Santa and Shotguns on Saturday

Sounds like an interesting combination, huh? Concerned minds should know that those two subjects were not combined. :)
Breakfast with Santa took place with the family at the Commonwealth Club on Saturday morning, and the shotgun portion of the day took place later on with adult Benjamins for what was definitely my favorite half of the day (sorry, kids).
First up: breakfast with Santa (actual picture of the family with Santa to be published later once it arrives in the mail)...

Three girls too excited about seeing Santa to stand still and smile for the camera.

Caroline had a very important note to pass off to Santa about where we will be this year (Big Canoe).  

Breakfast is better with a juggler at your table.

Julia waiting patiently for the elves to make her a balloon flower.

You can't tell, but the girls got to ring jingle bells for the women singing in the parlor.

Group picture fail...but at least we tried!

Next up, we headed out to Cavalier Sporting Clays to meet up with Henry Baskerville for our afternoon of clay shooting, whisky tasting (after the shooting, of course), and a catered dinner. To say that Paul and I were excited was an understatement. It was a little rainy, but we didn't let that dampen our spirits, and truthfully, the grey skies made it easier to see the clay pigeons.
The best part of the day was when we headed back to Hen's "Chateau de Cavalier", a quaint (to be generous) cabin on the gun range for drinks, dinner, and conversation. Henry is an amazing storyteller, and it was a real honor to spend time with someone who has lived such an interesting and exciting life.
His take home message was "nothing is more important than having fun." Now, of course there are some things that must take precedence over having fun, but I think we all left the Chateau bound and determined to spend a little more time valuing our friendships and the fun and joy they bring to our lives. Because in the end, money and possessions don't matter but good memories, laughter, fun, and friendship do.

Annie and me sporting our super hot shooting glasses.

Out in the field with Henry

Annie is an excellent shot.

The boys having a shoot-off.

Handsome sportsmen :)

I'm pretty sure Henry and I were laughing about how bad of a shot I am.

Relaxing at the Chateau.

There were stuffed animals everywhere. Lookout for that jaguar (leopard? cheetah?), Corey and Annie!

I wanted to pose with every creature I saw.

Paul and Annie hanging out at the bar with yet another furry friend.

The Chateau was awesome.

We had an amazing time with amazing friends.