The A-Team

This is an annual tradition. Aaron and I used to go pre-kids. It is always so much fun to see what new cars are coming out. It has been fun taking the kids and this year was no exception. They had a BLAST running around climbing in and out of the cars! They did get a little out of control and were starting to get too rough in the cars so we had to go. That did NOT go over well but at least nothing was damaged and nobody was hurt!

Our future driver...YIKES!

This one is NUTS about real cars

Papa in the seat of our "future" car...The Ford Flex

Both kids in the TRUNK of the Flex!!!!

I put my money where my mouth is and registered (finally) for my first marathon. Good thing I’m running a 20 miler later this week in preparation. The 4th Indianapolis Monumental Marathon will be on November 5th, they are also doing a 5K and Half Marathon that day as well. If interested, sign up here. Don’t delay as early registration ends on June 30th and fees go up after that. There’s nothing like having a race on the horizon to motivate me towards keeping to my healthy eating habits and sticking to my training regimen. This being my first marathon I have no real expectations, I want to finish under four hours and I’ll be excited.

This morning after my morning 5 mile run, to capitalize on this beautiful June weather I decided that today was going to be Abraham’s first experience at shooting a real firearm! I walked upstairs with Abraham, showed him that we always lock all firearms in the safe, selected a little bolt action Romanian Trainer .22 Long Rifle that I picked up over 10 years ago in the case that I ever decided to have children, and then I showed Abraham how to check if the chamber was clear of ammunition (it was unloaded).

I did go over basic safety with him, but at his age I do not expect him to understand the full gravity of firearms usage. My goal here is familiarization with the routine of shooting, the fact that a gun is dangerous and loud, and that a firearm slings bullets into whatever you point it at. Oh, and that it is fun when done right! After this brief introduction, we locked the safe up, and then headed to the basement to grab a box of ammunition, shooting mat and the range bag. He was so excited and very obedient! Without being too precocious he wanted to help out and carry things and almost acted like he’d done this before. I was very proud of him.

Abraham for quite a long time knows never to touch a gun unless we say he can, can identify bullets if left laying around, and has helped me clean firearms and install parts on them from time to time. We have removed the mystery of firearms in order to prevent his curiosity when we’re not around. We still keep them locked up, except for concealed carry purposes, but if he asks to see a gun we will always make time to show him one and let him handle it as long as it is convenient.

Anyway, we set up a little paper target with 2″ squares on it at 25 yards and set up the shooting mat and range bag. It was now time to put on our hearing and eye protection. Anna came over to help hold onto Abraham while I demonstrated how to load the rifle. Then I fired one round and Anna observed his reaction to see if this was going to work out or not. He was unfazed and still excited. After all, we were only firing subsonic .22 long rifle rounds which sound quieter than a small firecracker. Abraham proceeded to get down onto the mat next to me and we fired two shots together and that was about all of the attention span that he could muster (and exactly what I had anticipated). It was short lived, but a great time was had and it seemed to really be a good experience for him. It didn’t help that he was dressed up to go swimming and his “swummy pool” was filling around the corner by the garden.

Much later in the afternoon, to round out the full experience, we took the rifle back upstairs together and cleaned it and put it back in the safe.

Little buddy, I am so proud of you and I’ve been looking forward to this day for so long. It was a really cool experience and if nothing else a great way to celebrate Father’s Day early for me. I look forward to a lifetime of shooting together and helping you grow as a Rifleman. A fellow firearms enthusiast I know refers to this Rifleman stage as the Tadpole; I think that is perfect.

The New Rifleman in the Family

By God’s grace, my two month bout with patellar tendonitis feels about 95% healed. My legs feel so good right now I feel like I could jump to the moon. My knees either have felt weak and tired, or sore and tired. To have them almost back to normal feels great!

The Indianapolis 500 Festival Mini Marathon is in three days. This is my fifth Mini, the last time was 1996.

The entire A-Team is gearing up for the race and post race party. We’re going to have a blast, regardless of how the run goes. It’s going to be great! If you care to, you can sign up to receive text message updates as I pass various points in the race.