Mud Run-Completed

I competed in my first 5K and had a blast! My muddy buddy, Brooke Teeter and I had too much fun wading in the freezing, gross mud. We jogged and walked for most of the 3.1 miles, but worked off the calories fighting through the mud. Race participants HAD to go through the 300-foot mud bath to complete the race. The photos are pre and post race. We are already looking forward to next year.

Thanksgiving is thanksliving

I actually took the title of this blog from a church marquee in Conway. As a journalist, I like to give credit where credit is due and always, always cite my sources. With that said, I want to wish everyone an (early) Happy Thanksgiving. I know the holiday is still a little while away, but if the pace of life continues like has been, I need to this early.

There is not a lot of new elements to report on. We are doing well, staying busy with work and life in Arkansas. We are planning on making our annual trek to Colorado for Christmas this year. I know...we are crazy! Hopefully this time will be better, we have TomTom (GPS navigation). I almost got out of the truck in Oklahoma last year. Ruth will also be joining us this year, so now I have a witness if I strangle Parish. Darn.

Thanksgiving will be spent with P's parents, who cook like Thanksgiving every Sunday. I'm planning on wearing sweats to the dinner table. No joke! Brock and his family will be coming from Denver. It will be nice to see the whole lot of them. I'm planning on bringing something, I'm just not sure what. Parish said it was fine if I just brought some wine. Umm...no. I'm not going to your mom's with some bottles of wine. I guess it's a woman's pride thing. Ruth is an AMAZING cook, so I'm not just going to waltz in there with liquor.

I will let y'all know what I bring to the table and how it goes. Just a little check-in to say all is well with the Brockmans. If you live in Colorado, you know where to find me.

I'm not a runner...but I like to get dirty

If you are reading this, then you probably know me well. If you know me, then you know I'm not a runner. Although, I would like to be. I would like to be one of those people that gets up early in the morning, eats a banana and heads out for a pre-dawn run. I'm quite the opposite. Last year, I broke my snooze button.

Last week, I was filling Miss Pearl and glanced up at the billboard. Being in the media industry, I try to read everything and that includes billboards. This particular bigger-than-life advertising had information about a 5K mud run. It's exactly what it sounds like. You run for 3.1 miles and then there is a HUGE mud bath at the end. Count me in!

I casually mentioned this to Becca, a girl in my book club. Immediately she said, "Let's do it." Then I mentioned it to my other friend Brooke and she started training for it before I could finish my sentence. So, it looks like I will be competing in my first race in exactly one month. I have 30 days to train. Thankfully, I'm somewhat fit (I think) and I enjoy exercising. Brooke and I are taking a strength and conditioning class at a uni twice a week. We have decided to start training, no time like the present, ya know?!

Tonight is our first trial jog. I will keep this blog updated and let you know how it goes. If you have any 5K pointers, let me know.

September update

Y'all, I haven't been on here for a little while. The Daily Record has been keeping me very busy. I have become the official photographer at the paper. Which is fun. I get to attend a variety of events, from hanging out in the alley to catch the new recycling program downtown to sitting in a plush, leather chair in the Governor's conference room at the Capitol. I'm (hopefully) getting better at taking pictures, it's a learning process for sure.

I also just recently got my own column. It's called Capital City Chatter. The column is fun, because I can write about anything I want. I've wrote about buying new furniture, my book club, moving to Arkansas and being a newlywed. The format is informal and (within reason) I can write about anything my little heart desires.

The more I write, the more I like it. I'm trying to get into the freelancing world as well. It's good to know that no matter how technical savy the world gets, they will always need someone to write about it.

Parish is doing well and the second part of his business is going well. He is such a hard worker. I'm so proud of him. We went to see Les Mis the other night and really enjoyed it. It was Parish's first theatre experience and he is ready for another thesbian experience soon. I'm so glad. I'm no stranger to the stage and the wonderful world of acting, so of course I enjoyed it. I have to admit, I teared up at the end. I know, I know...

We are continuing to learn more about this humid state and the best thing is that we are doing it together. There are highs and lows, but mostly high points. We are taking Parish's parents to Tunica, Mississippi (I had to sing the song to spell it, sad!) I've never been to Mississippi, so that will be a fun, new experience.

