I have a few pics and stories I wanted to share, but time and all that kept me from doing so. Just a quick hodge podge post.

Our Christmas was one of the best ever. We usually spend Christmas at home and then on the 26th pack up the car and head out of town. This year was the first year in many we did not do that. While there were certainly things we missed about traveling, I forgot how relaxing not going anywhere can be.

My oldest son and his family came over Christmas Eve and spent the night. It was nice that we had the time to observe all of our traditions.

Homemade pizza(gluten-free) on Christmas Eve and then watched a Christmas Story.

Cookies for Santa.

Christmas morning was, of course, present time!

Here is TSM putting together my Kerosene heater. Anyone who knows me knows I am freezing all the time. One of my biggest concerns in case of some kind of natural(or otherwise) disaster has been that we would all die from frost bite. Not any longer. Worked beautifully!

On Christmas day while I was cooking my son took the little kids into the backyard to shoot the airsoft pistol. I wasn’t really paying much attention to them because I had a lot to do, but the other day I had a chance to look at the pics and I was one proud mama.

My daughter, A, listening to instruction with her finger off the trigger. Not sure if you remember, but just a few days prior to that on the range in Culpeper, she had a bit of issue remembering. Oh and E wearing my infamous white glasses. I think she can pull the look off.

It is possible my son is taking airsoft a little to seriously:) At least he is a dapper dresser.

Look at those girls turning over possession of the gun in a positive and safe manner!

Good times!

A few days later Old NFO sent me an email letting me know he would be passing through. Lucky me!!!  He agreed to stop by for dinner and we had a wonderful time. He got to meet the kids, see Jayne, eat yummy food and enjoy a cold beer in a frosty mug.

“A” helping me make the bacon wrapped shrimp that we dipped into a homemade spicy tomatillo salsa.

The meat browning for Braciole. Honestly that was one tender and flavor meal.

Loved having him over. Now, I have a witness that can attest that even though I have a lot of kids, my house really is calm and the kids are well behaved.

Lets see, what else…I have been doing some canning. So far just a few batches of chicken and several batches of beans with ham.

I bought a pressure cooker and just dove right in. Pretty easy. My only issue seems to be that I am not putting enough liquid in. I fill it to the appropriate level and then stick a skewer in the jar, move it and poke it around to remove any air bubbles and refill if needed, but still, not quite right. I am having fun learning though.

And last but not least, for those that do not follow my Facebook page, I got a new holster. A little bit ago Devin from White Dog Holsters surprised me with this beauty.

I had no idea that it was coming. He made it right handed for my Shield for those days I might want to carry a BUG. He also added the EMS symbol which was just so sweet. Of course, now I do feel a little extra pressure to pass the test, but you know easy peasy right:)

The holster is kydex and leather. The blue is absolutely stunning. Devin molds the leather so it fits perfectly around my hip bone. So very, very comfortable! I have been wearing it off and on for about a month. I have done a lot of fry fire practice drawing my gun from the holster. Flawless. It also passes the retention test. If I place my empty gun in the holster and hold it upside down, the gun stays put!.

This is me wearing it along with my brand spanking new ‘ol lady glasses. Love the holster…the glasses, not so much, but I can see things, so there’s that.

Ok, I think for the most part we are all caught up. I will be back next week with a training report. I have challenged Arete to a duel in the park.

Classes at capacity. Entire families signing up for courses. A news story where responsible gun owners are not portrayed as blood thirsty criminals. Yeah, that’s a win.

My friend Keads has hit the big time. Go check him out!!

You know what a fab life I have and how very much I love doing all that I do, but there is only one of me and my plate is waaaaaaaay full. I have been doing dandy balancing it all, but this passed weekend about killed me. I was absolutely exhausted, so some things had to give.

I stepped down from working at the range. I am very busy during the week doing EMT classes and studying and riding on the ambulance and while I do spend a lot of time with the kiddos doing homework and reading books at night, there isn’t a lot of time left for fun. My weekends need to be(and I want them to be) with my family.

