Coming up for air

With only a day and a half left in 2012, I thought maybe I should post something. :)

It's been crazy since my last post. Good and bad.

Soldier Girl made it home for the holidays, and I'm thrilled to have her here for a few more days before she has to go back to AIT. The day I picked her up from the airport, we went straight to the range so she could play with some of our new toys. :) We went again yesterday and she got to shoot a Desert Eagle, an SKS and an M1, among other things. She had a great time, and we're hoping to get her back over there tomorrow to try out some other fun toys.

Christmas was quiet and relaxed, which is how I like it. 

Work is another story......

We have been absolutely swamped at the range these last couple of weeks. I don't know if it's just that everyone is off of work and trying out their new Christmas gifts, or if it's all the gun control talk, or both. But it's been very crowded, all day, every day - and gun sales have been plentiful.
I guess we'll see what happens after New Year's when everyone goes back to work.

I won't say much about Sandy Hook, since so many others have said it so much better than I ever could, but I will say that I am deeply saddened at the tragic loss of innocent lives. 

But I'm also deeply angered at the garbage that is being spewed by the current administration about "gun control." Disarming law abiding citizens is certainly NOT the way to prevent crazed criminals from killing innocent people. Criminals don't obtain things legally, so they will have guns no matter what laws are passed. Us law abiding citizens shouldn't be stripped of a means to defend ourselves when necessary.

I know I'm likely preaching to the choir here.....so I'll leave it at that. For now.

In other news.....Mr 2A and I have been very busy working on several certifications, and we'll be teaching some classes very soon. I promise to post more about that in the next week or two.

Until then, I hope everyone has a happy and safe New Year's!

Fantastic week!

We had a nice quiet Thanksgiving last week with family. I got to talk to my soldier girl twice last week on the phone, and we're counting the days til she gets home for Christmas. :)

I'm still absolutely loving my job at the range! We've been quite busy, and I love meeting all the gun-loving people I would've never had a chance to meet if it weren't for this job! They're all super friendly too, and want to share their toys!

I met a police officer that brought in an AR with an EoTech sight on it. I have looked at EoTech's in various LGS, but never actually used one, and he asked me if I wanted to shoot it. I politely declined, and he then INSISTED that I shoot it. LOL Then we had a disagreement about how many rounds I was going to fire. We settled on 5, even though he really wanted me to shoot a whole magazine. :)
I tell ya....it took SO much restraint not to flip the switch on that thing to "AUTO." But I love my job and want to keep it so I resisted. :)

My co-workers have great toys as well!

I shot one of these.....

....and one of these.....

And I got two new toys of my own this last week!

The M&P is my new EDC - or will be once I find the right holster for it. I've been wearing it at work in a Fobus, but need something a little more concealable for outside of work. I think I want something similar to TT Gun Leather's snap holster, but I'm a little shy about spending that much on a holster, having never used an OWB before.

But I'm also considering a Skeleton from PHLster.com......
Holster shopping is kind of like bathing suit shopping for me....I need to try it on and stare critically in the mirror for an hour or two before actually purchasing something (or in the case of the bathing suit....talking myself out of it and never actually buying anything!). So holster shopping on the internet is torture for me. :(

Hubs upgraded the trigger with an Apex kit, and put TruGlo sights on it for me, and I love it!
I just got an extra pinky extension for the factory mag (why do they send you ONE flat and ONE pinky extension?!) as well as a 17 round mag and an XGrip adapter. I obviously won't carry it that way (well, maybe at work just to see how many people ask questions LOL) but I will be great for range time.

The Mossberg........LOVE! We picked it up last Friday, and immediately put two boxes of slugs through it (we don't allow shot at our range). I don't know much about shotguns, but Damn. I love this thing. And I love the quarter sized holes that slugs punch neatly through paper targets.
As we arrived on the firing line with it, a couple of the guys at work said "Do you know how to shoot from the hip?" I looked at them like they were crazy and said "Yeah, I've done that. But I ain't doing that today." My soldier girl called ma B-A-M-F for shooting it from the shoulder with slugs. I just laughed at her. :)
Hubs has a running list of upgrades for the shotty already, but he won't let me see it. :(
I'll try to update as it morphs through the various stages of  "upgrades."

And on a final note for today......THIS is is the scene in my garage right now. That big tub on the left? That's a 50 gallon tote. FULL. And this isn't even all of it. So if you need brass, or know anyone that does, hit me up. I'm sure we can work something out. ;)

Have a great weekend y'all! I'm going to go help a friend with some home repairs, then go out to dinner and do some birthday shooting! :)

One of these days....

...I'll get to the point where I can sort out all of the thoughts rambling around in my head, post about them daily, and stop playing these catch up games!

JOB
New job is going great! I've met a ton of great people, seen and shot some really cool toys, have expanded my wish list a lot, and have done a little bit of one-on-one teaching.
The range has been insanely busy. I don't know if it's because we're new, or because of the Election Day outcome, or a mixture of both. But it's a good problem to have!

SOLDIER GIRL
She's doing well at AIT, and her brigade marched in a Veteran's Day parade this past Monday. Sadly, I have no pictures of that. She's counting the days til she gets to come home for Christmas (and so am I!).

CHEMO
We're still battling the monster, but making progress, we think. Another MRI coming up on Monday, and we're praying that the chemo is still kicking the tumor's ass. It sure isn't being kind to the Mr.

MISC
I have a birthday coming up, and it looks like I will be getting a new firearm! I've got my eye on a S&W M&P 9 compact. Hubs has a full size VTAC model, which I love to shoot, but it's just a little big for me to conceal. So I'm leaning towards the compact version. Too bad those VTAC sights are so expensive, though, I'd love to put them on a compact!

Hubs and I will be taking some instructor training here in a couple of weeks, and I'm really looking forward to it! I won't let the cat out of the bag just yet as to what, exactly, but it will be a great addition to the classes our range already offers.

The invitation is still out there for an Dallas area peeps to stop by (email me for details please) and visit the range! You'll love the place, and I would love to see some write-ups out there!

