Jamie PattersonMy Christmas weekend started off with a bang. My life began to resemble a comedy movie more than reality.
The journey began Thursday night. My son James and I were safe and sound in our warm home. I was folding clothes while James played with a few toys from his birthday the weekend before.
Our evening was interrupted by a phone call from my husband Jason. He had been out hunting that evening, and he thought he struck a buck under his deer stand.
Being the genius I am, I felt my assistance was needed.
“Can I come help,” I asked.
And  Jason being the genius he is, he said of course I could.
Dropping James off at his aunt’s house, I joined Jason in the truck. With my clothes, two pairs of socks, a flashlight and a couple of Kit Kat bars, I was ready to trail a deer.
We searched the field near the deer stand for about ten minutes when Jason found a clue on the hill leading up to a the woods, a series of gullies and complete darkness.
Turning the truck off, I dove into the wilderness. I began to fancy myself an outdoorsman and was on full alert for any other signs of a deer. But the farther we got away from the truck, the more scared I got.
It was cold, dark and noises began to emerge the deeper we went into the woods. My flashlight started to flicker, and pretty soon I had to bang the thing to keep it on.
“What was that,” I asked, pointing my poor excuse for a light into the distance.
“Would you calm down,” Jason responded. “It’s probably a squirrel. Hopefully, it’s a deer.”
The leaves began to rustle more. I swear the earth began to shake. Visions of rabid bucks running towards us, possibly impaling us, began to run through my mind.
I was frozen. I didn’t care about a trail, deer or anything. I wanted to be back in my living room, folding my clothes.
I stayed close to Jason, getting hit with swinging branches and tapped occasionally by hunting gear.
He finally decided to come back to the hunt first thing in the morning. But as we made our way to the truck, he noticed the lights blaring into the distance.
“Did you turn the truck off,” he asked.
I shook my head up and down.
“But you left the lights on,” he said.
I looked down in shame. Yes, I forgot to turn the lights off.
To top it all off, our cat Bonnie had caught a ride in the back of the truck to chow down on some chicken left in a garbage bag.
Embracing Bonnie in the hopes that the truck would crank, I was soon disappointed. The truck was still, the leaves continued to rustle and the cold air blew past our faces.
“Well, let’s get to walking,” Jason said, grabbing his gun.
We called Jason’s cousin to pick us up on Highway 49, but we would have to walk over our land, up hills, through fields to get to the frontage road.
“I sure do wish I hadn’t eaten both of those Kit Kats,” I said, as we walked in the darkness.
Holding onto a scared cat and a rifle, Jason laughed.
“Of all the men in the world, I picked one who always seems to find himself in situations like this,” I laughed. “I have married a Patterson, and yes, I am walking in the dark cold with a broke flashlight, a nervous cat and a gun. And I’m happy.”
We both smiled at each other and realized we were perfect  for one another.
But if there is a next time, I will remember to pack more snacks. When you are married to a man like Jason, you never know  when a good hike might occur.