I've entered a pin-up contest for the first time ever.

Makeup & hair by LaDonna Stein, photo by Looking Glass Studio.

While I've been published as a pin-up model a handful of times, I've never actually entered a pin-up contest. Until now.

On June 1st, online voting opens with one vote per email address. If I make the top 20, I'll head to Chicago in late June to parade around the Motoblot music and motorcycle event. While my hope would be to win something, my urge to zip up from Dallas for a weekend stems from something greater than meeting new people and making new friends.

My father was a motorcycle mechanic for many years. His specialties were Triumphs, Nortons and BSAs. This was long before social media so there are likely no digital artifacts from his years of business. Not only did he know his way around a bike, but he also airbrushed artwork on motorcycle tanks. (He did an Emmett Kelly before I started elementary school that was incredible.)

After our shop would close for the day, a couple of my siblings would have band practice in the shop. I grew up around bikes and live music.

And classic cars. My dad was a versatile mechanic. He worked on drag racers before I was born and when I was very small. His love of Mustangs was passed down, and my first two cars were Mustangs. (I loved my '67 so much but it was a gas guzzler and I moved to the big city.) Of course, he refused to teach me how to work on a car because I was a girl. It was probably some protective thing. However, he taught my husband how to work on cars and they spent some afternoons outside working on our Mustangs.

Motoblot is a chance for me to reconnect with aspects of my youth. It's also an opportunity for me to enjoy some of the things my dad would love, if his current health could permit it.

On June 1st, I'll share the link to drum up votes. I'd appreciate your help. I'll also explain the rules of the game on that post.

I appreciate your support all the time. :)