Comrades in Arms and a Sweaty Spouse

Friday was the start of our Labor Day weekend.  Peter was relieved that he didn't have to work a weekend for once.  We recognized that this was a rare occasion so I took advantage of the time I have with my other half and asked him what he would like to do with his time off.  Of course, I shouldn't have been surprised that his first response was that he wanted to take his shotgun out again.  Weather predictions said that it was going to be a perfect day for shooting so we planned to go out Saturday afternoon.  Peter wanted me to come along but we both knew that with me taking pictures, complaining about the heat, and trying hard to keep the gun aimed at the target and not accidentally at a person, he wouldn't have the best of time with just the two of us.

Luckily, Peter had a couple of coworkers that recently purchased shotguns of their own and were anxious to use them.  A simple suggestion at work was all that was needed to get them on board.

Peter Barnes is serious about his love of shotguns.

This is Catherine.  She is one of the trainees that started with Peter.  

This is Liz.  She is also a trainee but started months before Peter and Catherine showed up.

This is Catherine's friend Kate.  She was visiting from Texas and joined in on our fun.

The only decent picture of me holding a gun.

The Purina Gang!

While it was too hot for my liking and I now have a nice bruise on my shoulder from where the gun kicked, it was a fun outing with people we now call friends.

Meeting Rand Paul, Exploring New Trails, a New Remington, and a New Camera!

The last week of July and the whole month of August was just a blur for us.  Not necessarily because our normal lives keep us that busy because, in all seriousness, while I do my best to keep myself busy, when you are a housewife without a kid to look after, you manage to find more free time than if you had a little one running around.  It was all the happenings that took place while we were focused on our day to day life that made it go by quicker.

The last week of July, my parents flew out to spend the week with us.  I was really excited to see them because, lately I have been really homesick for my family.  We loved spending the weekend in historic Nauvoo with them as well as showing them around our new town.  I have a few photos of the various activities we did while they were here, but I know my parents took more. So when I manage to collect those pictures from them, I'll post them here.

A day after my parents left, Peter found out that presidential candidate Rand Paul was stopping to talk to us common folk in Walcott, Iowa- home of the World's Largest Truck Stop and only about 20 minutes away from Davenport.  We have been wanting to check out the World's Largest Truck Stop for a while now, and now we kind of had an excuse to go.  While I don't know if he'll actually become our next P.O.T.U.S., I found him very nice and down to earth.  Not to mention, a bit shorter than I pictured him to be.

  

Our next little exploration was a spontaneous one.  Peter had to work one Saturday (again) and I went to pick him up.  I had Murphy with me because I thought we were going to take him to one of the local dog parks in our area.  Instead, Peter suggested that we go for a walk through a park out by the river called Credit Island.  I had heard of that place before but never went, and Murphy was allowed to join us, so we changed our plans and went for a walk through a very pretty trail.  While I was having a blast taking pictures of the beautiful greenery, poor Peter handled a dog who loved letting everyone know we were there.

While we left Credit Island with more bug bites than desired and a bit more sweaty than we hoped, we loved spending a little time together and exploring our town a bit more.

About a week later, while I was waiting for him to come home, Peter texts me asking if he could get a new gun.  I, of course, thought he was kidding and so I replied, "Sure. What kind?"  He then went on to tell me that he wanted a Remington 12 gauge and asked if I could go online while he was working to go price shopping for that particular type.  It was then I realized that he was serious.  However, I didn't see the harm in just looking to see what some stores had to offer, so I went online to look.  The ones online were way too expensive.  So that was that.  We couldn't get one.

I told Peter the results of my search and he agreed.  The ones online were too expensive.  Then he said he wanted to go look at them at a sporting good store here and asked if I wanted to join.  Again, I didn't see the harm in looking at them, we have done it before.  So I agreed.

One thing led to another, the price was right, and now Peter is the owner of a brand new Remington.

Conveniently, Peter and some of his coworkers teamed up for a shooting classic Purina was sponsoring that was taking place later in the month.  Peter was really excited about it and I was curious to see what the excitement was about, so I became Peter's "plus one".  It was really hot and humid that day, but more enjoyable than I thought and Peter had a blast.  I was the self-designated golf cart driver for half the team and liked watching Peter have fun with his new work buddies, while talking some photos, of course.

I don't think I've seen Peter have more fun than when he's out with his buddies shooting some random target out in the woods with his guns.  So it shouldn't have surprised me when Peter texted me one night when he finished work saying that he wanted another gun to add to his little collection.  I laughed and replied that he could get another gun if I could get a brand new camera. When he came home he sure did surprise me.  Not with a new gun, but with a new camera!  I was completely shocked and really excited and for the past week, I have been taking random pictures of anything that I could get.

I brought it when we went back to Credit Island to take some shots, I took it with us to a ward activity at a local minor league baseball game, I took it with me to check out an eerie blood moon that appeared one night,  and around our complex, where there were a few critters that were too cute to ignore (obviously one of them being Murphy).

I can't explain why both times we have been to Credit Island I have worn the same shirt and no make up.  It just happened.

Drew and Jessie, you cured me of my fear of ferris wheels (sort of).  I'm forever grateful.

I am really grateful that Peter got me this camera.  I still love my little camera and will still take it places where my big camera can't go.  But I love my new camera.  I hope that I can get better at taking pictures with this thing so that I can make our ordinary life look just a little more beautiful.