Your vote for my wife is appreciated

[Bearsyzf]

I love to fish but have to admit that i've never tried fly fishing..... it does look fun tho.

 

[olbriar]

I've never built a fly rod but have built two bait casters. There is a lot of work involved and I admire Mrs. Chief for her efforts! I do hope she is rewarded for them!

 

[Clementine_3]

you can never have too many thingy's.

No kidding!

 

[The_Chief]

- UPDATE -

The Darling Bride Donna was in the middle of the river this morning, doing her thing, when she received an email that went out to everyone in the middle Tennessee PHWFF group:

ALL,

CONGRATULATIONS TO DONNA WILKIE !

Donna won the intermediate National Rod Building Contest. I am so excited for her. She has a beautiful rod that she built for this year’s contest. No one has ever worked harder building a rod than Donna and it paid off. I appreciate her perseverance and patience as it was a challenge, but she never gave up. What a gal. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for so a great person, we are honored to have you in our program.

Marilyn Rogan
Deputy Regional Coordinator
Tennessee Valley Region
Murfreesboro, TN Program Lead


From here her rod goes to a panel of judges who will determine the top three finalists. It's up to them now to read her entry, examine her rod, and make their decision.

Folks, you talk about someone on Cloud Nine! Donna is so excited that she is advancing to the finals... and we can't thank you all enough for your votes, which helped put her over the top!

I'll definitely give you more information as I get it, but the ol' Chief is infinitely grateful to you and humbled by your willingness to help.

Here she was, up the creek without a paddle... or a boat...

 

[Clementine_3]

Go her!!

 

[MoodyBlues]

YAY Donna!! This is outstanding news. Thanks for the update!

 

[Unforgiven]

Congrats to her. As much as I'm happy she is getting some deserved recognition, I'm more pleased that it helps keep her mind in order.

 

[The_Chief]

I'm so proud of her and equally pleased that she's found a program that helps provide a focused, calming activity. It's a gift to have her in my life. What a gal!

 

[Brian706]

Awesome news! Thanks for the update!

 

[mikedt]

So this fly fishing is actually a thing? @The_Chief I did post a vote on the site you posted.

And I always thought fly fishing was just an ad for Yellow Pages.

Which featured an old man wandering around book shops, looking for a book called "Fly Fishing by JR Hartley"

 

[olbriar]

I'm super happy for Mrs. Chief and wish her the best of luck in the final judging. I'm also happy that the therapeutic value of building her rod is making a difference in her life. Oh, and I wish I was fishing that stretch of water.

 

[The_Chief]

@mikedt you can rest assured that fly fishing is quite real; as is Project Healing Waters. I guess in China 99% of fish are farmed... so the idea of throwing bait in a river would seem like a strange pasttime for some people there. Thanks for your vote - every single one counted!

@olbriar this is the riverhead just below the dam, and it had been freshly stocked by Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. She had gotten a beautiful rainbow trout on earlier - in her excitement, though, she pulled back the rod too fast and whipped the fly lure right out of its mouth! So all she had to show for her efforts was a story about the one that got away...

 

[Deleted User]

Yay! Great news.

Putting aside the tough times, from the description it seems you both won the best prizes already.

Now I have a cousin - Luigi, who you can never meet - who is very experienced in encouraging people like those judges to, ehh, see the next round's result.

Just say the word ....

 

[The_Chief]

Now I have a cousin - Luigi, who you can never meet - who is very experienced in encouraging people like those judges to, ehh, see the next round's result.

Just say the word ....

That's definitely something to consider, if I thought the judges would need some... additional encouragement to select her rod. Besides, that sounds like a pretty expensive word...



EDIT:
I showed her your offer about Luigi - and she got a good, hearty laugh out of it. She loves your attitude!

 

[The_Chief]

- UPDATE -

Donna is one of seven finalists going before the judges, who will determine the top three for Orvis gift cards. The winners will be announced Wednesday, November 24th... Thanksgiving Eve.

Again, I give thanks to all of you, my Android Forums peeps, who stepped up, clicked through and voted for her. I'll let you know the results as soon as I get them!

