Walther P22...The Wait is over.

For a long time i have been trying to pull the trigger on buying a neat little gun for recreational shooting. I have spent many hours looking on the net and reading reviews. Many times i just came back to the one that looked cool. I guess my gun passion has been sparked even more the last few weeks since I will now be able to carry my gun basically where ever i want. Sunday we loaded up and headed to Opry mills in Nashville for a long and grueling day of Christmas shopping. We walked around the mall like 17 times and finally made our last stop in Bass Pro Shop. I had actually been there earlier in the day and drooled over most of the guns. I was looking for a little bit larger caliber gun that would be a potential carry size gun to leave in my car if i ever needed or if I was actually walking down a shady street one that wouldn't pull my pants down its so heavy. I initially started looking at a few springfield armory ,taurus , and Smith/Wesson pistols. As i was looking a voice from the heavens came saying "go with the springfield" (well actually just a nice guy from KY but he sure did know guns) Then my friend "Corky" came along who was the head dude at Bass pro shop. Corky was a rather large man but had a gun sized heart of gold. He began talking with me about different calibers and differnt guns that he liked. I asked him just for fun to let me hold the Walther P22 .22LR caliber pistol. Needless to say it was love at first sight and touch. The one i had read so much about was finally coming home with me. I decided to go with the .22LR for now since it was more economical to shoot and it is small enough that Tara can shoot comfortably. Maybe down the road I will jump to the next level but fun of shooting ranked at the end of the day. The process was really easy and after a 15 min background check I was on my way home with my new gun. Flash forward to today and I actually got to shoot the gun. The anticipations were high and in the end i was not disappointed. Initially I was a little concerned because one particualar brand of shells we had it did not seem to like them but the other two brands it shot with out a flaw. Its so light and easy to shoot. We shot thru about 200 rounds of ammo in about 20 minutes. I have attached a video just for fun of the new gun in action. Get your stop watches out.... I have clocked it at about 10 shots in 1.8-2.0 seconds. Pretty darn fun. The video is not great since its on a cell phone but you will get the idea.

Load 6...Fire!!

Well tonight was the culmination of alot of years waiting and conversations talking about a hand gun carry permit. It is something that Me, Ryan and Timbo had talked about doing for quite sometime but just never got the time or nerve to go do it. Our good friend "dead eye" Jones has had one for a few years and he was the envy of our group being able to feel the warm touch of the gun barrel whenever he desired. Last night Me,Ryan,Tara and the Teter Man loaded up and headed for 'Bend of The River' gun club in Cookeville to begin our 2-night journey. We all road back into the woods of cookeville to the club with a little bit of anxiety because of the unknown factor that laid ahead. Needless to say it was an adventure last night as we listened to the modern day Wyatt Earp tell us who we could and could not shoot. Just to give you a visual on our instructor....picture your favorite crazy uncle Buck in a black leather vest with khaki pants ,work boots and a holstered gun on his right hip. At one point he proceeded to pull about 6-7 guns out of every possible crevice and from every extremity he had. It was quite impressive to say the least. As usual me and ryan had the maturity of 12 year old girls and giggled thru most of the instructional video as it depicted potential "self defense" situation. The night was topped off by somewhat of a tricky 30 question quiz and then we were off to think about the Friday night shooting festival. Tonight, Me,tara, and Ryan loaded up again to go take our shooting test to conclude our class. As we walked up to the lodge the sound of multiple guns firing would make you think of a Vietnam setting. All you could hear in the cold,crisp air was gun fire. We were greeted in the Lodge by a lady I will just call Bertha because i'm unsure of her name... bertha says" you here to shoot and you know where the gun range is?" Somewhat of a smirk came across our faces because any breathing human could find the range seeing how the raging gunfire was only about 50 yards away. Just in case you werent in Middle Tn tonight the temperature was about 22-24 F as we approached the shooting range. We were all still a little nervous as we walked into the outside range and our Wyatt Earp "Sarge" was barking orders at some of our fellow students in the class. As our extremities became numb the nervousness continued to rise. As the first 5 people finished up our hope was to go as a threesome and shoot in the same group. We decided our 6 shooters were not going to be the best gun for this fast paced shoot off. So we opted for the quicker load semi-automatic. I ended up using Tara's borrowed gun and went the group before tara and ryan. If you have never shot when its 22 degrees then you are missing something special. Hands feeling numb makes it hard to load the clip... and the instructor barking "load 6 and fire on the Whistle" It was a little faster paced than i thought it might be. Needless to say when the smoke settled it was more than enough to make the passing grade. After my group was done there was only three shooters left. Ryan,TAra and a 80 year old Northerner. I was quite proud of my little shooting girl. She did really good- I think she ended up with 49/50 and 50/50 in the black. All that keeps us from the coveted piece of paper is $115 bucks and a trip to the DOT for registration and fingerprinting. So overall it was a good and easy process, Hopefully our good friend Mr. Obama will not abolish our little permit and take our guns away from us.