I will blog about that when we return.
Thanks for checking with the Brockmans, if you read this, we love you! And probably miss you.

"Lighting the match"

I took a lot of things away with me from college, knowledge, experience, my husband and a lot of mismatched furniture. Freshman year, I lived in the dorms (which will be a whole other column entry one day) and furniture was provided in the 25’ by 25’ foot room. Coming to my senses, I moved out at the end of the second semester and found a four-bedroom apartment on party row Avenue.

Desperate to get out of the dorms, I took any piece of free furniture I get my little, eager hands on. My three roommates had the same attitude and in the end, we had two couches, a 25” TV, a dining room table and a wine opener. We were going to be all right!

Living arrangements became considerably better from there. I moved each year and always picked the apartment on the highest floor. I’m sure my friends and family members appreciated my ‘elevated’ choices and annual move. My smorgasbord of furniture followed me to graduation, where I dropped the couches, desk and anything else that wouldn’t fit in the truck, at Goodwill. I like to think that another little, naïve freshman discovered the couch and took it to a good home.

When the time came to move to Denver, I had to go on the hunt for furniture again. My parents bought me a pink couch for $25, which I promptly covered with a couch slip and a chair. One of my aunts had given me a TV and I had my bed from college. Again, I was so excited about moving out and living in Denver, the array of furniture did not bother me one bit.

When I married Parish, he brought a new couch and a much bigger TV into the marriage, thank goodness! He did bring an awkward coffee table and an ugly, black TV stand. Until about a month ago, we tolerated the arrangement of furniture and have been thankful to have a place to sit, put a drink and relax. It also doesn’t help that HGTV (the Home and Garden channel) is on almost 24/7. Watching people decorate their houses with fun, matching furniture is hard to watch night after night! We reached the breaking point and visited Furniture Row in Conway. The only place to sit in the living room is a couch, so we set out to find an additional sitting piece, whether it be a recliner or overstuffed chair.

Parish did some pre-shopping and found the perfect piece, a chaise lounge (think one-sided fainting couch) that actually matched our couch. The lounger came with a huge pillow. One side of the pillow matched the couch; the other side was covered in a funky, colorful, square design. Furniture Row did sell smaller matching pillows; unfortunately they were $50 a piece. I didn’t even look over at Parish; I knew he was already shaking his head no. The lovely addition was picked up a week later and looks great next to the couch.

Unfortunately, the current pillows (on the couch) didn’t match the new, big one on the chaise lounge. Perhaps that is a minor detail to some, but for me, the old pillows jumped out at me every time I walked in the room. The hunt for perfect pillows began last weekend. My momma raised me to be a bargain shopper, so we headed to Big Lots, Hobby Lobby and then Pier One. I need to mention an important part of the story; I was carrying the over-sized pillow from the chaise lounge with me.

Regardless of how silly I looked, we found some affordable, matching pillows at Pier One. Our minor design project was complete and a success. Now onto the TV stand and coffee table, to be continued…

My Hero?

I never played a lot of video games as a kid. I chose to spend my time outside or on a stage. Thank goodness Parish isn't a big-time gamer, although Madden almost ended our relationship in college (but, that's a different blog entry). He does enjoy video games, but not to the point of compromising our marriage.

Perhaps I spoke too soon...about six-months ago, he began talking about this thing called a Wii. The more I learned about it, the more I thought it would be fun to own. Stores couldn't keep this game system in stock and with the three-digit price tag, I thought we could hold off. Parish continued to talk about it and the more I heard about it, the more I wanted to play it too. An interactive game that gets you off your tookus and whips you into shape...um, yeah! All the lights went on around our one-year anniversary and I made it my mission to find a Wii and surprise Parish. My mission was more complicated than I thought and after calling 400 Targets, in Arkansas and Colorado (I was desperate!) I located a GameStop that had it. Only thing was, the store was about an hour away from Little Rock. I sent an email to my (very understanding) boss and headed out to complete my mission. Two-and-half hours later, I had the coveted Wii. I thought to myself, "This thing better be a load of fun...or else!"