That's all I got. More soon!

Calling Dallas area bloggers

I'm attempting to help the gun range I work at get some positive press, and I'd like to personally invite all you Dallas area bloggers to come check the place out. :)

I don't have the authority to say "Come shoot for free" but maybe it would be enough if I told you that you can shoot pistols, rifles (up to, but not including 50BMG) and shot guns (slugs only) on a single lane (no moving lanes when you want to switch from one to the other) in a climate controlled range with clean air that is recycled every 87 seconds?

Or if you're a lady blogger, come see us on Tuesday nights, and shoot for just $5.

If you want to come check it out, feel free to email me at twoamama_AT_gmail_DOT_com and I'll give you the name and address of the place.

Silly me, I think I'm going to be able to keep my privacy now that I'm working there and blogging about it! Seriously, though...just trying to avoid crazy stalker fan-boi types - even though every one at the range open carries. ;)

Hope to hear from you, and see you soon!

Quick Update: New Job!

I'm a few weeks into the new job at the range, and I'm absolutely loving it!

The owners are wonderful people, my co-workers are already like family to me, and I get to talk guns/ammo and training every day I'm there, with customers from all walks of life. And I'm getting paid to do it! :)

If you had asked me five years ago what I'd be doing today, I never would have imagined it would be this. But I truly feel like I've found my calling in life (as goofy as that may sound).

Once I settle in a little more, I'll be taking some NRA instructor level courses, and hopefully will get to start teaching some classes! :)

That's it for now....gotta go get ready to head to my dream job! :)

Playing Catch Up Again! - Road Trip

I feel like I've been in a constant state of motion these last few weeks! But it has been a fantastic few weeks, and I want to share it with you!!! :)

On October 1st, the hubs and I piled our bags into the car and made the 16 hour drive to South Carolina to see Soldier Girl graduate from basic training. We didn't hit the road nearly as early as we would have liked (4:30PM instead of 8AM) which meant we drove through the night, and arrived at our hotel in Columbia at around 9:30AM on the 2nd.
After napping for a few hours, we got up and got ready to go to a meet up with some other army families that I had gotten to know from a Facebook group over the course of eleven long weeks.

While we were getting ready to go, I took a moment to clean my glasses and managed to snap them in half. It was a clean break right on the bridge, too. Am I talented or what? LOL

Gorilla Glue to the rescue - sort of. I got through the evening with them glued, but of course they snapped again when I took them off back at the hotel room. We re-glued again, and I managed to get through the Family Day briefing and a trip to the post optical shop where we found some new frames that my existing lenses sort of fit into. Not a great solution, but we could only do so much 1000 miles from home. At least I could see!

The Family Day briefing was incredible!!! There were speeches and live music, and lots of cheering, and then finally, this.....

Three companies marching onto the field as one.....what a proud moment for me. <3
The music still gives me goosebumps!

Once they released the soldiers to find their families, chaos ensued. Hundreds of parents, grandparents, siblings, wives, husbands, boyfriends and girlfriends all trying to find their soldiers in a sea of camouflage. LOL 
I found my girl soon enough, and managed to sneak up on her and grab her in the biggest bear hug. We both started crying. It was SO good to see her face in person after 11 long weeks!
I noticed when I hugged her that she was all wiry and muscle-y! LOL

Me and my Soldier Girl!

Me and the Soldier Girls. We adopted this gal for Family Day, since her family couldn't make it.

We spent some time doing brief meet-n-greets of her Battle Buddies and their families, and then went to sign the gals out for the day. We were restricted to on-post only, so we hit the PX (and the optical shop) to do some shopping, lunch, and visiting). Then we wandered over to the U.S. Army Basic Combat Training Museum, which was really cool!

Outside the museum.

A piece of one of the World Trade Center buildings from the 9/11 attacks.

After the museum, we did a little more wandering around, but ended up back at the PX, just kicking back at a table and talking. She had to be back at her company by 2030, and we dropped her off a little bit early to make sure she made it on time. Then it was back to the hotel for us to get some sleep, and get ready for Graduation Day!
Sadly the weather did not cooperate, and the graduation ceremonies were moved inside. This meant that these soldiers didn't get to do Pass & Review, but the graduation ceremony was awesome regardless! (Sorry for the crappy video work, but just LISTEN! Again with the goosebumps!)

After the graduation ceremony was over, we went back over to the company area to get Soldier Girl all checked out, get all her orders signed off on, and get her stuff packed into the car, so we could drive her to her AIT post.

This photo cracks me up! She actually said "Really Mom?"
I just wanted a record of her carrying 100lbs of gear without complaining! LOL

She said her first order of business was to hit up a Five Guys, but it was a little early in the day for that so she settled for Waffle House instead. :) After our bellies were full, we went back to the hotel and just hung out for a few hours. She sorted all her gear and re-packed it all. We watched TV and surfed the net (she had to get caught up on Facebook, you know!). We ran out and did a little shopping (which she griped about - she didn't want to put those Class A's back on! LOL) and then got a good night's sleep.
The next morning, we loaded up the car and hit the road for her next post. Within minutes of being in the car, I looked back and saw this:

Apparently, all soldiers fresh out of basic do this. Sleep when you can.
She did it every time we got in the car. LOL

Once we reached her new post (Friday 10/5) , we were sent to three different buildings to get her checked in. But once all the paperwork was done, she was granted a weekend off-post pass (yay for Columbus Day being a federal holiday, right?) So we went and checked into a hotel and proceeded to be lazy for a few hours. We did a little bit of sightseeing, and tried to find a gun range that fit our time schedule, but unfortunately that didn't work out too well. So mostly we just hung out, drove around town so she could see where things were, and did laundry at the hotel.

Laundry guard. And Facebook.
The important stuff, you know!

The hubs and I had to hit the road on Sunday, so we had to take Soldier Girl back to her company early (she had a pass til 1400 on Monday), but that allowed her plenty of time to get all her stuff unpacked and put away, and of course to catch up with Facebook and texting with friends. ;)

When it came time to say good bye, I was ok, until I saw she had tears in her eyes. I told her to knock it off, and then started to cry too. LOL She texted me for the next 6 hours, just talking about random things, until she finally decided to turn in.