Bro. Harold

(i'll go ahead and apologize to mom for this picture! Its the only good one i had on my computer)Two year is along time in many ways but oh so short in many others. In many ways Nov 20, 2006 is a day like the day kennedy got shot or 9-11. I remember the phone call oh so well.... with those words time stood still and a man like no other was gone. He was many things to many people but he was a man that i truly respected and loved. I have many memories and stories that i think about often and will never forget. There are so many things i wish we could have shared together... another christmas eve, my wedding, our first house, our future kids... so many things that will never happen in reality but will always happen in spirit. Every where I go "papa" is always with me because of how he shaped my life in so many little and big ways. I guess this blog today is more therapeutic for me than anything. It doesn't seem like two years should have passed by me this quick however the quicker time goes here on this Earth the sooner we will all be together again. I love you Brother Harold! I gotta believe they will have dark rimmed glasses in Heaven.

Exciting times!!

Winter is not always my favorite time of year but every year November/December I always get excited for the obvious turkey day and Christmas. It seems like most people are in a good mood for the next few months with the childlike excitement of food,family and fun. Two years ago to the day (Nov. 9th) It was an exciting day around and above Sparta. For a few months i had tried to figure out a way to ask Tara to marry me without her being suspicious of what was going on. I could never figure out a way to get to NC and prepare for a cool day without her knowing. So luckily for me she decided on a whim trip to Sparta and the stage was set. Most of you were involved and you know the rest is history. In many ways it seems hard to believe that 2 years have come and gone. We have been married for 1.5 years now. (NO time soon---for all you thinking when will the next little heady kid be running around?) Well the next exciting stage of our lives has been house hunting. Even though the economy is in the toilet and seems to be swirling to the sewer we have tried to go forth with this stage in our life. We have been looking casually for many months now but seriously looking for the last 3-4 weeks. About a week and a half ago we started our official tour of homes. We picked our top 10 or so homes and headed out with our agent. I guess finding a house is somewhat like finding a spouse. In many ways i guess you just get that warm fuzzy feeling inside and know that its the one that you want to be with. We definitely have found that one that is the front runner. Initially we didn't think we would like the area or subdivision but when we drove thru it just seem to click. The one we are looking at is just down the street from our friends Dustin and Anna. It is still currently being built and has approx 6 weeks till completion. Its all fun and games taking the little tours but when you sit and crunch the numbers it becomes a little bit more depressing. If anyone has any spare gold around...hint hint Dr. Jones..you can forward your contributions to our current address. I will post a picture of our current top choice and let me know if you like it. Remember she is not finished.

The "C" Word...