Needless to say, we joined the masses and enjoy bowling, tennis, golf and boxing from the comfort of our living room. The only thing I didn't know is that Wii is a drug. Okay, not in the physical sense, but very much in the MENTAL sense. The people at Nintendo know what they're doing. First of all, only one controller comes with the system, if you want to play with another person, (i.e. have fun) you need another controller. One of those puppies cost $60 and, oh yeah, you have to get this other controller in order to play some of the games. Price: $20. Eighty-dollars later and you haven't even turned the thing on! We might be eating rice and beans for the next couple of months, but at least we're having fun!

Turns out, Wii is A LOT of fun. The first day we got it we played it for at least three-hours. GH was the same way. The games require much more movement than I expected. After a couple rounds of boxing, I had to get water and sit down. Seriously! Parish enjoys tennis and we both like bowling. There is a feature on the system called Mii and you can create characters. The created characters show up in the game later on. You can create Mii characters to look like you or create a funky person and give them a name like "Lulu B" or "Lil B." I honestly have just as much fun creating a Mii than I do playing the actual game, true story.

Guitar Hero is another story. It is more frustrating than I imagined, although I'm slowly getting the hang of it. I've only thrown it once. Parish is catching on a lot more faster than I am (of course). GH brings out my competitive side and it is NOT pretty. Perhaps the jump from no video games to the most interactive games on the planet wasn't the best choice. But nonetheless, we have invested too much time and money to turn back now. Wii like to play.

Miss Pearl

After rockin' the '87 Honda Accord and the '95 Ford Taurus, I have joined the millennium. Parish and I purchased "Miss Pearl" yesterday after a very long, hard-fought battle. Let me start at the beginning...

About two-months ago, I started breaking down on the side of the road. We would get it towed (thanks Allstate and Shaun, my personal, tow-truck driver) and checked out. They would do some minor repairs and send me on my way. I would then drive hundreds of miles and then out of the blue, break down again. This must be said: I totally lose it when I break down on the side of the road. Not a little bit, I turn into a crazy lady. First, I call everyone I know and tell them I am broken down at the side-of-the-road. After I have enough sympathy, I call and order a tow. Then I call everyone back and tell them a tow truck is coming. It goes on like this until I get the car back. Well, after breaking down twice in one day, Parish and I decided to start looking for another car. Warning: looking for cars causes heated battles, proceed with caution.

After going through the car salesman/dealer fiasco, we decided to stop looking and ride out the Taurus for another year. At this point in time, the car mechanic couldn't find anything wrong with the car. I was (somewhat) content to wait the year out and ride off into the sunset in my Hummer when the time came to get my new car. Fast forward two-weeks: I needed to go take a photo for a story I was writing. I approach the car, get in, turn the key, it idles...and then DIES. Maybe I'm dreaming, so I try it four more times, same response. I can see myself picking out the interior for my Hummer and then reality sets in, "FIND A RELIABLE CAR!"

I go through my routine of calling everyone I know and then I call Parish and after a few choice words, he decides to head out that moment and start looking for a replacement car. During the first go-round I test drove a Jeep Commander and Jeep Compass. Second go-round was a Ford Five Hundred and a second Jeep Commander. Then I test drove a Huyndai Sonata and then finally a Nissan Altima. Finally, the Altima was chosen as the winner. After countless hours of research, Parish marched into the dealer with numbers in hand and fought a good fight. We walked away with a great deal and a 2005 Nissan Altima.

This was a very good, learning experience. Parish is such an amazing, strong person. I'm so proud of him. Hopefully we will not have to wage war against the dealership for a long time. I'm in love with my new car. She's crazy fast, good on gas and a joy to drive. I guess I will just have to call everyone and tell them my car is working great!

504,000 Minutes

When I was seven-years old, I thought my sixteenth year was going to be the best year of my life. Twenty was ancient and I would be married and done having children at the age of 23. I'm turning 26 in two-weeks. I have changed my mind about the best year of my life and the whole kid idea by 23. I accomplished the marriage part. Parish and I will be celebrating our one-year on June 15. As of now, we have been man and wife (or husband and woman) for 350 days. That is a lot of days.