We arrived back at home at around 430AM on Monday, and went straight to bed for a few hours.

It was an amazing, wonderful, emotional trip - and worth every single second.
I am so proud of my kid!!! She has really changed, for the better of course. She's polite & respectful, carries a crapload of gear without complaint, answers all questions with "Yes/No ma'am/sir" and cusses like a sailor soldier. :) LOL

She's two weeks into classes at AIT, and she has more freedom than at BCT. Her company seems more like a college campus than the army, except for the road marches and multiple daily formations. Everyone is really laid back - a bunch of self professed geeks. :)
She's getting to know her battle buddies, is very grateful to only have 5 bunk mates instead of 27, and pretty much gets to text/facebook her mama whenever she wants.
She scored a 90 on her first test, which makes me proud, because it's pretty technical stuff (hubs understands it, but it's way over my head!).

Sorry this is so incredibly long.....but I guess when you can't post for so long, that's just how it is!

Next up: the new JOB!!! Look for that soon!

PAR-TAY!

Soldier Girl is graduating after all!!
She got a chance to re-test on PT, and with a battle buddy kicking her ass the whole way, she scored above the standard and passed. WHEW!!!

I knew she could do it, I just didn't know if she knew she could do it! Thanks to all that said a prayer for her!

This is probably my shortest post ever, but I still have a ton of things to do before we hit the road!

I promise to take tons of pics, and I'll try to update somewhere along the way. :)

One happy mama. <3

Countdown & Chemo

Just four more days til I get to see my soldier girl!!! I still have a ton of things to do before we hit the road on Monday, but figured I should post an update here before time gets away from me any further.

On Tuesday this week, I received a very tearful phone call from my daughter. It was only a seven minute call but it seemed like it lasted an eternity. She called to tell me that she had failed her makeup PT test. :( She was calling from a payphone and the connection was terrible, but I think what she said was that the first time she had problems with her pushups, and on the makeup she was over her run time by 30 seconds. She didn't know if she was going to have another opportunity to re-test or if she would just be moved to FTU. I'm praying that she gets another chance (or has already had another chance and just hasn't had an opportunity to call) and putting positive mom vibes out for her, even having conversations with her in my head, telling her to get her mind right and get this done.

I would love it if you would help me put those positive vibes out there for her too!


Chemo is done for this round, and though hubs still feels like utter crap, we have good news to report! Also on Tuesday this week (Tuesday was quite a rollercoaster!), hubs went in for an MRI to see if the chemo was doing what it was intended to do. I hate MRI days. Yes, the hubby hates them too, what with the needles and whirring-clicking-banging-humming of the MRI machine, and then the wait to see his neuro-oncologist, they turn into all day affairs every time. I don't usually go with him, since I would do the same thing there as I do at home - worry and pace, worry and pace.  And that's what I did all day Tuesday. I tried to stay busy, but my mind kept wandering back to the worry.

When he finally got home, he said that his doc was running more than three hours behind schedule* and he didn't wait to see her. Chemo not only makes him tired and seriously nauseous, but cranky and impatient too. So he left a message with the receptionist to have the doc call him with results.

*Neuro-oncologists aren't a dime a dozen, and choices are limited. We love this doctor, and she will give us as much time as we need or want during a scheduled appointment. Which is also why she runs so far behind schedule - she offers the same to all of her patients.

Luckily, she called just an hour or so after hubs got home, with results from his MRI. The tumor has "shrunk significantly"!!! Remember, it was only 3mm when they caught it in early August. But the chemo is doing it's job!! This probably means a few more rounds of chemo, but it's better than having another surgery! Woot!!!

I know I haven't done much talking about shooting lately, but that's because we haven't been shooting lately. I miss it. :'( I need to go shoot! 

I start the new job at the range the week after we return, so maybe I'll have opportunities to throw some lead downrange after work once or twice a week.

I also need to fill you all in on my self defense class! That will be a long post, so it will have to wait til I have some time to sit and write some more, but so far I'm loving it! I'm covered in bruises, and I hurt from strained this and pulled that - but I have already learned things I could put into practice right now if I had to. Hopefully I'll have a chance to write that post during our 17 hour trip to see my soldier girl. :)

Until then, take care of yourselves and shoot straight!

Countdown, Combatives, Chemo and a Chorus

Just 10 more days before I get to see my soldier girl! 

I sent off my last stack of letters to her a few days ago - and when I say "stack" I mean it. A total of 15 pieces of mail, so she'll have things to read clear up until graduation day. :) Good thing she doesn't have to do pushups for mail anymore! Not writing letters everyday now has freed up a little time, and at first I felt a little lost as to what to do with the extra time. Then I realized I have a crap ton of things to do, and just over a week to get them accomplished! Yikes!

I've been slowly moving things from my home office into my daughter's room new office to give me a little more space to work (and hopefully the space to start sewing again). My old office will get turned into the reloading room. I've received some criticism from family members over this "Where will she stay when she comes back from AIT." Uhhh, a dorm on the college campus of her choosing? As a dear friend of mine so eloquently put it "She's a grown ass woman now. She can take care of herself." ;)

Anyhow, the office move is almost complete, and then we'll move the reloading bench and the accompanying tools/supplies, and my house might look like a house again, instead of a gun shop!

We started the combatives class on Friday. It was a two hour class, and I already feel like I have tools in my arsenal that I could use right now if I had to. I am battered, sore and bruised, but I'm going to try to participate in today's class today too. We'll see what happens. :)
I've learned how to negotiate my way out of being pinned to the ground, and how to react if shoved into a wall or other vertical surface and come out swinging to create enough space to escape.

