THE PRETTY PISTOLERA

Oklahoma!

Here is some video from the Oklahoma State IDPA Match last weekend. There is an Oklahoma YouTube Playlist on the Pretty Pistolera YouTube Channel, too. You can see more video of both me and John, and you can check out some of the stages.  Before you break out the popcorn and enjoy all of the super-fun gunny video goodness, please note the following:

• John is sporting a nuts hat.  He thinks it is hilarious and distracts the other shooters.  (Bet you can guess what I think).
• Hot pink ear protection rocks. So do plaid scarves.
• The camera adds ten pounds.  Be sweet.

Let's Play Dress Up

I am starting to accessorize my new AR.  I received some great feedback from a reader about a vertical foregrip.  It sounded like a good idea, so I sent John on a mission for one.  John gave it to me tonight.  I love it lots.

And, (bonus!) it has a bipod.

Class Notes

Here is my recap of the NRA Instructor Certification class I took over the weekend:

• Had a 1.25 hour commute each way
• Had to explain how to clean a pistol.  Guess how many I've actually cleaned in my lifetime?
• Got a speeding ticket on the way to the range Sunday morning.  
• Only got to shoot 15 rounds.  Big disappointment.
• Had to complete and present a budgeting exercise.
  
• The class was scolded because the trainer felt our notes were sub-standard.  He collected our notes and had the stones to make negative comments on our note-taking abilities. 
• I was the only student to score 100% on both tests. Who had crappy notes?

It was a very long weekend.  Why did I do this, you ask?  Sometimes John needs a lovely assistant to help out with his bigger classes.  Now I can help.  However, I will not be training anyone on how to clean a Glock.

Pretty Pistolera's Weekend Update

John and I strongly believe that Valentine's Day is a "Hallmark Holiday."  Society tells you that you're a jerk if you do not spend a bloody fortune on flowers, chocolates, and a fancy dinner.  Ever been to your favorite restaurant on Valentine's Day?  It is usually full of youngins on their third date, and the wait staff is completely irritated.  Therefore, you suffer from trickle-down irritation. 

We make a point to enjoy a very nice dinner every Saturday night a non-chain, entrepreneurial restaurant.  This Saturday, since it was V-Day, we stayed home. We happily switched our date night to Friday and had a frozen pizza instead.  All was well in the John and Tracy house this weekend.

Then John was full of surprises.

He bought me a Valentine's Day gift.  A really, really, really nice gift. 

I feel bad I didn't get him anything.

Classes for Chicks

I was having a lovely conversation with a young lady named Michelle the other day.  We got on the subject of shooting, girls (shooting comma girls, not shooting girls), and guns.  She told me about a friend that just got into hunting and she loves it.  Michelle mentioned her friend was taking classes through the something-something-conservation-blah-blah-blah.  I finally had some free time to get Google-geeky and do the research. 

Found it!  The Missouri Department of Conversation has hunting classes for women.  For women!  How cool is that?  There is a Bird Clinic and Hunt and a Turkey Clinic and Hunt.  Girls only, no boys allowed.  As I was surfing through the site I also discovered co-ed skeet and trapshooting classes (squeeee!).  As for the Hog Eradication 101 class, I'll pass.

UPDATE:  Oops.  I meant conservation, not conversation.  I actually looked at the word five times to make sure I didn't screw it up.  Give yourself bonus points if you caught the type-o.

Cheerio!

John and I have something in common with the Royal Family (snicker, snicker).  Prince William buys his girl, Kate Middleton, gunny gifts.  And, Kate went deer hunting with him (check out the earrings).  I love this girl!

I went deer hunting with John when we were dating, too.  I hope Kate had more fun than I did.  John still loves to tell the world that if deer were attracted to loud sighs, swinging feet from the deer stand, and constant complaining about the cold... I would have a herd of heads on the wall.

We're Back

We are home from SHOT Show.  I was on a 7:00 AM flight this morning after three full days in Orlando (five days for John).  I spent a lot of time at the convention center looking for blog-worthy gunny stuff.  I found some fun things to talk about... stay tuned this week for a full recap. 

