WATCH: 10 Reasons Why My 1st USPSA Major in 2013 ROCKED

After a year off from competition, I buried the excuses, left the ego at home and took a road trip with the family to the 2013 USPSA Northern Rockies Sectional in Hamilton, MT. I am so glad I did too. For starters…

1.  Montana is gorgeous.  Even with a five-year-old and three-month-old in the back seat, the seven-hour drive through the state was enjoyable with all of the spectacular scenery.

2. Tim Thomas and his crew of Bitterroot Blasters let me race through the match so that I could get back to the family camped out in the hotel ASAP. A big thank you to all the staff and shooters who let me jump in and shoot the stages.

3. Women in the shooting sports are AWESOME.

4. [INSERT SIGH OF HAPPINESS] It felt oh-so-good to pull the trigger again on the Smith & Wesson M&P Pro.  It’s been too long, my friend.

5. The stages were fantastic. From one-handed shooting, dodging procedural “land mines” and plenty of tough targets, a multitude of practical shooting skills were tested. I shot all eight of the fun and challenging courses of fire in less than a total of 3 minutes and trust me, that’s pretty awesome because…

6. There was a Polish and Irish plate rack plus a bunch of poppers on one of the stages. One word. Whoa.

7. Thanks to the very sweet Irene Craft and my Midland XTC I got a bit of video.

8. I had sushi for dinner! It’s been ages.

9. I came in second overall in the Production Division with a 97.16% on the stage called Funny Farm. It was my one “I’m baaaaaack!” moment in the match.

10. I finished fourth overall and 2nd woman, just 2.5% behind the talented Sara Dunivin. YEAH!

A huge thank you to Smith & Wesson, Benelli, Warren Tactical and my other sponsors for their incredible support!