EP 108: I Married a Hunter. With Becki Bronson and Jana Carter.

Why do you let him hunt so much and you make the rest of us look bad? I was like, what is this life that I have walked into? I married a caveman. Don't worry, honey. No elk will ever take your place. Anything to do with Western big game.

Welcome to the Epic Outdoors podcast, powered by Under Armour. How sassy are we going to get today? I don't know. I guess we'll find out. Hey, everybody. Jason Carter and Adam Bronson here with the Epic Outdoors podcast. Of course, we've got a couple fine guests with us here today, which we'll introduce in a minute. But for now, we'd like to thank Under Armour for sponsoring these podcasts. Of course, they sponsor about everything we do here at Epic Outdoors. Print, digital media, YouTube, about everything. And they're awesome. We appreciate them. They've got a lot of new models out. The past season, 2018, they're going to carry forward 2019. You can find them on UA.com. RidgeReaper.com, about anything. Just type in Barron and you'll find what's available as far as hunting gear on their website. So, anyway, feel free to go on there.

Incredible clothing, incredible company, and great partner of ours. Long-term partner from the start here at Epic Outdoors. So, we do want to do a giveaway with this podcast. We're going to give away a UA jacket, the Enfil Windstopper jacket, valued at $300. And so, how you get entered to win is you can post anything on social media and hashtag EpicHunts as well as tag EpicHunts both in the photo and in the comments. And so, it'll make sure that we see it. So, anyway, anything to do with this podcast. Doesn't have to be a specific picture or anything like that. We'll be talking about the podcast real quick. And then hashtag EpicHunts. Tag EpicHunts in both the photo as well as in the comments. And that way we can see everybody that did it. We won't lose you in the feed of likes and comments. And we'll go from there. So, anyway, make sure you get entered to win. It's $300 jacket.

We'll give this jacket away on January 18th. That's the Friday after this podcast comes out. Give you a few days to listen to it. And then we'll go from there. As we get started here, this is a podcast that Adam and I have been threatening to do for a long time and actually fairly scared to do it. Yeah. Jason and I have a few safe words that we've previously talked about today. This goes a direction we're not totally comfortable with. We're fearful for one reason or another. We might utter those that will only be known to ourselves. And we'll leave. We'll leave the building. So, anyway, we've got our wives in this room with us today. Did you guys go through the metal detector to make sure we're not armed and dangerous? We were supposed to run you through TSA before you got in here. That airport is just over here. Thank you, guys. I think we're both packing. Oh, yeah.

Jenna is a concealed weapons permit holder. And so, anyway. So, don't mess with Jenna. Don't mess with Jenna. No, don't. She'll knock you out. In all seriousness, it is fun. We're looking forward to this. Who knows where it'd go. We don't really have a script. But we thought it'd be fun just to get our wives on here. Becky is my wife. This is Adam. And Jenna Carter, Jason's wife. Just to talk about. Big muleys. Oh, yeah. How to hunt them. You know, best units. All that. Yes.

Drop some knowledge bombs on everything. You know, hybrid draw versus regular draws in Colorado. Stuff like that.

The important stuff. So, where should we start with this? Basically, from a hunter's wives perspective, we kind of wanted to visit with them. And maybe they can kind of spew some of the things that they dealt with with being married to hunters. And different things. And maybe even how you met. Maybe Adam and Becky. You can start off with, how did you two meet? And how did you get to where you're at today? Well, we met at Southern Utah University. We were both going to college there. And very unique story. I bought Becky as a slave. They had a slave auction. I was like those wenches in the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. You know, they're all kind of standing there. Buy a wench. Oh, no way. No way. Or I know quite like that. Well, how much did you have to pay? I don't remember. It was like $300 in monopoly money or something. It was for, they called it the Thunderbird Awards.

It was Spirit Week for SUU. And they had different people up there. All the student body officers. And she had just won the Miss SUU pageant. So, they had her up there. And so, me and all my roommates, guys from Monticello, we bought her. How big a boy are you? Yeah. So, she had to come to our apartment and make you breakfast and whatever. That's basically all it was. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. And then. Made you all breakfast? All your roommates? Oh, yeah. The whole apartment. So, then you'd be right off if she could cook. Yeah. What was that? But then she showed up with about three or four friends. Because I think she was like, I'm a single gal going to six strangers' apartments. Yeah. I had zero clue who these guys were. We showed up to their apartment. It looks scary. And I won't tell you. I was so surprised. We walk in. They're all watching that show Saved by the Bell. Come on. I'm serious.

I am being serious. No. You thought you walked into it. I was like, who are these guys? This is the weirdest thing. Just what was happening to be on. Don't mind us. We're going to start the eggs. So, we cooked this thing called Elbow Ski Bears. I had a friend who'd served a mission in a country where they cooked that kind of stuff. They're these like round pancakes. Made them orange juice. Got talking to them. And I remember Adam saying, I remember meeting him and I just thought, oh, he's got such a great smile. And I loved his name. I've always liked the name Adam Bronson. It's just a solid name. I had a last name no one could pronounce or spell. It was Widener. It's German. And so, I was like, oh, that's a really solid last name. I noticed stuff like that. Anyway, he said, I'm pre-dental. At the time, he was pre-dental. Yeah. Wow. I was like, oh, he's got ambition. A little sidetrack.

So, do you remember? She's judging and profiling her. Oh, I judge. Oh, I judge. And I mean, I shouldn't. But you know how it is. I mean, you just like, you just kind of, there's these little checkmark boxes. You're going through Becky Bronson. Becky Bronson. He was super nice. They were all very polite. But I remember we went up. I don't remember why, but we were like, do you guys keep your rooms clean or whatever? So, we went up and checked your room. I don't remember that. And for some reason, it was clean. I was like, oh, he's a clean person, too. Well, his desk is perfectly organized. It's perfect. Yeah, yeah. But I guess you guys had cleaned it the night before because you knew we were coming or something. Oh, who knows? I'm sure. Anyway, so we cooked the Ebleskiebers, and we were just kind of talking smack. I can't remember how. Well, we got talking.

They were all friends from high school, and they played volleyball. And so, we just got, hey, well, we could probably crush you guys. So, it turned into kind of like, hey, we'll challenge you to a volleyball game. Somebody's cooking dinner. Yeah, yeah. On top of it. Like double or nothing or something like that. So, then we did that. And then, I don't know, apparently her friends thought we had some kind of connection. And they actually set us up. We had a big group date, and they kind of set us up. And that's kind of how we had our first date. And I remember on our first date. You remember this? Oh, I won't forget it. She asked me, you know, and I'm like you, Jason. I like and love to hunt. Yeah. But she asked me, and I was interested in her. But she said, so, are you a hunter? I don't even know how it came up. I know how it did.

There was a wolf magnet on the fridge of the house we were at. We were at one of my friends' house. We were playing games. It was kind of a big group date. There was a wolf magnet. And I don't know why it just occurred to me. I thought, I've got to ask this guy. Because he's cute. He's nice. Whatever. And Adam's over there drawing a radical on it. Yeah.

And you've got to set the stage. Shira, you lived with your mom, single mom, with five sisters. No male influence. Four sisters. Or five girls. Five girls, sorry. And we grew up to despise hunting. Like my mom said, you know, hunters are evil. It's a blood sport. I remember we lived across the street from someone who would collect antlers. And she would always comment about, you know, that's just wrong. And da, da, da, da, da. She was the type that didn't even kill flies. She'd catch them and set them free outside. You know what I mean? Like that's the way I was raised. Oh, yeah. So it was like, you know, she was very much that way and raised me that way. And I wouldn't say I was completely like that. But I was definitely like, yeah, hunting's just not. No way. Like hunters and that whole culture, yeah, that's just not me. I'm going to marry a big town guy.

I'm never going to marry a hunter. And I've learned in life you never, never say never. Never. Like you just don't. Because when I said to him, so I saw that wolf magnet and I was like. We better get this covered. Yeah. Yeah. Like, are you a hunter? Because this ain't going anywhere if it is. I didn't say that part. I remember. But I just said, are you a hunter? And he's like, yeah, I am. And I was like, okay, first and last day. I didn't pour it on. I didn't pour it on. I was just like. I was just like, he's cute. But, you know, he's just one of these. I'll let him buy 14 dinners and then I'm going to crush it. Yeah. That's right. See what I can get out of this before I hit the eject button. That's right. That's right. But, yeah. So you asked the question. Yeah. Yeah. And Adam sugarcoats it. And he just nonchalant. I kind of, you know. Yeah.

I'm a hunter and I was like, ah, first, last date. We're done. Like, you're cute and everything. But this is all good. It's over. It's done. I mean, I just thought he was cute and he's fine. It's fine, you know. But this isn't going to go anywhere. Yeah. And I was pretty close to graduating. I mean, I was technically older in, you know, the sense of, you know. Well, and you're older than me, as are you, right, Janet? I am. Older than Jason. Yeah. So, that's the way I like it. Okay.

Somebody's got a raise. Somebody's got a raise. Somebody's got a raise. Somebody's got a raise. We're good to manage this poor little boy.

So, anyway. So, anyway. I thought he was a pretty forward guy. We were playing murder in the dark. Okay. So, I'm a very conservative person. I mean, I just am, you know. I didn't ever kiss on a first date ever. I mean, I just wasn't that person. Yeah. And we were playing murder in the dark. And I remember he put his hand on my back. And I was like, I mean, that just shows you how I was like. Not a bare back. Not a bare back. Just on your back. Just put his hand on my back and kind of like rested it there. And I was like, oh, my gosh. This guy is so forward. He's forward and he kills things. I'm out of here. I was like, this is just. I just don't know. You know, because I just. I don't know how to tell you. It was just kind of a crazy. We just came from different worlds. You know. I just was a very conservative person in that regard. So, anyway. I was interested. That was why I did that.

