Reviewing the Race or How to Make a Million Dollars

I have discovered how to make a million dollars. Be the port-a-potty contractor for the Disney Princess Half Marathon. Do you know how many port-a-potties 17,000 women need? A lot. A whole lot. Truly I've never seen that many port-a-potties in my life!

The race is over and I'm back home. I have lots to say and lots of pictures to show, but I thought I would just tell you about the race and save the philosphy for another day!

Backtracking just a little, here is a picture of the expo we went to. It was a lot of fun and in restrospect we wished we had spent more time there.

Now on to the race.....

Let me just say that 3:00 am is early and 17,000 is a lot of people. A mind boggling amount of people.

We truly did get up at 3:00 and headed out to catch the bus at about 3:30. You would have thought it was noon though because of the people and activity going on at our resort. They used charter buses to take us to the race site, which was one of the Epcot parking lots. We walked to a staging area where you could check bags, buy shirts, etc. There were a lot of people there but nothing too overwhelming. We followed the crowd to the starting line, or so we thought. What we found around the bend was the longest line of port-a-potties I have ever seen. Literally 200 potties lined up with thousands of women in line. We finally made it through the potty line and headed once again to the starting line. It resembled herding cattle. Thousands of women all walking together. After about a 20 minute walk, we came to a large stretch of Disney highway. Here is where each corral was located. Here we seperated from Christina and Regina who headed to corral E and the rest of us headed to corral F. We waited for about half an hour before the race started. It was fun though. There were all kinds of crazy outfits and everyone was in a good mood. There were 2 announcers from ESPN and music. There was a Jumbo Tron up so those of us in the back could see. Look in the picture and see if you can tell where that Jumbo Tron is.

On top of an interstate overpass! I cannot imagine what this race did to Orlando traffic except that it was practically the middle of the night. Can you see how far back the line of people goes?!

Once it was time to start, each corral started 6 minutes behind the other. The Fairy Godmother started each corral with a magic wish, a countdown and of course, fireworks. I was so excited that we all got fireworks. It took nearly 40 minutes from the start of the race for me to reach the starting line, but when I took off I was near tears. It was finally real and I was doing this!

I stayed with the other girls for a while, but I was very committed to my plan of running 7 minutes then walking a minute, and at that point I fell behind them. I never caught up but I had mentally prepared myself for running alone and it was fine.

I knew this was a special and different kind of race when the line to have your picture taken with Captain Jack at mile one was 10 minutes long. There was music and characters all along the way. The women, in my corral anyway, were everyday people like me and it was fun to be around them. Everyone was nice to each other and made way for people coming through.

At mile four I stopped for a second and had my picture made here:

Each mile marker looked like a story book featuring a princess. That was fun to look forward to at each mile, although I swear they moved a few more than a mile apart.

This was a welcome and fun site to see and fun to run through.

From here we ran through service roads and into the Magic Kingdom. This was the most fun part of the race. We ran down Main Street USA and there were people cheering and Disney cast members high fiving you with Mickey hands. It was invigorating! I stopped and had some nice man take this picture.

I think it is my favorite picture of the trip. This is what I came to do! It was just so fun! Also, please notice the people!!! These are all runners! I'm still not over the amount of people-can you tell?!

From here we left the Magic Kingdom and entered what were for me the longest miles of the race. For about 3 miles there was little in the form of entertainement. The excitement of the Magic Kingdom carried me for about a mile, but once I hit mile 9 I was tired. At mile 10 the reality that this was as far as I had ever been set in. Each step beyond that was more than I had ever done. Just before mile 11 I got a text from Shane cheering me on and that was a God send! Blessedly mile 11 finally came and excitement set back in. At no point in those miles did I think I wouldn't finish; it was just long. I so felt all the prayers and words of encouragement. I have learned through this that some runs are good and some you just get through. I so wanted the race to be a good day and it was. No shin splints, no hip pain. I felt very prayed over!

