Carwash, Cupcakes, and Guns...

Living in Hawaii has it's perks. The sun is usually shining, the people always smiling, and the beach always welcoming. Since the weather is never at either extremities, I usually sleep with the lanai sliding doors wide open -- you know, to let in the breeze...and consequently, the noise...and random smells that waft through the air on Sunday mornings. This morning I woke up to what sounded like a heated argument down by the bus stop...but it ended up being a few college students yelling at the cars driving by: CAR WASH! CAR WASH! GET YOUR CAR WASHED!

In, other news...I've started baking again. To say "again" might imply that I've had some sort of baking hiatus which isn't entirely true because I bake something at least once a week but I do it half-heartedly by using boxed cake mixes and yes...store bought frosting! Yesterday however I waved away the boxed cake mixes, rolled up my sleeves, and started on my merry way to making my lemon cheesecake cupcakes with vanilla crumb topping! It was a tedious sifting, folding, crumbling and assembling process but the end product...well, let's just say no one that had a cupcake complained!And, finally -- has anyone ever been to a shooting range? A very close friend of mine and I have recently picked it up as an extracurricular activity. The first time we went to was celebrate his freedom from our former employer and the next time we went was just some random Saturday night when we had nothing better to do...and then we went again last night. I never thought I'd hold a gun, let alone shoot it and end up enjoying pulling the trigger.
We go to the same gun club every time. It's located on the third floor of the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center in Waikiki. The prices are rather decent for those living in Hawaii (50% off the published price). Last night my friend ended up choosing the package with six different guns. I opted to just pop a few rounds off of a semi-automatic. The owner is always there when we go to visit and I ended up getting my choice of gun for free and my instructor even threw in an extra clip as well. I tried to hit the "X" on the target...which of course is the goal of everyone that goes there but for some reason, I just can't get it! I can hit the "10" ring that surrounds the "X" but I can never hit it dead-on. My friend on the other hand is pretty good...okay, okay...he's a pro compared to me! He can literally "shoot out" the "X" on his targets. Our instructor said "He's either getting the hang of the guns or he's not telling you something." He swears he doesn't go to the shooting range to practice without me! So if you've ever wanted to shoot a gun but not necessarily at someone, give the Royal Hawaiian Gun Club a try!