M’s books are finally arriving this week, so we will be getting much more serious about school. She has read a lot(gives me tons of free time) and has written several papers, but soon I will have to really buckle down which will not leave me a whole lot of time for blogging.

I will most likely make my quick little posts on FaceBook and only blog when there is something really relevant to guns, knives, training, and/or the 2nd Amendment.

I have fallen way behind in reading other blogs, but I am hopefully that I will be able to get back to it on a more regular basis. I learn so much and I really enjoy staying in touch with everyone through their writing.

I am not going away, but you will see less of me.

Now, back to my very large laundry pile.

This weekend I worked at the range. At the end of the course someone mentioned the name of my blog(no, it wasn’t me). The class was all men and one of them said, “Oh, so you are in competition with LimaTunes”

He was being funny. He is a nice guy and I enjoyed spending the weekend with all the students, but on the way home his comment was the topic of a discussion I had with TSM.

The idea that women in the industry are in competition with each other. To some extent that is true. People are competing for business, but I not in the way that joke was made.

First, I have no goals in the firearms industry. I am not really trying to be an instructor. I took the NRA course because I was asked to and in order to have some creditably at the range, but I do not envision me doing any more than I do now. For one thing I do not have the time to dedicate to it in order to be qualified in a manner I believe instructors should be. For another, I have other goals.

Secondly, I don’t actively try to build up my blog or FB. One of the things I love is that my blog is a true reflection of who I am and in the process several folks have come along for the ride. They have shared with me, taught me, supported me, and let me into their lives. It has been a blast, but becoming a big blogger has never been my goal or desire.

However, one of the things I have found to be unique among the female firearms professionals is their amazing support and promotion of other women in the industry. I have worked in a variety of professions and while never directly been a target I have seen competition and desire to get ahead bring out the absolute worst in some women. Catty, back biting, gossip, jealousy, undermining…

Ambition, the desire to be the best, to succeed, to grow, to make money are excellent! Nothing wrong with those, but one does not have to step on others in order to get there.

Every single woman I know(that I personally know) in the profession of guns, instruction, firearms gear, self defense, Second Amendment, blogging etc., has been overly supportive of other women. They promote other’s ideas, their courses, their conferences, their books, their blogs, their growth…

I would like to take the time to thank these women(you know who they are) for their support and encouragement of me. It has been my privileged and honor getting to know each of you.

I am under educated and under aware of all that I should know, need to know about the government and all that has led us to this point.

I paid attention in school, I have read a lot of books over the years, I have always watched the news and had discussions with folks about the economy, those in charge of our country and events taking place in the world, but I did so with a naive and skewed view. Until recently, very recently, I never saw the world or this country in the light I should have.

One night at dinner, I told my husband I felt like a radical crazy gun nut because I had actually thought more than once that I might have to stand up against my government .I told him I get physically sick to my stomach when I think about all those that fought and died for the principals this country was founded on and I didn’t want those deaths to be in vain. I got sick thinking about the world I was leaving my kids. How can I let this happen? How could I do nothing to?

My husband said, “Are you listening to yourself?” “You feel like a radical for even having the audacity to think about taking a stand for your country?” “For believing with everything inside you that what this country was founded on, is WORTH fighting for?” “You are not radical, your awake!”

My husband is not one to think we are at the brink of a civil war or even close to it, but he is clear in his mind what he will do, what he will not do. Unlike me, he doesn’t spend a lot of time or anytime really thinking about these things because he doesn’t care. Regardless of what happens or doesn’t happen he knows where his line in the sand is and he has a plan.

One thing he knows is that war is hell. Not the slogan, “War is hell”, but that war is actually hell. He has witnessed civil wars with boots on the ground and he has spent time in countries with unstable governments and it is horrific. Any romantic views of what this country will be like during or after a civil war are pure bullshit. He has told me time and time again, those that say they are willing to die for their country, for their beliefs, for their arms, better mean it because most likely they will and death might be the preferred outcome. Those that live through it suffer… severely.

My husband has already put himself in that situation, so he knows how he will react. He has no illusions of what battle is and honestly he was not a fan.