In addition to my gunny goodness search, I had a few personal things on my to do list:

1. Find CCW-friendly handbag for weekend use.
2. Meet Irlene Mandrell.  John mentioned she made an appearance at last year's SHOT Show.  (I heart her, remember?  See bullet point labeled "curiosity.")
3. Get a little rest and relaxation at warm, sunny hotel in Florida. 

The personal to do list report card is as follows:

1. New handbag:  Bingo!  This one was easy to accomplish. 
2. Irlene:  Missed her at the SHOT Show which was a major disappointment.  However, after John and I made it through security this morning we popped a squat at the communal shoe-tying-bench... and guess who was right in front of us?  Irlene!  And Louise!  I was not coherent at 6 AM when I met her, but I promise I was absolutely ecstatic.
3. R&R:  Didn't happen. The weather was too cold to catch a ray of sunshine.  And, even if the weather was fabulous, we stayed at The Sucksalot Inn* where R&R stands for repulsive and so not relaxing.  You really, really, really do not want to know the details. 

*Please note the name of the hotel was changed to protect the bum they allow to sleep in the lobby. We encountered him at 5 AM this morning as we were checking out. 

SHOT Show... The To Do List

John is so excited about SHOT Show.  He is planning his days (and his evenings).  He's packed extra luggage to bring home his finds and purchases.  He has a list of "priority booths" to visit first.  He has a list of booths we have to go together on Saturday so he can introduce me.  And he is pestering me about my game-plan.  Yeah, I don't have one.  Should I?  I've been to plenty of trade shows and markets over the years so I am not fretting.  I always manage to get my bearings rather quickly and then pound the pavement and plug away.  I hope I'm not wrong.

Oh, wait, I do have something on my to do list... find a vendor that has cute CCW accessories for women, and find a place that has makes IDPA vests to fit girls.  And, find the closest Starbucks (I hope there is one in the convention center). 

Pretty Pistolera's Weekend Update

I am so happy to be home... I've been to The Big Apple and a machine gun fest all in the same week (hilarious, huh?).  John has been on the road for almost two weeks... Philly for the IDPA nationals then he left again on Thursday for Knob Creek.  He should be home in a couple of hours and Winston will be back tomorrow afternoon... then we should be back to normal for a few weeks.

The Machine Gun Shoot at Knob Creek was an interesting experience.  I've never seen anything quite like it.  I was told about 13,000 people visit the three day event.  I have lots of video to share!  John bought me a nifty new Flip camcorder to make shooting video and uploading much easier.  This is the perfect camcorder for a range bag.  The camera plugs into the USB port of the computer and voila...  super-easy uploaded videos.  I will put them on YouTube this week. 

Here is a pic I snapped Saturday morning at the range.  Shooting on the upper range had just started and the sun just came up over the hills.  It didn't take long for gunpowder to fill the air. 

Originally uploaded by prettypistolera

Stay tuned for videos of me shooting a Sterling, Browning 1919 (aka Grandpa), Glock 18, Thompson, M249 Squad Automatic Weapon, Grease Gun, H&K MP5 PDW, and an M60.  Fun stuff!   

Welcome!

Apparently, John told everyone at the IDPA nationals about my blog.  For those of you that are newcomers... welcome!  I'm Tracy.  I'm a shoe-loving, mega-shopping, beauty product addicted girly-girl. I discovered competitive shooting this summer while I was "detoxing" from corporate America.

If you have some time to check out my blog, here are a few links to get you started:  

• How I knew it was time to start shooting... empowerment, curiosity, and pestering all came crashing together one day. 
• My detoxification from corporate America is a long story... you can check out the Reader's Digest version here. 
• The list of favorites (on the left side of your screen) highlight some pretty nifty posts by yours truly. 
• Visit the Pretty Pistolera YouTube Channel for some gunny entertainment.

Thanks again for visiting!