This I Believe, by Matt

This I Believe

I really don’t know what to write about. But I’m going to write it on some friends that have changed my life. There are four guys that I’m writing about, Bill Hopkins, David Hopkins, Stephen Hopkins and Tyler Hopkins.

IT all Started With Bill Hopkins, David’s dad, and Stephen and Tyler’s grandpa. Bill lived eight houses down from my parents and I. That is were Tyler and myself always stayed every Saturday nights. We were just little kids. (like ten years old) We would stay at Bill’s house on Saturday nights. We would watch hunting videos. We would wake up on Sunday mornings and go to Church.

Bill and his Family were always in to hunting. Especially Rabbit hunting. Bill unseated that I go along hunting with them one Saturday. I told him I would, but I would have to check with my parents to make sure it was fine with them. So Bill called my dad, and asked him if I could go rabbit hunting. My dad told him that I could. I was so ready, I couldn’t wait until Saturday.

Finally it was Saturday morning, time to go rabbit hunting. It seemed like a year went by! But it was only a night. We loaded up and off we went. Bill, David, Stephen, Tyler and myself, little did I know, that day was going to change my life. We hunted all day Saturday, we had a good day we killed four rabbits. I had a awesome time, know I wonted to go every weekend.

I started going every Saturday, that I wasn’t working with my dad. Do you know how everyone looks forward to Friday I look forward to Saturday, so I could go rabbit hunting. When rabbit season ended I had nothing to do again. I would always bug Bill about when rabbit season was coming in again. He talked Stephen and Tyler in to taking me coon hunting on Saturday night. I thought he was crazy. Going hunting at night. Only little did I know how much fun I was in for! Steven and Tyler started letting me go with them on the weekends coon hunting. That’s when I feel in love with the sport.

I have been hunting with them for years. I had never owned a coon dog until about a year ago, because I had always hunted one of Stevens dogs. I was hunting a Bluetick female named bell. I told Steven and Tyler that I wonted a dog like her. Little did I know what Steven and Tyler for my birthday that was coming up in a few weeks. Steven had called and talked to my dad, and asked him if he could give bell to me for my birthday. My dad told Steven if that’s what he wonted to do, than that was fine with him. Well my birthday came around and I had a party at my house and Bill, David, Steven, Tyler came to my party. I opened all my girtfs, and I didn’t have one from Steven and Tyler, witch was weired. But I didn’t care cause they always took me hunting. Then Steven called me outside, and walked me to the back of his truck and in the dog box was bell. Steven said happy birthday Matt. I said Steven stop playing. He said that that he was for real, she is your dog. I didn’t know what to say! I was ‘SHOCKED’ and happy.

As I got older I started hunting her in some compactions hunts to win some money, and some trophies and free stuff. It took a while to learn the rules and how to hunt in the hunts. It took a while to win my first hunt but it happened, when I was 15 years old. To this day I still hunt with David, Steven, Tyler. Bill has got older and is not able to hunt anymore. David, Steven, Tyler are the best friends a guy could ask for. My dad and mom say that they are my second family.

That is what I believe in and something that has changed my life.