When I was in the 7th grade my father, Graham (in the picture above), took me hunting.  I remember I would always ask to go with him and my Uncle Bill, and they finally let me go the last Saturday of rifle season.  We went to Pleasant View in Amherst County, VA.

My father always taught me that safety was very important, so we would walk a little and then look carefully.  We had the best time being together!  We were walking when all of a sudden we spotted a small buck.  My father told me to track it down and the next thing I knew we were back at camp telling the story.  I knew then I was hooked on hunting from that point on.  My uncle was a taxidermist, so he mounted it for me and it is still hanging up at my parents' home.

As time went on, I attended Lynchburg Christian Academy.  It was my junior year when we were told in speech class that we had to give our first speech.  I did not care for public speaking and, to be honest, I wanted to take a zero and just be done with it!  My teacher talked with me and she said to do it on a subject that I was real familiar with.  The speech was a "how to" topic.  My speech was "How to Clean a Black Powder Gun".  I found out that once I started showing how to properly disassemble the gun, I was relaxed and the speech ended up being a breeze.

After graduating, I attended Liberty University and majored in Psychology.  I was unsure what I would do when I got out of college, but I still had a desire to hunt and stay close to my home.  I remember in college talking to some guys, but in the back of my mind I would hope to find someone close to home.  If anyone would ask me out I would say no if I found out they did not live here.  I did not want to get married and move away.  It seemed like everyone around me was dating and going out of town on the weekends to meet the family, and next thing you know they moved away.  Finally, my senior year I ran into a guy from my hometown and we started dating.  He had a dairy farm and was a very hard worker.  He took me hunting a few weeks later and I was able to harvest a nice buck.  He was very proud of me!  I knew that this was the man God had planned for me.  We have been married for 13 years now and have three boys.  The experience of being able to live on a farm, have a family, and be able to explore the outdoors with my family is a dream come true.

I am 36 years old and live in Bedford County, VA.  I work outside the home at an engineering firm.  I had this dream of making a hunting video 5 years ago.  I bought a camera and would ride around the farm and film anything I saw.  Sometimes it would be turkeys or deer and sometimes it might be my husband working on the farm or cutting silage.  I fell in love with the outdoors and wanted to capture as much as I could.  I began to collect video footage of my hunts and I would stop folks in the hunt club our farm organized and ask them questions about hunting as well.  After watching hunting videos on TV, I had this desire to try to capture one of my own.  I started attending hunting seminars and shows to gain knowledge and to meet other hunters.  My passion grew to the point I would wake up almost every day thinking of the outdoors or thinking of the words a pro hunter had shared with me.

My husband, Barry, is my biggest fan.  Not only does he support me hunting all the time, he even watches our children at times.  I would like to spend more time with him hunting, but he has put his hunting on hold for the past few years to allow me to pursue my video.  He sometimes scouts out a spot for me or buys a stand for me to put up in a good location.  He has allowed me to follow my dream by attending events such as the National Wild Turkey Federation events and the Dixie Deer Classic.  I travel to the Bass Pro Shops in Charlotte, NC twice a year for shows, and I was able to travel to SC this past October with a pro staff member of Team Realtree to bow hunt.  I attended the Shot Show in 2002 and 2004.  This past February 2004, it was in Las Vegas again, and I was able to meet with pro hunters who share the same passion I do.

I try to stay very focused on being a wife and mother first and a hunter second.  Of course, God reigns over them all.

My goal for 2004 was to be able to take all of my footage and somehow piece together a few important clips to show friends and family how much fun I have in the outdoors.  I have so many people that have influenced and supported me that I wanted to share my collection of video with them.  For me it was a big hurdle to produce a finished product since I first had this dream 5 years ago.  I was able to do most of the videography myself, and worked closely with a production and editing specialist.  With an 18 minute video, not only do I feel blessed to have had the opportunity to share my joy with others, it has brought an everlasting smile to my face.  My only hope for anyone who watches the video is for them to be able to realize God's grace through the outdoors.

Copies of the video can be purchased from Timberlake Sporting Goods in Lynchburg, VA.