Love and Guns!

As per the usual, it's Wednesday morning and I'm already dragging. It's partially because my walk through the snow freezes me on the way to work, but I also think my 'I'll sleep when I die' approach to weekends is finally taking its toll on me.

Last weekend was no exception, of course. After almost two months, I finally went home for some actual food (Dorito chicken casserole! Red velvet cupcakes!) and quality time with my parents. I was also able to see my brother's new apartment and meet his precious little dog, Levi.

He wasn't growling. He had a bad case of cottonmouth.

In an attempt to cross something off my 30 Before 30 list, I made plans to visit the gun range with my brother and mom. LP, the prepared little Marine he is, actually gave us a PowerPoint presentation in his living room before we left, so we would know the stances for shooting and how to load the gun. He's adorable, guys.

After a delicious lunch at Olive Garden, we made our way to Target World and the jitters officially began. My adrenaline was through the roof as we waited in line to sign the waivers, buy targets, and pick up ear protectors. In typical Brittany fashion, my mind instantly jumped to horrific scenarios where someone suffers a psychotic break and starts shooting up the place. I'd like to blame American Sniper for that, but paranoia is just my constant state of mind.

For those who don't know, it's ridiculously easy to go to the gun range. All you need is a photo ID and some cash. You read the laminated list of rules, sign your name on a line, and that's it. You're ready to go. Is that terrifying to anyone else? So, with virtually no training, I was pushed into lane 13 with headphones, some targets, a pistol, and a rifle.

Fortunately, my brother is a consummate pro. He helped me every step of the way and even though I was completely uneasy, he made me feel safe. The guy in the lane next to us was firing an enormous, extremely loud rifle. Despite jumping every time he fired his gun, I actually did pretty well. The pistol was much easier to shoot than the rifle and all of my shots ended up in the abdomen or head of the target. The rifle, which was actually pretty heavy, had quite the recoil and I could feel it in my teeth whenever I fired.

Conveniently posed beneath The Well-Armed Woman poster.

Ultimately, the trip confirmed for me that guns aren't my thing. I don't like them one bit, but I did like the zombie targets and compound bows they offered in the store.

Despite the heavy snowfall the next day, Wheat and I ventured up to Columbus for TJ and Tasha's gorgeous wedding at Dock580. The venue, complete with strings of lights and brick walls, was absolutely stunning. Since they were married in December in Dubai, we watched a short video of the ceremony and as a favor, we received awesome unisex perfume straight from UAE. Tasha, who is truly one of the sweetest people I've ever met, also gave me all of her wedding planning materials to help with my own planning!

I spent most of the night dancing with my absolute best friends from college and there's really nothing better than that. Oh, except for the late-night pizza, chicken wings, and Insomnia Cookies they gave us at the end of the reception. Those two are just the best. We closed the evening at The Big Bang Piano Bar, singing and reminiscing on our spring break trip to New Orleans. Speaking of NOLA, our next reunion might just be in the Big Easy for Ben and Amie's wedding. I'm already counting down the days.

Our trip to Columbus wouldn't be complete without some Cane's chicken, so we made a quick lunch stop the next day before heading home. We also stopped in the Warm Glow Candle Store in Centerville, Indiana, so I could torture myself with thousands of candles, drool over truffles, and buy Girl Scout cookies. They were out of Thin Mints, so I settled with trying some Rah-Rah Raisins instead. I ended the weekend in a suite at Bankers Life Fieldhouse with my dad as we watched the Pacers edge out the Warriors, 104-98. It was probably the best game I've seen in-person all season, despite the fact that this year's probable NBA MVP Steph Curry sat out.

This weekend, I'm heading to Chicago to celebrate Jenn's birthday, so prepare for another late recap next week. Maybe, just maybe I'll be able to spend a whole, uneventful weekend in my own apartment sometime soon. Doubtful...