I am still figuring a lot of things out and I don’t know how I feel or think about a many of them, but I do know that regardless of the gun ban issue(which I am crystal clear on how I feel), this country is in deep doodoo and if more people do not wake up and start to fight back now, then my radical thoughts just might be our only answer.

This is not just a gun issue. People have to have the courage to open their eyes and see the facts, see what is happening. We have a lot more to lose if we continue down this path.

“Freedom makes a huge requirement of every human being. With freedom comes responsibility. For the person who is unwilling to grow up, the person who does not want to carry is own weight, this is a frightening prospect.” -Eleanor Roosevelt 

Think!!

Wake-up!!

A few links to help you get started…

A World Without Guns

Why The Gun Is Civilization

If They Come For Your Guns, Do You Have A Responsibility To Fight?

The other day on Facebook (I know I spend entirely too much time there) I posted a blog post by a man who was defending his photograph of a young girl with a gun. In the comment section of my FB page someone left this…

“The best way to get to these kind of people is to give them no validation. Just hit delete and block for email like that as it makes their day to get you to respond no matter how negative the response”.

That comment was left by a person who comments a lot on my page and is always friendly and insightful. I was not upset or offended by his reply. I am sure he was offering it  with the best intentions.

My response to him was…

“In general I agree. That is what I do 99% of the time, but occasionally there is an email, comment, post that warrants a response. Never for the original sender, but maybe for my own need to rebuke it or to try to effect others that read such dribble and could benefit from an alternate view point…”

I have never been very good at standing up for myself, but I have been trying to learn to do that. I have no desire to become involved in a constant battle with everyone who disagrees with me or pokes at me looking for a response, but sometimes regardless of the person”s original intent, I need to stand up against it. Sometimes it is for me to maybe just show myself, no I will not allow this.

Kathy Jackson wrote…

“It really is a form of social bullying, when someone tries to make you feel ashamed or embarrassed about something important to you. Appeasing bullies never really works; it just tends to make them bolder and more insistent. So it will take some social bravery to face down the bullies and hold onto the gains we’ve made in recent years.”

It is bullying.

Now, I realize if I write a blog and put myself and my story out there I subject myself to a certain amount of potential harmful comments. I accept that and I really do believe people have a right to be heard, but there is a difference from not agreeing with me or pointing out an error and just being mean, cruel, and hateful.  When someone posts a comment or writes on their blog something either untrue or mean just because, well that is bullying and it’s wrong.

Kathy also writes…

“Stories are always powerful. If you have a story of your own, be brave enough to share it with others, to whatever level of detail you’re comfortable…”

Stories are powerful and my story has impacted some. It is why I continue to bring it up or share it, because I was naive and unprepared and it cost me. It cost me a lot and if I can help in anyway, someone avoiding my situation or something much worse then I want to do that.

Her post says what I have been feeling. Go read the whole post. She offers a very good perspective!

Soon after my very first Conceal Carry for Self Defense class I started forcing myself to look at different crime videos and reading stories of victims of crime in order to see what I could learn from those people involved. I try to look at each from a variety of angles and discern what if anything I can apply from their situation in order to help me be more prepared.

In the story I pointed to yesterday for instance I found several things that made me stop and think.

One was that in some respects this woman got lucky because when her gun ran out of ammo, the bad guy didn’t notice and he didn’t come after her, he ran away. That is good. Very good.She is alive, her children are alive, she did exactly what she needed to do! Luck is good, but as Tom Given says, if your in a gun fight, it already isn’t your luckiest day(paraphrasing). I will take luck if I can get it, but I don’t want to rely on it, so for me, I look at that situation and think, more bullets is better.

That kind of scenario is why last year  I went from my Glock .27 to my M&P…more magazine capacity. Just something to think about. Probably the average conceal carry citizen will not need 17+1, but I would prefer to have bullets left over as opposed to running out.

Something our legislators might want to think about too.

Kathy Jackson linked an article about a woman who was forced to defend her life and that of her children.

The woman heard someone trying to break in, so she and her children “retreated” to a “safe” area of the house, but the bad guy found them anyway. The mother shot him with her .38 Revolver (the article does not specify).