Of those 350 days, we have only spent one night apart (sniff, sniff). Well, there are the nights P comes to bed at 2 or 3 a.m. after falling asleep on the couch watching basketball.
During the past 8,400 hours of our marriage we have: traveled 1,200 miles to Arkansas (with a cat), unpacked our lives and decorated a new one, started a successful business, ate 100 pounds of catfish, drove to Memphis during Elvis's anniversary, hosted my mom and dad (we had a really fun time), traveled back to Colorado (a mere 16 hour trip), bought and assembled a desk (7 hours later, I was a mean mess), took up daily walks (almost), learned about sharing and tri-folding towels and fell more in love. It has been an amazing year.

Moving to Arkansas a week after getting married didn't seem like a good idea at the time, but I clearly see how healthy it was for us.

Being far away from family and friends has been very difficult, especially for me, but it has allowed Parish and me to find our legs and really learn about this whole marriage thing. As an only child, I depended on my wonderful parents (a lot!) and it has been hard shifting my reliance to another person. Every day is filled with (marital) lessons. Like the time I went to Bed Bath and Beyond and bought myself a new pillow. I proudly showed Parish my new buy and he asked why I didn't get him a new pillow. I was speechless. He said that now that we are married, when you go buy something like a pillow or a toothbrush, you automatically get another one for your lover. Hmmm...not a bad set-up. I promptly went the next to BB and B the next day and bought him a new pillow and later swung by Target for a new toothbrush.
I guess I have a lot left to learn about this sharing thing. So, here is to the next 504,000 minutes.

Unofficial honeymoon

Driving a Budget truck with a '95 Ford Taurus in tow is not my idea of a honeymoon. It's not Parish's idea either. But, at the time, the wedding and the move had to happen close together. And looking back at it, it made sense not to go on a honeymoon right after the wedding. We were exhausted. We would have slept on the beach the whole time if we would have jetted out on June 16. But, as our one-year (June 15) is approaching, I think it's time for a honeymoon.

I've talked to some couples and they tell me they didn't take a honeymoon either, but there planning on it. She was telling me this as her little boy was smashing a cupcake in his face. Okay, so I made up the kid part of the story, but really, I want to take a honeymoon BEFORE kids. That's the whole idea. And although we aren't planning on having kids for at least 15 more years, I want to enjoy the beach and nightlife while I'm still young and silly. I know a part of me will always be young and silly, but there will be parts of me that won't look good in a swim suit!

Parish and I have not been on a "real" trip together since we've been married. He has also never been out of the country. I have been blessed with many miles of oversea travels. It's time for P to cross a sea, or at least get a passport and for us to enjoy a trip as a married couple! Is that too much to ask? I don't think so. But now the planning part is getting tricky. Finding a reasonable, nice place is a daunting task. I've read numerous reviews and visited countless Web sites. I have found a travel agent in Conway, because I would like to talk to a real person and make sure the hotel we book is actually ON the beach. When I went to Cozumel with my best friend Lacey in college, the travel agent forgot to tell us that our hotel wasn't on an actual sandy beach. Instead, there was a man-made beach and you had to climb down a sketchy ladder to get to the ocean water. Totally bootleg.

We are hoping to go before the end of the year. We are in the process of getting our passports and bodies in beach-shape. I will keep y'all posted. You will definitely know when a honeymoon vacation is booked. You will hear a "Whoo-hoo!" from the southwestern part of the country.

Gate update

Okay, the gates are (literally) up and running. Thank goodness. I know I mentioned that I didn't believe in the purpose of the gates. But, I do now. The beautiful metal gates have been back in action for almost a month now and it seems like things have returned to normal.

Parish still does nightly checks on his beloved trucks. God bless the person he finds tinkering with his black diamond (the name he gave his F-250).
We have decided to stay at The Ridge for at least one more year. We both want a house and a yard and freedom to run around without someone pounding on the wall to stop us. I want to live where someone isn't playing basketball (we live right behind the b-ball courts) all hours of the day. Thankfully, the court closes at 8:30 p.m. Although, we have to remind some rude people. Who plays basketball at 11:30 at night?! Seriously.

We recently rearranged our entire living room and kitchen area. It looks like a new apartment. The minor remodel was Parish's idea and a good one at that! I will try to post some photos soon. We are trying our best and enjoying what life is teaching us one day at a time at the Ridge, with the two, working gates.

