So much has gone on since my last post in March! Let me start with "business is booming at Beauty-Crete." We are right in the midst of our busiest season since I started working here in 2008! Our crews are already booked through the middle of August (provided we don't lose any time due to weather). I am blessed beyond words that I found this job a few years ago!
April flew by with my final weeks of Half-marathon training and a quick trip to Houston to visit my nephews! My time in Houston was limited, but I was able to help Josh celebrate his 2nd birthday and spend some time hanging out with the Wiggins family!
Half-marathon training went very well as my friend Amber Herndon & I added on the miles to our long runs and we culminated our 4 months of training with my first Half-Marathon in Oklahoma City on May 1st! The 2 weeks leading up to the "big race" we had several days of rain/storms and the closer we determined there was going to be a good chance it would rain during the official race. We decided that no matter what, rain or shine, we would keep our running schedule so we could adjust as needed for the weather. Everyday we thought we were going to be running in the rain the rain would stop just prior to our meeting time and it didn't rain on us once, until race day that is! The race was in Oklahoma City so we drove down the afternoon before to pick-up our packets and be ready for the 6:30am start time. I woke up at 4am to get dressed and eat some breakfast before we headed to the start line. Amber's boyfriend, Jacob, and my dad graciously offered to drive us downtown to the start line (we left the hotel at 5:30am!!). At the time it was not raining, but we packed our ponchos just in case. About 6am the storms started rolling in and the race officials decided to delay the start time 30 minutes to see what the storms were going to do. We found an empty parking garage along with several other runners to take shelter and stay dry while we waited. Even though it was still raining the race officials determined it would be safe for the race to start. Amber & I dug out the ponchos and prepared for a "race to remember" (just so happens that is what the race was called...it was a race honoring/remembering those effected by the OKC bombing, April 1995). Our feet were soaked before we found our place in the starting corral, but we were excited to get started. We ran through some not so pleasant weather conditions such as rain, high winds, cold temperatures, lightning/thunder, and bits of small hail. Despite the conditions we had an AWESOME run! We crossed the finish line in 2:45:25!!! Just a year ago I said I have no desire to run a half-marathon and now I am already training for my 2nd half-marathon!!!
Staying dry in the parking garage.
Me & Amber H. crossing the finish line!
Finisher medals
We did it!
Still sore from the half-marathon, 3 days later I had my wisdom teeth pulled. We were taking the week off from running so why not have a few teeth pulled? LOL I had some minor set backs with that adventure, but all in all it went very well (just sore for several days).
Enough with the boring stuff...on to my sewing projects!!! Memorial day weekend provided me with some extra time at home alone while Dad took a trip to Houston. For several months I had been looking to do something different with the curtains in our dining room/bay window. I happened to be in JoAnn Fabric and came across the perfect fabric! It was the same colors as what we currently have above our patio door. Below is a before & after.
Next project...my cousin Kalie contacted me to see if I could make bow ties for her wedding next month. She sent a picture of one online that she liked, but they need 4 for the groomsmen. She sent me fabric and I got to work. Since I didn't have a pattern I had to figure out the measurements and how to make things look right. In the end I made ties for 4 groomsmen, 2 ring bearers, and Sam (the groom). I can't wait to see how they look on everyone in the wedding!
Last but not least...I decided my bedroom needed to be brightened up a bit. For the past few years I have had dark red and black bedding of which I loved, but it was really making my room very dark. So, I began looking for new bedding. Here is a small problem I have...my mattress is EXTRA THICK so Queen sized comforters don't cover all of the mattress. Solution? Buy a King sized comforter! I found a new set that I just loved! It was a set so you know what that means...King sized sheets, bed skirt, & pillow shams. Sheets...not a problem, bed skirt...using safety pins not a problem, but have you tried to fit King pillow shams on a Queen bed??? Doesn't work so well. The hunt was on for Standard pillow shams that would coordinate and Target had just the right ones! Now I have extra pillow shams that won't ever be used?!?! Not quite...while looking around I realized the shams would be the perfect size for a window valance and with a little creative thinking I have a valance and just need some brown sheers to complete the look.
I'm still not crazy about the accent pillow, but it is growing on me.