That's right. Trying to set the hook. That's. Well. Early. Yeah. We all lie a little. We do. I don't. You're young enough to think I can change her. I can change her. Okay. And there you go. And that's a point we should come to later. Because that's. That's important. So, anyway. For all you that aren't married out there. We're going to fix. We're going to. We're going to give you some advice. We're going to give you some marital advice. That's right. Give you hope. Pre-marital advice. That's right. That's right. Lessons learned. Good lessons learned. So, if we could. Then we can fast forward through the next several dates. The hook was set. The hook was set. And I told her. I officially told her I loved hunting. No? Yeah. I don't know if I ever really said that. Can tell we were married. It was the secret in the closet. And then she figured it out really quick. Well.

My first clue into things was. I needed an escort for homecoming. I was the homecoming queen. And so. I couldn't go stag to the homecoming dance. I needed a date. Well. He had. He had. I was guiding. And I couldn't get out of it. And that was my first. We were engaged. You were engaged. She's on the phone. You're. You're guiding? Yeah. What does that mean? And I was like. Oh. Your hunt? You're going to put guiding over escorting me to the homecoming dance. And he's like. Well. I've made this commitment. Da da da da da. And it was like. That was the first. And it provides more money for more dates. And more steaks. Well. And it was probably one of the first times in our relationship that I used the phrase. I'm just providing for our family.

I've heard that one about a million. Becky. I want to know who took you to the dance. Let's get to that point. I asked. Somebody else. I asked a friend. He is a cheerleader. And he was. By this time. Were you dating thick enough? We were engaged. They were engaged. Oh. Oh, yeah. We're getting married. So the priorities. Adam dictates. Call Brent. My brother. He's the only one. Well. Well. Yeah. I don't know who this guy was. But she asked a male cheerleader. I thought that was probably safe. Oh. For sure. For sure. So that's who she took. So. Yeah. Yeah. And it worked out. But that was kind of the first window into what it was going to be like. You know. There was. For me. It was. I should come numero uno. You know. Becky. Should be the top priority. And in so many ways I am. But. It was my first window into. Competing with an animal. Or animals. For prioritization and attention.

And in my defense. Real quickly. Because we've got to give Janice and Mike time. I. Adam. Want to divert this whole. Yes. Jason. Don't point out my tactics. Just. Just let me talk. Keep going. I. I had taken the quarter off. Because it was. We were going to get married in. In December. And I had taken that quarter off. Just to guide. I'll fall. And save some money. And get married. So I was actually not living. In. Cedar City at the time. I was living back in Monticello. Yes. And guiding over there. Yes. So it's not like I was just in town. And no. I'm going to go guide. And you take some guy to the dance. Yes. There was a little. I just had to set that stage. A little clearer. You were living. Two separate lives. And it was. Good. Yeah. It was good. Until it wasn't good. Okay. Janet. I got it. So how did you guys meet, Janet? Similar, I suppose, to you guys. We were in college together.

And we lived in the same apartment complex. I lived upstairs. Jason lived downstairs. And so we met that way. He dated my roommates. I dated his roommates. I dated every one of her roommates. Oh, my word. Every one of her. Was that awkward? Not everyone. Kind of like a no one bites the dust. No. No. It wasn't awkward. I didn't like him then. I mean, I liked him, but I didn't like him. You were a player? And so he dated a lot of my roommates. I dated a lot of his roommates. Then he set me up with all of his friends that he knew were safe. My roommates were safe. Yeah. He only set me up with the ones that were safe. The ones that might not have been. He like kept me clear of those. Yeah. So we dated. We didn't really date, I guess, for a long time. We just knew each other. Ran in the same circle a little bit. Had similar friends. And then my senior year, he was a junior. In college.

In college. Yeah. Utah State.

I had moved into another apartment complex, as had he. But we had kept in touch a little bit on and off. Well, back up. We're dating. There was no rush. In my mind, she was always going to be there. And in my mind, there wasn't even a consideration that there was anything going on. And I thought, and she was perfect. What gave you that? So you think she's perfect. Perfect on paper. But then you also thought she would always be there. How do you make that connection? Because usually perfect doesn't stick around. She was like you would. But perfect doesn't usually stick around. You would go to school. Then you would have summer break. And then you'd come back. And there she is again. And there was kind of some continuity. You know, like we go to school. We have summer. We come home and go back to school. You know? And so it was just like.

But mind you, we weren't even dating through these summers and years. We just knew each other. We were dating off and on. And then when we would date, we would be, you know, pretty thick. Well, it was funny. My roommates and I used to joke. Oh. This is good. This is the good stuff. We didn't really date. But we did a little bit, I guess. But he would go home to visit his parents. And he would come back and date me with a vengeance for like three or four weeks and then stop. Like after a Christmas break or something like that? Well, like any time he went home. Or even a weekend. Even in a weekend. He went home for a weekend. He'd come back and date like with a vengeance. And I'm like, this guy is funny. And we would joke about it a little bit. I was so confident. I'm like, I can have this chick whenever I want her. Oh. I mean, that was like the confidence thing. He was arrogant.

Not confident. Arrogant. Well, it was just like, it was like she's always there. And whatever. That's what I was thinking. She's always an option. And I wasn't thinking, I wasn't thinking he was an option. I was just thinking he was a friend. Once in a while we do stuff. He wasn't even an option in my book. Jason's like, I got this locked up whenever I want it. I just pop the question and we're doing this. Well, kind of, yeah. Anyway. He would come back and date like crazy. And that's. And I found out years later. That what was happening is he would go home and he would talk to his parents. And he would tell his dad all about me. And that he knows this perfect girl. And this is, you know, tell him all the details. And his dad would say, well, what are you waiting for? Marry that girl. And so he would come back and date me like he was going to marry me. And then get cold feet and go.

So it was a little. It wasn't fairytale love. It was more like. So I have this list of what I want in a wife. Okay. And Jenna. It was every checkbox. I don't play the piano. That was on the list. I don't play the piano. She was cute. She was, you know, extremely attractive. She went through and went through everything. The mom attributes. Everything you do that would come later on. Her roommates. I'm dating her roommates in and around Jenna. And her roommates would be like, she got up at 5 a.m. And started vacuuming that. Okay. So. And I'm like. And I'm like. Hold on. Duh. That's my wife. Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding. I mean. It was like. Just went on and on. And she was a clean freak. She worked out. I might have done that. I might have done that one time. But it's only because my roommates were so messy. And I'd be like. Yeah. Yeah. Can't we just keep the common areas clean?

And they were. And one morning I was just like. That's fine. I'll keep it clean. But I can do it at 5 a.m. And I know it bugged them. But I only did it once. I really only did it once. It was the only time that counted. I mean. I was. Because I heard about it. And I was like. I am taking her on another date. Maybe five of them. Within three days. I don't care. So. Anyway. So anyway. We dated on and off a little bit. But not. Not. In my mind. Not serious. In his mind. Maybe it was more serious. But. Then my senior year. We had. Moved apart. As far as where we lived. And I was walking through. The parking lot of his complex. On my way to school one day. And he was pulling out. He and another one of our common friends. That had been a roommate. She walked through the parking lot on purpose. All the time. To make sure that I said. I lived two blocks off campus.

And his parking lot was on the way. It's not like I was. I'm telling you. It's not like I was diverting. I'm telling you. I'm telling you. It makes him feel good. It makes him feel good. We let him say it. It's. Yeah. Those sound polar opposite stories. I don't know where the truth is in there.

Irregardless. I was on my way to class. And he picked me up one morning. He had another friend with him. And we went up the canyon. And he was four wheeling his truck over big log stumps and stuff. And she was like. This is hot. It was just like. That was the first time. She was. She was. Well, I grew up. So a little background. I grew up in Wyoming. In Star Valley. As a rancher's daughter. So I had. I have four brothers. And a younger sister who's eight years younger than I am. So I grew up with a bunch of boys. We rode horses. We got to have a backbone to be around them. Well, they're. They're awesome. But. But it was real life, you know. And we did a lot of hard things. And he's driving over these stumps and stuff. And I thought. It just. I guess it just struck me. I thought. This is something not every guy can do. Or is comfortable doing. Or, you know. It's kind of a man trait to.

And. And my. My brothers are all like that. Grew up that way. So. It went from sitting in the passenger seat. To lifting up the center console. Okay. So that's not true. Kip. Kip was in the passenger seat. And I was sitting between them. So. Jason. But you know. Jason makes these things up. I don't know. I'm telling you. I'm telling you. If you want the truth. You ask me. If you want the fabrication. You ask Jason. And I know Kip. So I'll sort through it. That's right. Kip. Kip can verify. Anyway. It was just. That was probably the first time I really thought. Man. Maybe this guy's an option. Like a real option. So. But at that point. I hadn't realized that he'd been two years into the process of falling in love with me. So. Two years. Did you say? I think. I think we'd known each other two years. Two years by then. That was our third year. What? That was our third year. Yeah. Wow.

I didn't know it was that long. And so. Anyway. From that point forward. Like he started dating me with a. With a vengeance again. It was like. Yep. It's like we hadn't seen each other for a while. That was the first time we had had an interaction in. In several months. And then he was like on it again. And so we dated really hard. And at the time. I had. And. So. I had a. Guy that I had been dating for a long time. And he had gone on a mission. For his church. And was serving a mission. And I kind of thought when he got home. That we would get back together. And so. I was about to graduate. I didn't even. That didn't even. I didn't care about him. I was about to graduate. He was gone. It was. She was out of sight. Out of mind. No big deal. Yeah. And I was. I was about to graduate college. In a few months. Really. I don't know. It was probably like. March. Or something.

And I would be graduating in May. And so. He took me out the next morning. To breakfast. And. I was just kind of giving him an update. Because we hadn't. Hung out for a long time. And I was telling him like. I'm going to graduate. I have a job. I'm going to move back to Nevada. Where my family was at that point. And. I'm going to. I got a missionary coming home. And. See how that goes. When he gets here. And I'm thinking she's got a job. I've got another year in school. And. She's got a job. This is good. We're driving in the truck. She's got a job. We're headed back to the university. We both have classes. And I'm kind of giving him this rundown. And he. Leans over. And puts his hand on my knee. And he says. Well you know we're getting married. Right? And. It was. It was. It was. That was the proposal. That was. That was the proposal. You could call it. And I was like. Oh my word.

