Archive for the year 2013
Post Gun Range Feast at Red Robin
Posted on February 11, 2013 by Ching under Food and Drink.
We decided to stuff our faces at Red Robin after the gun range. What better way to end the day than with bottomless fries, right?
We also had fried zucchini and fried mushrooms. Yum!
Oh, and fried onion rings. Fried foods are so bad for you, yet so good.
On the plus side, Brian and I decided to split a Royal Red Robin. At this point, we’re just minimizing the damage. It was probably too late, though. We already ate a ton of fries and, though I didn’t eat any onion rings or fried zucchini, I ate a lot of for fried mushrooms. I couldn’t help it. They were delicious!
Here are some pictures of what the others had…
It’s been a while since we’ve gone out to dinner with our buddies. We had a wonderful time with Jay, Becca, and Chad. I only wish that the Phelpi and the Feifels could have joined us.
It’s also been years since we’ve been to Red Robin. As delicious as their burgers are and as much as I love the idea of bottomless fries, it’s just not a great idea when you’re trying to lose weight. We made an exception this time, though. We were celebrating a momentous occasion after all.
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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.
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Jan’s Retirement Luncheon at Abuelo’s
Posted on February 10, 2013 by Ching under Food and Drink.
Friday was a great day. I had a good one-on-one meeting with our executive VP, someone who I’ve admired for a very long time — as in, I went to public rate hearings like they were rock concerts just so I could watch this man at work — always taking notes whenever he speaks at meetings and drinking in as much knowledge as I possibly can. Anyway, I felt like I won the mentorship lottery because he’s going to be my mentor. Seriously. How did I luck into this situation? No longer will I have to take notes at public hearings and at our organizational meetings; though, I’m still going to continue to do that because I’m a complete nerd. I’m going to get scheduled, one-on-one time with one of my idols at work. How awesome is that?
In the afternoon, several of us met at Abuelo’s to celebrate Jan’s retirement. We held a cake and punch reception for her at work on Thursday afternoon so everyone could wish her well, and then a smaller group went to lunch with her on Friday. It was wonderful to see Jan looking so healthy and well. She’s been living the retirement life for a few weeks now and she looks completely refreshed. It clearly suits her.
Here are some obligatory food photos…
I had the stuffed chicken medallions, which is one of my favorite entrees at Abuelo’s. This is what I get whenever Brian and I aren’t splitting the three enchiladas plate or when I don’t order the Durango burrito. The dinner portion is only a couple of bucks more, but I’m glad I got the lunch-sized portion (pictured above) because it’s quite substantial. I was so full that I was ready to take a nap.
I hadn’t been to Abuelo’s in several months. Brian and I stopped going when they stopped serving their sangria in carafes. I think that was around the same time that the “happy hour” legislation passed. Ever since Brian has started drinking wine (okay, even before, but it sounds better when two people are sharing a carafe of sangria as opposed to just me drinking it by myself, which I have done on a few occasions; thank God for Brian being my designated driver for several years — not so much any more, now that he’s realized that he can drink), we’d order a carafe of their red sangria to share. It used to be only $10 and I think the price increased to $12 before they could no longer offer it all together. It was such a good value because you’ll pay $7 for a glass of sangria, but you could get a carafe for about $12 and get at least three good-sized glasses out of it.
Anyway, don’t let the sangria situation discourage you. There’s plenty of things to enjoy at Abuelo’s. Their chips are still the best. Put some taco meat in the chili con queso and you can make a meal out of it. And, I really like their mashed potatoes. I usually substitute it for the beans. And, I have liked everything that I’ve ever tried at Abuelo’s; although, after I discovered my three favorite things, I rarely deviated from the routine.
I would have gone wherever Jan wanted to go for her luncheon, but I’m really glad she picked Abuelo’s. I think everyone enjoyed their meal and had a wonderful time. Congratulations, Jan!
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Ching Feeding Geese
Posted on February 8, 2013 by Ching under Things to Do.
I had fun feeding the geese out back last Sunday.
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Chicken Doobies
Posted on February 8, 2013 by Ching under Food and Drink.
Jay and Becca finally got to try food from the Flying Stove last weekend. They had the chicken doobies, which I haven’t tried yet. They both liked them very much.
I had the Mexican burger thing. It was delicious. Did ya’ll have any doubts?
Brian had the Cajun poutine, which he enjoyed a lot. You can’t really go wrong with fries and sausage and gravy. LOL.
We’re gradually converting all of our friends into Flying Stove fans a couple of people at a time. I should really get a referral bonus, which I’d be happy to take in the form of free truffle fries. 😉
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