Color Run 2014

The Color Run 2014 is kicking off with a new tour. It's called the Kaleidoscope Tour.

 It will include some new fun perks. Here are some of the perks each registered participant receives:

• T-Shirt
• Headband
• Wrist Band
• Sling bag

You will also enjoy fun fresh music and crazy color attractions. It's bound to be a blast.

Check out the new updated website. Register using the code COLOR5OFF (type it in, don't copy and paste!) and you will get $5 off your registration. Also, check back soon for a Color Run related giveaway.

God Bless! (And Merry Christmas!!)

C is for CUPCAKES!

I have been making cupcakes like a madwoman. Maybe that is why my blog has gotten so neglected. Here are some of my latest creations.

My daughter's 5th! Red Velvet Cupcakes with Pink Old Fashioned Boiled Icing and Rainbow Sprinkles.

Vanilla Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream and sparkling sugar.

Candy Corn inspired cupcakes.

Vanilla Cupcake with Vanilla Buttercream and Spider Mix Sprinkles.

So proud of this little beauty!

Vanilla Cupcakes with Chocolate Cream Cheese.

More Vanilla Cupcakes with Chocolate Cream Cheese.

Can you guess my most popular seller?

There you have it! Cupcakes are running my house :) And I have five dozen to create this evening. 

God Bless.

HCA Va Richmond 8k

My races have been limited since I got hurt near the end of the Nike Women's Half in DC, but I have still be racing. I just took a large portion of the summer off. 

My husband and I raced the Picasso Trail Race 10k last month. We both did pretty well. I earned a 10k (even on a trail!), fourth overall female and first in my age group. My husband hit first in his age group and completed his first 10k race. 

This past weekend I raced the HCA Va Richmond 8k that is in conjunction with the Richmond Marathon and Half Marathon that I ran last year. My running partner from the half marathon last year was registered for the full marathon and since I didn't want to push myself to hard after coming back from an injury I signed up for the 8k. One week before the race my friend injured his calf and backed out of the full marathon.

Race shirt.

I woke up at 3:30am race morning to be dressed and ready for a 4:30am pickup time. Race time wasn't until 7:00am but we knew that we would have to fight for a parking space. We arrived in Richmond about 5:25am and immediately found an awesome parking space. We left the car and headed into the lobby of the Omni hotel to stay warm and dry (it was misting). We found a table and just hung out. I ate my Honey Stinger Vanilla Waffle, one of the few things that I can eat before I run and then just waited. About 6:15am I peeled of my cheapy (like $3) warm up pants, headed to the bathroom and started to get race ready. 

We left the hotel and walked out to realize that it was raining. The rain was predicted to quit at 6:00am so we weren't expecting it. As we walked up the hill towards the Capitol Building the rain got harder. I found my wave (wave 1, never had that happen before) and began to warm up. My friend told me that I didn't have to bag check that he would hold my stuff. Later he told me he did this so I could stay in my sweatshirt as long as I possibly could so my singlet would be dry as possible before I started running. The announced told us "three minute warning" so I peeled off my wet Oiselle trials sweatshirt and handed it over to my friend to stuff inside my Oiselle spike bag. I said goodbye and focused on the start line. I was a ways back from the start line even though I was in wave 1 but I knew that I would be ok since it was chip timed. 

Race outfit, though I decided against the armwarmers just before the race.

The gun went off, I made my way to the start line and took off. It was raining pretty steadily and I immediately started having a side ache but told myself I was pressing on. I began praying in my head "Lord, help me make it safely through the race." I had my calf and SI joint taped with KT tape for extra support. I wasn't in pain but the support was a precaution. About a mile in I was thinking about how great my calf felt, and how blessed I am. The rain had dramatically stopped at this point, but then I realized my shoelaces where banging me in the shins. I can't even tell you that last time I had to stop mid race to tie my shoes! I hurried over to the edge of the road and retied both my shoes then got back to racing. 

See my spiffy Oiselle temp tat? I'm a sucker for temps even though I have two real ones.