I mean. And she goes. Well you gotta. I said. Well I want. I felt like laughing out loud. But the look on his face was so drop dead serious. I'm done. I made the decision. That I couldn't. We're done. I was like. I looked at him. And I realized how serious he was. And I looked at him. And I said. Well that's funny. Because I've never even heard you say I love you. And he said. Well I can learn to love you. Oh. And I thought. Wow. That's a Romeo and Juliet. Well here's the deal. That paper. Whatever was on that paper. And that list. Was the most important thing in the world. And once they meet all that criteria. Then you let yourself fall in love. And let's just say. Fall in love with a piece of crap. Yeah. And she had just. But she'd also then teed up the stuff. She's finishing. And she's going to be leaving. And you're kind of feeling like. Well and I've dated.

She's not just on the shelf. And by then she's dated 100 guys. Or 400 guys. Or whatever. And I was like. I'm done. This is. This is. The Lord has brought us together here at Taco Bell. And this is what we're doing. You know what I mean. So how did you make the informal announcement like then? How was it? Until the formal one. Until the formal one. Well I had to get rid of it. We had to get rid of a girl or two. There was a girl who tried to kiss me. You know. Tried to really. I mean. And Jana. Same thing. At that point. He said. You know. He was like so serious. And I was like. Whatever. It's a good thing I don't have romantic on my list. You know. Because. Because. Definitely not. This is an F. Yeah. You got an F on that. So I failed. So anyway. But. In my mind. I thought. Yeah. He'll date me with a vengeance for three or four weeks. And then it'll go away again. Like it has.

Because it always has. And so. He. He had a date that night. Actually. And he went out on the date. And told the girl. He was never going to date her again. That we were going to get married. And it was over. And she cried. And. Then he comes back. And he tells me. I knew her. She was a nice girl. I knew her. She was a cute little thing. But had nothing on paper that Jana had. But. Anyway. So. Of course. I didn't know that. That day. But I knew later. That that's how it had gone. But. Anyway. He dated me like. So serious. And I was like. Any day now. He's going to just like. Be gone again. You know. So I wasn't really. All that concerned about it. But then he just like. Kept at it. And was serious. And then my graduation was looming. And my missionary was actually coming home the week I graduated. And so then I was at that point where I was like. Okay. Do I like him? Like.

Do I think this could really be a real thing? Do I take what he said? Serious. Yeah. And so. So then I did start analyzing it from that perspective. And we dated really seriously. And we. And. And I realized that. Yeah. He's the guy for me that. I don't know. Maybe it was the driving over boulders or something. I don't know. That was good. But yeah. So anyway. We. We got engaged. Officially engaged. Shortly after I graduated. She wrecked a truck. From the university. She rolled a truck. I did roll a truck. She rolled her brother's Toyota on Minersville Highway. And. Well. I came home to see him. I came home to see him. And it was just a school had let out. And I had to go back to the. Back to Logan. And pick up all my stuff. Move out of my apartment. And so I stopped to see him on the way. And we were trying to talk about a wedding date. Should we do it in August?

Should we do it in December? Like. Should he go for another school. Another semester. And then get married in December. And I had a job. I was. I had graduated with a teaching certificate. And I was going to teach at the high school. And I made her quit that job. In Nevada. Come support us up there. And. And. Anyway. So. I had left his house. And we had not made a decision about when to get married. And I was driving down Minersville Highway. And I wrecked my brother's truck. I had my little brother's truck. I felt so bad. Cute little Toyota. One of those thin cabs. You know. Way back in the day. Right. Yeah. Thin cab top Toyota. The whole cab was crushed. Except for where she sat. Right. My head. Right around my head. It just like. Folded around me. Flat. And then around her head. And. Oh my. I mean. Yeah. Rolled it. So anyway. We had the big block cell phones back then.

So my phone flew out. And the guy behind me had pulled over to see if I was alive. And he found my phone on his way to check on me. And. And I called Jason and said. You're going to have to come get me. And. We went. So he did. Took me back to his house. And that night. He officially proposed. That night. Which is another. We had a wedding day planned. Signed. Sealed. Delivered. Yes. Which is another very unromantic story. If I were to tell you the proposal. So you're maybe not always going to be on the shelf. I better take. I better make this. Seal the deal. Let's move on Adam. Let's let you have the mic. No. That was good. Well. I was thinking about it. When we got engaged. It was. It was a little different. Well. Anyway. I didn't know there was a difference between a deer and an elk. That's how bad my knowledge was regarding hunting. I really thought elk were larger deer. I know.

I really hate to admit that. Because I know how foolish that looks. But. That's literally where I was coming from. Getting into this world. But. You know. When you're talking about your check boxes. That was. That was what. All the check boxes that were really important to me. Adam met every single one. Every single one. Yes. And so. I didn't know what I was getting into. But you know. None of us really do. You know. Before we get married. We're like. We don't know what this is going to look like. But I know. He fits all the things that I want. And you just feel. And for me. It was like. A feeling I'd never felt. This confirmation of. This is. He's the one. He is the one. And that. For me. Helped get through. Some of the. Adjustment. Right. Like. Because I. I didn't know what we were entering. And at the time. He was pre-dental. And so. It was kind of like. I kind of pictured my life.

As in. You know. He goes to work at eight. He comes home at five. And it's going to just be. This kind of. That's a good point. That's a good point. So he's pre-dental. Yeah. And. You sold her on a bill of goods. That didn't come true. Because now. Adam. What are you doing to me? What are you doing to me? Now you're a professional hunter. It went from. Oh yeah. It went from saving flies. To a professional killer. Well. And so about six months into our marriage. Would you say about six months? I don't know. He was like. You know. He was. He was a biology major. To be pre-dental. And he was like. You know. I just don't think. Staring down into mouths. Every single day. Is what I want to do. I really enjoy the outdoors. And he'd worked for the division. Doing some. What was your title there? You'd. Do projects. Working on projects. And different things. That's right. That's right.

And so he's like. This is really where my heart is more. And so. I think I want to be a wildlife biologist. And I need to get a master's. And go up to a university called Utah State. And. Your point should have been. What's the average income there? Okay. And what's the average income of looking in the mouth? Okay. Correct. Correct. I did no homework on this. I was so naive. You know. I just. Which we all are at 20. 20. Whatever we are. Well. Just naive. Thankfully. Thankfully. It's true. I didn't realize. You want to be supportive of whatever their dreams are. Right. Well. I wanted him to do what he loved. But I thought. Oh. Sure. Get a master's. And you're going to earn an excellent income. And. Then we'll have some stability. That's what I kept wanting. So I got my degree at SUU in broadcasting. And I worked at a radio station. And Logan put him through. And got his.

So he could get his master's. And we had our first child. And. And all the adjustment that comes with that. He was gone. For research projects. On the Kaperowitz. You know. Looking at watering sources for big horn sheep. For weeks and weeks and weeks at a time. And. And I was getting. She started to get a glimpse. I was just starting to. I'm seeing that. But. But. All the while he's reminding you. That you're going to have insurance. Health insurance. You're going to have paid holidays. I mean. Paid holidays. That you won't be home for. That's correct. Well. I just thought there would be some stability. I thought there would be some. Once we get his master's. Then there'll be. We'll have a set schedule. Eight to five. Eight to five. You know. I come home. The door flies open. And hey. Honey. Because I'm a schedule gal. Yes. I like to know when things are. Okay. So he gets his master's.

We moved. We moved to. Penguish. Penguish. The only job opening in the state for wildlife biologists. Starting salary. Or so unit. Okay. Well there you go. That could be. I was like. We're rolling in at like 30 grand a year. 30 grand. Yeah. That was a little more than we had been earning. Yes. While he was. You're coming out of college. You're thinking we're flushed. You're thinking you're wealthy all of a sudden. I was like. And then he's up at four. Four before the sun rises. Yeah. To count sage grouse numbers. And home to count the deer in the fields. And do depredation permits. And I'm getting phone calls from angry farmers. At all hours of the night. I was like. What is this life. What is this job. That I have walked into. I did not sign up for this. I did not sign up for this. What is going on? The community was going to love us. And now they don't. But it was just.

And he would hunt. You know. Obviously. And so. On. For me. It was like. I had it in my head. This expectation. Of what it would. What my life would look like. As a. As a mom. As a wife. And it wasn't anything. What I had pictured. Yes. And. And to be fair. I mean. I grew up in a single household. With four sisters. Right. I mean. We did not watch ESPN. Right. You know. We just didn't do. I. One thing I was grateful for. For Adam was. He took me out hunting. And taught me the things. I had never learned. And I loved that. I loved that. But it was that expectation. In my head. Of this is how it's supposed to be. And this is how. Not at all. How it is. That we're just. It was just. A real difficult. Transition. Transition. And managing. And. I think you. Adam. Are you ready. I think you guys. No. No. But I was just about to say. I think. Jenna and you. Jason probably had similar feelings.

Now take the mic guys. Well. And I think. What I. What I think is. What I think is incredibly important. Is that you. When you're young like that. You're moldable. Changeable. I mean. Jenna and I aren't even the same people. That we. Before we got married. Likewise. You mold and work together. And change each other. To who we are today. That's true. You have to tell your. Honeymoon story. Yes. You have to tell it. No. Come on. Yes. No. That's where I was going. You have to tell it. I was going to how we. No. Adam on. No. Into the big world. No. And Becky. We brought you to the big city. Which is always what you wanted. I was going to that route. But that's all right. That happened. But where I was going. Is how reality of. I'm a married Mrs. Carter. And this is how life's going to be. And the first week. Or 10 days of marriage. What was it like. Jenna. We were young. For sure. And his.

For our wedding gift. His parents gave us a camp trailer. Which I did not understand at the time. The camp trailer. We're not talking pop outs. We're talking a real base model. No air conditioning. 23 footer. Tongue pull trailer. Very nice wedding gift. Like we. I was ecstatic. Yeah. Right. And they're like. You're going to need this. To keep your marriage together. Partly. You're partly thinking. I could save rent. We could live at the RV park. In this thing. And I'll be fine. Oh. You're partly thinking. You know I thought that. That's what you do as kids. No. The truth is. It was compensation. Okay. And I just didn't recognize it. Okay. So. Okay. So. And I've got an old 89 chev. That barely runs. Yeah. We were both. I was just graduated. He still had a year of school. We had no money. But his parents gave us his camp trailer. And we decided that we would go camping for our honeymoon.

