Care to join me in a game of catch-up?

Thing 1:  Last Friday I had a long list of to-do’s before heading out of town Saturday morning.  Although there was no Favorite Finds Friday post, I did plenty of pinning last week- it’ll be back tomorrow…  In the meantime, check out my boards!

Thing 2:  Last weekend a few friends and I enjoyed a weekend in New York.  The trip was planned because one of my friends was participating in a Spartan Sprint!  A bit about the Spartan Sprint [from the website]:

“3+ MILES / 15+ OBSTACLES. The challenging sprint obstacle trail races are a great way to get off your couch and start living. From beginner trail racers and mud run participants to hardcore warriors, tough guys and marathon runners, they all come out to test themselves on the insane obstacle races! 99.9% of all people who try this event will finish, and 100% will have their thirst for mud & trail racing fully satisfied!”

Trekking up muddy mountains, climbing over wet walls, carrying tires and sand bags, crawling under barbed wire, and slipping down a water slide- those are just a few of the obstacles he conquered! I thoroughly enjoyed my time as a spectator, haha!  After the race we went into the city for a night full of sushi, drinks, cab rides, and dancing!

Thing 3:  My Google Reader was literally bursting with 1,000+ unread posts…  Rather than trying to read each one I decided to “mark all as read” and start fresh.  I’m bummed that I may have missed many awesome giveaways and memorable posts but feel free to comment below and share!

Thing 4:  For the past two months I have participated in Lindsay’s [The Lean Green Bean] Foodie Penpal program.  I have received two boxes full of tasty treats and have given two of my own.  If you’re interested in joining in on next month’s exchange  [July, June matches have already been selected] I highly recommend that you sign-up…  You don’t need to be a blogger to partake in all of the fun!

P.S.  This month I will be sending to Brittany over at Pressing On… and receiving from Sheila over at Pippi’s in the Kitchen Again!

Thing 5:  There are only 6 more days left in the school year!  Yesterday I started cleaning out my classroom- tossing old papers, taking down posters, packing up the student’s work- and now the room looks so empty!

Thing 6:  It’s National Chocolate Ice Cream Day!  And if you’re not a chocolate enthusiast, not to worry, July is National Ice Cream Month!  Tonight I think it would only be suiting to celebrate with a big scoop of ice cream + rice krispies   The krispies don’t snap, crackle, and pop like they do drenched with milk but they are a great gluten-free alternative to a cone!

Thing 7:  Sometime over the past two weeks I got a big itch…  An itch to race.  I miss having something to work towards, a goal to reach for.  So believe it or not, over the next 4 months I will be running a 5K, a 10K, competing in my first sprint triathlon, and running in my first half-marathon!  I hope I’m not setting myself up for failure…

Thing 8:  One of my college girlfriends is traveling throughout Europe this summer to scope out the scene before she moves there this fall for grad school!  Best part, she’s created a blog to share all of her wonderful experiences with us less fortunate folks who are stuck behind…  Check her out at Texan in the City!

Thing 9:  Last week when Pandora wouldn’t load I downloaded Spotify and I am hooked!  I describe it as a cross between iTunes and Pandora.

Thing 10:  Since Sunday/Monday my toes [minus my two big ones] have felt tingly, as if they’re asleep.  I didn’t think much of if, but after 4 days of tingles, I called my doctor and I went in for an appointment this afternoon.  In sum, I stumped my doctor and we’re waiting for the results from the blood work to come back.  If the blood work doesn’t show anything unusual he suggests that I go see a neurologist.

Thing 11:  Ryan and I have our  3-year anniversary coming up later this month and I’m beginning to brainstorm gift ideas…  Guys are much harder than girls to shop for!

Thing 12:  Some days when I’m short on time and can’t walk down the hall to the faculty restroom, I’ll quickly use the student restroom directly across the hall from my classroom and  e.v.e.r.y.t.i.m.e. I do I can’t help but think of this Dane skit [haha]…

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34LANj1JzoQ]

Source

Question: Have you ever participated in a Spartan Race?  If not, would you?

Question:  Girls, what’s your go-to gift for guys?  Beer?  Clothes?  Cologne?  A homemade meal?

— Life's a Bowl