At about mile three I realized why I had a side ache. I hadn't used my inhaler pre-race which helps regulate my breathing pattern and generally prevents my side aches. I threw up a quick prayer thanking God that the side ache was my only issue from not using my inhaler and that my breathing itself was fine. I really felt like I was in my race groove at this point. I started picking out people in my mind that I wanted to pass, and I did.

The last portion of the race is a good downhill. It can be really hard on your quads and shins but it is so great for your time ;) I knew it was coming and couldn't wait to fly down it to hit the finish. As I rounded the corner for the downhill I threw it into high gear. I crossed the line at 45:05. I had set my goal time for this race to  be anything under 48. Not my 8k PR but a great race for an injury comeback. My last mile was also my fastest mile I have ever clocked for a race 8:12. It was a great day and I feel truly blessed to be making a comeback.

Love the medal.

God Bless.

My apologies.

My blog has been severely lacking and for that I apologize. I can't even fully explain why I have been behind, I just have. But check back early next week for a full cupcake update (maybe all the cupcakes are why I am so behind!) and an HCA Va 8k race update.

God Bless and Happy Friday!

Playing catch up

I have been planning this post for about five days now but my husband came home from a trip sick and so now it seems like everything has gotten out of whack. I feel like I am playing catch up in every aspect of my life right now, so let me just post my two big things that I had in mind.

One, I am now officially on the Oiselle athletes page. You can check me out here. I hope to have a race picture in my Oiselle singlet in the next couple of weeks.

Two, I was asked to be an Esprit de She ambassador again. Look forward to some more race information for next year and some race swag giveaways.

Have a great Tuesday.

God Bless.

Pretty Muddy + Sweat Pink Sisters + Oiselle Gear = Pretty Awesome!

Saturday morning I set out bright an early from Emporia to head to Pocahontas State Park in Richmond. I was on my way there for Pretty Muddy Richmond, where I was a blog ambassador.

My race bib.

My friend from Emporia told me to allow about an hour and a half to get to the park. And Pretty Muddy said to get there an hour before start time. Well let me just tell you, I arrived with plenty of time. Got on one of the hayride shuttles and headed off to packet pick up. I had so much time that I hung around and watched the first wave of women before I headed back to my car.

.

The first wave of women!

The first obstacle. "Better than a dirty martini"

I sat in my car for a while, answered some emails that needed attention, played a few games and then packed up my bag for the after-mud clean up.

Keeping warm in the car in one of my fave Oiselle 50/50 longsleeve tees.

At about 8:45am I finally decided I would head back to the race start, check my bag, potty and just hang out and watch. I was waiting for the next hayride shuttle and I happened to see a Sweat Pink tank coming towards me. My friend that was supposed to run with my backed out very early on because of work commitments. So I was thrilled to see two faces I knew. I met Darlena and Cara back in April at The Nike Women's Half Marathon with Team in Training. I knew they were coming and I was just hoping that I could find them.

We had to get a pre-mud picture!

We were all wearing our matching Sweat Pink tanks. I have my new Oiselle race singlet but I was not about to sacrifice it to the mud. I did wear my Oiselle Lesley Knickers though. They were the perfect choice. The longer leg kept my knee mostly scratch free and the fit kept mud of out of unmentionable places.

We headed towards the race start and waited a few minutes. Before I knew it were we off and running. We had to run 3.1 miles with 11 obstacles. Every obstacle had volunteers to give you the necessary instructions and to help you if needed. Each obstacle also had the option to go around it if you just couldn't handle the mud.

Here are the obstacles and the run down:

1. Better Than a Dirty Martini: A tunnel with bubbles.
2. The Original Mud Slide: A giant blown up slide with mud at the bottom. I lost my shoe in the mud and had to go back for it!
3. So Over It: A wall that kid of looked like a pallet on it's end.
4. Totally Tubular: Crawling through a muddy tube.
5. Over and Out: We had to climb over one wall with a small ledge, then got to another wall in the middle of a mud pit and climb over it. It had no ledge though. Thankfully Darlena gave me a leg up.
6. So Over it: Again.
7. Social Networking: A giant A-frame rope climb.
8. A Leg Up: High knees through a ropes section then under a ropes section.
9. Wood You Rather: We had to run/walk with a log on our shoulders.
10. Over and Out: Just like the last time, but we had to go under the second on submerging us in mud.
11. Mud Bath and Beyond: Crawling under ropes while the mud got deeper and deeper.

