Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Mentoring

I’m going to take this opportunity today, as a guest blogger, to let you how Rex and I met and how he became my mentor and friend.

Rex came to my website, A Dixie Lady Deer Hunter, through a forum and on January 29, 2007, he entered, …“nice site, good to see another Mississippian writing about hunting.” As always, I return a thank you to anyone who signs my guestbook. He soon wrote me back and told me that being a lady deer hunter I could inform and encourage other lady hunters. I let him know that I also had a blog called, Marian’s Hunting Stories, etc., etc., etc., and had only made four posts within three months and that I had lost interest. He continued to encouraged me to write and to do my best and if I had a problem he would help me. With both of us living right here in Mississippi, he soon invited my husband and I to come to the Christmas Place Plantation Hunting Club, which is only an hour and half drive northeast of Vicksburg in the Delta. We hit it off at our first meeting and talked about blogging, friends we have made while blogging and about the Outdoor Bloggers Summit (OBS) and how we looked forward to meeting everyone at the summit one day.

It’s always a fun time at the camp, telling hunting/ghost stories around the camp fire, riding around the Christmas Place on 4-wheelers and gators, fishing, checking out the different deer stands and especially visiting with his Dad, Hershel ‘The Chief‘ Howell and his family and friends! Just this past hunting season I harvested my first deer at the camp, a nice 135 lb. doe. Rex has not only become my blogging mentor, but a good friend as well to both my husband and I.

On February 8, 2008, Steven Bradley asked the question on his blog, "Do you have a blogging mentor"? I replied and told him about Rex and he said, “Marian. sounds like Rex is closer to the true definition of a mentor than some of what I’m describing here. Most of the people I’m describing in this post are people you might never meet. Of course the blogging mentors I talk about here are no substitute for a real life mentor who you can talk to. I think you’re ahead of the game.”


I’ll always be grateful for his continued support and true friendship.

10 comments:

SimplyOutdoors said...

What a great story Marian.

Rex was honestly one of the first people to leave a comment on my blog. He was also the first person to feature our site in a blog post.

I think it's great that you two have became such good friends, and I'm glad he encouraged you to keep blogging.

Hopefully all of us can meet one day.

GUYK said...

I really don't know how I come to know Rex...I think he stumbled on to my place one time and left a comment and I went to his place to see what it was and we went from there. I linked his site and the next thing I know I am meeting you, Marian, at Vicksburg and you led me to Christmas place where we had a great time! Hope to do it again one of these days

Anonymous said...

I think it is great that Rex encourages other people to blog. That is so valuable and a terrific thing to do.

Marian Ann Love said...

I hope you get to meet him Simplyoutdoors...he's the nicest guy and has a great personality! GuyK - hope you get to come back too...maybe we can roundup a wild boar or two to eat! :)
Kristine - I would not be here today if it was not for him and his encouragement.

One Wink at a Time said...

Just was reading an old blog post from 2006 that I'd written and noticed a comment from "Editor." Just the one time, I don't think he ever came back. I apologize, I was new to blogging and didn't know to say "Welcome!" and all that. Anyway, just wanted to say Hi to Rex. He's obviously influenced some very nice people.

Anonymous said...

I found Rex, but I can't for the life of me remember how. Through Rex I found Marian, and together they are two of the nicest people I've met through blogging. Funny how small a world it is, for even in the vastness of cyberspace I find that Marian lives just a few short miles from me, and Christmas Place is a place I heard about years before, having spent many a fun summer right near by....

There is a lot of 'junk' to be found on the world wide web, but there are some mighty fine folks as well.

Editor said...

y'all are nice, but I am flat broke in Paris. Send money!

Marian Ann Love said...

Flat Broke!!!! How are you going to make it back home???? I know, I will send Thunderhoof over with some CASH ASAP! :)

The Hunter's Wife said...

Marian, what a very nice post. You and Rex both were among the first to visit my blog as well.

It's nice to see such a friendship come about and the respect you both have for eachother.

One Wink at a Time said...

I would rather be broke in Paris than with even a few bucks anywhere else!