A Loaded Gun

Yes, that's right everyone...I shot a loaded gun. This has always been a small fear of mine, but I knew I had to try it.


I had pretty darn good form...



I have been taking this class with the local police department, Citizen Police Academy, in an effort to figure out what I want to do with my degree. I've learned so much about their department and all the different things I could potentially do. Last Saturday our class went to the gun range. Everyone had the opportunity to shoot a pistol and shotgun...I did both. There was no way I was backing out.


First we started with the .357 glock. I loaded the magazine and released the slide myself. I had 10 bullets and here is what I did...





Police officers are taught to shoot: two in the chest - one in the head. So, I decided I'd try that out. Not bad, huh? Then I just started shooting at the chest.


Now, if you can see it well enough, you will only count 9 bullet holes. That 10th one was my first shot & I got him in the groin...tricky little sucker!


Here's the shotgun, a 12 gauge. I only got one shot & I didn't get a picture of the target, but it went into the chest. You trust me, right?





Now I can cross #90 off my list!

#47 to be complete May 3, 2009

I'm so excited to tell you all that I took a huge step yesterday. I committed myself to complete a Half Ironman Triathalon for Team In Training on May 3, 2009 in St. Croix.

Team In Training is an organization with The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society in an effort to raise money for blood cancer research. I signed up to join a team of individuals and help support a great cause all while training and competing in a triathalon. I'm so glad I chose to do this. I will have a great support system, including a coach, a mentor, and training partners who have all had the same experiences that I will have. I also know that I'll have a great support system from all my friends and family!

My training begins November 1st. And for those of you who aren't quite sure what a Half Ironman means--it is literally half the distance of a full Ironman. I will be swimming 1.2 miles, biking 56 miles, and then running 13 miles (a half-marathon).

Please visit my Team In Training website http://pages.teamintraining.org/ntx/StCroTri09/rflaming. Help support me in my race, but more importantly help support the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society in finding a cure!

Go CATS!!

We had been planning to go to the KSU vs. Texas A&M game for months. The time finally came...and it was well worth the wait! As most of you know, they haven't been doing too well this season, so we were a little worried that it wouldn't be much fun. But once the game started and the Wildcats scored on their opening drive, we knew we were in for a good game!

We left early Saturday morning to make the 3.5 hr drive down to College Station, hoping to miss most of the traffic. Plus there was an Alumni get together at a local bar we planned to attend that started at 9am. We got the car parked close to the stadium but couldn't find the bar...the address given was incorrect. So, we found another place where there were several other K-Staters.

Once the game started, we were so excited to finally get to see them play this season. The last time we saw them was last year's game at Fresno State in California, we lucked out they had that game on their schedule! Here's a pic of us during halftime when the score was KSU 27-A&M 10.

It was really hot...about 90 degrees, but that's actually good for Texas! When the game ended, the score was KSU 44-A&M 30. Their fans were pretty good sports, we got a couple "Good game" comments on our way out. So, all in all it was a great game & we had a great time.

The team was appreciative of the travelers' support, several players (including Freeman) came over to say thanks and give high fives. This trip made me miss K-State football season and being in Texas I really miss the fall weather. We definitely have to make a trip to Manhattan next year!

#20 --- Complete

Steve and I babysat for his boss' children last Saturday. We had a great time and the kids were great! It was so fun to hang out with them, watching Dora, Diego & the Backyardigans. Hopefully we can do it again for them or anyone else that asks.



We're off to the KSU vs Texas A & M game early tomorrow morning. I'm so excited to finally get to see a live game! Go CATS!

Finished!

No, I didn't finish all 101 goals, but I did finish coming up with all 101 goals! After those first 80-some goals its hard to come up with the last few. I wanted the majority of my list to be challenging. I know some of them are going to be really tough on me, but I'm really looking forward to the next 1001 days of my life!

I'd love to see what you have to say! Feel free to leave some encouraging words for me under the comments.

Also, if you'd like to be emailed everytime I post on my blog, please let me know and I'll add your email address to the list.

Our growing girl!

Our puppy, Cali that is. We rescued Cali in Mid-June at 4 months old and about 20 pounds. Now, she is over 7 months old and a little over 40 pounds!

Cali is a Dutch Shepherd which most people have never heard of. The best explanation I can give is that they are similar to a German Shepherd in temperament and intelligence. However, they don't look the same. Another similarity is that they are both used as police dogs.

Here is a picture of a typical Dutch Shepherd from Wikipedia...

Let us know if you see the similarities. Since we got her from a rescue and don't know EXACTLY where she came from, there is no guarantee that is what she is. But I think she looks exactly like the dog in this picture!

We've definitely got a smart puppy on our hands! She is in puppy training and is doing a great job! We lucked out and actually have a private training, although we paid for group training. The other dogs never showed up! Her trainer and his dog absolutely LOVE Cali. She is a typical puppy that likes to jump and play. However, she jumps way more than she should. In fact, she can jump as high as Steve's chest/shoulders. Some things she is learning include: walking nicely on a lease (no pulling), stopping and sitting when we stop walking, sitting, laying down, getting in her kennel on command, rolling over, and a game called touch. The touch game is fun for her and us. We put our hand out at any height and she will come touch her nose to our hand. Steve will stick his arm out straight at shoulder height and she'll jump and touch her nose to his hand! Its so fun to watch! Another great thing she just recently picked up is to sit and lay down by hand signals ONLY! No verbal commands whatsoever.

I wanted to share a few pictures of her from last week. The first one is her and Steve's morning ritual. He lets her out before work and they sit in their chairs to relax a little.

She's so good at picture taking! She just sits up straight and doesn't even look at the camera!

Here is a picture of her on top of her kennel. Our trainer's dog has a bed on her kennel, so Steve thought it would be fun to teach Cali to get on top of her own kennel. Only problem now is that at class she'll get on the other dog's kennel too! Oops!

Slow but Steady

I've already started many things on my list, as you can see. These are more long term items that I've been working on since day one. So, I've kept busy with reading, watching movies, and running. But more on that another day.

#72 - Going Green!

Doing things to help our environment is very important to me. It seems to be very popular these days, but still so many ignore their hazardous lifestyles.

I want to find several things in my life that I can change in order to benefit the next generation. The first step is to get rid of all those water bottles! Did you know that the average American uses 167 water bottles a year? And more times than not those bottles aren't recycled. I'll admit I've thrown away hundreds of water bottles in my life. Well...not anymore!

We have bought ourselves a Pur water filter pitcher! All we do is fill it up each time we use it & stick it back in the refrigerator. The pitcher we decided on also has a fruit flavoring injector. You can choose from several different flavors (raspberry, lemon, etc) and with the push of a button while you're pouring, you are left with a hint of flavor in your water!

Now when we go to the gym, we have our refillable water bottles filled with nice cold water and we have a little pride in our step knowing we've helped out our planet. We hope this blog will inspire many of you to do the same!