Don't misunderstand....there is no false sense of security here with me thinking these will get me out of any situation. I know I have MUCH more to learn. This class has reinforced in my mind that a gun certainly isn't the right tool for every situation - something I already knew.
During the grappling exercise where I had to negotiate my way out of being pinned to the ground, there was no way I could even reach my gun (if I had had it on me). The key was getting out of being pinned down, creating space between me and my attacker and getting out of there when possible.
I had a couple of different partners for this exercise (of varying body types) and I surprised myself by being able to get out of it with even the biggest/heaviest guy in the class, and I'm pretty small (5'2" and 110# soaking wet). It was about knowing how to move to start creating space between us, and fighting dirty where needed.

Hubs starts chemo today, and has an MRI on Tuesday this week. I'm praying for good news, and for the side effects to be minimal.

And finally....I have another blog where hubs' and I talk about life with brain cancer, and I've been doing a "New Music Monday" series (well, trying anyway...sometimes it's Thursday or Saturday before I find the perfect song to post LOL). This weeks entry is by a band called "Otherwise" out of Las Vegas, called "Soldiers." The band describes the song on their youTube page as such:

The song began as a metaphor for the battle that unsigned bands go through to get their message heard as artists, then quickly transformed into an anthem for everyone living on the front-lines of life. "When I started writing the lyrics, I was staring at my bandmates and thinking that they are my brothers in arms," says the singer. "It was going to be our anthem, but by the time I finished I realized it was an anthem for our whole nation. We are all soldiers fighting for something, whether it's to put food on the table, to be heard, or just to be happy. Every soldier is human, and we're all human."

It just fits my life so perfectly right now, for many reasons. Well worth a watch & listen.

ERMEHGHERD!!

It seems like just yesterday I posted Really, Monday? Suddenly, I have 2 weeks before I hit the road to go watch my baby girl graduate from Basic Training. And of course, a billion things to do!

Where did the freaking time go?!?

I've been busy (in case you couldn't tell by my lack of posts!) - so I guess that has helped to pass the time.

I've been busy reading and writing letters....a lost art, really. Most people just pick up the phone or fire off an email, right? Well, you don't get to do that with Basic Training, so letters are IT. I spent hours scouring the 'net for inspirational quotes, grabbing headlines from the news, trolling baby girl's FB page to send her updates, and writing-writing-writing. I have no idea how many letters I've sent her, but I have a stack of 13 letters from her here on my desk. The latest one she wrote over the course of 2-3 days - it's 7 pages long! That made my heart happy. <3
She's doing quite well, but ready for Basic to be in the rearview mirror. 18 days til I get to see her!

Hubs is doing chemo again the week before we go, so I'm praying that most of it is out of his system before we hit the road for the 17 hour drive. His next MRI is during that same week. Praying for good (or at least neutral) news.

In other news....the bruises I got at Krav Maga are still not completely healed. They're a lovely shade of yellow now, so at least they're healing. Sadly, this particular KM school turns out to not be what we were looking for - too much testosterone and too much focus on "if you do this, you can kick anybody's ass." I don't want to kick anybody's ass! I want to do what I have to do to get out of a bad situation alive and be able to go home. So that school is out.
On a positive note, we have found another school that teaches a different style that is focused on the self-defense aspect, and not on beating the crap out of someone just because you can. We observed several classes, asked a ton of questions, and will be participating in a few classes this next week. But I really like what I'm seeing, and that the instructor takes the time to break things down and explain the mechanics of things - instead of throwing you to the wolves (remember folks, I have NO martial arts or self defense experience). They even do knife and gun training - with dummy weapons of course. I expect I'll have lots to say near the end of next week after participating in a few classes.

And finally.....I got a new job. :) At a gun range. :D
It's a web dev position, but they plan to cross train everyone on most everything, so it's going to be a fantastic learning experience for me!

Hello, open door..... :)

Round 1 Down

Mr 2A made it through his first round (or is it really his 14th round? or round 1 volume 2?) of chemo. First couple of days were ok, but the rest of the week was a wreck.
When he was on chemo last go-round, it was the same med, but the dosing schedule was different since he had to do it for a full year. They spread them out, so his side effects weren't as bad.
This time it's full force, and full force effects.

A full week of extreme nausea, throwing up, fatigue, and generally feeling like he'd been hit by a train. :(

He's feeling much better these last couple of days. Way less nausea (that will go away once the chemicals all get out of his system, and then he'll get to start all over) and less fatigue, although mid-day naps are common for him for the last couple of years.

A 3 week break, then another round.....and then a 17 hour road trip to go watch the Soldier Girl graduate from Basic Training. I'll admit, I'm more than a little worried about that.

But we'll roll with the punches, 'cause that's how we do. 

Headed for our 2nd Krav Maga class tonight. I haven't formed a definite opinion yet, so I'm going to hold off on posting about it. But I will leave you with this......

Right forearm...there are still lumps under those bruises, and our first class was a week ago.
After tonight, those are going to look way worse.

Xanax and a bump in the night

Because of all the stressors in our lives lately, I haven't slept well in a really long time. I would go to sleep easily, and stay asleep most of the night (except for getting up a couple times to get a drink or use the bathroom). But I never could get that deep restful sleep that would leave me feeling refreshed and raring to go the next day. Every morning was a struggle to get out from under the covers and multiple bashings of the snooze button. Until my doc prescribed xanax. Now I am asleep within 30-45 minutes, and sleep like a rock for a solid 8 hours. Great, right?

Maybe not. Mr 2A just told me a story.
Last night, around 2am he heard a crash in the kitchen. He sat bolt upright in bed, grabbed his gun, and sat pointing it at the bedroom door for a few minutes, listening. It wasn't the cat. She was laying on the bed at my feet. There's no one else living with us right now, just me and him.

When he didn't hear any other noises, he went to investigate, he found this on the kitchen floor.

This thing has sat in the same spot on top of the refrigerator for several months since it was last used. But somehow, it decided last night it was time to jump off the fridge.
Glad it wasn't anything more nefarious than a piece of tupperware.

But here's my concern.
I. Didn't. Hear. A. Freaking. Thing.
And pre-xanax, I would've done exactly what my husband did (except I would've woken up my spouse!).

So now the question I have to mull over is....which is more important?
Good, deep sleep? Or being able to hear that bump in the night?