Two gates

After Parish convinced me to head south and live in Conway, Arkansas, the next important thing was finding a nice place to live. We decided to find an apartment, which would allow us to get our bearings and see what life would be like here. A house poses all types of responsibilities and investments that we weren't (and still are not) ready for. I started looking for apartments online and found a few. I sent Parish to scout them out and let me know if they looked as good as they did in virtual land. He visited a couple and said I would like The Ridge apartments.

When I visited in May, he took me there and we both liked everything about The Ridge. One selling point that attracted us immediately was the security gates at the entrance and exit. Only people that lived there received a clicker that opened the gate. Guests/sketchy people had to check in at a separate drive-in. You had to know someone that lived there in order to be "buzzed" in and then the gate opened. High-tech right?!

Well, it didn't take us long to realize that once someone drove through the gate, a car could follow behind and due to the motion sensor, the gate would stay open. Not as safe as we all thought. But, by then we had 51 weeks to go on our lease. We would watch a string of cars come in and not really know if any of them actually lived there. So, the big security gates had some issues, but I think they do keep some of the general public out. That was until a drunk driver drove through both gates. Oh yes, a genius drove through the "enter" gate while it was closed, flipped a u-turn and drove through the "exit" gate. Neat.

It took three-weeks to fix the darn gates. During the three-week gate hiatus, weird things started happening around the apartment. Parish found a dirty mop in the back of his truck and vomit on top of his truck. Gross! Some punk graffitied the trash can area and stole a sign off of P's truck. There was also odd people driving around the complex and acting sketchy.

Now that the gates are fixed, problems have subsided. So, maybe I will have to re-think the actual safety of the gates now. I guess they do serve an important purpose.

My future pet

For all of you that do not know the story about how I became the owner of my cat, Mona Lisa, let me summarize. After graduating from UNC, I thought I would have to fight off all of the job offers that would be coming my way. Yeah right. During one of my countless interviews and answering the age-old interview question, "So, where do you see yourself in five years?" The interview took a very bad turn. I won't go into detail, but I left in tears. Not just a few tears, but big, baby tears. I was devastated.

Instead of heading to Cherry Creek to buy an expensive pair of shoes, I headed to the Dumb Friends league, in Denver to adopt a cat. I'm not kidding. I had wanted a cat for awhile and I knew the cat would love me, regardless of having a job or not. After "meeting" with a few felines, I fell in love with my Mona and I took her home that day. I called Parish and told him I had a surprise. "I adopted a cat!" He didn't believe me, until he saw Mona in the fur.

Okay, so I didn't get the job, but I got a cat and to this day, I'm so glad I had such a nightmare interview, because I love the dickens out of my cat. That said, I recently "met" a dog and I fell in love.

My future dog, who I'm going to name Vinci (like Leonardo Da vinci). Mona Lisa and Vinci, too cute, right?! For those of you who know me well, know that I have wanted a greyhound for about 100 years. And I still do, but there is something about this boxer/redbone hound mix that is tugging at my lil' heart strings. I saw the dog in person in Kansas and was attached from the beginning. You have to see this dog in person, they are so neat looking.

I will let you know when we get Vinci, but don't hold your breath. I'm afraid it will be a little while. Until then, I will just have to pretend like I did when I was five. "Here Vinci, come here boy." See...it works!

Club of books

I am in a book club. Before you pass judgment, let me explain. Prior to my involvement in book club, I was weary too. I thought book club was a group of stuffy women getting together to discuss boring books over tea or some other dull beverage. After joining my first book club in Denver, I couldn't have been farther from the truth.

My first book club experience began on craigslist. After responding to the post and reading the book the organizer listed, I headed to downtown Denver to meet with someone supposedly named Angela in her high-rise apartment. Honestly, I didn't know if Angela really existed or if I was going to end up stuffed in a trunk, but I was ready for anything

Turned out, there were other girls my age, with fun cheese platters and glasses of wine. Phew!

My Denver book club was hilarious. We read books, talked about life, laughed and became close friends. Sometimes we only discussed the book for the first 20 minutes and the rest of the time we talked about the facts of life, but it didn't matter.

Another neat thing about book club is the opportunity to read books that you would have never picked up on your own.

For instance, I was part of another book club in Denver for a short time and the organizer said the club was going to read, "The Curious Incident of the dog in the Night Time." I know for a fact that I would have NEVER picked up the oddly-titled book at the local library. But I did pick it up, read it and truly enjoyed it. Who knew?

