Our first night apart in almost two years...

Yes, believe it or not, Kelly and I have never spent a night apart in almost two years.  People laugh when we tell them this because it seems to foreign to them that we've spent every night together since we were married.  What can I say?  We've never really had a reason to be apart.  But, the time had to come sooner or later, and it came in the form of the annual excursion into the mountains to shroud myself in camouflage and attempt to sneak within 40 yards of a thousand pound animal with antlers.  It really gets the heart pumping when a bull elk stands a stone's throw away and bugles at you...oooweee!  That part is thrilling enough, but the real challenge is getting an arrow to actually stick itself into said beastie.  When that happens, oh boy, it is a feeling that is pretty awesome.  Too bad I've never felt it, which is something I hope to rectify soon.

So, here I am completing this post on Tuesday the 20th, come to report on the momentous event that was our first night apart.  First off, I am sad to admit that I did not stick any big antlered animals with an arrow.  Didn't really see any honestly.  Oh well, such is life.  But, as to the night apart, I think my experience was less comfortable than Kelly's.  Kelly slept in a nice warm bed with several pillows next to her to form a replacement me for one night.  She reported to have slept very well actually.  Me...not so well.  Reasons why: a) it rained all night, and in a tent even a light rain sounds like a torrential downpour, b) I slept on the uneven ground (done it before, so this shouldn't have been a big deal, but...), c) the two people who shared the tent with me couldn't hold still on their cots and moved around loudly all night long.  Needless to say, it took about 11 hours of laying on the ground in order to get 6 hours of actual sleep.
Morale of the story...either sleep on a cot yourself, or bring ear plugs to block out the noise.  Or stay home with your wife and sleep in a warm bed, something I plan to do for upwards of 360 days of the year from now on (there will be a few hunting trips in there even if it means getting less sleep than if I were surrounded by angry howler monkeys).