We were Pretty Muddy by the time we go to end but it was oh so fun! We crossed the finish to be greeted with a finishers medal, a drink and a protein bar.

PRETTY MUDDY!

And again!

They had cleaning stations with hoses set up for about thirty women at a time. The line moved pretty quickly. Then we headed to the changing tent. They had about 16 private sections to change your clothes in. There were some food and beer vendors set up for post race, along with pretty muddy gear. We decided to head home to our kiddos instead of hanging out though.

I was pretty happy with all of the race amenities. I only have two complaints about the entire experience.  One complaint was that we didn't see the photographer very often. We'll see what my pictures look like. Two, was that at the finish they handed us Propel water, it was strawberry kiwi. I asked if they had other flavors because I am allergic to strawberry. The only other flavor they had was berry so I opted to pass. This is only annoying because the non-flavored water was a really tiny cup versus a full bottle of propel.

My medal with my clean Oiselle distance shorts.

Such a fun race experience. I got to get muddy, which I normally don't do. I ran with two other girls that I don't know all that well but got a chance to have fun with. And I got to introduced them to Oiselle which they had never heard of. (By the end of the day I had worn four different Oiselle pieces. My long sleeve shown above to keep warm, my knickers to race in, my distance shorts to come home in and my runfinity scarf with my clean clothes after my shower at home.)

How was your weekend?

God Bless.

Struggles of a Small Town

I have lived in Emporia, Virginia for just over a year now. I enjoy most things about small town life. I grew up in a town smaller than this so I am used to most aspects of it. One thing I can't seem to deal with is the lack of runner friends. I have been here over a year and the only consistent runner friend I have is a man from our church. I'm not complaining about him in any way! He trained with me for my long runs of my first half marathon training plan, paced me through my first half marathon and helped me train for my second half marathon. 
 

Mile 11 of being paced. (I never realized how good I look in this picture until I saw the guy in the right background covered in sweat. Also, note my Oiselle distance shorts.)

But now, he is helping train my husband for his first full marathon. I'm already getting left in the mileage dust as they press farther and faster than I can hang. I could probably keep their pace and mileage right now, if I hadn't taken time off for my calf injury. But if I hadn't taken that time off I wouldn't be healthy enough to be running at all right now. I'm feeling a little runner lonely.

I have run with a few girls here and there while living here. I ran Esprit de She Cary with Ansley. I have done some training runs with Elizabeth, but she is finishing up her PhD in England so I only get to run with her when she is back for visits. **Sidenote** Elizabeth is the daughter of the man who trained and paced me for my first half marathon. And I ran the Special Olympics Torch Run with Brenda and Sharon.


I miss my girlfriends in Pensacola. I miss Tina, Dawn, Regina, and Emily. I miss the Phat Girlz run group. I miss knowing that every Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday morning there would always be someone to run with it. I'm realizing now how much I took the girlz for granted.

With two of my dear runner friends, Tina and Dawn. (See my Oiselle Bum Wrap?)

I guess I need to take the initiative and seek out other women. I have discussed some possibilities of making my own run group with my husband. He is all for it, I just need to seek out some avenues to really get it going. I had some other options in mind but they have fallen through. I would love to create a women's group that meets for a quick Bible Study (like five minutes) and then goes out and runs. How fun would that be?

Some of my struggles might also come from my lack of real races lined up. I haven't had a race since June. And after that race was when I took my seven week injury break. Here is my set (registered) race plan for the rest of the year.

1. Pretty Muddy Richmond
2. Picasso Run 10K
3. Tacky Lights Run 6k

I had plans to run the Richmond 8k that happens the same day as the Richmond Half and Full but I have conflict with a church function the same day. But I am truly looking forward to these next three races because they will be my first as part of the Oiselle family. 

Ok, I already feel better after getting this out of my head into writing. I missed my morning run this morning due to a sweet small redhead calling my name. But I will set out some time today and get my run in.

Any suggestions for me about getting out of my lonely slump are welcome. 

God Bless.