And the LaSalle Mountains was a place he grew up playing on and loved it. And so. Is this right before my sheep hunt? Mountains. Right before. Yeah. Right before. So I had a dull sheep hunt. Yeah. And they wanted to give us a sheep. They wanted to send me with him on that hunt for our honeymoon. But I had a contract to teach school. And it was. Because they wouldn't work with me. Yeah. Because it was the first year. So anyway. We went out on the LaSalles. And. And. Honeymooned. This is back above my lab. Adam. Adam was raised over there by LaSalles. And. Yeah. And I was too. Until I was in sixth grade. Sixth grade. After sixth grade. Yeah. We moved to Cedar City. So. So. So. First morning. You know. I'm cooking breakfast. And. And I look out the window. And Jason's out there. In the fold-out camp chair. In his underwear. I'm in my underwear. Out there. In the fold-out camp chair.

In the mountains.

And all I can see is. I'm smoking chipmunks. All these little chipmunks. And just. Poof. Poof. Poof. Just like. No need to know. Burst of fur. Everywhere. You're like. Did I marry a ten or twelve year old? And the Anderson. Popping. Popping chipmunks. Right and left. And I'm thinking. Well you know. I mean it's okay. I grew up. Like I said. On a ranch. And we shot. We shot ducks. And foxes. And coyotes. And I mean. I wasn't. I asked Jenna. To go back just a little bit. Just a little bit. I was like. There's one thing I need to know. And is that. Are you a traditional wife? Like you want to be a. I want to make the money. But I want somebody to take care of the house. The kids. Not the 50-50 stuff. Like I'm very traditional. And she was like. Yes. That would be my dream too. You know. I am. For the most part. I am traditional. And I. And it's worked for us. Like that's been.

It's been good for us. So I'm in the lawn chair. Thinking my wife's going to cook breakfast. Because we're traditional. And I'm okay with that. And I'm smoking chipmunks. And I'm okay with that too. Like I'm okay with that too. So I just thought. Well that's fun. So anyway. That was our first morning. And then. And then later that day. We were driving out across the mountain. Looking for animals. And just enjoying the day. And enjoying being married. And time together. And anyway. We drive down this road. There was a bird. That ran across the road. Big breasted bird.

And Jason gets all kind of excited. Slams on the brakes. Puts it in park. Jumps out. Picks up a rock. And chucks it at the bird. Hits him right in the head. And stuns it. The bird's like shocked. Sitting there. And before the bird has time to recover. Jason jumps over. Grabs him. Rings his neck. Rips him apart. Holds off the breasts. And throws him in the cooler. And we got that. And I'm sitting there like. What? I married a caveman. Oh my gosh. I mean. He jumps back in the truck. Just glowing. Big old smile. That's the best me ever. It's going to be so good for dinner. And I'm like. Okay. Okay. Is it like. He's got his wife. He's got to provide. He's like. The instincts are kicking in. Oh my gosh. I was just like. Well we're never going to go hungry. Right. I mean. There you go Becky. I had security. I had security in the first day. There you go. All right. All right. Okay.

And the next week. Let's continue this. Two weeks later. Or whatever. Doll sheep hunting. Oh he went doll sheep hunting. Yeah. Yeah. Went up there. Missed my wife. Was wishing I was with her. Went and killed my first sheep of my life. And I was. I had. Okay. So I gave up my teaching job. And went back to Logan. So that we wouldn't have to live apart. For the first year of our marriage. So I was back at Logan. And I was just working. Every day. And he went doll sheep hunting. And for two weeks. Right. It was two full. Two full weeks. Okay. And we've been married two weeks. Yeah. I think we've been married two weeks. Close or minus. He didn't call me. For two weeks. Oh my. I didn't know. How are you going to call? I didn't know. We don't have sight folks. We don't have in reach. This was 1995 or six. Yeah. It wasn't possible. But I didn't know that.

And he didn't explain that before he left. So I'm sitting here thinking. He's dead somewhere. He hates me. Right? He married me. And he's already gone. He's gone for two weeks. Doesn't call. Put a ring on your finger. Doesn't that tell you all you need to know? Like. And so by the time he got home. I was like. This is not a great idea. Like I don't know what I did. I made a wrong decision here. Because. Who leaves their wife for two weeks. And doesn't even make a phone call. Hey. And it wasn't until after we discussed it. That I realized like. He was like out in the back country. Where there was no phone. I mean. I didn't. I didn't know. I was new to that. That kind of hunting. I wasn't new to hunting. But I was new to that kind of hunting. Yeah. So anyway. That was a little adjustment. But we. You know. Then I'm like. Okay. So that. That's. There you go. Another expectation.

Just know that when he leaves. He may not hear from me. And you just. We fish. We fished at Don's Lake. We did all. It was a great week. It really was. I remember one time. Adam left me a note. It was. A few months after we'd been married. And he was. Gone. Gone. Gone. It was this note on the back of an old. Envelope. That we'd open. And it said. Don't worry honey. No elk. Will ever take your place. No way. She kept the letter. I kept it. Because it's absolute bull crap. Becky. It's probably true. He doesn't love elk like he loves sheep. Oh.

That was a carefully. Species. Okay. Inserted carefully. Okay. Point taken. Point taken. No antelope could ever replace you.

Oh. Speaking of antelope. That was my first hunt. Oh. That was my first four way. Into his world. Yeah. We'd been married two or three years. And she finally one day. Because I. You know. He'd been putting me in all these things. Put pressure on. I didn't put pressure on her. Like hey. If you won't ever hunt. That's fine. But you don't need to. Obviously we got married. And you didn't. But she. She had an interest. And wanted to do that. And I just. To make sure she. It was. What she wanted to do. She went to all the classes herself. I think you maybe even went and shot. Oh yeah. By herself. With the teacher. Like I don't think I like. No. I got my. I got my. Blue card. Hunter safety. Yeah. My hunter safety. First year. We applied you. You drew that. And. Yeah. I did. And that was. We went scouted for it. And we went and. You know. We found a really nice one. Da da da.

And I'm actually a pretty good shot. Would you say? Oh yeah. You are. I'm pretty good shot. Because I don't get worked up. What do you guys call it? Bug fever. Whatever. Where you get worked up. I don't get worked up. I just don't do it. I'm just a. I'm just a one shot. But. But. I shot it. And it doesn't die right away. She didn't realize that. When you kill stuff. I thought if I shot it cleanly. It would just drop. Like in the movies. Drop. Dead. You're done. Never quiver. Never even quiver. Oh. And this thing was flopping. And I'm bawling my eyes out. No. Never intentionally killed anything in my life. I was just bawling and bawling. And finally after. It's just kicking and thrashing. You know. They're used to running 55 miles an hour. So their brain's telling them to do that. And their body can't get upright and do that. Yeah. So that's all it's doing. Yeah. So. Anyway.

And so I walk over to it. And it stinks to high heaven. For their antelope. It was disgusting. And we're so poor. You know. At the time we were still. I was like we're eating. I was like ah. I did. How do you even eat this kind of meat? I mean that. I cook hamburger helper with deer meat. You know. And my family. Hamburger helper Jenna. I mean we were all about. I know. I'm sorry about that. I'm sorry about that. Like when you're so poor. You're just going to eat whatever you got. And yes this meat is premium priced. Because Adam would say. Oh we're you know. We're providing meat for the family. And karate. Remember the old Jeff Foxworthy breakdown of. I'm giving you the most costly food on the planet earth. $500 a pound. Why don't you appreciate it? And Becky's saying. I'd rather have the cheap lobster. That's right. We're an idiot for paying $500 a pound for this stuff. Oh that's right.

Oh gosh. Oh I just. But I thought you know. I'll get used to it. We'll be fine. But I don't hope I'll never get used to it. I never will. I don't care. I can't eat that stuff. So our freezer's filled with every wild creature known to mankind. And you have to understand. The family I came from. You know. The world I came from. They open our freezer. And there's like dead skulls in there. And there's blood on our floor. From doing like carving crap up. And one time Adam brought through our house. A jar. Of like the stuff that you let rot. So you can go and catch.

Bobcats. Bobcats. Like the crud. Like a jar of like yellow feces. Whatever. I just. All I said is. Don't let this spill. I said. How dare you bring it into my house. Don't spill this in the house. How dare you. It was frozen in the garage. And I needed unthogged. So. It didn't have enough like fish oil or whatever in it. To keep it from freezing. I'm like. Oh. This needs to unthog. But don't let this spill. Oh my gosh. So it was like. It's a little bit like you have to let go. That. That was one. That's a one solid bit of advice. I'd give anybody walking into this. Is. I. I would say I'm uptight. Okay. I am. I'm a little uptight about my home. Or. You know. Just. Your vehicle. Decor. Decor. Like dead animals on my wall. And. Yes. And all of this stuff. You. Let go. Let go. I let him put some animals on the main floor. You know. Fine. You know. If there's blood. Just clean it up. Becky.

Just don't complain. When people come over. Love them. Because that's so like. That's so Jed Clampett. You know. There's like. Trails of blood. And bits of hair. And. You know what I mean. It's just like. Trail of tears. It's a trail of tears. It's just like. Give. Let go. Let go. Let go. It's his love. It's what he loves. He's got a warm house. A wonderful bed. That's right. And. And just schools everywhere. And everything. Just let go. So. That's probably one of the. One of the many learning points. Marrying a hunter. Like Adam is. It was. It was a very. I was a. That was a tough transition. Yes. You know. That really was. Well. Jana. We had a good friend of mine. And his wife. Went in. Talked to Jana. And went in on her. On how. She doesn't get enough. Oh. I have had. For me to go out hunting. And so she's like. You don't understand. You don't get new furniture. So go ahead. Yeah. So.

