Great to see more people joining the visual gang
An interesting and pleasant read thanks for posting. Your mother in law's reaction to Saturn reminds me of my mum's when I told her those white smudges on Mars are clouds and that white blob is its equivalent to Antarctica!
I agree having a list of targets is a good way to go. Like you, if I don't have a list, I find myself thinking and scanning the atlas looking for stuff, time that would otherwise be used for observing.
cheers