If you know me or have fished with me, you’ll know I’m a stickler for maintenance. My vehicles, boat, rods & reels, lawnmower, etc. all look good, run well, and last a long time because I’ve developed a disciplined approach to maintenance.
As our 23rd wedding anniversary approached in July of 2018, I considered what level of maintenance I was putting into my marriage with Rebecca. Long story short, as part of our anniversary last year, I signed us up to go to our first ever marriage conference/retreat put on by Family Life in the Arboretum district of Austin. This organization took a very God-honoring, biblically-sound approach to the topic.
Another long story short, one of the action items that resulted from attending this 2.5 day conference with Rebecca was that we both decided to dedicate one day a week (Thursday) to being with one another. No guided fishing trips, no church work, no individual appointments with others. Since I retired 3 years ago, and since Rebecca works part-time at our church’s nursery, this is very doable in this season of our life.
Today was an especially enjoyable Marriage Maintenance Thursday. I woke at 5a, and Rebecca at 6a, we ate breakfast and were out the door by 6:30a and on the water by 6:45a.
Between 7:07am and 9:07am, I caught exactly 70 fish from an aggressive near-surface feed by white bass on Stillhouse and then left them still biting to continue our day. After a quick nap, a visit to Kohl’s and lunch at Freebirds, we headed to Mountain Creek Range, a very well-run and affordably priced indoor ranged on Hwy. 195 between Killeen and Florence. We sharpened up our .22 caliber handgun skills on paper targets and then headed to Target in Harker Heights to do some birthday shopping for a relative.
Yes, the getting up early to fish was a bit of a sacrifice for Rebecca, and walking through the doors of Kohl’s and Target (or any retail establishment other than Bass Pro Shops, Cabela’s, or Academy) was a bit of a sacrifice for me, but, that is a lot of what marriage maintenance is all about.
Dinner followed around 6:30p at home. Along the way today we got to talk about our short- and long-term plans, about work, about our parents (who are total blessings to us), about our extended family, about our relationships with others and with the Lord, and more.
It was a great day with a great person with some great weather, to boot.
PHOTO CAPTION: This white bass and many others this morning fell for a presentation I learned of from Australian fishing guide Matt Langford. I’d been waiting since early February for a time to try this out, and this morning was just right thanks to overnight air temps that were higher than the water temperature. More about that some other time …
CATCH LOCATION: Area 1697-1724, all in <14′. 70 fish in exactly 2 hours’ time.
Bob Maindelle
Full-time, Professional Fishing Guide and Owner of Holding the Line Guide Service
Belton Lake Fishing Guide, Stillhouse Hollow Fishing Guide
254.368.7411 (call or text)
Website: www.HoldingTheLineGuideService.com
E-mail: Bob@HoldingTheLineGuideService.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/bobmaindelle
Twitter: www/twitter.com/bobmaindelle