Concrete vs Grass - James Phillips

Before we were owners of Cloud 9 Ranch we were roller coaster fanatics We did the Six Flags thing almost every vacation, now mind you my wonderful wife and I were married in 1990.

We always go everywhere together on vacation. We would go to places that had concrete and very little grass or trees and we would stand in the lines for hours for 60 seconds of adrenaline rush just to walk and stand in another line only to listen to young kids talking language that would make a sailor blush,our feet would be sore and for what, it was more work than it was play.

Fast forward to 2005:

I was always an outdoor enthusiast doing the fishing and hunting thing regularly gone a lot of weekends looking for that whopper of a fish or that perfect buck. My kids would sit in front of the TV in game land looking for that perfect flawless game score of all time, my wife she would read her books or do housework, before the game system the kids went with me, but as they got older I was not as interesting as I used to be.

Now mind you I could not get my wife to camp or fish, she detested it, she despised baiting a hook and getting dirty. I took her fishing at Wolf Creek State Park in Shelbyville Il, and I baited her hooks, she caught a boat load of fish and was enjoying fishing for once, she even had a smile when other tournament fisherman were upset that a woman had out fished them. I mean the nerve that a woman could catch more fish than the pro.

A few years later my wife and I were invited to Cloud 9 by my in-laws so we decided to go down and visit, WOW we had a good time! By the time we left I could not believe my ears when the kids and my wife were left begging for more. I had to look over and look at the woman sitting next to me when she proclaimed she wanted to camp more often, I thought my real wife was abducted by aliens!

Well we found ourselves going back for each holiday weekend and a weeks worth of the Cloud 9 experience in July. Stephanie was hooked, I found ourselves by my devising a little plan of visiting the local motorsports shop buying a couple of Atv’s, I then started to see a glimmer in her eye I had never seen, she loved the Atv she loved getting filthy dirty. Now mind you most women want diamonds or flowers for their anniversary, I soon found out my wife wanted pure power and the feeling of mud and dirt.

So again by a plan of my devising I bought her very own ATV, I had to have a his and hers machine RIGHT? Next thing I know we bought a camper and traded in the kiddie ATV for two more ATV’s every member of our family had their own ATV now.

The best thing about Cloud 9 is it fits our needs, it has camping fishing and Atving, but better than that it allows you to get to know your family again and knowing there is actually grass under your feet.

Living in the city desensitizes you, you find yourself not knowing how a deer inhabits the earth or seeing animals you would never see in the city. Living in the city you see no streams or timber, you really never experience the power of a fish when it’s on the end of your line, or the feeling you get when you bag that buck of a lifetime. You never experience what God has really put on earth. Living in the city there is no adventure, no adrenaline rush from trailing on your ATV all day long. Living in the city you find yourself in a rut longing for adventure and thrills of the outdoors.

Camping at Cloud 9 you find yourself with never a dull moment, always surrounded by new friends enjoying the stars realizing your family just needed something that every member of it could relate to and partake in something together, the outdoors trees and grass.

Cloud 9 has brought our family together and we always have something to talk about, my wife and I are proud owners of our Ranch. We are proud that we are part of something that has a meaning and that meaning is family. Now when I look at my family, I see James Michael my oldest the horse enthusiast and then I see Austin Cody my youngest the Atv/dirt bike enthusiast. I see Stephanie my wife the Atv/camping fanatic, and I see me the proud father and husband of such an interesting family.

Enjoy each day your family has at the Ranch and take it all in and you will be the better for it. Toss the game system in the trash and live your life to the fullest.

I have a motto in my life, I want to live not just exist!

I still live in the city but I am and always have been a country boy. We travel six and a half hours to Cloud 9 and love every mile it takes us to get there because the end result is worth it.

Get off the couch load the truck and head to the outdoors. Forget the sidewalk, forget work and really get to know your family.

James Phillips