Well. I've had a lot of women say. How do you let him hunt so much? Why do you let him hunt so much? And you make the rest of us look bad. And I have to say. Like. It's our livelihood. It's not like we have. You know. A full time job that pays the bills. And then he's hunting recreationally all the time. Although. It's a fine line. And he's definitely over the line. Yes. A hundred percent of the time. All right. I suck at that. He does. Like we walk in the front door. And there's all the big deer staring at you. Right. Right. And I'm like. Those deer built the house. Anyway. They built the house. Okay. It's taken a lot of years for him to be able to stay. Correct. Correct. But. Tell yourself what you need to. But we're going to. We go with it. Because it makes us all feel better. Yeah. But. So. This particular friend. And I've had lots of. Lots of women with opinions about it.

But this particular friend. I mean. She called me up. And she. Her. You make life hard on me. Her husband and my husband were good friends. Would analyze. And wanted to hunt together. And she literally. She called me up one day. And she's like. Do you know how hard you're making this on the rest of us? Like. Why do you let him hunt that like you do? Why do you let him go all the time? And. What are you getting out of it? And I said. Well. He does it for a living. It's not like. You know. Your husband has a different job. And mine does it for a living. Well. Well. When my husband goes. It's 50-50. If he takes five days. When he gets home. He's home with the kids. And I take five days. And if he spends $750 on a tag. Well. I spend $750 on furniture. You're not getting enough out of this. Like. You. You could definitely. And I'm like. And I'm like. He is not my friend anymore.

And you are not my friend anymore. Well.

And. In her situation. There has to be some give and take. He has a full time job. And there should be more give and take. In our situation. It was our livelihood. And although Jason definitely trespassed way past the point of. The blending. Making a livelihood. Yeah. It was still. It was still. Part of what we did for a living. It was still part of our life. And. I've never been a 50-50 kind of girl. I don't think that any marriage is going to function well. If you just keep. On a 50-50. If you bean count. If you're a bean count. No. You can't. You've got to have. Solid advice. You've got to have a lot of compassion. And you've got to. You've got to. Same thing with partners in business. If you're. If you're going to bean count. You're going to bean count yourself right out of a partnership. That's right. And it only hurts you. Yes. That's what I feel like. You sit there. See.

That's another. I used to write down all the times he was gone. Okay. Because I'm like. I was going to be that person. Well. Jenna writes those down. Are we really going there? No.

We'll just use the word quotas. But they. In our minds. They were kind of rough. Rough estimates. This is kind of what I think I'll need to go hunt for the year. To do what I want to do. And all that. And. And. They were interpreted as. The Ten Commandments. Like. Do not go one half day over that. That's how. Okay. But Adam. Early on. Early on. Early on. Early on. Adam. When you more than double it. That's a poor estimate. Correct. So we talked. Jenna and I talked about 90 days. I don't know what you guys talked about. Well. It was also. When the. When Becky probably got. Used. Or heard the word first. Once in a lifetime. Oh. Jenna hates that word. I hate. That is the most. She hates it. That is the most. Ridiculous phrase ever written. Because it is absolutely. A moot misnomer. The minute you say it. I have to go. I'll never be able to experience this. That's right.

This is a once in a lifetime hunt, Becky. I've got to go. This is once in a lifetime. And the first 10 or 11 times. I believed it. You know. I was like. Oh. Okay. You know. This is just like. You're going to get the elk. And it'll be a done deal. And there it is. And we're done with elk hunting. Like we've got. We've achieved. The high. You know. And holy state. No. It's the next. It's the next. And then I started. And then I started wising up. Because the naive word is really. Like the first 10 years of our marriage. I would say. Just because this is like. Not my world. I don't understand. So. I would just kind of take it. For granted. That he was. He meant what he said. And he. And he. No way. I mean. Once in a lifetime. Is the biggest lie. That's correct. I might as well just say. I'd like to go hunting today. And there you go. Just accept it. And I would like to go hunting today.

If you would allow it. And then. The bitterness arises. Because. You're left. Caring. That's. Yeah. So you get into the phase. Of having kids. It's a once in a lifetime. Enormous expense. Yes. Plus a once in a lifetime. You're home. Taking care of. House and home. And family. The most expensive meat. Going to math. Yes. That's right. And then. Once the once in a lifetime is over. They bring the mess home to you. Here you go. I'm done with the fun part. Here's my trailer. Here's my gear. Good. Good. Good things. I got to go to work now. That's right. I mean. I've been at work. But I got to go to work.

It's true. Those are true statements. Those are true statements. And the thing is. Like to Jana's point. I've had women. And men. Come up to me. And give me a really hard time. How come you let Adam. And you know what it is. Do you know what the answer is. Some of my guides. Those are not our friends. Some of my guides. No way. Will go to Becky and say that. Fire them on the spot. So what I. The thing. What I reply is. I have no choice. What does that mean? What that means is. Do you really think. I could keep you from going. If you're going to go. Absolutely not. A homecoming dance. Wouldn't do it. Okay. So let's talk about the children. And all the wonderful experiences. Hunting. Daddy bonding with daughters. No. I'm going to finish my point.

Because I think this is an important narrative. In being married to a high. A world class hunter. And guide. Is you. You. You must accept. That there. There are a few things. That will keep them. Home. And. And. I'm thinking about the time. I was pregnant with my first child. Like. First. First. It was Kaylee. Is that early? Yeah. I mean. This is early on. It was kind of those flags. You look back and go. Okay. That was. That was. A learning point. Okay. The first time. My. My little sweetheart. Is kicking inside my stomach. Like. It's the first. And I've never been pregnant before. I mean. I just. This is all a new experience. You were by yourself. We're new parents. Somebody was doing a grouse count. Jason. No. No. No. No. No. No. It's better than that. Adam was in the other room. Like. There was two rooms where we lived. We were in a. You know. A little student housing thing. And.

And the baby's kicking. And. He's on the phone. And this is Adam's language. Yeah. I saw some shooter. And he was a dandy. And did did did like all this kind of like he's into it. You know. Shooters and dandies. I've heard those words like. Yeah. I just think those are the weirdest words. Dandy. I don't use that word anymore. Dandy. That was in my younger days. That's weird. 1996. Weird. Yeah. Have you ever. Have you ever read that in. You know. One of my unit descriptions. I saw a shooter on this unit. And it was a dandy. And. And I said. Adam. Adam. Come in here. Feel your. Feel this baby kicking. Feel your daughter. Feel this baby kicking. And he blew me off. Oh. He did not come in to feel the baby kick. And then about a half an hour later. After he's done talking about this shooter. That was a dandy. Comes into the room. And I'm so upset. I'm like. The baby was kicking.

And it was our first time is kicking. And you missed it. But. But when it comes to this. There is a. There is a. There is no rationale or reasoning. That's going to. Not our fault. That's what you're saying. It's not our fault. What you're saying. What you're saying is that the only thing stronger than love is addiction.

Okay. Shanna. And I've often used. Woot woot. Correct. I've often used. On our defense. And I'm. Because I think I have to. Come to our defense. Because I can't think of anything. I can't think of anything. I have to. Because I sound like the worst dad ever. That didn't have an interest in a kicking first child. I. I. I. I know what everybody's thinking. But I probably couldn't hear. Because I was. You know. Had a brick cell phone to my ear. And I couldn't hear. What she was trying to do. Becky. Talk to the disgruntled. Landowner. If they were to analyze. That's right. If they were to analyze the hunter brain. There are certain things that kick off those serotonins. Correct. A new water hole. Correct. Hey. I found a new water hole. Oh. Whoa. Okay. Well. I'm going to be a little late. Tonight. Getting home. Okay. Like you want dinner at eight. No. Midnight's fine. Like. Yeah. Maybe.

Don't worry about dinner. Maybe midnight or two. But hey. Don't worry about me. Unless I don't come home by four tomorrow. You know. That sort of. Right. Oh. I'm so there. Anyhow. Okay. So. Back before there was cell phones. How many times did you hear that? Don't worry about me. Oh. Yeah. Oh. Yeah. Until. Until I. You know. I'm 24 hours late. All right. Okay. Okay. Honey. That's yeah. Great. So. So.

In our defense to some extent. And what you're. I think what you're trying to say. If I can put words in your mouth. All right. Good luck. Please try. Yeah. Go ahead. Is. We don't have many other habits. Or hobbies. Or hobbies. Or interests. He wants to avoid the addiction word. Yes. That has a negative connotation. Well. Because then we got to go to the 12 step program. Yes. And I don't want to go there. So. I just. We. We. We have more. I mean. I like to do sports. And I've given up a lot of those. Because mainly. I don't want to blow my knee or ankle out. So. I can't hunt. That's why I've given up sports. But. I've given up. You know. I do golf. Because. You know. You can do. Yeah. You can golf. You know. You can golf. And we live near the golf course. And so. You're going to do that. So. But. But. But other than that. There's not. There's a lot worse habits to have in life than.

I've heard this one before too. Well. We don't. We don't go drinking at night. Or maybe we don't. Gamble. We don't have gambling habits. You don't shoot heroin. There's a plus. That's a plus. Yeah. That's a plus. Becky. She's a lot worse habits in life than hunting. I've said that. I mean. They're struggling to come up with them. But they're right. All I know is. You two women have it good. That's all I know. All right. Now. Here we go to the kids. Yes. The kids. And family memories. And all of these other great things that hunting is. One of my favorite. One of my favorite is. When you call the school for the third time in the same week. To explain that your child is still sick.

So. She's like. Really? Sean. How many days did you say he was going to hunt with you? What? Justin? It's day to day. It's day to day. He's on the edge of consciousness. I don't know. I'll bring him back when he's feeling better. I don't want to get the other kids sick. And Jenna's so funny. She'll be like. Really? You think that's necessary? Because I've missed a lot of school. And I'm like. Well. Did you watch Ashley? She's going to school in camo. That's a big deal. We're going to keep that going. Whatever it takes. At all costs. Right? Well. Initially. He was like. You can't let her wear that to school. The girls are going to make fun of her. And I said. I can. And she will. And she's fine. And she has totally been fine. Oh yeah. She's owned it. She's awesome. She's owned it. She's awesome. She wanted a tripod for Christmas. Guess what we got her? A tripod. Oh yeah.