Bittersweet

Today is the first day of "back to school" for many. I'm seeing many FB posts of everyone's kiddos in their cute new clothes, backpacks full of new school supplies. I'm monitoring my daughter's FB account for her while she's gone (so I can send her the all important updates in my letters to her), and many of her friends are posting about their first days of college.

If you have kids going back to school, or are going back to school yourself - I hope you have an amazing first day!

Well, we aren't doing that back to school thing. At least not yet. Once my daughter is done with basic and AIT, then we'll get into the back to school thing. But it's all bittersweet.

I'm feeling more than a little nostalgic today. I remember her first day of kindergarten. I cried when I left her there, but she was happy as a lark to be doing something new and meeting new people. I remember it like it was yesterday, but in reality, it was 18 years ago.

I'm missing her like crazy, and counting down the days til I get to see her graduate from basic training (36 to go!). Her letters tell me she's doing great, and even having some fun and kicking ass, but the momma in me worries about her just the same.

In other news, Mr 2A started Round 2, Part 1 of his chemo treatment last night. It's mid-morning as I write this, and he's already napping. I hope that's not a sign that this treatment is going to kick his ass early and often. But if it is a sign of that, I'll take it over the tumor.

Nudity is the Theme of the Day

As I perused the GBBL this morning, the word "Nudity" caught my eye. (Hey, don't judge, you do it too and you know it.) So I click through and see what this is all about.
Don't worry, totally safe for work and/or around kids - so clicky clicky!

If you've read any of my previous blog entries, you know that this subject is near and dear to my heart. We live it everyday, and it's just recently launched another offensive.

What Flier389 is doing for his friend Bob is an absolutely amazing show of support. Treatments are freaking expensive, and it doesn't take long to rack up some seriously astronomical medical bills. Even the smallest donation helps.

So get on over there and donate whatever you can. Flier389 has quite the show in store as the donations accumulate, so please help spread the word as well!

Irresponsible

Several weeks ago, Mr 2A and I were in a local gun store looking for various things, and as I always do, I wandered over to peruse the handguns, just to see if anything was desperately looking for a new home. As I'm browsing, I hear one of the sales guys talking to a woman who seemed to be brand new to gun shopping and gun ownership. She was looking for something for home defense, and started off looking at semi-automatic pistols. She held several models and was asking questions.
The sales guys says to her:
"You really should consider a revolver. They require no maintenance, whereas a semi-auto requires very regular maintenance and cleaning. You have to replace the magazine springs every three months."
She says "But that's only if you use them, right?"
Sales guy: "No, that's whether you use them or not."

I'm thinking.......UHM.......WHAT?!?

Here's where I feel like I did something irresponsible. I didn't say a word.
I wanted to step in and say something, but I didn't want to come right out and call the guy a dumbass. Nor did I really want to embarrass him. But what he was telling her was NOT correct, and I'm really hoping that she has since gotten better information somewhere else.

I left the store, and sat in my car for about 15 minutes, watching to see if she would come out. If she had, I was going to introduce myself to her and just let her know that what the sales guy said was not accurate, and even offer to let her try out some of our pistols if she wanted to take a trip with us to the range at some point. Unfortunately, she didn't come out of the store in that 15 minute time span, and we had somewhere else we had to be.

It still bothers me. I should have said something.
How would you have handled it? Would you have said something?

Birthday BRM

Baby girl had a birthday this week! Before leaving for basic training, she requested "NO BIRTHDAY CARDS!" (It really was more of a demand, than a request.)

She didn't want to get smoked or draw any extra attention to herself, which I understand. But this Mama was more than a little sad about not being able to send a birthday card filled with some twisted humor. I asked about sending cookies or something and the response I got was "Only if you send enough for everyone, and even then the drill instructors will smoke me and eat them all themselves." There are over 200 soldiers in her unit, and that's a LOT of cookies, so I dropped that  as fast as I thought of it since she didn't think she'd get one anyway. ;)

Turns out, she got to do something kinda fun on her birthday! Her unit hit the rifle range and started their Basic Rifle Marksmanship training - and Mama got to see a few photos. I think it might have been a better gift to me, than to her, but at least I know it wasn't an unremarkable birthday. :)

Checking out the targets

Not sure which makes me more proud; the uniform, or the handful of ammo! :)

Like the Freaking Terminator.....

....a brain tumor says "I'll be back." It's not a matter of IF, it's just a matter of WHEN.
And the when is now, unfortunately. And, we've named it Arnold.

Hubs says he knew something was off. He'd been having some weird things going on, and somehow, he just knew that the tumor was growing again.

When he came home from his a, I said "SO?!" And when he said "Do you want to come sit down?" I knew what he was about to tell me. But I saw his prescription for chemotherapy drugs before he had a chance to say another word.

After breaking down and crying for about twenty minutes, I gathered my wits about me and started asking questions about the game plan.

The good news:
The growth is tiny. 3mm. So tiny that it's only visible on one slice of the MRI. We caught it early.
Chemo treatment is for two months to see if that helps wipe out the new growth, with monthly MRIs to monitor. The last round of chemo was once a month, for an entire year, and that was after a surgery to remove as much of the tumor as possible. This kept it at bay for over two years.

If these chemo drugs don't do the trick, there is a cocktail of drugs he can try. But that one involves being hooked up to an IV for treatments (the previous treatment, and the current one, are pills, taken by mouth every day for seven days, then three weeks off, then another seven days).
Another surgery could be on the horizon, depending on what happens with the chemo.
Radiation therapy is not on the table at this point, as we've decided that is a tool of last resort, since you only get one shot at it with a brain tumor.


Thanks to those of you that emailed to check on me. We went and blew off a little steam at the range this morning with our nephews and my FIL. I should've made some brain tumor targets to take with us.

So. That's where we're at. Motherfuckingbastardbraintumor. I want you gone. For good.
I want my husband back.

Memory Dump & Prayer Request

Good grief. It seems all my blog posts are "catch up" posts. Perhaps that's a sign that I need to try to slow down and make a real effort to write a little something every day. A daily memory dump, so to speak. Because right now, I can't really remember all that's been happening in the last few weeks!