We entered Epcot and made kind of a winding circle through the front of the park. The park itself was open and the park guests cheered us on. We left there and encountered a huge gospel choir which was just what I needed for a final burst of energy. A quarter of a mile later the mile 13 sign appeared and .1 miles later I crossed the finish line. A nice lady stepped in front of me and asked if I would like a medal. I assured her I would and she put it around my neck. I was almost crying! I found everyone and we all just hugged and celebrated! I got several text messages from Shane and my mom and Andy. I talked to Shane about 5 minutes later and just fell apart when he answered the phone! Here is a picture of Jill and Regina and me just minutes after we finished.

I finished in 3 hours and 5 minutes. My goal was under three and I think I really could have done it in a regular race, but the sheer number of people kept my pace slower than normal and it became obvious quick that this race was about fun and not just the number on the clock. I was pleased.

We decided to hop on the monorail and head straight to the Magic Kingdom. I know that sounds crazy but it was so fun. I ate what I am sure were the best french fries and Diet Coke ever made. We rode a few rides and then hit the wall and headed back for showers and a nap. After resting up we headed back to join Cinderella at her castle for dinner. She admired our new jewelry and we had a fun time leaving the park just before midnight.

We made it home this afternoon and this is what I found waiting for me!

I am so happy I did this. It was an expierance I will never forget and I want to do it again. I know I will do another 1/2 sometime. Hopefully later this year.

And in case you were wondering.....

I came in 9,097th.

No words!!!

The nerves kick in

We have and a great day and I can't wait to tell you all about it. Rockin roller coaster, tower of terror, Beauty and the Beast and a nap are the high points. But the most important item at hand is that we are running this race in the morning. The culmination of all our work and sweat is in just a few hours. Literally.....the alarm is set for 3:00 am. That's craziness, but its true. We have to catch the bus by 4:00 and be in our coral by 5:00. My coral starts at 6:20.

We packed to run in the cold and it is decidedly not cold so that has been a source of some stress. Everyone has decided on something different but I am not going to wear the original long sleeve shirt but am going to wear the short sleeve shirt we got at the expo. I don't want to be hotter than I have to be.

The clothes are laid out. The numbers are pinned on. The pouches are loaded down with GU and beans and gum and everything else. The chip is on my shoe after much debate on the proper way to put it on. I have a whole new respect for my husband and what he goes through the night before a race.

There is nothing left to do but run this race. My verse for this adventure has been : He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete until the day off Jesus Christ. I'm claiming that again tonight and thanking the lord for the chance to be with friends, for a husband who has been so supportive and for the opportunity to run this race. Thank you all so much for your words of encouragement. They have brought me to tears and I am thankful for all of you!

I have to go know. Jill is asleep. Christina is going over last minute instructions and I am taking deep breathes. The alarm goes off in 5:00 hours and in less than 12 hours I will cross the finish line....Lord willing.

And again I need to say..

The alarm goes off at 3:00 am!!!!!!!

Sent from my iPad

One tiramasu, Six spoons

How far will adrenaline get you? Well I hope 13.1 miles! But I do know it will also get you through Epcot 'til midnight. What a great day! We were all so giddy at the airport we were like little girls headed to Disney for the first time. The flight was packed and quite turbulent. When we landed and found our way to the magic express we had one thing on our collective minds. FOOD!!!!

We made it to our resort, All Star Music, and quickly found the food court. We have all agreed those were the best quesadillas we have every had. It could have been a dirt quesadilla and we would have thought the same thing. Refreshed and nourished we headed to Disney's Wild World of Sports for the Race Expo. That is where I got the best souvenir of all....this.

The expo was lots of fun. It was typical Disney in that it was well run and very organized and we got all our stuff with no problem. I have lots of pictures to share and will post those soon.

We then headed to Epcot. Honestly Epcot has never been my family's favorite place at Disney. But it was so much fun with friends. We walked around the world showcase and had the best time looking in the tea shop in England, listening to a Morracan band and to our Zumba friends, Chyna has some new moves to show you! We discovered a caramel shop in Germany we were going to come back to, but never made it back. In Italy, Jill was telling us about a tiramasu she had eaten there, when low and behold, there was the dessert cart with the tiramasu! So we split one.....on the way to dinner. Dinner was at the Coral Reef and was fabulous! We then headed out to enjoy extra magic hours and got in Test Track and Soarin'. We finally crashed at 1:30. Exhausted!