The best tripod money combined. For the type. Size of kid she is. Well. And I will. And there. And there's your. There's a validation slip for you. It's true. What you bring to the. To our family and the kids. Is invaluable. And. And I mean. We. The women. We bring a certain element. I would say. Refinement. You know. A love of learning. At least clean the glass. You know. Book learning. And the importance of getting good grades. I mean. All of that kind of stuff. Oh. That comes from you guys. Book learning. We will conceive. All of the good. Things like compassion. Yeah. Yes. That's right. Morals. You know. Morals. Morals. We have morals. Okay. No. I know. I'm just saying. I'm just saying. But. But what I love is that. That our. What I could never bring to our family. Is what you do. And. And they learned. Outdoor skills. And frankly. For me. When I went on my. I drove bison.

On the Henry's. And. That was an intense hunt. I've never really experienced anything like that. Minus 15 degrees. I mean. It's a. It's a. I mean. We had. There was one day. I'm not going to say too much. But there was one day. It fogged in like crazy. And it was one of those that you. Unless you knew where you'd walk. You like. You can't get bearings. It freaked me out. And it freaked her out. And it freaked her out. And I'm like. What's the matter? It's like. I felt like I was in. It was like. Harry Potter land. Like. I had no idea where I'm at. Forty. Forty. Help. Help. Help. We're hiked in a mile. You know. I freaked me out. And she's cleaving under her spouse. To get her home. Yes. And I was. No. No. No. I was actually. Hold on. Darling. I'll get you back. Okay. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. The truth was. Night shining. I'm like Becky. Becky. The truth was.

I was really mad at Adam. For taking me way back in there. I'm like. Adam. How could you bring me out here to nowhere. Where I can't even see out. So. Of course. I was mad at him. Poor guy. Well. Partially. They were. She had a cow tag. Negative 10 degrees. And we stacked this. We stacked this herd of bison. There's like 11 of them. Get up there. Every one of them is a bull. Every one of them. She's got a cow tag. We're at 200 yards. And I'm just. Some have a collar. Or whatever. And I'm just like. She's like. That one's a cow. And I'm like. What are you looking at. To determine. I know. What. They're all. They're bedded down. You can't see. Boy parts. They're. I mean. And I'm looking at heads. And I know their horns. Are this big around. They're giant. They're all bulls. And I'm at 200 yards. And I'm like. We can't shoot. We're done here. We're backing out of here. And she's like.

I'm not leaving here without killing them. And I'm like. There's not a cow. You don't understand. She's like. Look again. And I'm like. There's not a cow. And then. Then it's walking out. It's this. Blue. You know. She's already mad. And you can't see 20 yards in front of you. And I'm like. Terrifying. Just follow me. And we'll get to the truck. That's right. So finally. We did find one. So we find one. And it's. And it's at 300 yards. Let's don't tell that story. Let's just go to the one you shot. Yeah. Let's do that. That's what I said. That's what I'm talking about. Oh. Good. Good. Good. Good. I thought you were saying something else. Yeah. Keep going. I don't know what you're talking about. All I know is you came home with no fenders on the floor. The point I was trying to make was. So there it is. And I've got it. My sights and everything. And Adam's talking in my ear.

And you know what. For. I don't know if this is true for you ladies out there or whatever. But for me. It's like giving birth to shoot something.

I'd like to hear this. No way. Okay. What it is. Is. You have to concentrate. It's a big freaking deal. So. Shut up everyone. And let me focus on what I got to do. I'm going to crush this. Like and I'm and I'm not and I've got to stay focused. And so here's Adam in my ear. Are you sure it's a ball? Don't shoot the one with the. The collar. I'm like shut up. My dad's there and he's just slinking into the background. I'm like I'm telling them to shut up back there too. Got a really wet couple here. Well. He's just like. I'm not getting. Well anyway. So. So I'm concentrating. So anyway. Got her done. Went down there. I got to skin the thing myself. It's like cut through saran wrap. It's like you pull that thing up and slice. It's like minus 15. We build a bonfire. It was awesome. It was awesome. I liked it. Yeah. And I thought you know what.

This is a tiny part of all that Adam brings to our lives that I would never have otherwise. And I love that feeling of confidence that I know how to shoot. I know how to feel dressed in animal. I know how to watch for the animals. I know I have life. You're more self-reliant. You feel like. I love that. Yes. I love that. Yes. And Jenna likes that too right. Well I do. She probably came with that though. She probably grew up in where she already had those skills. We did. Where I just. Butchered our own animals on the farm. Yeah. But what he brings that I don't bring is that one-on-one with your kids doing an activity that's really focused. Like he gets a lot of one-on-one time with the kids. He gets a lot of truck time. And I petted a wild horse one day. Yeah. A little colt that was. They get really awesome experiences with him. Yeah.

And they're good memories that the kids will never forget. And I think this year what we have. Okay. We have four kids. Yeah. And all of them killed one animal. And some of them killed two. Two of them killed. Sean killed three. Sean killed three. Colton killed two. So I mean our freezers were overloaded. I gave. I gave animals away this year. Well there's people that wanted it. Every kid gets to go have that one-on-one time with dad and a great experience. And it's a good time for him to talk with them and get up, you know, get into their lives a little bit. And they love it. They love it. I mean there's not one of them that's like, nah, I think I'd rather go to school than go out with dad. You know, I mean they all. Well even I'll be taking one of the kids like to check trail cameras or to do whatever and all of a sudden I don't even think anything about it.

You know, you don't have enough room in the truck or whatever for everybody. And all of a sudden I hear Ashley crying. And off in the corner and I'm like, it just breaks your heart, you know. And so you're like, oh man, I'll take you next time. And we're trying to keep track. She feels so bad when she doesn't get to go. But Jenna, Jenna doesn't have a ton of hunting experiences, but she's got a lot of points. No. Let's talk about that. The application. Well what happened is, so Jenna and I, Jenna's always wanted to hunt. She's been on some of the hunts with me. She's been on Whiskey Mountain up there. That was fun. On a sheep hunt up in Wyoming. She's experienced a lot of different things. But all the while. Never been a shooter. Never been. All the while. And not that she doesn't want to. You're just raising kids. You can't take them all with you.

Well when we were first married I taught school. Before I went back and got a nursing degree I was a school teacher. And so, of course, that's a bad time of year for hunting. So I didn't hunt then. And we were four years married when we had our first child. And then I quit working and just was home. But we had four kids in just over six years. So I always had a baby. I never felt like I could leave them. I didn't live close to my parents where I felt like I could leave them with my mom. And so I never hunted. And then when my baby was two, I went back to school and got a nursing degree. So I was way busy. And at the same time, Jason was doing the Ridge Reaper TV show. That was the only years I counted the days he was gone. And it's because literally I was like, your children need to recognize you. So you should know. Do you remember? Do you remember? 176 days that he didn't sleep at home.

If he came home and slept there, I didn't count it. 176 days he didn't sleep at home in one year. And I was just like. You could lose track really easy when you're counting to 176. I don't know that that was fully. No, I printed out months of the calendar. Jason, she's sure. She's positive. Because not because I care that he's hunting. But because I care that he's not having interactions with his children. Well, I'm like, this is not a family life. Like, this isn't. And I'm pretty sure I've never approached 172. This isn't taking us where we need to go if we continue in this fashion. So for two years, I did count. And yes, he was gone a ton. But it was out of necessity at that point. Like, we were. Things had shaken up in our professional life at that time. We were kind of on a new track. I was in school full time, which was really hard with four little kids. All under the age of 12.

And a husband that was gone 176 days of the year. Tough times. So I just, I wanted him to be conscious at the time he was gone. And so, anyway. So where we were going with that is that once I finished school, my kids were old enough to hunt. And he was still providing a living hunting. So it was, it's been like, do we, do I hunt? Or do we take that time and let the kids hunt when he has extra time? And we've decided that the kids are only with us for so long. Like, our oldest is going to be, is going to leave in a month. 18, right? He's going to leave in a month. He's going to go on a mission. February 6th, he leaves our home. And so we really wanted. So Jana continues to gain points. She has 20 plus points across the list. So do you. The kids are hunting. So. You know what? If you were to ask me how many points I have for anything, anywhere, I would have absolutely no idea.

But you have a lot, trust me. You have a lot. I don't know which tag you're going to help him draw. And let me tell you. I was going to say, the reason you have a lot is because when he applies dual with you, he can turn your tag back and he gets to keep his. Oh, I see. Okay. So you're going to help the kids draw their tag. Or, yeah, mentor it to the kids, perhaps. There's the method behind the madness, Becky. Okay. Thank you, Jana. I appreciate that. It's another investment. Okay. Into your hunting future. Becky, speaking of applications, because Becky probably didn't have quite as many as Jana, because Jana probably had a hunter safety card from the start. I did. She did. Becky was, I don't know, three, four years into our marriage. She got it. And then I started plying around. She's got a lot of points. I think, I'm certain, 100%, because we've talked about it. Yeah.

You both can draw any deer tag in the state of Utah right now, except for probably Henry's. I mean, you guys have 19 to 21 points, both of you. Yes. And so that may be news to you or not, but I'm just announcing it right there on the podcast. Who knew? Okay. All right. But where I'm going with this is. Another fogged in, enjoyable concert is coming soon. But let's talk a little bit, because it is kind of fun. During the early years, not to back up too far, but what was it? We were applying for hunts. There's a term Becky would use often in our marriage, because when you're broke, like everybody usually is, you're broke. Oh, yeah. And we're wanting to apply for eight to 10 states, right? So the credit cards. Becky called it. Free money. You remember the Price is Right game, where there's like three or four coconuts on the table? It's like the shell game. Do you remember that?

And you had to pick which shell. Remember where it was. All right. Do you remember using that phrase? It's like the shell game. Like, you should see something on the credit card or leave our checking account. And she's like, what's this? And I'm like, oh, don't worry. Don't worry. Don't worry. I'm going to get it back. Okay. And this is at a time when we were so poor that sometimes we ate SpaghettiOs for breakfast. And sometimes I'd go to work. Sometimes I'd go to work. We'd be out of toilet paper. And so when I'd go to work in the morning at the radio station in Logan. You would take the extra call from the radio station. I mean, we are that poor. Hopefully the statute of limitations on theft and others all over by now. But anyway. Well, I've got one of those stories for you. Okay. So we were poor too, like dirt poor. And I was working a little bit. And he was working a little bit.