*Car is finally out of the shop, good as new. Well....almost. When we went to pick it up, we pointed out some scratches and a crack on the driver's side mirror, and the insurance adjuster tried to tell us those were already there. Ummm...no they weren't. You will fix it, because it happened as a result of the accident. He bumbled for a moment, and then said he'd get the shop to order in a new housing for the mirror, and we could call today and set up an appointment to get that repaired. I'm hoping we don't get any resistance on that, and that when they DO begin the work on it, it doesn't take a week or more. This body shop took 2.5 weeks to fix the front quarter panel and replace the door and paint. Did I mention they had it for a week before even starting the work? Why didn't we take it somewhere else? Our insurance said this was the only place authorized to fix it, and it would've had to have been towed elsewhere. Grr. Time to shop for new insurance? I think perhaps!

*Baby girl seems to be adjusting to her soldier-in-training way of life! At first I was very concerned, she was SO homesick. I talked to her three times while she was in reception, and all three of those phone calls were filled with tears and "I miss you momma." I have very little Army experience, but I knew that once she was out of reception and got started on her training, things would improve. Or at least, she'd be so damn busy she wouldn't have time to think about missing anyone.
I've received a couple of letters, and might be getting another phone call in the next week or so when she moves from Red Phase to White Phase. She kicked ass at Victory Tower, and even said in one of her letters that it was "Frickin' cool!" :) That made me proud, and even a little bit jealous. I would love an opportunity to conquer Victory Tower too, just maybe without drill sergeants yelling at me.
Her unit has a Facebook page, so I've been very fortunate to be able to see photos of some key training events along this journey so far. I found one of her hanging from a rope on Victory Tower - that one will get printed out poster size and hung on my office wall. <3 I've also seen photos of her unit at the gas chamber as well, and found a few of my girl. Most of the soldiers coming out of the chamber have tortured looks on their faces, with snot and drool streaming everywhere. My girl? The look on her face is "Just handlin' my bidness." :) With minimal drool. (She'll be pleased about that! LOL)
As of tomorrow, she will have been gone three weeks. The house is eerily quiet without her here, and I really miss her. I miss her goofy antics and her witty comments. But I am enjoying coming and going as I please, and not having to worry about what she might be getting into. She is safe, and she is learning to be a soldier. <3

*Shooting! We had sorta slacked on hitting the range since returning from Colorado. We just had so much to do to get baby girl ready to go, and then The Week From Hell happened - and we needed some serious stress relief. So we joined a new gun club. :)
Most of the ranges around here have some pretty strict rules about how you can shoot, and what you can shoot. Which is fine, safety first, right? But standing still and shooting holes in paper can get boring. This gun club is in it's early beginnings, so it's really not that developed yet, but it's outdoors (REALLY looking forward to fall/winter shooting there) and you can actually move/shoot, draw from your holster, and shoot pretty much whatever you want in terms of targets (as long as you clean up the mess afterwards!). So hubs and I are looking at buying some steel targets to take out there for fun. In the meantime, we've been shooting the standard silhouette targets, but we're able to practice different scenarios. One thing is clear. I need more training and a helluva lot more practice.
We have a couple of training schools lined up! One we're going to hit before the end of the year, and the other we're hoping to get to in February or March of next year. In the meantime, I've found a local instructor and will be taking a Defensive Handgun class (and maybe some private instruction) in the next month or so.
I'm looking into changing up my EDC. I'm currently carrying a Ruger LC9, and while the size is just about perfect for me to conceal, I'm looking for something with a higher round capacity and a trigger that isn't quite so loooooong. It's currently a toss up between a Ruger SR9c (hubs has one of these, and I like it, and can conceal it ok) and a S&W M&P9/M&P9c. But I need to rent/borrow one to see how it shoots before making the final decision. Hoping to do that this week. Based on just handling them both, the M&P's slide is easier to rack, the sights are a little better, and it weighs just a couple ounces less.
Dallas Area Blog Shoot! A date has been set, and hubs and I are going to try to make it! Looking forward to meeting a bunch of new people and trying out some new toys!

 *Reloading! Hubs has thrown himself into reloading. We've made more than a few trips to "Big Box Hunting/Fishing/Outdoor Sports Store" for equipment and supplies. I think if we totaled up all the receipts, I'd probably choke at the amount of money we've spent, but I do know that in the long run, it will be more cost effective for us, and we'll be able to actually shoot MORE. :) Once he gets all the basics down, he's going to teach me. He's been showing me things along the way, and I get it for the most part, but put that technical data and all those numbers in front of me? Well, my eyes glaze over and I start to drool like *I* just came out of the gas chamber! It's gonna take me a while to wrap my brain around that part.

*Physical fitness. I suck. I have totally fallen OFF the wagon here. I haven't seen the inside of the gym in weeks. And weeks. And I'm feeling the effects. I've put on a little weight (which is not a big deal for me, I could use the extra pounds, but I'd prefer it was muscle instead of this little spare tire I'm developing!). But more importantly, I'm starting to feel crappy. I can't seem to get enough sleep lately, and I get grouchy pretty quick. I kept thinking it was the Texas heat, and while that may be a contributing factor, it's the lack of physical activity that is the biggest fault. SO, the home exercise equipment is getting dusted off, I'm making myself a workout calendar, and I'm calling the Krav Maga school too. Today. Oh, and my running shoes? Ha! Just found them yesterday, after not seeing them since Colorado. So that's something else I need to get back to.

And finally.......Prayers? If you're so inclined, I would really appreciate any prayers and good mojo you could send our way today. Hubs left a little bit ago to go do his "quarterly MRI."  That's in quotes, because he sorta skipped the last one. I protested, and nagged, and bitched, but nothing I did or said would make him pick up the phone and call to make an appointment. He was sure he was fine and didn't need to spend the money.
However the last couple of weeks he's had some odd things happening (which he just told me about YESTERDAY. Ugh.), and now he's worried that the tumor may be rearing it's head again. He didn't actually tell me that, but he did say "I'm afraid the results won't be good." :(

MRI days make me crazy. The time at the MRI clinic is usually 1.5-2 hours, and then from there he goes to his oncologists office, and that usually takes at least two hours. We love her and she's fantastic - she gives each patient as much time as they need, appointment times be damned. But that means lots of waiting. So MRI days are typically that - a full day. A stressful, worrisome, hand wringing day for me - waiting for an update.

