Luke's Locker

Here in the metroplex we have a shoe store chain called Luke's Locker. I found this out from the 5Ks that I've run cause they are one of the sponsors (usually). Anyway, I'd been needing a new pair of running shoes and I had some Christmas money to spend...so I decided that a new pair of kick would be what I spent it on. I checked out the selection at Hibbet and Academy, but just wasn't sure exactly what I needed and the people that work there don't know what you need either. Heck, you're lucky if you can ever find them to get a shoe to try one. So I asked Jim to take me to Luke's since they are a running shoe specialty store.

I walk in expecting to do what I always do...look at the selection and pick out the "pretty" one and hope it's practical for my needs :) NOPE! There is a shoe selection on the wall, but they weren't there for me to choose from. The salesman met me almost immediately once I got past the running clothes section. He asked me to have a seat so he could look at my feet!...ok... then he asks me to walk away from him and then back towards him. He's checking out my feet the whole time. And I'm afraid he's looking at my nasty toes that are WAY past need of a pedicure! But he wasn't interested in my nasty toes, he wanted to see how I walked/stood so that would help him grab the correct shoe from the back. Then he asked me how much I ran, intensity, and what I was training for. After he gather all my info, he took off to the back. He came back with a variety of shoes and colors. None were what I asked for, but what he said would be best for my foot and it's needs. I about flipped when I saw that he brought me a 10!! A freakin 10!!! I've wore an 8.5-9 shoe since high school. Now this guys telling me I'm a 10! (At this point to tell me that ANYthing on my body it going up in size is an insult!) He tells me I've been wearing the wrong shoe size for a VERY long time. Well, low and behold he was right...I wear a 10 :( But the shoes he brought me were like wearing clouds! It was hard to narrow down which one I liked, but I was advised to try closing my eyes and NOT look at the shoe but to just determine which felt the best...despite if I thought it was ugly or not.

Well, lucky for me the shoe that felt the best is pretty spiffy. They are Saucony Ride(s). And they are wonderful! Now when I run, if anything ever hurts...it's not my feet anymore!

Anyway, it was a new experience for me and Jim thought I should share it. If you are a runner or thinking of becoming a runner, I urge you to try out a store that specializes in running shoes and make you go thru this process. Cause the right pair of shoes is like having the right pair of tire on your car/truck! And in running, the wrong shoe can make you hate it or hurt you :(

Happy 14th Birthday Natalie!!

On Friday our big girl turned 14!! Most of you already know this from my Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/home.php?tab=1), but I need to keep my Blogger fans happy too ya know ;)



She got have 4 girls sleepover last Friday night due to how we needed to schedule Brayden's party. So...last Sunday was Brayden's actual b-day, but we had Nat's "celebration"...this was Nat's b-day weekend, but we had Brayden's party... She had a very good time regardless of scheduling. They all went skating and then yapped it up ALL night till Lord knows when :)...but was to be expected.

Friday Jim and I scurried around like mad all day to get Nat's old bed tore down and put back up in Brayden's room. Then to get Nat's new TOTALLY AWESOME bed put up by the time I got her home from school. She was so happy that she asked if she could just get in her PJs and go to bed :)



Grandma and Grandpa Racecar (my Mom and Dad) were so kind to help us with Nat's bed by donating a headboard and rails that Karen had. Mom spiffed up the headboard with a new coat of white paint. I think it turned out GR8!! After Nat had some good snuggle time in her new bed, she and Brayden opened presents from Grandma and Grandpa...and cards from Great Granny Berryman, Great Granny Davidson, and Grandpa James & Phyllis.



Then it was up to Nat where we had supper. She wanted sushi so we went to Shogun in Denton. It's a Japanese steak house. Everyone loved it. Brayden was VERY concerned that the man cooking in front of us was going to burn his sippy cup! The entertainment was great! Then if we weren't stuffed enough....we came home to Nat's multi-cheescake platter...yum! I think our big girl had a very good birthday!

Thank you for all the birthday wishes she received by email, phone, and mail :)

I'll give you all a few days to check this blog out and then I'll do a post on Brayden's b-day party at Wazoo's! Let me just tell you now...most of the pictures are a blurr!!!!

I will now leave you with what can be archived as Matthew Berryman in the early years...cause per his guitar teacher...he WILL be in a band :) ....Enjoy :)
This is House of the Rising Sun by The Animals (I believe). He's just starting on this song, but he's doing really well!


This is Little Red Riding Hood. Not sure who's song it is, but he does really well with this one too!