It was a great start to the trip. Laughing with your friends is so good for the soul and we have done plenty of that! We are going to build in rest time Saturday to be ready for Sunday, because as good as the company and the food is .....

We came to race!

Meet the Cast!

I have always thought it was funny that Disney refers to everyone who works there as a "cast member." Even the guy sweeping the trash after the parade is a cast member. In light of that I thought you should meet all the members of our cast. We head out in the morning and we are about to bust!

There are 6 of us going. Our common thread is our church. While we don't all go to the same church now, that is how we all know each other. When Shane and I moved back to Jackson in 1996 we were kind of in a strange place. We left as youth and came back as adults and quickly after that became parents. We found a great Sunday school class and made good friends there. We then went on the teach youth Sunday school for several years and then we rejoined our class. It had grown by then and so had our family. This was when we really began to make good, close, life long friends. I have taught VBS and mission friends with these girls. We have camped and shopped and laughed and cried together. We have watched our babies grow from babies into teenagers. These are my BFF's, my peeps, my buddies, my pals and I love 'em!

So without futher ado, in alphabetical order, here they are and why I love them!

Christina

Truth be told, I stole Christina. She and her husband were my brother Andy and his wife Julie's friends first. I knew of them and that they went to our church. When we joined our class there they were. She makes me laugh. She is a master schedule juggler. She has the youngest of all of our kids. She is a great momma, wife and friend. She is a great listener!

Chyna

Chyna is fun to have around! She just makes you laugh and feel good. I'm so glad she's coming! Several years ago I had gotten a new phone and Will was playing around on it. He said, "Oh my gosh Mom! This is an awesome phone! It can call all the way to China!" He was looking at my address book! That cracked me up! Chyna has a daughter Jenny's age and she is a mini Chyna! I love to be around them!

Jennifer

Jennifer's middle son is just a few weeks older than my Jenny. When Jon Clark was born he was small. Around 4 or 5 pounds. When Jenny was born she also was small. She was 4 lbs. 11oz. I was worried sick. Was she ok? What had I done to make her so small? Out of the blue one day Jennifer called me. I knew Jennifer as an aquaintance through a Bible study we had at church. She called simply to say that she knew what I was feeling, that I hadn't done anything wrong and the baby was going to be fine. I doubt she even remembers that but it was huge to me and I have a soft spot for Jennifer because of that!

Jill

Trainer extraordinaire. I got to know Jill when her family moved to Jackson about 7 years ago. Our families have done all kinds of things together. Last year her family moved to my neighborhood. A wise decision in my opinion! What do I love about Jill? She is a great friend. Her daughter Reagan is a great babysitter. Her daughter Kennedy is a great writer. Her son just ran past my kitchen window with a nerf gun. Her husband is a counselor. What's not to love?!

Regina

Regina's middle child, Cade and Jenny were born on the same day. March 1, 2001. A good day! What I admire most about Regina is that when her first camping trip resulted in a major accident she didn't head home but stayed the weekend in a tent. That was impressive. What I also think about is that when we had my Dad's visitation and we all filed into the sanctuary Regina's face was the first one I saw and I was so happy to see her. A good friend!

An honorary member

There is one more friend that we wish was going but just couldn't do it this year. We love you Trina and we wish you were coming and we will bring you a present!

On behalf of the cast I would like to thank:

Shane, Will, Jenny, Mark, Caroline, Walker, Brian, Bailey, Kennedy, Jeff, Connor, Jon Clark, Caroline, Chris, Reagan, Kennedy, John Walker, Trey, Haley, Cade and Cooper.

Thank you for your support and thank you for not only letting us go but encouraging us to go. We love you all!

Next Stop Orlando!

All the good stuff!

Well, yesterday was a little heavy so...... just thought I would show case some of the good stuff happening around here!