The article quotes her husband…

“My wife is a hero. She protected her kids. She did what she was supposed to do as a responsible, prepared gun owner,” Donnie Herman said.

I love this so much. I love it because he says …”what she was supposed to do as a responsible, prepared gun owner.”

Emphasis mine.

As gun owners we prepare.

Many anti gun people think that those of us who carry are reckless, blood thirsty killers. We are not. I am not. What I am, is a person who trains for the possibility that I might, once again, meet up with the worst of society and in that case, I would like to be prepared to defend my life and that of my children. As a responsible gun owner, I prepare.

This woman did nothing wrong. Nothing. In fact she did everything right.

She did what she was suppose to do as a responsible, prepared gun owner. I do not know how she prepared or trained, but in that moment she did not ask for, she did what she needed to do.

How do you suppose this story would have ended if she hadn’t had a gun? If she was not prepared how might have this gone?

She did what she as a responsible, prepared, gun owner should have done. Even so, her road ahead will most likely not be an easy one. She did everything right and because of a monster, she will still pay a price. Thank God that price was not with her life or that of one of her children.

Her husband is not alone. As a responsible and prepared gun owner, she is my also hero.

Brigid writes a post On Time and as always is the case with her, it is beautifully written.

In her post she quotes the Dalai Lama and his respond to this question…

What surprises you most about humanity? He replied…

“Man.  Because he sacrifices his health in order to make money. Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health. And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present; the result being that he does not live in the present or the future; he lives as if he is never going to die, and then he dies having never really lived.”

I am a live in the moment person. I plan for and think about the future, but I have learned, the hard way, that life doesn’t always give you a second chance  Sometimes people leave and they don’t come back. Sometimes there are events that take place that change us and no matter how hard we try, we will never be the same.

Some people say they have no regrets. That they cherish everything thing that has happened in their lives because it has made them who they are. I am not one of those people. I have regrets.

I am sure most of you can guess.

I accept those parts of my life that I can’t change  That I wish weren’t there. They are a part of me, but they are not the whole of me. I refuse give up my life. I think many of us focus so much on the not letting the bad guy steal our lives from us, we forget how much we steal from ourselves. The bad guy isn’t a daily threat, but sometimes our mind is.

My hope is that in the midst of all the world’s problems, with all the uncertainty of our country, along with all that life throws at us, that you remember to live.

This morning as I was getting ready to do my workout, I heard my phone ding. I usually turn it off, but sine i didn’t, I popped over to see who it was from.

Text- “Happy Friday, my friend!”

Me- “Happy Friday”

Friend- “I am looking for a gun.”

I am pretty much shocked at this point. She is not really a gun person. Her son is and her hubby I think, but she has never been to keen on me talking about them. She lets me bring my guns when I visit, but they have to be locked up and left in my car. She is sweet as pie. Tough too, but not a shooter.

Me- “Really?” “How can I help?”

Friend- “Lol, yes a gun for me.”

Me- “What will you be using it for and how much shooting have you done?”

She has shot a .22 rifle and some kind of pistol, but that was 10 years ago or so. She actually is looking for a small gun to carry on her property because they are having trouble with wolves.

Friend- “I have no intention of carrying it off the property and hubby has a hunting rifle, but I would prefer something smaller that I could carry on my body.”

Me- “Ok, I actually do not know much about handguns for wolves.” “Let me ask on my blog.”

Friend- “Thank you my dear”.

I have some thoughts on this and I shared them with her, but I would like to know what you all think. I will encourage her to get some training either in a hunters safety type class or a basic pistol course through the NRA. She lives in Wisconsin, so I can’t work with her. She is smaller like me, but she is not timid and she is not one to back down from something she needs to do. So, I am a bit concerned about the kick of a bigger caliber then she is used to, but not overly so. I think she would get training and learn to shoot whatever she felt she needed to be safe from the wolf.

She might read this blog from time to time(not sure), so I am going to keep other thoughts to myself, but maybe you know what I am thinking about her opening her mind to using a gun in any capacity. Even though it’s only for a four legged animal, I am thrilled that she is thinking about her safety and ways to protect herself!