Well I know most of you were thinking that it would be many weeks before you saw me blog again but I couldn't keep the throngs of adoring blog readers waiting anymore. In November of 2007 I began working At Cumberland Family Care part time. It was then that i met a skinny,young marathon runner named Daniel. He was a Nurse Practitioner who graduated from Vandy almost the same time I graduated from Trevecca. Over a few months We came to realize we shared some common things..... mutual patients, shared offices, our wife/girlfriend were both named Tara (his actually was spelled Terra i think), gossiped about American Idol, and most special we were brothers in Christ. Because of the hectic nature of a medical office and the nature of our schedules there were very few times we could just sit down and chat. But when we did it was always neat because it was as if we were from the same army platoon or something. We were co-laborers, fellow Peon mid-level providers in a most commonly MD driven arrogant profession. One day after work we talked about a spot that he had on his tongue. He had it for many months and was being followed for it but it was not improving. Finally He found himself at Vanderbilt for a biopsy. In April, days before the pathology results were back I remember him sitting in the office and telling me "Cameron, I don't think its cancer but If it is I know God's In Control." Daniel passed away yesterday at the age of 34. He was a true testimony of Jesus Christ to the very end. He never wavered from the statement: "If God wants to heal me I know that He can and Will but if not I'm ready to go home". Yesterday I was thinking about the last few years and the friends/familys of my inner circle that had passed away from cancer. Three names in particular come to mind, Erin, Crystal, and Daniel. I added all their ages up and it comes to 92. If you divide that by three its an average lifespan of not even 31 years old. Sure i know thats a little bit of a stretch and those are only three cases. But it makes you think..I'm going on 27. Yes, still very young. But this time last year Daniel was running marathons and over the course of a year he couldn't even go to the bathroom by himself. I'm not trying to be graphic but it truely rips my heart out. I know God is in control but it still doesn't take the wondering thoughts away. I know this is turning into a Grandpa Simpson blog much like i threw Ryan under the bus for. haha. But for real, If you remember to over the next few days Remember Daniel Smith's family and Cumberland family care in your prayers. The world and our office has lost a good Christian man and a wonderful medical provider.

Whittaker Weekend!!

This past weekend was the Whittaker yearly trip to Sparta, NC. It is usually somewhere around the third weekend in October. Both Scott and Tara's birthdays are around that time. This year I found myself rushing thru a busy Friday afternoon of patients to try and get on the road. Time travel is not too much different than mocksville. With a few stops along the way we arrived in Sparta,NC around 1030-11Pm. Traditionally on Saturday the family takes a hike from WildCat Rock down to Caudil Cabin (all along the Blue Ridge Parkway). The hike is usually a large portion of the day and then Saturday night is met with a good meal and then relaxing as a family. This year took on a little bit different theme because of little baby boys and rotator cuff injuries. Most of the day was spent frolicking around our cabin in the great outdoors. The leaves weren't quite as pretty this year but the temperature was ideal. Later on in the afternoon we loaded up in the car for the tradition of hitting golf balls off one of the scenic overlooks (Wildcat Rock). If you have never hit golf balls off one of the overlooks along the Blue Ridge parkway then you have never lived (You will get some funny looks as well). Saturday night Scott, Julia and Solomon packed up and head back to Mocksville. That left us with Taras dad, her brother Tood his wife Connie and Austin. Most of the night was spent in a heated battle of Canasta. Sunday brought on more leaf gazing and relaxing. Tara and I stayed Sunday night too after everyone had packed up and left. Monday we drove a good portion of Blue Ridge Parkway from Sparta, NC to Blowing Rock,NC. It was a nice little stroll but one i wouldn't want to take everyday because of all ups/downs and curves. Not much else is going on in the Heady world. Tara is still chugging along with TTU and the occassional Ben Lomand day. We did make my biannual "find some dress pants" adventure tonight. For quite some time i have made a vow not to buy new pants while it was in my fat stage. I have squeezed into the ole pants for quite some time and subconsciously i feel like i'm starting to look like someone in baby blue pants from the 70's that are now high waters. Well tonight i slipped into embracing my new "fat" nature. Sure its not what i would like but hey I just bought 3 new pair of pants so I can't be dropping any pounds anytime soon. A few years ago i would have looked at the pants with the little "expand-a-band" and said "sheesh! what a loser" but now that little extra give seems to just hit the spot on what i need. So I encourage all of you kids out there struggling...just buy the bigger size with the built in expansion. If they are a little too big it will at least make you feel like you lost weight.

There's a New Mac in town...

