10 reasons why i love shotguns

today, my sister, my dad, and i went shooting. we've been planning this date for months. you see, i found out this summer that i owned a 12-gauge shotgun. apparently, my pops bought my sister and i matching ones for christmas one year (best gift...um, ever?). and actually, my dad has a similar one as well (yes, i can hear the "aww's" now). so after a 15 year hiatus, i decided it was time to get back in the game.

now, i'd only shot a shotgun once. and i hated it. rifles were my gig, so the thought of shooting this reverb beast made me, well, nervous. but two boxes of clays later, i was hooked. shotguns are far superior to rifles, and way more fun! don't believe me? well, let me try to convince you.

     10.)The Great Outdoors.

my dad takes us to an outdoor range in los altos. definitely a plus.
if you didn't know already, i'm obsessed with really like trees and clouds.
include those two elements in any outing and i'm sold!

      9.) Family Affair. 

 it's nice to see other families doing things together. maybe learning to shoot a gun isn't your idea of a family outing, but in all seriousness, it's nice to see parents being parents, teaching and investing in their children. it's not something i see too often.

      8.) Challenge. 

i don't have the best hand-eye coordination. so to say that i need to point
this weapon at a moving target and hit it, well, uh yea, kind of a challenge.
although i did better than i expected.

      7.) Change. 

even if you place the clay in the same position on the launcher, it always ends up in a different spot. adaptation is key. adaptation is something i need practice with. (and that's why shooting clays is pretty suh-weet!)

      6.) No Limits. 

this limit is specific to time. you make your own schedule when you go to shoot. get there first thing in the morning or wait until the afternoon? shoot til noon or until you've gone through a box or two of clays? always different, always fun.

      5.) Nice People. 

i love the range masters. ya know, the guys with the bright orange vests insuring safety. well, this one guy pulled up in his golf cart and i was nervous that we had broken a rule. nope. he just wanted to give me and ellen a few tips. that's nice. and i like it.

      4.) Easy Breezy Clean

so cleaning a rifle can take up to an hour. it's fairly meticulous (and i'd actually go through the steps if anyone reading this would understand). when we got home, i was dreading cleaning the shotguns. my dad was saying we were going to clean in the garage, as opposed to the dining room where we always used to clean. i thought i was going to take forever since our garage isn't exactly spacious. come to find out, it takes about ten minutes (max) to clean a shotgun. pure beauty.

     3.) Practice Makes Better. 

the more i shot, the better i got. sure, i still suck, but i'm way better.
can't wait to restock the amo and clays for another range date!

     2.) Worthy of Hardcore Points. 

dude, i shot a shut gun, got a small bruise, and didn't hurt anyone.
b.a. hard core points earned fo sho!

     1.) It's Frickin' Fun!

i mean, really, it is! if you still don't believe me,
you'll just have to come give it a try with me this summer!

(want to see more photos of this day, please check out my sisters blog)

our God saves

i've been reading through the old testament, (slowly, but surely), and i really like it. some people bash the old testament, saying it's boring or hard to understand. there are many things i love about the old testament, but the recurring theme that i see this time around: our God saves.

again and again and again, the israelites find themselves in peril. and again and again and again, God rescues them, He saves them. He doesn't save them because they are good; He saves them because He is good. in isaiah 48, God declares that it is for His name that he delays wrath. but God doesn't do that because His people are obedient to the core; He does it to bring glory to Himself.

wow.

but God still saves. and not just from bad situations. He saves our souls! this is what blows my mind. He raises souls from the death to life, not because people are so good, but to bring glory to His name. 

and to that i say two things:

1) rightfully so! He's the one doing the work, He should get all the credit and glory.

2) (insert silence here).

i can use many words to describe how gratefully i am that He saves, but no word seems adequate. instead, silence and humble submission seem best. i am overwhelmed that He would choose to save me. me. does He really know my utterly wicked self? yes. and He still saves me? yes.

 "'The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
 my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,

my shield, and the horn of my salvation,
   my stronghold and my refuge,
   my savior; you save me from violence.
I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised,
   and I am saved from my enemies.'"

2 Samuel 22:2-4

"...yet I will rejoice in the LORD;
    I will take joy in the God of my salvation."

Habakkuk 3:18

"For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, 

in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of 

their salvation perfect through suffering.

Hebrews 2:10

"After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, 

"Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!" 

And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and 

the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God"

Revelation 7:9-11

Hear the joyful sound of our offering
As your saints bow down, as your people sing
We will rise with You, lifted on Your wings
And the world will see that
Our God saves, our God saves
There is hope in Your name

10 on 10...sorta

i know, i know, it's late. i forgot that it was the 10th of April until a friend told me around 7:30am. well, most of my day had flown by at this point, so i knew my first 10 on 10 was gonna be pretty boring. but, here we go anyway.

at 6:30am, i went pee and, while washing my hands, 

realized how incredibly sunburned i was. lobster girl fo sho.

at 7:30am, (about) i was headed home. it's the best part of my day because i get to see to step outside and smell the fresh air and admire the beach. #bestjobever

on my way home, i got to enjoy one of the most beautiful commutes. although i hate commuting, i am overly grateful for the opportunity to enjoy God's creation so beautifully each day!

welp, i arrived home and needed some time to unwind. so, time for some grey's. it's pretty awesome debriefing for this crazy nurse. and i've totally gotten to the season with owen. needless to say, i'm real excited! #dontjudge

i woke up a bit after the episode ad ended and decided it was time to get some real sleep.

and slept

and slept

let's be honest, working nights and then living my days off during the day can get confusing. i always have to pee around normal-people lunch time, in this case, 1:30pm. (you probably don't want to see anymore than this.)

then i slept some more.

and more sleep.

well, you get the gist. a few hours later, some folks from church came over for infamous chipotle sunday. also a good day. but before they came over, i had to primp and get all beautiful for work, so back to the bathroom.

time for the party to start. it was a great way to end/start my day. 

oh, by the way, don't judge my friends, they're crazy....

crazy in like with chipotle!

that was probably more than 10 for the 10th, BUT i hope you enjoyed it nonetheless. until the next 10th....

a much needed boosh

my friend sent this to me today. it hit me right where i needed to be hit, so i encourage you to read it, not to condemn you, but to challenge you.  may we become people who are more concerned about the lost, the broken, the ones without hope than ourselves (matthew 5:38-47, to say the least).