Day One Hundred and Forty-Two

The Guns at Gander

In my 24 years, I've never once shot a gun. Unless a pellet gun counts? And if so, then you can disregard that first statement. I grew up in a home without any weapons, aside from the wooden paddles my parents used to spank us with. In those times, I might have considered the evil paddle as a weapon, but now I just see it as good parenting. We were much more city than country, raised in a big red house in a mostly quiet neighborhood. There was never really any need for a gun, and with so many fiery redheads running around, having one would have caused more harm to us kids than to the criminal it's intended for. Because of this lack in experience, I've always shied away from the idea of owning a firearm or having anything of the sort in my home. But when you marry a boy with a country edge and a daddy who works in law enforcement, things change. Adam has been talking for a while about purchasing a gun, and it wasn't until a few weeks ago that I agreed to bargain with him on the issue. They kill people. And I don't want that sort of potential on my hands. But when someone breaks into your house, like they did at Mom's, breaching your privacy with the intention of God knows what, I've suddenly become at peace with the idea of being able to protect myself and my family in a way that I never had considered before. So today, we decided to begin our search for a firearm to keep in our home. Since Gander Mountain is the closest thing to Cabella's and Bass Pro Shop, we paid them a visit. Adam found a Smith & Wesson .44 Magnum Revolver that he's smitten over, and I perused a few options without any definitive favorites. Because of my severe lack of experience, both Adam's brother and the firearm associate suggested that we go to a shooting range, rent a few different guns, and figure out which kind I'm most comfortable with. Is this for real?!

One more thing, totally unrelated. Adam had his first bullpen of 2012 today! He threw a 25-pitch pen of all fastballs and said that everything felt good! On Friday, he'll mix in some change-ups and by next week he should be throwing the slider also. He's excited to be back on the hill after working so hard this offseason, and hopefully those extra 15 pounds he put on will prove effective.