29 years...

It's my birthday, I thought I would do a little looking back.

• 29 years ago today, I was born in Stockton California.
• 27 years ago, my parents bought a house in Linden California, just after my birthday.
• 14 years ago today, I ran my first two mile cross country race for Linden High School.
• 11 years ago today, I celebrated my first birthday as a college student without my family and long time friends. It was such a weird bittersweet day.
• 9 years ago today, I celebrated my first birthday while in a relationship with my future husband.
• 8 years ago today, my husband and I hit the town in State College Pennsylvania to celebrate my 21st birthday. This was my first married birthday.
• 7 years ago today, I was a bridesmaid for my fried Tabetha. My dad called while I was in the middle of getting ready. He sang to my voicemail, I wished I had saved it. He sang "Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday Dear Anna, OK I'm done! Love you. Bye."
• 5 years ago today, I said goodbye to my childhood dog, Missy. I celebrated my birthday with a dinner at Bud's seafood. My mom and Aunt (my hubs had an evening high school football practice that he couldn't get out of) took me out and I had my fave Bud's Beef Salad, yum! I was also waiting the birthday of my daughter the next month.
• 4 years ago today, I struggled through my birthday. I hated that my cousin Rachel had almost been gone a year. I never imagined my birthday would be so hard without her. But I loved celebrating the day with my almost one year old daughter. And my husband tried his hardest to throw me a surprise birthday party. I didn't snoop but at the last minute he just couldn't keep the secret anymore.
• Two years ago today, I celebrated my birthday in Pensacola Florida (where we were living at the time). We went to Bonefish Grill with our dear friends Meg and Charles of Meg Baisden Photography. Meg and Charles, come to VA so we can do Bonefish again up here!
• Last year my husband gave his first sermon at our new church in Virginia.
• This year, my husband grilled for me and the Lankfords last night. We had an awesome dinner and ice cream to follow. I gifted myself some new Oiselle running gear with the money my grandparents sent me. I had to get some new Oiselle gear, I'm a team runner now :)
• Who knows what next year God will bless me with.

I just realized that as a now 29 year old I have celebrated my birthday while living in four different states. Crazy.

I thank the Lord for the ups, the downs, the many blessings and friends He has given me along the way.

God Bless.

Church and Cakes

I know you have been waiting on pins and needles for my next post. I know, not really but here it is. I've been a little behind. The last two weeks have been a little crazy. 

My husband is a priest and we just recently merged two churches into one, to form a totally new church. 

Here is our brand new sign!

Last week we had the Bishop at our church for our first meeting as Church of the Resurrection and for confirmations.

Bishop John and My Husband Caleb

We had a wonderful service where four ladies were confirmed. We also had a huge luncheon afterwards. Can you guess what I made?

Cake!

If you guessed cake, you are right. Not my smoothest cake but it was tasty, or so my four year old says. You can check out our new church's website here, but keep in mind it is still under construction as the church is barely a week old. But can hear my husband's sermon from this past Sunday on there.

I also completed yet another cake this weekend. Here it is.

Sleepover cake

I was hired to make this cake for a seven year old's very first sleepover birthday party. I think it turned out pretty well.

This week should be mellow. No cakes on the calendar, just training runs (thank goodness I am pain free!), work and being a mom. I do have another cake next week.

I hope you have a great week.

God Bless.

7 weeks!

After I wrote my post on Monday I forgot to follow up with how my gym time went. I went to the Y with my husband during his lunch break. I did a mile on the elliptical a half mile on the bike, 100 crunches and an arm circuit. My calf felt great but I didn't want to over do it. But the run itch as totally taken over. Tuesday I decided not to run because I wanted to give my calf a break just in case. Wednesday I totally turned off my alarm and kicked myself all day when I couldn't fit in a run. But yesterday morning I got my lazy booty out of bed and ran! I ran two miles in twenty minutes in glorious weather. It was an awesome first run back. I wanted so badly to run this morning but I knew that I would be sore all over. I woke up this morning and I was glad that I hadn't planned on running. I am sore in places that I didn't remember I could be sore in. So, maybe tomorrow.

How was your morning? Any weekend plans?