First a care package from my sweet mama! Energy drinks, Thermacare and M&M's. Love it!

Next, A good luck card from my brother. all the way from Virginia! So sweet!

All my stuff piled on my bed begging to be put in a suitcase!

The sticky note of things to be sure not to forget. This kind of made me laugh. I would be up a creek now wouldn't I!

A bag full of things I swore I'd never eat!

My almost completed to do list. the only things left are to clean the house and do laundry

HMMMM....

My official travel folder full of triple checked reservations!

Yummy treats! Jenny's birthday is the day after we get back and we are having a family party that night so we made these treats ahead of time. I thought the turned out cute!

*****SPOILER ALERT*****

Do not scroll down if you are going to Disney World on Friday with me! It's a surprise!

How cute is this:

A minnie mouse cake pop with a princess crown!

This is getting out of hand!

The Pyschology of Running

I've put off writing this for awhile because it's not a happy or funny topic but it is part of me and I have been writing this in my head since the day we decided to run this race.

I've never been a runner. I think that's pretty obvious. I have been an exerciser. I've done step aerobics and body pump. I have a super cute bike that I enjoy riding. I've done the treadmill and the elliptical and I've expressed my love for the stationary bike.

But a runner....adamantly NO! My reason...I just can't. I love the thought of it, but I can't. I just can't. Deep down inside of me I knew this was not just physical. There was a whole lot of psychology involved. Because you see....

My Daddy died 6 six years ago. He died while he was running. He was in great shape. He took super good care of himself and my mom took extra super good care of him. It's just one of those things that happens that rip your life apart.

When a family deals with death you learn a lot about yourself and the people you love the most. For me, I think I fell quickly into the role of oldest child. It's one I play well. Just ask my brothers. Bossy. Opinionated. The favorite. Ok I made that one up.

Anyway! I dealt with logistics, I planned, I cleaned and I took care as best I could of my mom and my own family who at the time were very young. I learned much about my personality and temperament in those days and in the years to follow. I remember going by the cemetery one day and seeing that everyone in my family had left something there for Daddy. A note, a memento. Everyone but me. I couldn't even think of what to put there. It wasn't something I even thought to do. I worried about that for awhile but then I realized that we all grieve in our own way. That was their way. My way was to write and read about my Daddy.

In the same way I'm not one to "dedicate" a run or a race to someone. I don't want to say that I am running this race for my Daddy because honestly that's not the truth. But I will say this. This training has helped me conquer fear. Fear was the main thing I dealt with aside from just plain old grief after he died. I spent many nights reading verses and praying verses for myself and my family. The nature of that fear is too personal to share here but it was real and still is. It is still something I struggle with from time to time. This training and race has helped me conquer some of that. I can run and I'm going to run.

I have a memory of my Daddy that if you knew him will make you laugh. It stands out to me for some reason and always has. It means even more to me now as a parent. As a teenager I was very involved in my youth group. I had some leadership there. I made decent grades and had not a rebellious bone in my body. What I didn't do was play sports or an instrument or act in any school plays. My middle brother was an excellent musician and the Drum Major for the band. Joey, who was a baby at the time, simply had to burp and we all went crazy for him. Still do really! I was in a teenager fit one night. Crying and moaning about something. I flopped myself down on the couch opposite my Daddy who was trying to watch something on TV. He looked at me and said "What is wrong with you?" My reply, "There is nothing I do that anybody can watch me in. I don't do anything to make you proud!" WAAA WAAA WAAA! His reply: turning from the TV and saying in his even toned common sense voice. "If you really believe that then you are stupid." End of discussion. End of pity party. His message to me was simple. I love you because you are mine not because you "do" anything.

So....while I know he loved me because I am his daughter and not because of anything I do, I think he would be really proud of me. Not just for running the race but for conquering fear as well. I don't necessarily think he is looking down on me watching. I happen to think there are better things to do in heaven besides that. I can't wait to tell him about it though. And I think it will be fun when we all get there to sit around and tell running stories with my Daddy and my brother.