And we were all working a lot. But we weren't making anything. The traditional wasn't working quite right because I couldn't provide enough for us. Yeah. We hadn't got that. So we had. I changed a couple diapers. We had a couple of babies. My first two were 18 months apart. Oh, wow. We had a couple of babies. And so we were going through a lot of pampers. Oh, yeah. Yeah. That's expensive. Yeah. Yeah. Well, Jana was back in the day of cloth diapers. Well, I changed my. I did change cloth diapers for my siblings when I was. I was the oldest daughter. I changed a lot of diapers. Our mom and dad were in school together. So I did not do cloth with my own children. I did pampers. Yeah. Well, I did an off knock. Yeah. Sure. Walmart version. Yeah. But so Jason's applying for tags and hunting his guts out.

And he says to me one day, he looks at the pampers bill and he's like, dang, those are expensive. And I said, yeah, they are expensive. We've got two kids in diapers. And he said. We do?

I'm sorry. I'm sorry. And he said, well, maybe you should use cloth diapers. Oh. You said that. I don't remember that. Yes, he did. And I said. I don't remember that. And I said. Oh, my gosh. I do not recall that. And I said, yes, honey, I'll use cloth diapers when you quit hunting.

Yep, that's right. And I was dead serious. And let me just tell you, we have never talked about it again. That's an awesome story. I can't. That was it. Done. That was a scary. I don't know that it happened just like that. I can't believe that was teed up. That was teed up for her perfectly. That's a danger zone statement. I'm thinking about a time when Kaylee turned five. She turned five. This is a good one. Oh, yes. This is good. This is good. Is this a trapping story? No. That was a good one. Oh, that was another thing. She got her foot caught in a bear trap. No, just a bobcat trap. Oh, just a bobcat trap. But they didn't tell mom. But that's another story. She was five or six. Let's just keep this between us. She was three. She was three. Let's keep it between us. She had rubber boots, snow boots on. It couldn't hurt. Whatever. Whatever. Here's a Mountain Dew. Whatever.

Don't tell mom. Don't tell mom, Kaylee. Anyway. So she turns five. And I remember, and we were still very poor because he was a wildlife biologist at the time. With a master's degree. Yeah, with a master's degree that basically meant nothing in that regard. Yeah, we paid for the babies. All the babies were paid for. And so I saved up a little bit and I spent $65. I remember I bought a Barbie camera. And I mean, it was a lot of money for us to spend on gifts then. I mean, $65 was a lot. And Kaylee opened it. She loved it. And afterward, Adam's like, that was way too much to spend. I said that? Yes, you did. That doesn't sound right. Okay. And I said, Adam. No. Geez. No, no, no. Listen. What was this? Was this just a, was this like a tooth fairy present? No, it was her birthday. This was her birthday. Adam. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.

So all he saw was all this Barbie stuff, you know, and he was like, gosh, that's a lot to spend on that. And I said, true, that $200 you just spent on that gun last week, that was a lot to spend as well.

That's why you buy them in cash? You're lucky it was only a $200 gun. Well, that's it. Yeah. I'm thinking, yeah, it might have been just a buck mark pistol for $200. And I was like, I might have thrown in a few words that weren't nice when I said that phrase back. Like, you selfish. I don't remember some of these stories. But, but, but it was part. It didn't happen. No. I don't think I remember. We just are making it up. We're getting older. And so I'll chalk it up to fuzzy memories. Yes. We're all in our mid forties now. So that's. But the gifts haven't changed. So moving. So. Yeah. Oh, that's true. We could talk about holidays. We could talk about holidays. Why would we do that? Gift giving. Oh boy. Why would you do that? Why? Well, in our home, I don't think we've ever had a Christmas since the kids were four. There's this going. That somebody didn't get a gun for Christmas.

That's a heck of a good Christmas. That's right. I agree and concur 100%. Now, guns are way too expensive for gifts.

But they somehow always are. They're like an investment. Right. Guns never lose value. They never lose value. They don't. And every kid needs to have his own arsenal before he leaves them. Every kid needs a rifle, shotgun, muzzle, or pillow. And a .22. 22. Maybe a big game rifle, coyote rifle. Yes. Yes. Let me just tell you. Maybe you don't know this yet, Becky. It doesn't stop there. Our older boys all have all of that. And we still got guns for Christmas this year.

Handguns. Okay. Oh, yeah. Both of our teenagers got handguns. Well, this world is getting a scarier place. And my kids, nervous of lions eating even. So Jana's brothers go ahead and tell them 14 lion stories. And now he wants a self-defense pistol. He won't go anymore. Oh, my gosh. He's wanted one for a couple of years. And we've said, you're too young. You can't have one yet. And we got a steal on it. We're afraid. We got a steal. We did get a steal on the guy. Oh, my gosh. That came with it. Oh, my gosh. Yes, by the way. Do you know how many times I've heard Adam say, we need a gun. We need a four-wheeler. We need another four-wheeler. We need a side-by-side. We need a trailer. We need another trailer. And those things generate revenue. You've got to have guide equipment. It's semi-believable until you buy the third safe. Correct. Correct. And it's like, we need this, honey.

Do you know what need means versus want? There is like, we need. Once again, I'm going to utter the statement, there are worse habits than hunting. So that's true. I just keep going. I believe that. Just true. That gets you out of a lot of conversations. I will give you the fact that it is good family memories. I mean, what? The best. We wouldn't have memories without it. Christmas afternoon. We wouldn't have a memory without it. Christmas, yeah. That's true. That's true because he refuses to do anything but hunt. But you guys, and we've talked about it too, Becky and I, and we didn't do it last year, but you guys did get a boat, and that's about memories, and that's not just hunting. How about that? That's not just hunting related. And it was nothing, no selfish reasons. Yeah, you guys found a nice used boat. It's been 21 years coming, and it was a great investment.

Our kids, we had more family time this summer than we've had in years, and our kids wanted to be there. It was awesome. It was awesome. We totally loved it. The West was in a drought, and the lakes are going down everywhere. And I didn't have to check truck cameras every day because there's nothing to see. So I gathered up all the cameras, and I invested all the time in the family. And you looked on the classifieds about a good used boat. Well, there you go. Brownie points out the window. I thought it was sincere. Oh, it was sincere. It was. It was sincere. Anyway. No, it was great. So let's go back to. Applying with credit cards. Bringing Adam to the city. We went and found Adam was a biologist. He, again, Becky. Okay, again. All of this knowledge and experience and going out and doing all of these things and your sacrifice and Adam's sacrifice continued.

Adam became a fairly great source of knowledge, and people would call him and talk to him. And Garth and I would always talk. There's a guy we need to hire. There is a guy right there. And we went and we had a visit with you guys and ended up bringing him into the private sector of the hunting world. And it's never been better. We were reluctant. We were reluctant, though, weren't we? I can't bet he was looking at nine to five hours. He was working in an office. And we presented that. And we presented that. Here's your paid vacation. I don't know. No health insurance. I don't know what we got presented. Salesmen. No 401Ks. I don't know. Anyway. But we took it. Well, and you're thinking, too, you had a lot more opportunities with the kids. Your kids are very musically inclined. Cedar City is a bigger community. All of those things. Well, I do have to say, we loved living in Pinguish.

And we just built a home there. We loved being there. We loved being a part of that community. So it was a big decision to leave that. It was a big decision to leave that and come. But Cedar City, I've lived here the longest. I have a twin sister who lives here in town. And I mean, and it was something, I won't lie. I thought, oh, this will be more. The hours won't be so crazy. I won't be getting calls from upset farmers screaming in my ear, waking up my kids from their naps to tell me about. They've got some deer in their field. This is going to be a much more structured thing. And in some ways it is. And in some ways the structure has absolutely gone completely. Completely out the window. I mean, there's sometimes somebody will say, where's Adam? They'll say to me, where's Adam? I'm like, if you were to hand me a million dollars, I could not tell you where that man is.

I think he's in the western United States. I'm pretty sure he's staying in the contiguous. He's in the lower 48. He's in the lower 48, maybe. But he could be up in Canada. I'm not sure. West of the Mississippi. Or he could be down in Mexico. He does not like white tails. I know he's not back east. Okay, that's right. Forget the white tails. But that's part of that advice, ladies, I gave you earlier about the letting go. I could write it all down, but I can't keep track of it. Then he's going back and forth. There's people every day. Yes, it does, and it's not 1996 when you got married where there's no way to communicate from the Brooks Rains back to your new wife. We've got to in-reach. If something happens, I can pick up a set phone and in-reach and let us know. It's helped me. It's a fantastic point. I love technology.

And they don't forget your anniversary anymore because the phone reminds them. Oh, yeah. Jason will call from the set phone and order me flowers. Jenna. Jenna. Jenna. I did do that, but let me tell you something. You forgot our anniversary. It's true. You did? We collectively forgot our anniversary. And I felt bad. One time. You did not feel bad. It was a monumental, amazing experience in our marriage. Jason was so excited because now he felt no responsibility for any remote. You were happy inside. I was ecstatic. It's like the first time you might hear her fart a little bit, and you're like, that opens the floodgates. Now I can be a normal human. Oh, dear. I don't know why we went there. It's true. No, we were driving to- Or cuss. Yeah, a little cuss. To the zoo. We were taking our four kids to the zoo. Hogle Zoo? Hogle Zoo.

One day, and we were driving in the car, and his mother called and said, happy anniversary. And he looked at me, and he's like, is it our anniversary? And I had to look at the calendar. Because we're- And it was. And it was. So you both forgot. And we both- And it was a glorious day. I am telling you. So excited. Because we had no more responsibility. You forgot. And it was already past noon. If it's like 7 a.m. And someone says it to you, it doesn't count. I got to tell you. It was a unique experience. Okay. We were married August 2nd. Okay. Okay. I can't. I don't know. I don't know how many anniversaries he's been home, but not very many. So the fact that we were together on that day, of course I would think it wasn't our anniversary. Well, again, again, I was out gaining knowledge to provide for the family. But we were doing a family thing. All of those good things. Of course.