God Bless.

Quick Cupcake Update

I've been baking cupcakes like crazy lately. Here are three of the latest that have left my kitchen.

"Chocolate covered cherry!" Maraschino cherry cupcake with dark chocolate frosting.

Vanilla cupcakes with lemon cream cheese.

Vanilla cupcakes with chocolate buttercream.

These one's didn't leave my house :)

This is a busy weekend for my family as we launch our new church. Check back next week for a cake and church update.

Have a great weekend.

God Bless.

Six long weeks

Thursday of last week marked six weeks since my last run (and also since I fell down my stairs and cracked a rib). As you may have read before I pulled something in my calf during my last half marathon in April. I took two short weeks off after the race and then got back at it, but I wasn't pain free. I wouldn't say that I was in a great deal of pain but achy. Achy is not good though.

After hobbling through Esprit de She in Cary NC (due to my calf and my back) I made myself take some time off. My running partner here in VA who coaches me and paced me through my half marathon told me to take six whole weeks off. He said to stretch and do some strength training but that was it. Then after six weeks to ease back in. I complied by stretching, doing some strength training exercises at home, using my trigger point kit and foam rolling. I had every intention of running this weekend but it didn't happen. My husband is a Priest and we are in the process of combining two small churches into one new church. This weekend we closed one of the churches, a very historic old church. It was a somber weekend so I wasn't too sad when I was too busy to fit a run in. And last night I went to bed with my dang calf aching! It hasn't ached in over two weeks. Maybe I spent too much time on my feet yesterday at church, but geez. 

Six weeks of not running has been really hard for me mentally. I'm not upset about being injured, I'm upset that I can't run and it just doesn't make me feel good about myself. So I had every intention of getting up and running a very short and very slow run this morning. My body must have needed the extra rest because at some point this morning I turned off my alarm. I saw my Oiselle running clothes (origami tank and distance shorts) still neatly folded in the corner while I got dressed for work. Side note: I totally planned my all Oiselle outfit. I wanted my first run back to be all Oiselle run since I am now an Oiselle athlete :) Since I didn't get my run in this morning I will sport my awesome Oiselle outfit and hit the elliptical at the Y. My husband thinks I should ease back into running using the elliptical before I hit the roads. He is a wise man. So that's where you will find me at lunchtime today, the Y. 

How was your weekend? 

God Bless.

The Ups and Downs of life.

Today is a bittersweet day. My cousin Rachel would have turned 37 today. She died suddenly just four weeks before I met my daughter for the first time, so almost five years ago. I miss her like crazy.

But yesterday I got some amazing news. I received an email that was titled "2013-2014 Oiselle Voleé Team Welcome!" 

I can't tell you how excited I am to represent Oiselle (prounced wah-zell) as team runner. I stumbled upon their running gear two years back and I have loved every purchase I have made. I can't wait to wear my Oiselle singlet in my next race. If you aren't familiar with Oiselle (from some of my previous posts), I highly recommend the distance shorts. They are my favorite running shorts. Period. 

Have a great weekend.

God Bless.

10 years back

Today I was talking to a runner friend via text while I was doing some balance exercises and realized that it has been over 10 years since I had knee surgery. With the surgery came some of the most heart breaking news I had ever heard in my 18 years of life. "You will never be the runner that you were, don't bother coming back to team [Sonoma State University Track & Field] next year." 

Well guess what Coach? I am thinner, faster and more determined than I was ten years ago. I can run farther and faster now. I am not the runner that I was before the surgery, I am better!

I feel very blessed to be runner that I am today. Yes, I may be on an injury break right now but doesn't mean I'm not a runner. I'm taking some needed healing time and then I will be back at. Yes, my running goals have changed for this year but I am still a runner. I have had some amazing opportunities this year. I ran a huge goal race for me, the Nike Women's Half in DC. I paced a friend for her very first 5k. I got to be a race ambassador of the Esprit de She in Cary NC. I will  be a race ambassador for Pretty Muddy next month in Richmond. I was chosen to represent Kind Runner and Girls Gone Sporty as an ambassador. I've continued my ambassadorship with Fit Approach as a Sweat Pink ambassador. It's been a good year.

