First carry successful

[asbandr]

I got my chl in the mail today. I had actually just come home from Walmart and didn't plan to go anywhere until I realized I forgot some things. Went to heb with 2 young kids in tow. I've been carrying around the house for weeks now and I didn't feel weird until I got in the car. I felt like I was doing something wrong like I shouldn't be carrying outside my property. I even checked my wallet about 12 times to confirm my license was indeed there.
I put my gun on out of the kids eyesight so to avoid any mention by them of my gun in the produce aisle.
I stopped at a friends house to drop something off and figured I'd passed the concealment test when the 3 friends that were there didn't run for cover.
When I got to heb I adjusted my shirt after getting out of the car just once or twice, no obsessive pulling. I stopped to chit chat with an acquaintance and stood in close proximity to a cop all while mentally replaying my previous 12 license checks. I crashed into a strangers cart while pulling the kids off of the toilet paper piles. Double checked that my gun was concealed and went on my way.
All in all, felt it was a pretty good carry and with two boys who needs walmart?
I'm honestly more worried about carrying at church tomorrow. Especially as a recent procedure to try to treat my chronic pain will warrant me extra attention and hugs from well meaning old ladies who just have no idea.

[Jumping Frog]

Congrats on becoming an Armed Citizen. Thank you!

Within 60 days, you will not only be used to carrying, but it will change to feel strange if for some reason you are unable to carry.

As far as hugging goes, I always approach a hug with my weak side arm held high and the strong side arm held low. If their arm is on top of your strong side arm, they cannot feel the gun.

[RJGold]

Congrats on a good first carry...

About the hugs at church. I had exactly the same worry. Several on this forum advised me to "go low" on my carry side (i.e. get your arm under theirs on the side where your pistol is). It usually works.

There are times when I feel somone let their hand drop as we finish a hug and it may brush my weapon. Those that know me well (I shoot with my pastor and his family sometimes), probably know what it is. Those that don't probably assume it's a cell phone.

No one has ever said anything to me at church about carrying.

My two cents.

[jmra]

I got my chl in the mail today. Congrats I had actually just come home from Walmart and didn't plan to go anywhere until I realized I forgot some things. Went to heb with 2 young kids in tow. I've been carrying around the house for weeks now and I didn't feel weird until I got in the car. I felt like I was doing something wrong like I shouldn't be carrying outside my property. I even checked my wallet about 12 times to confirm my license was indeed there.
I put my gun on out of the kids eyesight so to avoid any mention by them of my gun in the produce aisle. My kids were curious at first and I worried that that might ask me if I was carrying within ear shot of the wrong person. So we worked out a system. If they want to know if I was carrying they would simply bump into me right where my carry weapon would be. At their age (at the time) this looked perfectly natural to anyone watching and it kept them from needing to ask. It also should me how developed their situational awareness was. It almost never failed that immediately after (or sometimes before) I would pick up a hint of a potential issue, I would feel a little bump.
I stopped at a friends house to drop something off and figured I'd passed the concealment test when the 3 friends that were there didn't run for cover.
When I got to heb I adjusted my shirt after getting out of the car just once or twice, no obsessive pulling. Adjusting my shirt after standing or bending has become a habit for me carrying or not. This is not the "tell tale" sign you are carrying that many believe it is. Often I will find good people watching places and just observe. Everyone adjusts their shirts, even kids. It a perfectly natural thing to do. I stopped to chit chat with an acquaintance and stood in close proximity to a cop all while mentally replaying my previous 12 license checks. I crashed into a strangers cart while pulling the kids off of the toilet paper piles. Double checked that my gun was concealed and went on my way.
All in all, felt it was a pretty good carry and with two boys who needs walmart?
I'm honestly more worried about carrying at church tomorrow. Especially as a recent procedure to try to treat my chronic pain will warrant me extra attention and hugs from well meaning old ladies who just have no idea. I used to worry about the hugs at church but I don't anymore. You may be wrong about the old ladies. Those older ladies who have figured out I carry from hugging me have been very supportive. A few have even confessed to having carried a gun in their purse for the last 40 years. I remind them we are not catholic and I'm not a priest, no confessions!

[jbarn]

I don't let people hug me. When they come intruding into my space I put out my hand for a handshake. Hugs are reserved for people I am close to.

[Abraham]

This thread reminds me of the Seinfeld episode where Jerry just wasn't comfortable with being hugged by his fellow apartment dwellers - so they all eventually shunned him because they all seemed obsessed about hugging each and all.

I too don't like to be hugged unless it's a family member.

I especially don't like man-hugs - it's creepy, but it's de rigueur now.

What's wrong with a hand shake?

I recently got one unexpected hug and yep, she instantly looked at me with surprise in her eyes as I appendix carry.

[Wodathunkit]

Congrats Asbandr!

[longtooth]

Over time I have actually had several of those Old Ladies you spoke of hug the pat a little extra & tell me, "just checkin". There are numerous folks in our church that know probably 10% of our service is armed & they are glad of it.
I am presently doing an Intirim work w/ a small country church that a good 25% is armed. Men & women.
I do know Deep east Texas is different from Big City, Texas so there comcealed prolly needs to be concealed.
There is still a little freedom here & I will enjoy it all the way to my grave.
You will soon get comfortable.
Welcome to the Sheep Dog Pac.

[asbandr]

Thanks all! As open as we are with our kids (5&7) about guns, we don't like them knowing when we're carrying simply because I know them well enough to know they will let the cat out of the bag at the most inopportune time.
As far as the church hugs, I'm not a touchy feely person, but being a woman I've accepted people are just going to hug me. I just kept my strong arm down and led with my weak. It worked out ok today.
I'm hoping the discomfort physically will go away or get less noticeable.

[RetNavy]

Congrats on receiving your license... one of the first things I told my daughter that you don't go telling everyone one that I have a CHL.... she been real good about it....

[Steamboat]

Congratulations. I still feel as though I'm being noticed.

[asbandr]

I feel that way sometimes still. But for me is because as a woman I worry about many of the different styles of clothes I wear. My husband did tell me a few stares to late that the dress i wrote to church with a Flash bang holster left a noticing bulge where the grip poked out a bit. That's ok though, it gave me more ammo (small pun intended) to get another gun. I want something really small and light I can easily wear in a thigh holster. I feel like my sig is just too heavy.

[Blindref757]

My wife just got a Glock 42...it will disappear anywhere!

[budroux2w]

Congrats!

[CoolBreeze]

Congrats!