After a long week of work, life shenanigans, and the day-to-day chores (the ones you do just to keep your house from looking like a pack of wild animals live in it), I, like most women, am ready for a date night. But not your typical, let's get gussied up, hit the town kind of night. Now don't get me wrong, I love doing that just as much as the next girl. In fact, I was just telling some good friends that I'm looking forward to a night out soon. I think my actual words were "I don't need to go twerking at the club, but a nice dinner and a movie would be wonderful!" Those dates are in fact, very lovely. But, often times, my summer date nights are spent at one of my favorite places on the farm. The pond.
I throw on my ball cap, grab my fishin' pole, and help the hubby load up our Jon boat with a bunch of fancy lures (see note below) and plastic worms. With the windows rolled down in the pickup, and the sticky humid air blasting us in the face, we set on our way. The narrow, grassy road that takes us to the pond is one of my most favorite views on our farm. It has always taken my breath away. There's just something magical about wide open fields and small rolling hills filled with a farmer's blood, sweat, and tears. These fields are planted in perfect rows, prayed over relentlessly, worried over, carefully watched, beautifully grown and then harvested at the end of a season. It's hard not to revel in God's beauty when beyond the horizon all you see is a farmer's artwork and a sunset.
The view from the boat is just as amazing. As the sun sinks behind the trees, rays of light cascade in the water and dance in the ripples. I often take pause to remember the tranquility of this moment. I soak up the thickness of the Carolina air, the slight, sweet scent of the corn crop growing nearby, the loud chirping of crickets and croaking frogs. I listen to the wind rustling the dry wheat, the lapping of water against the boat, and the high pitched whistle of the fishing line as it's cast into the water. I'm totally in awe of nature.
Then I feel the tug of my line. My rod tip bends. I set my hook and adjust the drag, battling it out with the fish I've just caught. I feel like I'm wrestling a monster. There's so much excitement winding the reel, bringing the fish closer and closer. My true country girl spirit (Steve calls this my redneck side, but I'll stick with country girl) shines through as I start hollerin' at the fish, and at my dear hubby, as he leans over the side to lip the bass and pulls it into the boat. This is very important. It doesn't matter how much you've fought with a fish, if you don't get em' in the boat, it doesn't count on your tally! And ya'll, I don't fish just to fish. It's always a competition. My most prized freshwater catch was a 7 pound, 10 ounce bass. That was the size of my first baby. Do you understand how exciting it is to yank a fish out of the water that is literally the size of a baby?!?! I'd like to add that nobody has beaten my record yet...not from our pond anyways.
When the thrill of the catch comes to a close, Steve graciously fishes the hook out of the bass's mouth (always the gentleman), I snap a picture of my prize and toss that sucker back in. Until next time. Until next Friday night, when the hubby and I have another date night on the pond. A night where I can wear a ball cap, dress in my most hideous outfit, smell like pond water, holler like a redneck, maybe cuss like a sailor (I admit nothing), and out-fish him almost every time, yet still be called beautiful at the end of the night by the man I love. Now that's a date night.
*QUICK NOTE* You remember those "fancy lures" I mentioned above. I'm going to let you in on a little secret of mine that I've shared with a few other ladies (and some gentlemen).
I grew up fishing, but my husband has introduced me to a whole new side of it. He uses a lot of lures and jigs, and things that I can't even pretend to comprehend but am learning more and more about. So if your man loves to fish and you have no clue what you're looking for when it comes to finding him some awesome gear, I am going to recommend something for you. One of the best gifts I've ever given my hubs was a monthly subscription to Mystery Tackle Box. The look of excitement on his face when he opened up the first box was worth all the tedious research I did to try and find him the perfect Christmas gift a few years ago. I'm the first to admit that we do not get the monthly boxes now but every once in a while when a special holiday or birthday rolls around, you can bet one of the MTB boxes will show up at our door!