During my short visit to Ohio during my training, I was lucky enough to have my parents fly up from Texas for a few days. It was so refreshing to have them here, to catch up in person, and to see them, after all the stress of training.
There is just something calming and stabilizing about being around my family. I know that a lot of families stress out when they are around each other too much, but because I live so far from them and see them so few precious times throughout the year, each visit is something that I cherish.
Because of the storms that we had from hurricane Ike, my dad and I spent some time in the trees, cutting out broken branches, and my mom was a good sport by raking up all our mess.
We also picked up a Mossberg 410 pump action shotgun at Gander Mountain. The gun was my grandfather’s, and after he passed away, my grandma wanted us to have it for Laura. I never realized that UPS, FedEx, and others, including the USPS, won’t allow shipping of guns. So, my dad took the gun to the local Gander Mountain in Tyler, and they were able to transfer it to their store up here in Ohio. We picked it up, cleaned it off, and took it to the firing range for some fun and practice with it. It’s a great gun for Laura because a 410 is much smaller than the familiar 12 gauge shotgun. Also, it is very small and light because it has a pistol grip on it, instead of a big stock that goes up against the shoulder. I’m glad we have it, and Laura did a great job shooting it. We blasted a lot of holes into the paper targets in the range. Think again before entering our house unannounced!
After the firing range, we headed down to Hocking Hills to see Old Man’s Cave. My parents haven’t seen that part of Ohio, and it was fun to get out of the house. The air under the shade of the trees was cool and comfortable. Hopefully, they will be able to visit again some year when the fall colors are at their best.
It was a great day. Shooting the shotgun, visiting the views of southern Ohio, and topping it off with a great dinner at Texas Roadhouse. During stressful or sad times in my life, I’m so blessed to be able to remember, look back at pictures, and think about the fun that we’ve had together as a family. I’m blessed with parents who’ve taken an active role in my life, to pray for me, visit me, help me with projects, and be the great loving parents that all kids should have. I’m so glad they came to visit.
Click on the photo of my parents at the top of the blog to see more photos of our time in Hocking and at the firing range.
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