Archive for "Family"
Saturday Afternoon at Bullseye
Posted on March 4, 2013 by Ching under Family, Things to Do.
We had a great time shooting with our family and friends at Bullseye.
I got to shoot Chad’s 44 magnum. Apparently it’s the same kind of gun that Dirty Harry uses. It’s big, scary, makes a loud noise, and has quite a recoil.
Kim is a crack shot. I think it’s all of her Black Ops experience. LOL.
Brian shoots with a style all his own.
I liked that we had shooting lanes adjacent to one another so it was like having one wide shooting lane. We all got to go from lane to lane to lane just shooting various guns. Definitely more fun than shooting the same gun the whole time.
Mom and dad showed up later so they had to wait a while on the waiting list.
Brian was happy that he got to shoot dad’s carbine.
Here’s Brian admiring his work.
I love when Chad comes because he has so many guns. His Walther P22 is my favorite. I think I might get one next year.
Here’s mom and dad shooting after we left. Thank you so much to everyone who came shooting with us. We had a great time. Hope to do it again soon.
No Comments
Quilts From Grandma
Posted on February 15, 2013 by Ching under Family.
Brian and I went to grandma’s last Saturday so Brian could fix her computer. It was as simple fix. It just needed to be rebooted. Anyway, we ended up leaving with a couple of quilts from Brian’s great-grandmother. Grandma didn’t want to donate it Goodwill because she wanted to keep it in the family. We agreed to take good care of them for her. Thank you, grandma!
No Comments
My First Time at the Bullet Stop
Posted on February 10, 2013 by Ching under Family, Things to Do.
I generally only get to go shooting once every ten years or so. I still remember the first time that I got to shoot a gun. We were camping at my mother-in-law’s previous boss’ farm in Douglass. Here are some pictures from that day.
Of course, Brian and I were matchy matchy so we were both in overalls. LOL. Our nerdiness has spanned decades and knows no bounds.
Anyway, fast forward ten years and I finally get my own handgun. It’s a sub-compact lady gun. It was kind of an impulse buy. We were really looking to buy a Mossberg shotgun. The one that we wanted wasn’t available though, so we ended up looking at pistols instead. Brian got the Sig Sauer P2022 that he’d always wanted. Not to be outdone, I got myself a handgun too. I got a Ruger LC9 with LaserMax. It came with some decals (that I ended up giving to Brian) and a proof-round. The envelope that the shell came in had the manufacture date of my gun as January 16, 2013. I haven’t named my gun yet, but I’m thinking that I’ll celebrate its birthday every year. I’m kidding! Well, mostly about the birthday thing. I’m pretty sure my gun will have a name before long.
Brian and I wanted to test out our pistols so we invited a bunch of friends to shoot a few rounds at the Bullet Stop. I’d never been there before. Naturally, I had to document this event.
We came at the right time because they had a few lanes open and no wait. David and Donna shared a lane; Brian and I shared one; Jay and Chad shared one; and dad had a lane to himself because mom didn’t feel like shooting.
I couldn’t believe that we got dad out of the house. He never leaves the house.
Anyway, I learned something new about our friend Chad that night. He has quite an arsenal. He brought an assortment of guns to the shooting range because he thought more people would come and he wanted to have enough guns for everyone. It was a shame that the Feifels and the Phelpi couldn’t make it. Jay enjoyed himself, though. He was like a kid at a candy store and had his pick of the smorgasbord of firearms that Chad brought.
I got to shoot Chad’s Walther P22 and really liked it. It had no kick and didn’t make loud bang sounds like my handgun. I think I might actually get one for myself next year. Speaking of noises, I found having people shoot right next to me quite distracting. Getting startled by the bang-bang-bang sounds made reloading a challenge. I told Brian that I want to go shooting out in the country next time where we can take turns and shoot one at a time so no one is shooting to my left and to my right when it’s my turn to go.
Dad liked the idea of shooting out in the country for the opposite reason. He wants to shoot out in the country so he doesn’t have to wear ear protection, which you are required to wear at gun ranges like the Bullet Stop. He actually wants to hear the bang-bang-bang sounds that his gun makes. He’s a strange one.