So, thank you Coach Hiserman for not so politely telling that me that I was not good enough. I took your advice and used it to my advantage. I am a better runner because of you, but you can't take the credit. I sailed over the hurdle you set in front me (pun intended since I was a hurdler for him) and I am pressing on towards new goals.

And all of that makes me think of my favorite Bible verse, Isaiah 40:31 "But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."

God Bless.

Revised Goals.

Since I am on week five of an unplanned injury break from running I decided I should revisit my goals for the year.

Running/Fitness Related Goals:

1. Run 825+ miles 400+ miles
2. Run 13+ races, with at least 2 of those being half marathons. (See my little badge on the side with the 13 in 2013?!) I'm currently putting the idea of my second half marathon for the year out of my head. A running buddy suggested that I not plan on running that way I won't be disappointed if I don't get to.
3. Run The Inagural Nike Women's Half in DC. COMPLETED!
4. Pace a friend for her first 5k. COMPLETED!
5. Run Monument Ave 10k. Attended a wedding that day.
6. Do trigger point therapy at least twice a week. (Don't know what trigger point is, check it out here.)
7. 500+ crunches a week.
8. 500+ lunges a week.
9. 5+ mins total of wall sits a week.
10. 1+ day of cross training at the YMCA a week.

Non Fitness Related Goals:

1. Teach my daughter at least half of the Nicene Creed. (Don't know what the Nicene Creed is? It is a statement of our Christian faith. You can read it here, we use the modern version.)
2. Read 52+ books.
3. Teach my daughter our phone number.
4. Read my Bible and devotional 3+ times a week. (This one I struggle with from year to year, some years I rock it and others I don't. I struggled last year.)

So some of these I am totally on track, others are still a struggle. How are you with your yearly goals? Do you edit them?

Have a great week.

God Bless.

Ice Cream and Cupcakes!

So my daughter's bff turned four this week. I had the pleasure of making her cupcakes for her party. Avery's party theme was ice cream. Here is my cupcake creation:

I love this shot!

The cupcakes were vanilla cupcakes with buttercream "ice cream" chocolate syrup, sprinkles, whipped cream and a cherry.

Whitney throws a cute ice cream themed party. You can see it here. Camden had a blast celebrating with Avery and having dinner with her afterwards. I know she will talk about it for the next couple of weeks. And of course, she is already talking about her birthday in October. 

Have a great week!

God Bless.

Ways I know I am a runner...

This morning I was decorating cupcakes (pics in my next post) and I was watching Pioneer Woman. She was talking about how much she loves lists. I do too! And she was very specific to say that she doesn't mean "to do lists." I totally agree. So that got me thinking. Here is the first list that came to my mind. 

Ways I know I am a runner:

1. I have a full drawer of just running gear.
2. I have to separate my summer and winter gear because it won't all fit in my drawer.
3. Being injured sucks because I can't run not so much because I am injured.
4. I buy a tech fabric shirt as a vacation souvenir because that means I can run in it.
5. All the emails I get while on vacation are from running companies advertising something. No one else emails me because they know I am on vacation.
6. I try to plan one race a month, but I don't always have the budget to.
7. I get to be a race ambassador for two different races this year. Pretty Muddy Richmond and Esprit de She Cary.
8. I get excited when I win anything run related, even something as small as a sticker.

9. I am not a morning person but I will get up at 530am just to get in my morning run.

10. I spend more on my running attire than I do the rest of my wardrobe.

11. I often plan my dinner choices around how it will make me feel on my morning run the next day.

12. I have various re-hydrating methods. Nuun, PowerIce, chocolate milk, smoothies, etc.

13. I take 24 oz of water with me for my three hour work day. Gotta re-hydrate.

14. I am a part of a variety of online and in person running communities.

15. I have shirts that I can be running shirts or just normal wear shirts. My faves are made by Oiselle.

God Bless.

