Run a Half Marathon...Check

Yep, I did it.  Last year when several of my friends ran in the Seattle Rock 'n Roll 1/2 Marathon I thought they were crazy.  Guess who's crazy now.

It was awesome!  I was so scared. I didn't want to post anything about it before hand in case I gave up, jumped into Lake Washington, and swam home but I finished!  I ran the whole way.  Here's the crazy thing...I think I want to do it again.

There were over 27,000 people at the starting line and the energy was amazing!  I ran with my friend Susan. Nothing like having someone with you to make you laugh when you're in pain. This was a first for both of us.  We were on the verge of bailing even at 4am when we were on the road to the starting line.

There were so many little things that happened along the course.  At one point we were running through the tunnel on I-90.  The runners all started making this sound at the same time and it echoed through the tunnel.  I can't even explain the sound.  It was surreal.

The night before, Emily had gone with part of her girl scout troop to a Rainier's game.  After the game they all slept on the ball field.  Cool, huh?  She had a great time.  I told her to call her dad when she got home so we'd know she was okay.  Well, she called me.   While I'm running uphill at mile 9 my phone starts ringing.  It was fun talking with her about her night and before I knew it I was at the top of the hill and feeling like Emily helped me do it.

The reason they call this the Rock 'n Roll 1/2 Marathon is because they place bands along the way. I really expected more bands. Or maybe I just expected I would be fast enough to be hearing the bands more frequently. I don't know. And the country band? Really? Not my thing. Just as we ran into Seattle and we could see the Space Needle up ahead there was a band playing, "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" which we always sing as "Lucy, Emily, and Miles". It's a family favorite. The timing of that was perfect.

Of course one of my favorite things about the race was seeing my supportive husband (of 17 years tomorrow!) peeking over the crowd and waving to me just before the finish line.  Miles and Lucy were there holding up their signs too. 

Susan and I stayed together until the very end.  I had a goal of finishing under 2:15.  My finishing time--2:15:10 .  Dang it!  Ten seconds!  Seriously?!!  I'm still happy though.  It was worth all five blisters!

101 Reasons to be Grateful

Of course there are many more.  We are just particularly grateful today because Matt started his new job!  AND we finally have health insurance again!  AND a paycheck will be coming soon!  In a market where the average person takes six or seven months to find a job, we feel very blessed to have that time cut in half. 

Although I never expected this trial, I'm grateful for it.  I'm grateful for the ways I've seen my children grow.  I'm grateful for their understanding every time we said we can't afford something.  Really, they have been amazing!  I'm grateful for the reminder that everything I have and am is a blessing that I never again want to take for granted.  I'm grateful for the people that have sacrificed their own resources in one way or another to help us.  And most of all, I'm immensely grateful and humbled at the love and mercy of our Father in Heaven that is so real.  I've learned that that love and mercy is frequently shown through others which makes it all the more important to be the kind of person that recognizes and acts on His promptings.

I'm pretty behind on my blogging so bear with me as I try to catch up.  During Spring Break this year we were trying to think of something we could do that would be fun and free.  Our plan of going to the tulip festival was shot due to the never ending rain and wind.  One day Matt had a job interview in Tukwila so we took the opportunity to go with him, spend our time at Borders during the interview, then head to IKEA.  We had a picnic out of the back of the car.  As usual, the kids finished their food before we got a chance to start so they kept themselves busy for a few minutes.  Matt and I tried not to look.

Lucy of course was ecstatic about playing in the play place so after dropping her off, the rest of us got started on our task at hand.  Before we left, Miles had put together an IKEA bingo sheet complete with pictures from the online catalog.  We each had a paper and we got started on our search.

We always knew Emily was strong...

Miles and I were trying to figure out what this piece of furniture was designed for...

Eventually we all got bingo but Emily had three so we declared her the winner.  Miles was a close second.

We had a great time!  See, another reason to be grateful.  I have a family that can have fun together without spending a penny.  I love them.