It has truly been a lazy and relaxing weekend. My weekend started after a morning in the Saturday urgent care clinic. All went well and it was not to busy. Since that times its been constant comfy clothes and couch lounging. Saturday found us with some exciting games and some not so exciting football games if your a UT fan. Saturday night I found myself struggling with an unwanted stomach rumbling that left me feeling uneasy through most of Sunday as well. After sleeping late this morning I found myself settling in for some exciting Ryder Cup action as well as a little TN Titans action. Even though i wasn't feeling 100% it is always some what nice to just sit around and do nothing on Sundays. I know that throws me into the slacker sinner category on Sunday but hey its not like i do it everyweek.

Earlier In the week, we had a new addition to our family. Small-sleek, cute, cuddly and amazingly smart. It sounds like a Heady doesn't it? Tara's birthday came a little early for her this year. As many of your know she is currently attending TTU trying to finish up her degree sometime within the next few year. There had been a few times where the conversation led to "It would be a good time to have a laptop while at school." Conveniently enough Apple has been running a special where if you buy a Mac for school you get a discount and a free Ipod touch. The special was only running till the middle of September so I had to pull the trigger about a month early. Needless to say this week has been quite the exciting experience playing with the new gadgets. Even as we speak my lovely bride is using it in a group meeting for a presentation they are doing next week.

On the lighter side of things...... If you believe in "kitty prayers". Our cat Scofield must have been constantly petitioning the Big Cat lover in the sky this past week. We were scheduled to have both our cats fixed on the recommendation of our good friend Bob Barker. We were scheduled to drop our cats off with Dr. Mark Burke in Smithville on Tuesday morning. Tara drove down to Smithville only to hear "I'm sorry Mrs. Heady. Dr. Burke is in the hospital with Kidney stones." If we could understand cats i'm sure you would have heard an emphatic "Praise God!" from the little cat carrier in the car. Unfortunately for them we have another appointment this week and I don't think it could come a moment to soon. Without getting to graphic for our young blog readers I think our cats have found that being brother and sister doesn't bother them to much. We noticed Nala doing an interesting little girly dance last night. We had to seperate the little devils last night to try and prevent something crazy happening in the dark hours of the night. We will keep you updated as this story develops this week.

And a good time was had by all!

Heady update! Alot has happened since our last transmission. Trips to the beach, summer ending, and the county fair. The beginning of August we loaded up and headed to Jekyll Island, Ga for a week at the beach. It was a good week just to get away. If you have never been its nice relaxing destination filled with lots of cool history. IF your looking for wild parties and crowded beaches then Jekyll Island is not for you. There is not alot to do on the Island other than relax on the beach and learn about the former exclusive Hunting club that was the vacation home to 1/6th of the worlds weatlh. Names like the Rockefeller, the Vanderbilts and J.P. Morgan were some of the founding families of the Island. It was an invitation only experience for their lucky friends. The first trans-america phone call was participated in by president of AT&T from Jekyll island in 1915. In other news, tara is part-time at Ben lomand and full time at TTU. She has full load of classes with 17 hrs. She has some pretty neat classes and few skanky ones that will be just trying to get through. As for myself, I am officially full time in good ole Spencer Tn. Good news came my way a few weeks ago when i was accepted for the NHSC loan repayment program. My 2-year contract started on July 30 and will result in about 90% of my remaining loans to be eliminated. so that was a big praise report. The transition has went really well and things are settling in quite nicely. We recently spent a few good days with Judy (Tara's Mom). It was a good time to relax and catch up on lost time. This time of year would not be complete without good stories from the Local white county fair. The fair is always the marker in time where the summer comes to a close and in my mind fall officially begins. Seems like every year it always gets cool during the fair and is a nice crisp breeze in the air. The fair is always a good time to see an illustration of the Worlds melting pot. You have a culmination of some of the world's most interesting people. Lots of money, a few good candied apples and a good time was had by all.
On a more serious note before I close, I would like to open up the prayer doors of the blogging world. I would like you all to pray for my friend and colleague Daniel Smith (age 34) . He is a nurse practitioner who works in the same office as i do. A few months ago he was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma on his tongue. Originally he had a fair prognosis of a 40-60% cure success rate. Recently he was basically given a 0% medical cure rate as new scans showed his cancer had metastasized to bones and lungs. Without a Miracle from our Savior the doctors have given him a probable 6-9 months. He is a fellow believe and amazing testimony to the peace and love of Jesus. If you have some time here is his blog: http://patdanielsmith.blogspot.com/ I can assure you if take time to read his blog you will be blessed. He is a great guy and I know he would covet your prayers.