 

[The_Chief]

- THE RESULTS ARE IN -

Thank you, thank you, thank you! The Darling Bride Donna and I are so grateful for your votes and your words of encouragement! The judges had some tough decisions to make... choosing the top three entries from the seven finalists could not have been easy. Donna was not among the top three.

Here are the three winning entries

However, she's not upset about it: how could she be, when her entry was one of the top seven in the whole country? As far as I'm concerned, though, I'M THE WINNER because I've had the privilege of being married to her since 1990. It's such a blessing to see the change in this woman since she started with PHWFF. Five years ago, it was virtually impossible to get her to go anywhere, even with me. Certainly not alone! This morning she grabbed her gear, kissed me and bolted out the door, headed for the river and determined to catch trout all alone out there. She didn't catch anything but herself, but you get the idea of how much she's improved.

We can only ask one more favor of you and we're done:

Even if you're not a veteran, please contact your local veterans organizations (like American Legion, Disabled American Veterans, Marine Corps League or Veterans of Foreign Wars) and make sure they are aware of Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing. Many have no idea it even exists: and if your few minutes of doing that can help even one veteran get on the path to a higher quality of life, it's worthwhile. If your efforts could prevent a veteran from committing suicide (we lose 22 veterans every day to that), how much more worthwhile is that! The website is www.projecthealingwaters.org

AGAIN: THANK YOU!

 

[olbriar]

Often the journey holds more rewards than the destination. I'm very proud of your girl and so happy that the program is helping her to adjust.

 

[Bearsyzf]

@The_Chief is Donna mainly a catch and release girl or do you get to enjoy some of that good ole fish ?

 

[The_Chief]

I don't eat fish (yuk) but she does... IF someone is around to clean & filet her catch. She can COOK it - it's just getting from the hook to the ppan that boogers her up. So she's mostly catch & release. And unlike most fish species, trout are able to heal hook wounds so all is well.

 

[The_Chief]

I wanted to let you know that the Darling Bride is leaving Tuesday morning for a fishing outing in Montana! Four years ago, it was hard to get her out of the house... now she's flying to Montana to catch monster trout! (Well, that's the idea, anyway). I am so very proud of her for how far she's come... and I'm ever grateful to Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing for their help in getting her past... well, her past.

She's also working on her new fly rod, which will be U.S. Navy themed. And it's going to be so stunning that I think trout will fight over who gets her hook!

 

[Bearsyzf]

From watching the Tv show Yellowstone, Montana looks like the right place to be fly fishing....... it looks beautiful .

 

[The_Chief]

Okay, time to brag: the Darling Bride is a participant with Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing. It literally turned her world upside down and I am so thankful for this VA-approved non-profit therapy! She was notified today that, because of her enthusiastic participation, she was one of ten female participants selected for an all-expenses paid fly fishing outing at Freedom Ranch in Montana! I'll be a proud trout widower as she goes after the big ones on guided outings out west. Kudos, Babe!



Below is a photo of her recent outing to the Chattahoochee River in Helen, Georgia. She was in the city park, downtown Helen, netting trout! You go, Trout Queen!

EDIT:

In case a veteran in need happens to see this thread, here's the link to get started. And if you or your company wants to support a great cause for veterans, I speak from personal experience about what it's done for my wife who, five years ago, was curled up in bed waiting to die. Now she's alive, outgoing and ready for life's next adventure! Your support will not be wasted at www.projecthealingwatersflyfishing.org

 

[Clementine_3]

Go her! That is so amazingly awesome, I'm so proud of my internet friend's wife!!

 

[ocnbrze]

my uncle has a cabin in Whitefish, Montana. i was there a few times when i was a kid. my dad grew up in Whitefish and he would tell me stories of his flyfishing adventures. he loved fly fishing and fishing in general. beautiful country.

i hope your wife gets some nice brown and brook trout.....those were my favorite to catch there.

man!!!!! now i'm jonesing for some trout now......talk about good eating!!!!!!!!!

 

[olbriar]

Fishing is great therapy for everyone, not just veterans. A great peace of mind can be had while watching and listening to the waters, the birds, the air moving through the trees. Catching fish is a bonus.

I'm extremely happy for your wife Chief.