And we did both forget. So, yeah, he's kind of off the hook forevermore. But he doesn't forget anymore. No. And I know it's because it's so noisy. We don't forget. Well, and we've both been married, what, 22, 23 years? I think we hit 22 in December. You guys are about the same. Or 22 in August. Adam, really? I said, listen, I said 22 to 3. I tied it up for you to say yes. Yes. Okay, yes. 22 to 3. You're 100% right. I didn't say exact. Good. Three. 22 to 3. Yes, Adam. That's right. Yeah, moving right along. All right. So what I'm saying is we've had a lot of years to remember December 14th. What's that? Very good. That's our anniversary. That's our anniversary. Oh, you're on it. Of the same year. Yeah. Yeah. You guys were married in 96? Well, to make the world out there feel better, I got to just tell you, I think it was yesterday

in the office, Adam and Jason were having a discussion about when Valentine's was. No, we weren't. Yes. No, it wasn't yesterday. It was in this last week. Yes. It wasn't Valentine's. Is Valentine's February 14th? And I thought. Well, it was a couple of other people in the office. It wasn't Adam and I. What? 45 years on the planet. It wasn't us. I think. Okay. I will interject now and we'll give them a plug after I mention this. But I think we were talking about is Valentine's Day during the expo. Yes. Oh, my God. So that's not. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Who doesn't know when Valentine's Day is? Everybody. It's February, Adam. Oh, February. Oh.

Okay. That's my anniversary and that's the most important day. The second most important day is February 14th. That's why I picked the 14th. So I would remember those 14s are important. Oh. I think you've convinced him that you don't. Anyway. By the way, we will be at the expo, the Western Hunting Conservation Expo. February 14th to the 17th. That's right. Salt Lake City. If any of you have listened to this podcast and you might have a chance to set the record straight with us or our wives, we'll be there. We'll have a booth, Epic Outdoors booth, and we'll be glad to see you there. That's right. So there at the expo, you can apply for 200 different big game tags at $5 each. You can do it online, but you have to be in person. To validate and actually be in the draw. So another great opportunity. We will be there. The Epic Outdoors booth. We've been in the same booth for years.

We're also sharing it with the Harrells. And they'll be selling optics. Of course, have a world-class shed collection, which is of utmost importance. And it's awesome. I'm sure. You're holding on to 250 to 300 and some odd inch muley sheds. I'm sure that's the discussion you heard. Are we going to not be able to take our wives out to a separate dinner date? Or is it going to be while we're at the expo? I'm telling you, Becky. Well, we're going on a date. The question was, hey, Jana, is Valentine's on February 14th? It was. That was the question. It was. It was. And it was, well, sometimes, well, pretty much a lot of times Adam and I are here at 3 in the morning. Hey, Becky and I don't hold grudges. We were tired. We've been married 20-something years. That's correct. That's correct. Okay. Absolutely right. But we do have a date.

January 25th is the Utah Wild Sheep Foundation's banquet dinner. And we're excited. Aren't you excited? Yeah. Go to that, honey. We're going to go. Becky? Oh, yes. Did you know that you have tickets? I did, actually. Okay. I did. All right. I did. So, anyway, we're going to go have a nice dinner there and, of course, support Utah and all their sheep program and efforts. And so, anyway, also within the expo time frame, February 16th, they will have the full Curl Society. We'll be giving away 11 sheep hunts. It's where a lot of intense, serious hunters that attend the expo like to come there and also throw their name into the hat for one of these 11 sheep hunts. They have hunts of every species there. We've been a big sponsor of that. We're glad to do it. It's fun to see people run and jump up on stage and act like little kids.

It's when they win something like, you know, scratch a sniff sticker. But in this case, they're $20,000 or $30,000 sheep hunts. Once-in-a-lifetime experience there. Once-in-a-lifetime. Full Curls. Helping to provide memories for their family. Bring cash so it's not trackable on a credit card. All right. Anyway. We do want to thank everybody. For all you listeners out there, we just thought this would be an interesting podcast. Had no idea where it would go. And I'm not sure of the aftermath and the different things we're going to be dealing with in the next few days. Is there anything that ladies would like to wrap up today that we haven't addressed that they feel like, we didn't talk about this. Drive something home. Because I have a few words before we're done. I'm sure Jason does as well. Well. And they're good words.

The podcast is focused a lot on, you know, it's, well, a good deal of it's focused on the struggles of being married to someone who hunts at the level you guys do. But I hope, I wanted to leave on a positive note. I didn't want to leave the wrong impression that Adam doesn't care about his children and he's just out there like some crazy addict and doesn't care about what I think or feel. It's nothing like that. I've never known someone to love his wife and children more than Adam Bronson. I mean, I've never seen anyone that's more dedicated to his family. So it's, I mean, it's hard to paint the accurate picture. But, I mean, the advice, if I could go back to Becky in 1996 and say, here's the advice I would give you. It is. Run.

Okay, sorry. Run, don't walk. No, it's just let go. Let go and embrace the good that it brings to your life. Instead of trying to change your spouse like we were going to be talking about, you know, thinking that your spouse needs to be this certain preconceived way. It needs to be like this, this, this, this, this. The Stepford husband. Instead of that, let go and embrace the good, all of it. And it's an amazing amount of good that it brings to your life. And don't have a set expectation of it's got to be like this, this, this. And that's what I would have told Becky back then because it would just save a lot of heartache and difficulty and stress. And on the heels of that, you know, guys, if guys will, you know, adjust a little bit and be willing to give a little here and there and the wife gives a little bit, pretty soon you can make it work, you know.

But if it's, if you lay down the lawn, and I like to tease Jenna about laying down the lawn. We all know who wears the pants. Which I have never done. We all know that I. I've never done it either, Jenna, ever. We all know that she's in charge. And anyway, do you have anything you'd like to add? Well, I don't, I didn't have the struggle Becky did. I came from a background that was more, I guess, accustomed to that kind of a lifestyle. Not, not to the extent of being gone that you are, but, but just the whole animal thing was not foreign to me and not difficult for me at all. Our first two years were wonderful, weren't they? No, our first two years were tough, but that's a whole nother podcast about cutting apron strings and spoiled little boys.

No, if I had to say, if, no, if I were going to say, you know, the hunting life, I feel like, has been great for us, really. I mean, it's got its, it's got its downsides and, and probably the most, the difficult downside is you being gone a lot. And mostly because I feel like the kids get a little gypped because they don't get more time with dad. But having said that, I think that Jason does a phenomenal job of balancing the two. When he's home, he's engaged. He takes time with the kids. When he's doing something that the kids can be involved in, he'll take a kid or two with him. He tries to involve them in, in this life that he, that he's leading. And, and so he does get a lot of quality time. And I think that I'm just going to say, okay, maybe that's a boastful point, but our husbands are professionals at what they do. Like they're very professional.

And when you get somebody that's that mentality that can be that kind of professional and they apply that at home as well, even though they're gone a lot, I think that they're professional dads too. I mean, they're really quality, quality parents and they really do engage. Let's end on that. I like where this is. Let's end on that. Can you add on that? I was just going to say, thank you. And I love you, honey.

I do too. Yeah. I mean, you're awesome in all truthfulness. I mean, we, we've laughed and joked a lot today about, about truth in a lot of ways. It's not, you know, make believe things that weren't quite there, but, but yeah, well, but some truth to some of this, but, but the truth is, yeah. I mean, we realized that, I mean, we've turned a hobby, uh, not, not an addiction, but a hobby into, uh, in a lot of ways, a way of life, whether it be through the formation of Epic Outdoors. And, you know, maybe some of my guiding Jason guides as well. And so just a hobby into a way of life, um, that is very unique. You know, it's not, we realize we're fortunate to do that. We've had a, we had to give up things to get to where we are now a lot, you know, different careers in certain states. I mean, Jason, you got degrees in finance and things like that.

And went a different way with your dad started at the same as me. That's right. Never knew when you were going to be 25 or 30 grand a year. I thought I was going to be selling stocks. Yeah. 25 or, yes, 25 or 30 grand a year. I mean, you're, you're starting from somewhere and then we've, you know, reformed, uh, you know, our own, our own entity at Epic Outdoors. And it takes a lot to get there. And we need, we needed these strong women behind us. And I'm grateful for that for Becky. Cause I, we, I wouldn't be where I am today without her because of, because of the support that it takes to leave a couple of jobs, careers along the way. And when you do that, you're literally starting from, from nothing. I mean, you've got a good name hopefully, and you've got ambition, but it's still, you got to have support behind.

Well, and through all these challenging times that everybody, everybody listening has had challenging times in their lives. But through those transitions, job changes, stressful times, wondering how you're going to provide for the family. All of these things. It's so nice to have a strong woman that keeps you grounded, tells you you're doing good, even though you're not. It has faith in you when you don't have faith in yourself. And so all of those things, and I know one thing with Jenna, and we've talked about it a little bit, because her and Becky and other women of hunters out there sacrifice as much as we do. They're sacrificing a lot for us to be out there. And so it makes it that much sweeter. Our successes in the field, Jenna's mentioned that, you know, some of the high points of our life in hunting, she has felt that she's earned that too.

And has taken part in appreciating the experience, appreciating when the hunt comes together, and maybe you accomplish something you always wanted to accomplish, a big deer or whatever she is. We especially love it when it happens the first day of the hunt, not the last. So anyway, thank you. Love you guys. Jenna, you're awesome. Thanks a lot. You guys are good supports for coming in. We had fun today. Oh, yeah. We'll have to do something again. Maybe we'll get some feedback from listeners, and maybe we'll let Jenna have a monster before. Next time. Huh? Huh? I'm not a proponent of monsters. Hates monsters. Hates monsters. I don't think anybody should drink them. And they shouldn't. And they shouldn't. They shouldn't, but. Anyway.

All right. Let's call it a day. How about that? All right. All right. All right.