After moving to Arkansas, I thought starting a book club would be a great way to meet people. Following the success of craigslist in Denver, I posted an ad for people interested in a local book club to contact me. Only two girls responded, but I was excited to start reading and discussing again, so we set up our first meeting. That was about nine months ago and we are still reading strong. It is such a fun experience to read a book and then discuss it with people. Everyone has different opinion and view of the author and story.

I'm looking forward to the next nine months of book club. I also encourage anyone, at any age to get involved with a local book club. At least pick up a copy of "The Curious Incident of the dog in the Night Time." Let me know what you think.

Happy reading!

No big deal

Okay, so when I walked out of the meeting and found a man standing by my car with a piece of paper, I thought, "No big deal." When he said he had backed up into my bumper and I looked to see a small hole (not a dent) in my green bumper, I still thought, "No big deal." Since this guy stuck around and waited for me, I thought he must be a nice, caring individual that wouldn't take me for a ride. No big deal.

I hopped in my car, business card in hand, with a personal note on the back saying, "I backed into your car, call my #" and he signed it. After I arrived back at work, I called my insurance agency, becuause, "I'm in good hands," and proceeded to tell them my dilemma. No big deal. The insurance agent said not to worry, there was nothing I could do, the "nice" guy who backed up into ME would need to handle everything on his end.

Fastforward (two weeks later) and numerous emails and phone calls later...I still have a hole in my '95 Ford Taurus and the man who shall remain nameless, claimed that I was two-feet over the line and has agreed to only pay 50%. It then became a BIG deal.

Parish tried calling him and calmly explaining that he was at fault. His response: "Sue ME!" click.
Now, I am not a confrontational person, I'm just not. But I think I could really learn how to confront this guy if I saw him in dark alley.

All that said, I am hoping to get the bumper fixed next week. I know what your thinking, it's a '95 Ford Taurus, not a 2008 Hummer, but it's MY '95 Taurus. It's the principle of the whole situation.

So, in the future, if a "nice" person backs into you, sticks around and hands you a note, call the police and exchange information. Avoid the headache and anger management classes by getting information and then it will be, "No big deal."

June 15, 2007

Life forever changed on the evening of June 15, 2007. I became a Brockman and was married in front of family, friends and most importantly, God. After one and half years of engagement, Parish and I became man and wife at the Oxford in downtown Denver. We planned the whole event and I must admit, it was perfect. With the help from friends and family, the wedding was a beautiful and amazing celebration.

In case you were not able to attend the party for yourself, here is a re-cap: A beautiful Colorado evening, Oxford Hotel in LoDo, mashed potato martini bar, carrot cake, pineapple cake and marble with fruit filling. Green, classic dress, flying flowers, white hats, dancing, lots of dancing, laughter, champagne, tears, colorful, fun and F-A-M-I-L-Y.

Parish and I enjoyed the wedding and being surrounded by dear friends and family. Parish's amazing grandmother was there, we were so glad she was able to be part of our day. P's parents flew in from Arkansas and most of his immediate family were present. Both of my parents walked me down the aisle. It was a very special moment. Later on, my mom and dad both cut some serious rug. I will never forget my dad's skinny little arms waving around and dancing.
Most of my aunts were able to come from Colorado Springs, Kansas, Arizona and Wisconsin. My cousin Sarah that I grew up with surprised me and flew in from Florida. As well as a surprise visit from my cousin and her family from Kansas. My good friend Willy from N.Ireland won the farthest distance contest. He gave a toast that made me weep. We were surrounded by everyone that knew and loved us.

After the wedding, we set out to walk around the city. Wedding dress and tux. It was so fun seeing everyone's faces and just walking together, married in D-town. The next morning we ordered room service and enjoyed breakfast in our bath robes. It was a very long road and if I had the choice to take it again or take an easier route, I would roll up my sleaves and say, "Bring it on!"

Genesis entry

As a writer, it only makes sense to have a blog. Not to mention, it's a great way to keep the masses informed on all things Brockman. The name is new, but I am still the same Becky (Benson) that will take a dare, jump on a plane and try weird sounding sushi.
I have grown up in the past three years (since college). Thank goodness. This is the first of many, many entries. Read and enjoy.