So, with that, I'm going to dig in on today's ToDo List to keep my brain busy. God help me.

Looking Up!

So the spider bite is not going to rot my flesh off. Whew! It's still REALLY ugly looking, still about the size of a half dollar, still angry reddish purple, and still itchy off and on. But it IS getting smaller.

The car should be released from the hospital early next week. It will be nice to have a car with good working AC in it again. Driving around in 100+ degree heat with AC that barely blows.....well.....blows!

I had a "soldier girl" sighting today!! I'm lucky enough that my daughter's training unit has a bunch of volunteers that are taking photos of various training events and putting them up on the unit's Facebook page. I found three photos of my girl, and it really made my day. :) First time I've seen her in ACU's!

That's my girl conquering Victory Tower!

AND, I was also lucky enough to win a little something in a contest I entered. I never win! LOL

Maybe I should go buy a lottery ticket today......

Blah

So it's been a week since the car accident happened, and we still have no ETA on when the car will be whole again. Grrr.

Last week started out bad, and didn't improve. Believe me, I know "things could be worse." But it sure seems like bad stuff comes in threes a giant lump.

Tuesday, baby girl shipped to basic training. While the event itself was/is a fantastic adventure, for both me and her, I felt like a jackass for breaking down and crying when saying good bye. I tried so hard, but the tears won.

Wednesday, we had to say farewell to a long time loyal friend.

Thursday, I stayed home. And moped.

Friday? Friday's are supposed to be good, right? Spider bite. Not sure what kind, but it keeps getting angrier and angrier looking, so I'm headed over to the doc's office here in a few to make sure my flesh isn't going to rot and fall off.

Maybe I should temporarily change the blog title to "2A Army Mama's Bitch Fest." Has a certain charm, no? Nah, I just gotta get squared away and make my own good luck I guess.

Wish me luck at the doc's office!

Really, Monday?

A trip to the train station.
A car wreck in downtown Dallas. Car not driveable.
Almost an hour on the phone with the insurance company BEFORE they dispatch the tow truck.
Another hour wait before the tow truck arrives.
A slightly scary interaction with a crazy homeless guy.
Tow truck arrives -"Oh sorry, we can only transport two people" - this is problematic when you're 30 miles from home, and there's three of you.
No rental cars available until 5pm.
An $80 cab ride later......

The good news is, were all ok.
Not sure what the car is going to cost us yet, or how long that's going to take, but we have another to drive in the meantime.

The sad news, this is not how I wanted my daughters last day home to go - she ships to basic training tomorrow morning. :-(

Hope Monday is treating you better than it is me!

A Call For Help: Lurking Rhythmically Trying to Pay It Forward

I stumbled across a post from Lurking Rhythmically this evening....trying to help a woman in need.
I wanted to pass it on, in the hopes that someone can help.

Calling all Texans, Okies and other gunnies

Any Texas CCW holders out there?
How about gun store owners or trainers?

I know a young mother who needs a carry pistol and training to defend herself and her child from violence, but cannot afford either. In her own words:

I work in downtown Houston where there's a large homeless population. Some of these people are crazy, some are people who just got out of Houston county jail (they're dropped off at the greyhound two blocks from our store) and I get into work sometimes at 4:45, or leave at 7pm. Both times have me coming and going when there's no one around. I get SO paranoid about someone trying to attack me, and I'd feel better carrying a gun.

Also, we have issues with my "sperm donor", whom I'm thinking may get stupid one day and show up and try to take E. If he does...

My husband met me when I was 4 months pregnant, and we've been together ever since. My "sperm donor" is an asshole who only contacts me when he's pissed or off his meds. When he's off his meds he's really aggressive and, well, an asshole. Again, another reason to keep a gun.

Money is really tight right now, so getting a gun soon (within 90 days) won't happen, but I'll live. I have a "war club" that I keep, and I have people walk me to and from my car/garage.

I realize I may be pushing my luck in asking for donations not three months after you folks helped me buy my pistol, but this is a really good cause. If anything, she needs a CCW more than I do.
Click through to read in it's entirety or to help.

Even if you can't help out, please pass this on!

Dilemma

I don't talk much on here about my bad guy, for a couple of reasons.
One, there's nothing new to report (everything is stable for now, thank God!), and two, when I talk about it, it seems to elicit sympathy or pity, which I'm not looking for. I don't want people to feel sorry for us, I just want someone to find a damn cure.

But it's been weighing on me lately. Here's why.

One item on my husband's Bucket List is for me to learn to protect myself.

I've gotten a start on that by learning to shoot and getting my CCL. But in order to really fulfill that wish on the Bucket List, I need more training. And as I'm sure you're aware, training ain't cheap.

My brain says "Save up some money, and take another class."
My heart feels an urgency to learn everything I can as fast as I can. I actually feel unsettled that I can't just go enroll in the next training class that catches my eye. I need to be doing something besides just shooting holes in paper at the range.

I have considered getting involved in IDPA or USPSA, but am having a hard time getting out to even watch a match, much less get involved.

So I'm reaching out for suggestions. Do you have specific drills you can recommend? A book or a video? Someone willing to mentor? Something else?

I'm all ears.

As we approach Independence Day

As we approach the birthday of our independence, I am noticing a trend, as I do every year at this time. A trend of articles of clothing that look like they've been made out of an American flag.
And it bothers me. A lot.

I'm not talking about items with a flag printed ON them, like this. Something like this, I have no problem with - I even own something similar.

 

But I'm seeing things like these.

To me, these items look like someone cut up an American flag and made these things. 

I'm sure it's not the intent, but this seems really disrespectful to me.

 

It's a Jonny Cash kind of day.....

