February 5Ks

Two 5Ks this month!  Getting closer to meeting the 10 5Ks in 2014 resolution!

Cupid's Chase 5K

On February 1, Gus and I headed to Georgetown for the Cupid's Chase 5K.  We got to the start with plenty of time to pick up my number and my t-shirt.  I also picked up a friend's packet - she was sick with flu-like symptoms so she opted to skip the race.  The race is a fundraiser for Georgetown parks.  It's a point-to-point race that starts by the courthouse in the little town square and ends near the Georgetown Bark Park.  This was our second year to participate. 

We started near the back of the pack like we normally do.  We were able to run the first quarter mile again! yay us!  Then we wogged (mostly walked) the rest.  After a little cool down, Gus and I walked about a mile back to the car - we definitely took our time getting back to the car.

See Spot Run 5K

Last Saturday, Gus and I woke up early to drive to College Station for the See Spot Run 5K at Wolf Pen Creek park.  It's a fundraiser for the Texas A&M veterinary students.  Dog participation is encouraged, so there were lots of dogs and owners.  This was the third year for us to do See Spot Run -- and this year there were way more people than the previous years, which was great to see!  As I was checking in, one of my grad school classmates spotted me.  We hung out while we waited for the race to start and she jogged with us for a few minutes, until Gus stopped for #2.  I told her to go ahead at that point, so she finished a few minutes ahead of us.  Before the race, we also saw Daphne, the St. Bernard, and her humans -- and her new four-legged sister, a 9-month old mastiff.  Super cute, pretty girls --- they had done the 3K race that was before the 5K. 

I wasn't paying attention before the race and didn't get my Garmin searching for satellites in time to start my time at the START line.  Oh well.  We jogged for the first little bit, until Gus decided that he needed to take a break for #2.  I don't think it was a quarter mile into the race, but that's life.  We wogged - I felt like we ran more for this race than the last one.  Gus did great!  He did act like a lab and instead of drinking from the kiddie pool full of water, he hopped in and sloshed around.  He was not the first and was probably not the last to do that though.  :) 

I haven't seen the official times or any photos yet. 

Girls' Night Out

Last night, I met up with a couple friends and some of their coworkers to paint a picture.  I've seen lots of photos of fb friends doing something similar so when I was invited, I thought I'd give it a try.

It was a 2-hour class and the picture for the evening was entitled Belton Lake.  I did not get any of the artistic genes in my family so I wasn't sure what to expect from my attempt at painting.

We arrived a few minutes early to set up our easels and pour our BYOB drinks (for those who drink - I had a Diet Coke).  Out group had 6 people in it so we were seated together.  There was another table of 6-8 people so the class was bigger than I expected for a Tuesday night.

We were given 3 paint brushes - wide, medium and fine-ish - and we painted with acrylics so we had to work fast to blend the colors.

First, we laid down the basic background colors which required not much skill but did require speed to blend the colors. 

Then, we added the silhouettes of the hills, land, dock and tree.

The final details were the shadows in the water from the tree and the reflections of the dock lights.  We finished in just over 2 hours, which surprised me. 

The instructor laughed when I asked for a Sharpie to sign my artwork.  :)  So mine remains unsigned at this point because I was not a fan of the fine-ish paint brush we were using. 

It was not a cheap night out but it is something I would probably do again if the picture is something that I like.

Finally back...again...

Back to blogging. 

Let's see - what's happened in the last 5-6 weeks.

• Gus and I visited the fam in Kansas.  We celebrated Christmas late.  My siblings and sibs-in-law opted to draw names and buy each other 'As Seen On TV' gifts.  I bought my bro-in-law a wrench thing that will open anything and Zoomies binocular/glasses things.  From my bro and sis-in-law, I received 'Hot Booties' and a 'PetRider' seat cover.  Some of the other gifts were a Chia Si (from Duck Dynasty), a tortilla bowl maker, a personal ice cream maker, and a thing to make stuffed hamburgers.  It was a fun gift exchange!

• My roommate moved out... and into the apartment next door.  :)  That way we can still hang out and let the dogs play, but we each have our own space again.  Most of the furniture in the living room belonged to her, so my living room stayed pretty empty for a couple weeks.  But I got a new tv from my super awesome college roomie and I bought and built a TV table from IKEA last weekend.  So I moved the DVR to the living room - I think it will be good for me to not have a tv in my bedroom any more. 

• While my extra bedroom is empty, I took the opportunity to freshen up the walls and paint the room.  I also touched up a few other walls that have gotten dirty over the years I've lived here.  The complex provided the paint; I got the other supplies and did the work.  I think it looks pretty good, if I do say so myself.

• Two 5Ks - Cupid's Chase and See Spot Run - recaps on those to come.

• Some events for the apartment complex - a successful Soup Supper, a night of Crafting Cupid's Cards, and the Boxcar Buddies Walking Group.  Next up is the 2014 Sochi Olympics Social, which will be a baked potato bar.

Good night.