Pinterest-Inspired: Race Bib Holder

Pinterest strikes again! I had some race bibs sitting around and wanted to do something with them, but knowing I would like to do more races this year, I needed something I could add to later on.Well, I saw this race bib holder on Pinterest and thought that it would be perfect, but I was not about to pay $36 for it on etsy. Luckily, Josh has lots of scrap wood in the garage, so I went and rummaged around and found the perfect piece. I sanded it down, painted it, added the hooks (the only thing I had to buy), and TA-DA! my new race bib holder!

2nd Anniversary!

Happy 2nd anniversary to my amazing husband!! It's crazy that we've been married for two years already! Here's to many more!! Love you!

 

Photo by McGowan Images

Book #5 - Bringing Down the House

A week or so ago I finished book #5 of the year, Bringing Down the House by Ben Mezrich. It's the story of a team of MIT students that used card counting to win big in Vegas. The movie, 21, is loosely based on this book. It's a very interesting read and even if you've seen 21, you should read the book. The movie really doesn't do this book justice (as usual). Here's how Amazon summarizes the book:

The amazing inside story about a gambling ring of M.I.T. students who beat the system in Vegas -- and lived to tell how.

Robin Hood meets the Rat Pack when the best and the brightest of M.I.T.'s math students and engineers take up blackjack under the guidance of an eccentric mastermind. Their small blackjack club develops from an experiment in counting cards on M.I.T.'s campus into a ring of card savants with a system for playing large and winning big. In less than two years they take some of the world's most sophisticated casinos for more than three million dollars. But their success also brings with it the formidable ire of casino owners and launches them into the seedy underworld of corporate Vegas with its private investigators and other violent heavies.

Filled with tense action, high stakes, and incredibly close calls, Bringing Down the House is a nail-biting read that chronicles a real-life Ocean's Eleven. It's one story that Vegas does not want you to read.

Reading this book got me even more excited for our trip to Las Vegas this summer. I don't think I'll try card counting, but it is good to know the basics of card counting since it could help with maybe giving a little edge in Blackjack. :)

Head for the Cure

On Saturday, I participated in the North Texas Head for the Cure 5K to help raise money for brain cancer awareness and research. I walked it with a couple of friends from work representing Team Dr Pepper.We had a good time running a little, but mostly walking the course. It was a fun way to get exercise while helping out a great cause.

Running through the crowds at the beginning

This is what we looked like most of the time

"Sprint to the finish!" - me, Jeanine, and Edna crossing the finish line

Spring is Here - Get Outdoors!

Don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten about the blog. I know I haven’t posted anything in a while, but I am now! Josh has been busy with Spring Football and the winding down of the school year (yay!), but mostly we’ve been enjoying our lightening schedule. Josh has four more weeks of school left until summer and I’m just looking forward to summer hours at work (come on Memorial Day…ready for half day Fridays). We’ve got a busy, fun-filled summer ahead of us that we are very much looking forward to if we can just get there!

Since the weather has warmed up (finally!), we’ve been going on walks in the evenings after work. Sometimes I go by myself if Josh has late practice, but I’ve just been enjoying getting out and getting some fresh air after the never-ending winter. We have a nice hike and bike trail about half a mile from our house that we’ve been making good use of. We like having it there and having so many options for how long we want our walk to be. There’s a school with several ball fields and playgrounds by the trail too that always has lots of people, so I still feel safe even when I’m by myself.

I’m probably going to start adding a little jogging/running to my walks soon to add a little extra challenge and to prepare myself for some 5K races this fall. I want to make sure I ease into it so I don’t hurt myself. I’m already plagued by shin splints a lot of the time, so I definitely don’t need anything else to hurt. The ice packs on my legs sure help me to cool off when I come in though! :)

In the last month, I’ve also picked up another new hobby – I’ve started playing golf. Josh likes to play golf when we go on vacation, so I thought I’d learn how to play so I can play with him this year instead of just driving the cart. We’ve played a few rounds and he’s been a good coach, not getting too mad at me. :) I did improve from the first round we played to the second round by 5 strokes. I just wish it wasn’t such an expensive hobby!

First time out - nine hole at The Practice Tee

First round of 18 at Keeton Park

Second round of 18 at Sherrill Park

As you can see, Spring has brought a renewal to my “be active” goal. I just don’t do well getting out in the cold. That’s why I live in Texas! Short winters, lots of heat…that’s what I like! Hardly ever will you hear me complaining about the heat, I love it!

Book #4 - Love, Lies, and High Heels

 

A few days ago I finished book #4, Love, Lies, & High Heels by Debby Conrad. This is a cute little romantic book. Here is the synopsis from Amazon:

LUKE GALLOWAY doesn’t lie. Well, not normally. And never about anything as serious as death. But, somehow Luke’s friend and business partner, Sam Paris, convinces Luke that he needs to do just that. Sam believes the only way his daughter will come back to see him is if he were dying. And so the lies begin...

RUSTY PARIS has been alone most of her life. Her parents were divorced when she was very young. Rusty was pushed off to boarding schools, while her mother made a hobby of marrying rich men. She doesn’t remember much about her father, only that he never made an attempt to be a part of her life for the past twenty-one years. But all that is about to change. When she gets word he is dying, she runs home to be by his side, which puts in right in the path of that scoundrel Luke Galloway.

Luke has no room in his life for rich heiresses. Been there. Done that. From the first time Luke and Rusty meet, they clash. She considers him nothing more than a lowly ranch hand who enjoys riling her temper. He considers her arrogant and prissy. But that doesn’t mean he can fight his attraction to her, nor hers to him. 

And when they find out they’ve both been duped by Rusty’s father the sparks really start to fly.

This book was okay. It started slow, then picked up some towards the middle. It was very predictable and the characters got on my nerves some, but overall it was a decent light reading. If you just need an easy read, then go for this one, just don't expect too much.

Camping - Eisenhower State Park

 
This past weekend, Josh and I went camping with our friends, TJ and Allison. We went up to Eisenhower State Park on Lake Texoma. On Friday night, we explored around by the lake a little bit and hung out. On Saturday afternoon, Josh and I rented a pontoon boat and went out on the lake for a few hours. We tried fishing some, but we weren't getting any nibbles (found out later that the game warden said all the fish were in the deep water), so we just enjoyed the wonderful weather on the lake. We decided to cut our trip short by a night since it was super windy (and getting windier) and we didn't sleep good on Friday night due to the wind. We had a great time camping and catching up with Allison and TJ and we'll definitely go back to Eisenhower State Park. It was a great place to camp!

Our campsite

Beautiful Lake Texoma

Allison, TJ, and their dog Penny (she didn't want to smile for the camera)