Happily Ever After

I have very slowly been working my way through Beth Moore's Bible study on Esther. It has been such a good Bible study for this time in my life. Today I came across this quote from Beth..

"How blessed we are to be women. By nature we like to do things together. Work and play. Laugh and grieve. Eat and pray. Live and die. A large measure of enjoying womanhood is enjoying a heart connection with other women."

I couldn't believe what a perfect explantion this was of what we had all just experienced. The whole expierence of training, planning, healing, and running has bonded us together.

The race is over and life has returned to normal. Normal except for the fact that I am still a little obnoxious. Yesterday I discovered that there is video of each runner at key points in the race. I have now watched myself run through Cinderella's castle about 100 times. I've made my family watch it 75 of those times. They may be slightly weary of this princess!

It's time to wrap up this little blog of mine and I'm really kind of sad. It has been so much fun to write and planning what to say has gotten me through more than a few miles! I can't thank you enough for taking time to read it. Your encouragement to me through this blog was an unexpected benefit and I am grateful for each of you! You have to come with me next time! I am going to wrap it up with a few thoughts and observations of the whole expierance. Here's one last list:

First..a shout out to my husband, Shane. I came home to a perfectly clean house! How awesome is that. Not a dish in the sink. I love that man!

Never Say Never! I realize this is the name of Justin Beiber's movie. I'm sorry. It is also my knew favorite saying. When my children say "I'll never get this math problem!" I say "I just ran a 1/2 marathon. Never Say Never!" Cue the eye rolling!

It's possible I wore my medal while I was home alone today. It's possible I'm wearing it now.

We had a waiter at the Coral Reef who was unnaturally obssessed with the chocolate mousse dessert. He practically harrassed me when I ordered the Creme Brule. If you go to the Coral Reef in Epcot and have a waiter named Tony save yourself the trouble and order the mousse. He might even feed you a bite. Just ask Chyna.

The good thing about good friends is they love you even if you're freaking out at 3:30 in the morning because the first set of buses just left and now they are gonna start without you! Never mind the 5,000 people in line behind you. They just smile and keep being your friend and even sit with you when the next bus comes.

I just accomplished something I never in a million years thought I could do, yet I still have a fear of calling people I don't know on the phone. Maybe that should be my next blog!

I put this on my car today:

I went for a walk today and I kept thinking that I wish my legs felt good enough run. I'm ready to run again. This still surprises me and again marks a shift in my life that I want to continue, so instead of goodbye I will say to be continued, but I do hope you ....

live happily ever after!

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!