And last but not least, I wrote several things about my Daddy after he died. They were all about what a great Daddy he was to us and what a great husband he was to my mother. Before she died my Grandmother chastised me a little. She asked me to make sure that the next time I wrote about my Daddy to please make sure I said what a good son he was. And he was. For as long as I remember he called her every Sunday night at 9:00. No matter what. That's the kind of person I want to be.

Now... enough sad stuff! There are lots of fun things going on around here!

Race Week: A top 10 list

We have now officially entered race week. This is not an uncommon thing in my household. I've mentioned before that Shane is a triathlete and so "race week" rolls around pretty often during triathlon season. Different things happen that week the most significant being that he drinks ungodly amounts of Gatorade.

The thing that makes this race week different of course is that it is MY race week. Hilarious! I'm not drinking a gallon of gatorade everyday. I'm not.

Here are the top 10 things that make it evident that at the end of this week I will be in Disney World to run a half marathon (gulp).

10. The location on my Weather Channel app is set to Walt Disney World Resort. Not just Orlando mind you. I need specifics. (Low 50's High 80's)

9. The 4 page list of things to do has been wittled down to one very crowded page. It's progress.

8. I'm double and triple checking reservations. I dreamed we went to the race and had forgotten to pick up our packets and we didn't have numbers or chips or anything. It was awful!

7. I'm chewing Advil like candy to get the pain in my hip to go away. Why is it back now?!?

6. I'm taking Joint Juice every morning. What am I 65?

5. I'm trying hard not to think of the fact that the race starts at 5:45 am and the buses start running at 4:00 am which means we have to get up at......I can't even say it.

4. I'm trying to decide what exactly you wear to Cinderella's castle.

3. I'm answering "Nope" to the question : "Don't you feel quilty about going to Disney World without your kids?" I took them already. I told them if they wanted to run 13 miles they could come along. I got no takers. (Ok, Maybe a little guilty!)

2. I'm scraping the bumper stickers off my car to make room for my 13.1 sticker.

and the number one reason I can tell it's race week is.....

I buy stuff like this:

A six pack of tiaras. Perfect!

Round and around and around we go!

I am about to head out to do 3 miles on this beautiful afternoon. We were supposed to do 5 together yesterday morning but it kind of fell apart at the last minute. Regina is still nursing her hurt knee/hip, Chyna sprained her foot on the last long run and is laying low and me.... well it was Disciple Now at our church this weekend. We had ten 7th and 8th grade boys at our house. They had to be fed by 8:00 a.m. Have you ever seen those shows where the animals descend on the fresh kill. That's what those boys looked like when I sat those homemade sweet rolls on the counter. What a good group of kids and a precious church we have!

I'm heading to Strawberry Park to do one of my last runs. Three today and maybe 2 on Tuesday and I think I'm done before the race. I've mentioned this park a few times and for whatever reason I just really like running there. I've done all kinds of different runs during the past few months. Out and back. Winding through the neighborhood. Around the cul-de-sac a hundred times. But lately I have had a preference for going in circles at the park. I know where I am in the mile. I can mark progress easily. I told Shane I was beginning to like just running in circles and he said that was good since our course is just one long circle. I prefer a mile-long circle but you know..whatever.

Anyway, I thought I would let you what the course looks like.

We start at Epcot and run to the Magic Kingdom. Between miles 5 and 6 we do what made me sign up for the race in the first place. We run through Cinderella's castle. This is what makes me run when it's 23 degrees outside. It comes at a good time for me in the race and I can not wait! I'm hoping maybe it will be like on rides when they take your picture and then you go and pay too much money for a picture of yourself looking goofy. We also run through Tomorrow Land (Space Mountain!) and Frontier Land (Big Thunder Mountain!) We then head back to Epcot past several resorts and enter Epcot and finish near the big golf ball at Epcot.

It is going to be a great race. The weather is shaping up to look great and one week from today I'm eating with Cinderella with good friends with a princess medal around my neck!

Life is good!

