Donuts and Holes

Saturday brought about two new adventures for me. To start the day, I made Cinnamon Sugar Donuts (from biscuits) that were everything but healthy. But, that did not stop Kevin and me from eating them! It was a recipe I found on Pinterest, and was super easy. I thought I would give it a try.

Biscuits with holes! (Grands Homestyle, if you are wondering.)

Fry and Flip!

 

 

 

Let them rest on paper towels before dipping them in butter. 

 

Give them a nice butter bath...

...and coat in cinnamon sugar mixture.

And, Wah-lah!
We bit into them before we realized we needed a picture.

 

YUMMMMM!!!

 

We ate carrots for lunch.

These were so easy and delicious!! But, we did decide that we would make sure the next time we made these would be when we had others with us.

Now.. On to the next part of my day. Kevin has begun his next step in his career. He is going through Air Craft Commander Upgrade. He is moving from the Right Seat to the LEFT SEAT! To do that is no easy and swift task. What this means is that he will now make every decision that has to do with his aircraft, from when they take-off to where they will go to how they will solve issues with the aircraft to what happens when another country decides they no longer want you to fly over their country (and they are already limited on how much fuel they can carry for themselves, carrying massive amounts of fuel for refueling the other guys) to all the little things he has to know about other places, aircrafts, each circumstance that could occur, and how to fly a plane. He's so manly.
So, he has been studying every night from the moment he gets home so that he can go in the next morning and show that he knows what to do when emergencies happen in his SIM the next morning. I asked how his sim was, after his first day. His response was, "Let's just say I hope none of that ever happens in real life." But, if it did, he is studying and practicing in the sim to resolve the issue (and save his SIMULATOR life)!

So, while he was working on how to protect himself while protecting our wonderful country, I was out doing quite the opposite for our amazing wildlife! :)
I was practicing how to use a gun to, maybe one day, hunt my own dinner! I don't know that that will actually be achieved, seeing that I hit the targets about 30% of the time... and they weren't moving!

 

 

This, friends, is a 20 gauge shotgun. Now, before this gun, I had practiced with a gun that looks very similar, but uses 22 bullets, which are much smaller and do not make the gun kick back at all. This gun kicks back more than the other gun. In my head, I saw myself underestimating its power and me falling on my bum. With that said, my friend Steph stood behind me, and I also overdid my wide stance. But, no worries! I didn't fall backwards, but it was a little more powerful than I thought. I only shot once, because I wasn't sure if I would like it. Later, I loaded it up again and did 3 shots.

 

Me and friends, Michael and Bobby



This was a picture after I shot. You can see the shift in weight. This was taken as I completed the shot. So, it did throw me off a little bit, but not much.

Along with these big guns, I did decide to go a little smaller.

It's funny. This little guy still had power behind it. You have to make sure you keep your grip tight and firm.

 

**Here's a fun fact: I am left eye dominant. When I picked up my first gun, my friend Bobby was teaching me how to hold it and how to look through the scope. Automatically, I closed my right eye and looked through my left. When I told him I had to lean really far over to line up the scope, he noticed I was holding the gun as a righty, but closing the eye of a lefty. I knew that I led with my left leg, back in my track and field days. And, I know that I lead with my left leg when doing a kartwheel. I thought it was normal. But, Bobby told me I maybe could have been a lefty. Don't worry. For the next couple days, I practice my handwriting and fine motor skills using my left hand. I'm not too bad! I drew a few pictures, too! So, in the pictures taken of me, it looks like my eye is completely closed. It's not. I just really have a hard time closing my left eye and keeping my right eye open. Sometimes my eye would actually close and I had to open them and try again... Ha!

 

Back to shooting.. If you are one who has never taken a trip to New Jersey, you may not have listed this as one of the activities New Jersians do. But, I tell you what, the friends I have made at my church in Tabernacle, NJ, are nothing but woodsy, camo, and hunting season kind of people. All done right here in the state of New Jersey. Don't get me wrong, this isn't what my backyard looks like. There are the city and well populated areas. But, we are The Garden State. There is a lot of open land in New Jersey. I chose -wait, let me rephrase- I told Kevin I would only live here IF he found a place to live in one of the populated areas, close to malls, shopping centers, and plenty of grocery stores.

New Jersey has had it's ups and downs, surprises, and new adventures. And this is, by far, my favorite. I have made a handful of GREAT friends, and, no matter where we are next, I will always remember and love the ones that made this place my temporary "Home."

Marissa and Dan, our PREGNANT :) church and Military friends

Steph Carr, my friend I didn't know while I was at Harding... but she was there.

Ruger, Steph's dog, and our shooting buddy