From the Inside Out

For those of you who enjoy fine dining, but don’t enjoy the price tag, Restaurant Week is back! More than 120 restaurants in North Texas will be offering 3-course meals for only $35 during the week of August 16 - 22.

The list includes favorites like III Forks, Al Biernat’s, Five Sixty by Wolfgang Puck, Jaspers, The Mansion, Del Frisco’s and Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse. Reservations are required, and space fills up quickly, so don’t delay. When calling, be sure to request a “Restaurant Week” reservation.

And if the low cost isn’t enough to spur you into action, here’s another reason. Proceeds from Restaurant Week will benefit the North Texas Food Bank and Lena Pope Home.

For more details, click here.

I did it. I decided it was time for a change, a dramatic change. I was tired of it. I needed something new, something more exciting, something different. I’ve been considering it for a while, but didn’t quite have the courage to make it happen until now.

Why now?

I’m not certain. I guess the stars were aligned correctly, or maybe it was a brief moment of insanity. Then again, maybe it was all part of a carefully crafted plan. Regardless, I have changed. I’ve gone red.

What does that mean?

Did I become a Republican?

Has red become my favorite color?

No, I was already a Republican (with Libertarian tendencies), and blue is my favorite color. No, that’s not it. I’ve transformed my golden locks into strawberry blonde ones. Yes, I’ve joined the “red head” club.

It’s an odd thing, and a big change for me. I did it yesterday, and it’s still shocking every time I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror. I think I like it. It’s a bit more red than I was originally thinking, but my hair stylist says it will fade in a couple of days and won’t be quite so bright.

For now, it’s a fun change. And change is good, right?

Gary’s company hosted a private party for employees (and their families) at Main Event tonight. The evening included dinner and full run of the house — games, laser tag, bowling and pool. All for free!

The most interesting (and fun) part of the evening; however, was the Gravity Ropes Course. It’s something that’s available only at the Main Event in Frisco, TX, and it’s definitely worth trying. Main Event says to think of the gravity ropes course as simply walking through the park. Well, walking through the park over rope bridges, narrow beams and planks while suspended from a lanyard that holds you high over the crowd below. It’s an “obstacle course on steroids.”

They place a harness on you, attach a rope, and connect it to their overhead safety system (which will catch you if you fall). You then climb stairs at the back of the course and arrive at the first platform. From there, you have many options from which to choose. There is a variety of rope courses, each one with varying levels of difficulty. You can traverse a few or try them all.

We had only 15 minutes so I wasn’t able to do it all, but I had a blast trying. The only thing that would’ve made it better would have been a zip line at the end. Now that would have been cool!

If you haven’t tried a ropes course before, stop by the Frisco location, and give it a whirl. It was free at the party, but if you go on the weekend, the price ranges from $5-$7. Not bad for a bit of defying gravity fun.

On July 24, I will be cycling in the American Diabetes Association’s Tour de Cure fundraising event at Texas Motor Speedway. More than 23.6 million Americans — including some of my own family members and friends — suffer from diabetes. During this event, I’ll be joining with riders from across North Texas to help ride for a cure.

Gary and I will be cycling the 32-mile course with the Cisco corporate team, and I need sponsors to help me reach my fundraising goal of $150. All proceeds benefit the American Diabetes Association and will help us make a difference in the fight against diabetes.

If you’d like to sponsor me, click here to visit my personal site and make a donation.

Together, we can all make a difference!