Some random thoughts.....
Our country is on a super fast track to the crapper.
I need more guns.
I need more ammo.
I need more training.
Don't freeze a brisket, and then expect it to thaw in the fridge overnight.
Always have a back up plan when you're thinking you'll make brisket for dinner. Thank God for pizza.
Don't wear capris to weed whack the lawn.
Removing the string cap on the weed whacker to pull out more string can make ALL the string come out.
Pull start on a weed whacker is the dumbest invention ever. Blood blisters, anyone?

Vanilla ice cream with chocolate syrup doesn't make all that better, but it helps.


Something about the Man In Black just seemed to fit today.
It's a Johnny Cash kind of day.

Gun Blog Black List

I got a note from GBBL this morning saying I had been added to the list. I am more than a little humbled - I'm not sure I belong there with the likes of some of the biggest and best voices in the gun community. I guess now I need to know what I'm talking about, huh? ;)

Thanks so much for the add, GBBL!

Just a little rant

Having a discussion on a local message board, someone asked for recommendations on a good CHL class. Some dimwit chimed in with this:

IF you just want to carry in your vehicle, I wouldn't get a CHL. 
By getting a CHL you know let the police and other agency know information about you.

True. In Texas, you don't need a CHL to carry a gun in your vehicle. Texas sees your vehicle as an extension of your home, and has adapted the law to make it legal to carry in your car (several years ago, now).

My response:

Uhm....if you have nothing to hide, then it doesn't really matter. If you do have something to hide, then you are likely not eligible for a CHL anyway.

By carrying only in your car, you leave yourself defenseless if TSHTF while you're outside of your car, say leaving a store on your way to your car.

Dimwit:

It seems since you can now carry in your car, at work, etc, Really no need to get CHL for the most part. I had a CHL for year, I only kept a gun in my cars, I never carried one on me when just walking in and out of stores. Now that you can legally carry a firearm in your car, I really don't see much of need for a CHL anymore.

Me:

If you have no intention of carrying daily, everywhere that you can legally carry, then you're right, there's no need for you to have a CHL.

But a gun left in your car will do you no good if you stop at a gas station, go inside to get a snack, and find that as you approach the checkout some thug has decided to rob the store at gunpoint. 

To each his own, but I respectfully disagree with your stance.

Now,  I *just* carried in my car while I was waiting on my plastic to arrive. But there are very few things that you can do WHILE IN YOUR CAR. Meaning, going to and from all the places that you go on a daily basis, if you aren't carrying (legally, of course) then you are vulnerable, and you are placing your safety in the hands of others. Do you trust perfect strangers that much? I no longer do. 

I pray that I never need to use it, but you can damn well bet that sidearm will be with me wherever it's legally allowed.

Carry always, my friends.

Holsters

Did I mention that I got my plastic?! Yep, almost a month ago now. I've been carrying everyday, everywhere that I legally can.

I've got a few holsters now, but I'm still not sure I've found the perfect one just yet.

The Old Faithful Holster
I mentioned in a previous post that when I put this together and tried it on, it was WAY too big for me. Turns out, they sent me the wrong size leather piece for my carry gun (Ruger LC9). They sent me the right sized piece, and I finally got it put together just shortly after I received my license.
The updated version with the smaller piece of leather is better, but not perfect, even though it's what I'm using most often.
I had the sweat shield trimmed down a bit, and the back side of the leather beveled, which has made an improvement in the comfort level for sure.
But being so tiny like I am, it's tough to wear it at 3:00 because it digs into my hip bone, and anything further back than 3:30 or 4:00 is hard for me to get to quickly. I've been wearing it at 3:30.

The Betty Holster
I bought this from the Well Armed Woman website. Carrie was quick to answer my questions, and just as quick with the shipping.
Unfortunately, when I got it, the ejection port was molded SO tightly to my gun, that once I got it in there, I couldn't draw it back out. I emailed Looper Law Enforcement about it, but never got a reply. :(
I'd seen enough YouTube videos on working with Kydex, that I decided to try fixing it myself. I got out my hairdryer, turned it on high heat, and managed to warm it just enough to un-mold the ejection port just enough to make a difference.

I've only worn this holster a couple of times. I like that I can put it anywhere, but it's not perfect either. I feel like it rides too high, and the grip of my gun tends to turn out away from my body.
I think if the clip on it were moved up about an inch, it would ride much better. Not sure I can modify this one, since there's a little divot molded into the kydex where the clip attaches, but if I get brave enough to try making my own, I would definitely move the clip up.

The Remora
A friend from one of the forums I visit sent this to me. It was my very first holster. :)
These little things are pretty amazing, in that they stay right where you put them. Any position, any cant - they aren't moving.
My biggest problem with it is this: What do you do when you go to the bathroom?
At home it's not an issue. Simply remove the holster from your waistband and lay it on the bathroom counter.
But what do you do out in public? I usually have my purse with me, so I could tuck it in there while I take care of business. But I'm afraid I'll forget to put it back in my waist band and someone will see it.
There's a new version that has a little velcro strap to attach it to your belt, so I may try one of those at some point.

The VersaCarry
This also came from a forum-friend. The concept intrigues me, but I'm not so sure about the execution. These newer versions have the trigger guard on the side that goes against your pants. So there's little concern about accidentally catching the trigger on anything.
Again, you can put it most anywhere and it's easy to draw from, but re-holstering is almost impossible without removing the holster from your waistband.

But the support piece that runs along side the slide doesn't seem incredibly strong, and my forum-friend told me that his clip actually broke off when wearing it with a thick gun belt.

I have used this around the house with an unloaded weapon, but haven't gone out in public wearing it.
VersaCarry recommends that you don't carry with one in the chamber when using this holster. And that's not a compromise I'm willing to make. I want that round chambered thank-you-very-much.

With all that said, I've realized that these are all IWB options. I think perhaps I need to try an OWB option to see if that's more comfortable for me. But I can't spend a ton of money trying out a bunch of different ones. So I guess I have a lot more research to do.
If anyone has any suggestions I'd love to hear them!