A shift in thought (and reading material)

I keep a stack of books and magazines on my nightstand. Mostly it's magazine because I'm not a casual reader. When I pick up a book to read it I become consumed by it. I have to read the whole thing in a day or two. I don't read well before bed because I lay awake and worry about where I have left the characters. Example:

Shane: "Where are you going?"

Stacy: "I'm sorry. I have to go read."

Shane: "Now?"

Stacy: "Yes! I left Angel stuck in the brothel and I have see if Michael finds her!" (Redeeming Love-BEST BOOK EVER!)

Anyway, there is generally always a stack of something to read or look at on my nightstand. I was making my bed this week I noticed something that again marks the fundamental shift in my life over the last 5 months. Here is what I found:

Nothing all that strange here.

*A Vicki Courtney book I bought When I was in one my moods where I begin to panic that my kids aren't going to turn out ok and I go by a book to tell me what to do. (This is a good one by the way.)

*A Pottery Barn catalog. I adore Pottery Barn!(Jenny has to use "super verbs" in her sentences for school so now we "adore" everything)

* A Betty Crocker Gluten Free magazine/recipe book. Just FYI-not worth the ten dollar cost!

* A Where Woman Cook magazine with The Pioneer Woman on the cover. This was an expensive magazine but had beautiful pictures of the kitchens of famous foodies cooking. I bought it as a gift but looked at it first. Very nice magazine.

And then on the bottom of the pile was this:

And not only was it just on the nightstand. It was at the bottom of the pile because I had already read it! This is not the first time this has happened to me. I caught myself reading one in a doctor's office awhile back. I would just like to repeat....

What is happening to me?!?!?!

10,9,8....

Let the 10 day count down begin!

I should be at the gym right now because I didn't get a run in today. But instead I am eating M&Ms while I wait for my hair color to "cure." I know I need to be in shape for the race but a girl's gotta look cute too, right?

For the past 5 months I have been in "I gotta run 13.1 miles" panic mode. Now I'm in "I'm leaving my family for 4 days" panic mode. I'm not one of those moms who just can't leave her kids. I don't have tons of guilt or feel sick at the thought. I know that they know I love them and I'll bring presents. I also don't leave very often so a few days away is good for everyone. I know I will miss them and I hope they will miss me.

My problem lies in my control freak tendencies. I don't want to leave even the slightest thing undone. I don't know why I think the 12 year old can't wash his own jeans or that Shane can't grab a gallon of milk (like he does anyway!)

In the 6 months since I quit my job I really have not been busy. Normal kid, church and home things, but it has been a quiet year and it has been so nice! However the busiest three weeks of this year are falling on either side of this trip. We've had valentine parties, are having Disciple Now this weekend, a middle school dance I'm coordinating the week after, and Jenny's birthday is the day after we get back with her party four days later. My list of things to do is 4 pages long. Whew!

I know that once that plane leaves the ground all will be well and what isn't done won't really matter. Between now and then I'm going to try to relax and soak up some hugs and kisses.

Now I have to go because the hair color is ready and...

I have to check the 10 day forcast!

Setting Goals

We had our last long run on Saturday. I have 2 short runs planned this week and a 5 miler with the group on Saturday and then it's race week. Man!

My goals for this race have changed over the past 5 months. I started out just wanting to run a mile. Check. Then 3 miles. Check. Then I had a goal of running 6 miles straight. No stopping. Not a check. But that's ok. I have a strategy for the race, and following that helps me have a better run rather than running till I think I'm gonna die and then walking, or actually crawling.

So, what is my race goal? First and foremost...to finish. There is still a lingering doubt that I can do this. The long run Saturday was good and strong, but 3 more miles scares me a little.

Next, my goal, assuming I finish, is to finish in less than 3 hours. I really think I can do this. Maybe even 2:45, but I'm saying less than three,

Lastly, my goal is to enjoy it! I think that the next time I do this I will focus more on time but this time, I want to relish the atmosphere and experience. I want to stop and have my picture made with Mickey. I want to soak it up!

