended up dropping the trailer off in Utah.

I was home for a whole 3 days when I decided to check the weather in the midwest and made the journey back to Indiana to work. I repacked my bags and told my family that I would be back in a few weeks. Little did I know that those next three weeks would bring some amazing memories…

September was one of those months that I was excited to see show up. September would bring deer hunting season in California which meant time spent in the mountains with friends. But it also brought more weddings. I am one of those people who attend a lot of weddings. I have been in a lot of wedding and truly enjoy catching the bouquet because now it is a total game for me.

The first wedding of September would be Keara and Tylers. Keara has been like my little sister growing up. She is kind, smart and an amazing human inside and out. The wedding was beautiful and I can’t lie I teared up when I saw her. Her and Tyler make a great couple and as long as she is happy that is all that matters in this world.

The next wedding that would take place would be Carly and Jakes. This one was super

exciting because I got to officiate the ceremony. I have known Carly since we were little kids so when I was asked to officate it I jumped on it. The wedding was beautiful. Jake and Carly definitely are perfect for each other.

The rest of September brought getting ready for hunting season. Once hunting season was upon us that is all my friends and I wanted to do. Luckily for me I had my friend Barbara and her boys to hunt with. We spent a ton of time up in the mountains last year. We had an absolute blast hunting and making memories. Barb and her two sons ended up tagging out by the end of the season but I never found the buck worth shooting for me. But the memories and time in the mountains were worth it.

October was crazy busy and oh so much fun! I had the opportunity to go to Reno for the UNR vs Air Force college football game with the Fergoso, Murphy, Robinson, and Brose family. These families are some of my absolute favorite families. Once you are part of the tribe you are in for life. We had a blast tailgating and attending the football game. It was so fun to see college football live and not on tv. We were in Reno for a couple of days. The day after the game brought a girls day which was super fun. We laughed so much, made memories and just enjoyed the day. I am so thankful for this crew and the memories we have been able to make.  In this life I have definitely learned that it isn’t always blood that makes a family but who you choose to be your family. I am thankful to consider them family.