Strangeness aside, I’m glad that dad decided to go shooting with us. Everyone seemed to have fun. We will have to do that again soon.
1 Comment
Flip and Ching’s Annual Holiday Gathering
Posted on January 10, 2013 by Ching under Events, Family, Food and Drink.
Our annual gathering usually happens before Christmas, but we had to put it off until after the New Year because all of our friends were out of town for the holidays. The first ever annual gathering we had was at Cracker Barrel. The second one was at Pacific Coast Pizza. This is supposed to be our third one, but instead of taking place in 2012 it happened in 2013. And, instead of taking everyone out to eat, we decided to just serve breakfast at our house.
We served hash browns…
…cinnamon rolls…
…Nutella-filled crescents…
…a breakfast casserole dish using a recipe that Brian found on Pinterest…
…and mimosas.
I was actually amazed that mom got dad to come. He never leaves the house. I think it was the draw of the mimosas, though. LOL.
Brian and I really enjoyed making food for everyone. We had a lot of fun even though we had to get up at the crack of dawn to start baking because we only have one oven. One of these days I can get a fancy dual-oven range thing. Until then, we’ll just have to bake everything in batches.
Thanks to everyone who came out. Until our next annual gathering!
No Comments
Christmas Day 2012
Posted on December 27, 2012 by Ching under Family, Movies.
Just some highlights from Christmas Day…
We opened presents after breakfast. We had no idea that Aunt Sandy and Cousin Tracy had sent us gifts so that was a wonderful surprise. Aunt Sandy sent us a beautiful angel ornament that now adorns our tree.
Cousin Tracy and Jeff sent us a combination wine stopper/pourer
We got lots of goodies from Mom and Dad B that I can’t even name them all. Even though it was just us, it took hours to open presents. When we were finally done, it was time for lunch. Donna prepared a delicious feast. Brian and I ate so much that we didn’t have room for any food when we got to the movie theater.
We selected Les Misérables as our Christmas movie this year, which worked out great because it was what was showing in the balcony and I’m not sure that I could have convinced Brian to go otherwise. Brian despises waiting in line at the theater. Anyway, I absolutely adore the musical specially since Lea Salonga has been a part of it. She played Éponine in the 10th Anniversary Concert (The Dream Cast in concert at Royal Albert Hall) and Fantine in the 25th Anniversary Concert (at the O2). She isn’t in the movie, but she’s the main reason that I’m familiar with the musical. If you are not familiar with the musical or the novel, just follow the links for more information. I also linked to the full concerts in YouTube above for your musical enjoyment.
I thought the movie was pretty good. They told the story pretty well. I was really impressed with the big name actors in the movie. I had no idea they could all sing. Well, except for Amanda Seyfried because I had seen her sing in Mama Mia!
The two songs that always get me are “I Dreamed a Dream” sung by Fantine and then “On My Own” by Éponine. These solos never fail to make me cry. Of course, you guys know I’m a crier so there were several parts of the movie that moved me. Hugh Jackman is a skilled actor who was quite convincing as Jean Valjean.
Speaking of songs, “One Day More” is another really good one. I cued it to that part in the embedded video above. They did a good job of it in the movie, but it doesn’t compare to the rendition in either of the two live concerts I posted above. Be sure to check it out if you want to see some fantastic singing. These performers are truly talented. I get goose bumps listening to their beautiful voices.
I highly recommend catching Les Mis if you haven’t seen it yet. If you’re a fan of the musical, it may not live up to your expectations. I still found it enjoyable though. Plus, I’m glad they made a movie because it brings the musical to people who wouldn’t otherwise know about it.
Anyway, I was grateful that we caught a matinée because the theater was completely packed when we got out of the movie around 6 pm. It was complete and utter mayhem both inside the theater and outside in the parking lot. There were hardly any parking spots available. It wasn’t that bad when we got there in the afternoon. Brian and I actually got a good parking spot.
Thank you to Mom and Dad B for watching the movie with us and for a wonderful Christmas Day celebration from start to finish. I really hope we get to celebrate together again next year.
No Comments