I hope your Valentine's Day is filled with love! I am especially thankful for my sweet husband who has been so supportive in every way on this journey. I'm also thankful for my baby girl who got up on her own at 5:45 to set out Valentines for us. I'm also thankful for my almost teenage son who grunted "Happy Valentines Day" in my general direction this morning but really enjoyed his heart pancakes. I love you guys! You make my world go 'round!

Happy Heart Day!

Dropping Like Flies

Two weeks from right now I will be on my way to Disney world to run my first half marathon. I say first and not only because if I have learned anything over the last 4 months it's never say you won't do something.

We are down to the wire and I'm doing strange things like emailing the marathoners in my life and asking for advice. I'm reading online articles about tapering your runs and how to carb load gluten free. I've got a pile started in my bedroom of things to take with me.

I ran 5 miles on Tuesday and it was the best run I've had to date. The weather was good. I ran a good pace, I felt great, no aches and pains. I felt good when I finished. I was so excited.

Then it snowed. Again. What's up with that? It snowed once when I was a kid. Once.

Anyway, I finally made it back to the gym this morning and it makes me nervous to not be able to run at least 2-3 times a week. But I'm trying to remember that we are 2 weeks out and it's time to slow down. We do 10 miles tomorrow and then that's the last long run.

It is definitely time to slow down training because we are starting to drop like flies. There are 6 of us going. Among us we've had 2 possible stress fractures, some major hip issues and a fainting spell. It looks like we may all recover by the time we get there, but it's been an interesting few weeks.

I'm just hoping there is an elevator at Cinderella's castle, because....

I'm pretty sure the spiral staircase is out!

Blankie

This is my baby girl.

She is 3 1/2 in this picture. She will be 10 three weeks from today. She made sure we knew that at breakfast this morning. It doesn't matter though. When I look at her I see the little girl in the picture. My baby girl. Maybe thats why I still tie her shoes. Unless we are running behind and then I say "You are almost 10 years old- tie your shoes right now!" She'll probably need counseling.

My point in showing you this picture is not the precious chubby cheeks, or the curls in her hair or the crown on her head which she had made that day on her first day of 3 year old preschool. Oh my....excuse me. I'll be right back. Sigh!

My point in showing you the picture is the sweet pink blanket she has tossed over her shoulder. She came home from the hospital wrapped in that blanket and sshhh don't tell but she still sleeps with it today. It is not so sweet and pink anymore. Now it looks like this.

That gray wad on the doll's lap. Same blanket. We find chunks of it around the house from time to time. I found a piece in my bed this morning. I'm afraid its days are numbered. I can't even think about it.

The blankie has certain characteristics about it:

1. We are not allowed to poke fun about the state of the blankie.

2. It is kept in a certain spot each morning. It is either where you see it in the above picture, in the keeping room chair or on her bed. Always on the dolls lap. Always.

3. While the blanket used to openly accompany her to spend the night as she has gotten older it has taken a clandestine approach to sleepovers. It is always in her bag. She may look at it but only among the best of friends would it ever come out of the bag.

I have a blankie too. Here it is.

My Bed Buddy Microwave heat pack. I love this thing like she loves her blankie. I need it when I come in from a run. It warms me up. It soothes my aching hips. It brings me comfort. I lay across my lap on cold mornings in the car. I have been known to sleep with it when my legs are sore. It eerily shares many of the same qualities of Jenny's blankie.

1.It also has seen better days. You will notice the burn marks near the handle. It caught fire one terrible day while being heated in the microwave. Shane fixed it with plastic ties and all was right again.

2.It has a special place that I keep it. It sits on the shelf between my Samford sweatshirt and my scarves. Always.

3. I am nervous about how to take it on my trip.

My guess is I won't need it until the day of the race. Then I am positive my hips, and calves and thighs and knees and feet and everything else are going to be crying out for it. Should I take it? What if the room doesn't have a microwave? What if it catches on fire? What if my lugguage gets lost? What if Jill makes fun of me?

I guess I'll do like Jenny does and just take it with me, resting in the comfort that it's in the bag if I need it.

And just so you can see that my sweet baby girl is growing into a beautiful young lady here she is now.

Now I need my Blankie again.