My Thanksgiving Break

And so much to be grateful for:

• My family - what a fun Thanksgiving.  Last year we did the Evolution of Dance. This year Bump declared was Alice's Restaurant. Oh yes, we did listen to the song every damn year while growing up - and for the most part I have kept the Guthrie tradition alive, KNOWING I'd be asked if I had turned it on. It was good times. 

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• My family - and I got to spend A LOT of time at the range - with my family - the best kind.  I think I may have overspent* (uhhh...I am so undecided whether to justify - because I can - or to accept failure but totally blame Bex....) on a 2nd AR-15 but it has already been so worth it.  The amount of conversation time I get to have with Emerson alone was worth twice the price.  I mean, the kid knows an incredible amount.  
• My family - I have the best kids, ever.  I seriously have the BEST kids.  I'm not even biased (ahem), I'm just lacking in better descriptive terms.  Not only do I have a shit ton of fun with them, but they do chores in exchange for the things they want, like WHEN I tell them to do it.  They express GRATITUDE on days like today, when all I wanted to do was be lazy, but Riley asked "for a ride to the skate park" - like it's 10 minutes away and I can just go get him when he's done. [Captain Obvious Declares: BEST doesn't equal PERFECT.]

• Of course, I would have taken him regardless, but it just so happened that I was given free range time - 5 half hours, specifically - and Emerson and I could do that while he was skating. 
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• And they were both like "Thanks Mom, you're the best." Sometimes when it's given so freely and honestly like that, it takes me by surprise.  They're clearly not perfect or gratitude wouldn't surprise me... but, you know what? I'll take it. 
• Emerson and I played Battleship today - yes, Battleship, AR Style: where you know where his ship is, you just have to precisely shoot 3 to 5 dime size shots to sink it. SO COOL. I won, but if Emerson continues to go with me, he will kick my ass in one magazine. (And had I realized how spot on I am with my scope, I wouldn't have started with 10 shots...) We also got to shoot as long as we wanted - I really like the guys at CQT.  If they weren't all 21ish, I'd ask one out.  They don't gather at the window watching me shoot anymore, either, (it's actually funny to remember them doing that just a few short weeks ago) now they all know my name, say hi and are used to me coming in and shooting alone.  I've shed my Unicorn status there, lol. 
• Seriously, I have a bunch of other good stuff to be grateful for: 
• my sister started her new business, our party was a success
• I have great coworkers who gave their support
• I had my yahoos the entire break and I didn't once get tired of them
• They spent a lot of time with their cousins
• We had FIVE boys here during the make up party and you wouldn't have known it AT ALL
• Bumpa rocked both Kira (Bear) and Melody (Baby), so frickin adorable!
• And I only moped and cried about being alone a little bit.
• It still feels like my heart has been sliced wide open with a jagged knife and left unattended to whither and ache from painful exposure - but only when I specifically think of Nate or it's after 9 pm and I can't stop specifically thinking of Nate. Trust me when I say that's progress.

* Not overspent on COST, I have been researching a bare-bones AR15 since the first one was complete. Than I asked around at all the stores if they were going to run Black Friday sales.  It wasn't really an accident that I ended up at CQT on Black Friday....anywho. Basically, I waited until the "bought assembled" price was as low as the "piece by piece" I would assemble and save myself a shit ton on shipping. 

The above reason is just ONE reason the AR is America's Rifle - when the options are limitless and the supplies are consistently available, it's no wonder the gun is addicting, quickly mastered and than expanded, accessorized, and virtually unrecognizable from the upper, lower, and barrel it once was.  I literally get the goose bumps thinking about it.  

And looking at the new one? OMG, all I see are POSSIBILITIES. It's crazy! Until I watch Emerson shoot it and think "naw, that's why I have that one - a simple, inexpensive one for THEM.  DO NOT pimp it out, DM*. Than you won't want them to shoot it. Why must you consistently convince yourself NOT to live up to your name? WHY?"

Just sayin ~ DM

*dufus maximus - No, I didn't choose it. The Walking Man did. I don't why HE gets to be a cool, romantic and mysterious name like The Walking Man and I get Dufus.  *eyeroll* It's so dumb. Yet, you same something enough times, it starts to BE. I do not hear dufus, obviously, I hear DM. 

That was for the newbies.