About ten years ago my life was very different.  I guess you could say I was more of an Uptown girl.  Worked in the 9-5 office, went to Chicago a lot for dinner, drinks, shopping, etc.  But on the weekends I would spend time with a friend whose husband was an avid hunter and during hunting season he was always gone. 

When they built their house and she decorated the living room, they had put a deer head on the living room wall.  I would always say to her “I would never have a deer head on my wall.”  She would just laugh at me and tell me you will end up with a husband just like mine.  I would laugh and think hunting, fishing, deer heads, bear rugs, camping, cabins, bugs, that is just not for me.  I dated guys in suits not camouflage.   

During this time, I had met Mark.  My brother-in-law introduced us.  Over the years we would chat here and there and if I was dating someone, he wasn’t.  If he was dating someone, I wasn’t.  So we remained distant friends and would talk once every couple of years or so.  About 9 years ago, he called me and we met for drinks.  He was single and so was I.  So our first date was to take a drive up the lake shore of Michigan. I had a great time.  It was the most relaxed comfortable date I had ever been on.   

The following weekend we took a ride south to his cabin he had on a river.  I walked in the door and realized this is your all American boy.  He hunts, fishes, cuts grass everyday on his tractor, enjoys his meat, potato and vegetable.  My life had totally changed.  Weekends were spent at his cabin on the river fishing, cooking out and sitting by the fire.  A year later we got married, bought a house and for 8 years now I sit and look at that 220 lb, 8 point buck on my living room wall that I swore I would never have.   

I am now officially considered The Hunter’s Wife.