We Are Alive!!

Its good to be back with you all here in cyber land. Unlike other times in the past my absence from blogging has not been by laziness but reliance on an oh so heavenly WiFi connection. The internet has not been available here at the ole Heady household in probably a month but magically it came back yesterday stronger than ever. So i will update you on all that is going on with us since the last time i wrote.... I'm still working more than I would like but work life is good. There are many days where i feel like i'm in a good medical groove and I actually do know a few things about what people need. I occasionally still get that weird new deer walking feeling that makes me uneasy somedays. I'm anxiously awaiting some time off at the first of August which will be a great relaxer. Tara is doing great. She is still slowly taking over Ben Lomand one day at a time. She will soon be registering for classes which she should have done 2 months ago. I think her classes start in late August. For all of you Non-Sparta kids she is sporting a new hair cut that is quite nice. She got it cut short about three weeks ago and it looks really pretty. At least now i don't have to hear "ugh this hair is so hot" Our kitties Scofield and Nala have grown to actually look like real cats. They are really a mess. We had one close call with Nala running away last week but for the most part they have been pretty good about staying around. I didn't expect to like them this much but they really are fun to play with and watch them interact with each other. I see the wonders of Gods human creations everyday but often I find myself watching these cats and saying "Wow! these are really pretty intelligent creatures and God is so neat" For the most part they live normal little kitty lives. Occasionally after long naps they switch over to what we have coined "Crack Kitty" mode. Scofield will lay his ears back and get this weird gleam in his eye and he is off to the races....climbing on chairs, running and jumping up the wall. It is sometimes more fun than any HD program.
On a more serious note....as most of you know since the last time I wrote We found ourselves in the awful place of saying goodbye to another family member and friend Crystal Hutchings. We all know Crystal didn't really die but ultimately just began living....True life... I must admit it doesn't seem real. There will forever be etched in my mind a few memories from the funeral day. One of those only a handfull of people saw but truely ripped my heart out. As the funeral ended there was a little bit of a delay till they moved her to the gravesite...Most people left and only a few people remained. All other 6 kids had already been swept up by MiMi but Daniel was left standing alone...under the tent with steve as they brushed some dirt off her casket before closing the vault. As he stood alone at the age 10 or so it was as if he was transformed into a man. So many responsibilities were ahead of him and so many things he would have to deal with that he doesn't even know about yet. I'm not sure if I will ever see anything more heartbreaking but I know great things are ahead for those Hutchings kids.
On a final note, I mentioned our vacation. The first week of August we will be heading to Jekyll Island ,GA for a week of life on the beach. We will end our journey with hopefully a few days in South Carolina with my cousin Jon and his wife heather. Hopefully we will get some good fresh shrimp and even catch a shark or two off his boat.

Cats? Surely Not!?!?

Hello My friends! Well as we enter the Dog Days of summer the Reign of Cats has entered the Heady house. Yes, I know its quite the surprise for those of you who know me personally. I have never been the cat lover but my beautiful wife has beaten me into submission and subsequently Two cats have arrived at our house. They were compliments of the Other Heady house hold. I think Ryan was giggling as we carted off two from his fold. I like the kittens the size and personality they are right now. Its when they become old,large,clingy and annoying that turns me away from the feelings towards the felines. The first night has went well so far. Tara is all smiles and the two are snoozing in out kitchen floor right now. They have showed no signs of shock so far. The gold/yellow one is quite the curious cat...he played with tara most of the night but the other one is a party pooper and has just slept after eating. This brings us to the obvious question...What are their names? Well, right now their birth certificates just show baby boy and baby girl Heady. Thats where we need the faithful readers to give us suggestions for their names. For you Prison break lovers, Schofield and Linc are in the running for the boy name and Tancredi or variation is in the running for the lady. So if you have a favorite please let us know. Well I just wanted to share the newest additions to our family.