Vacation post :)

Sitting here thinking in my in laws living room while my daughter plays with her Granny. Here are the things that come to mind:
1. I have officially broken the 100 post barrier. This is #101.
2. I am mentally struggling with taking an injury break from running. It may be good for my calf but not so much for my mental state. I guess I should be enjoying sleeping in.
3. It is harder to type on my new tablet than I expected.  I have only had it for about two weeks as it was an anniversary from my fabulous hubs.
4. Even when buying souvenirs I buy something running related. I got a new BGSU shirt.
5. I can't decide if I like road trips. We had to drive ten hours here last week and will again home tomorrow.
6. I passes up four cake opportunities while on vacation.

Ok that's it.

God bless.

Save A Place For Me Rach!

I heard Matthew West today talking on the radio about how he sang this song at his grandmother's funeral. I sat in the car crying. It made me think so much of my cousin Rachel. I'm sure glad my boss wasn't on time today. I don't think I could have handled a conversation. Here is the song and Rachel's story.

Rachel is my only female "first cousin." She is eight years older than me. As a child I followed her around, wanting to be just like her. She we was my favorite babysitter as she would often tie up my brother just for kicks. Growing up we spent so many waking hours together as we both worked for her parents' family construction company. As adults we were very close friends. We talked on the phone almost every other day and tried to see each at least twice a month if not more. I would regularly drive 45 minutes just to spend her lunch hour with her. She was my rock outside my husband. She was my creative eye when mine just wouldn't work. She meant so much to me and nothing has changed, and that has not changed even though she know longer occupies this earthly world.

The week my world changed... September 17th 2008, I was pregnant and six weeks out from my due date. I got a phone call from my mom telling me that I needed to come to Stockton (the town I was born in and 45 mins from where we lived). My mom needed to get to the hospital because her only niece, my cousin, had collapsed and was taken to the hospital. My mom had already taken her night time medication so she could not drive herself. I promptly called my boss told her the situation and that I would not be at work the next day then I packed a bag and got in the car. I picked up my mom and headed to the hospital. 

My cousin was taken to the hospital where my mom worked so we quickly found ourselves in the back of the ER where the rest of my family was. We got there to some devastating news. Rachel had a blood vessel break in her brain (similar to an aneurysm). She had complained to her husband, James, that her ear hurt and that it was making her dizzy. She went to sit down and collapsed. Her blood pressure was incredibly high and she was put on life support so that her body could focus on healing her brain. Rachel was admitted to the ICU late that night. 

The next morning her blood pressure was more stable but she was in a drug induced coma. Wednesday and Thursday she was about the same with only minor changes. When I saw her on Wednesday I said hi to her and held her hand. The moment I put my hand in her hand and said her name she slightly gripped my hand and then relaxed it. She had been keeping her fists clenched so it was a big deal to me that she relaxed it. The doctor said it was just a reflex. I didn't take it well. I felt like she was letting me know that she knew I was there and that this would be our last exchange. I left filled with mixed emotions while they prepped her for some more tests. The tests determined that the bleeding had not stopped.

I took off work early on Friday, September 20th, to go and be with my family at the hospital. I got there about 2 pm and visited with some family and friends I had not seen in a while. At about 4:50 pm I decided to go back into my cousin's room. Right as I got to the glass that divides ICU rooms from the nurse's station my Uncle stopped me. He asked me not to go in because Rachel was having a bad spell. He asked me to go back to the waiting room and call my Aunt, who was out running errands for Rachel's husband. My uncle came and told me that her heart rate had dropped and that she was having a seizure.

Just before 7 pm my Uncle, Aunt and cousin James came into the waiting room and shut the door. They told us that her heart rate had dropped and that and that the only thing that could be done at this point was to give her meds every 2-3 hours and that the meds would cease to help her seizures and heart rate at some point. During her last episode the neurologist came in to tell the family that she had no more brain function and that she was fully dependent on artificial life support. My Aunt, Uncle and James told us then that they made the decision to let go and they wanted the family's support in that decision. We as an entire family unit made the decision to donate her organs. Rachel's lungs, heart, kidneys and some skin were harvested for waiting recipients. Her eyes were the only thing that was considered non-viable because of diabetic damage. 

Rachel lives on in the lives of her three children and those lucky people who physically received portions of her. She will never be forgotten. She will forever be the best friend and cousin I could ever ask for. She was more like a sister than a cousin. I miss her dearly but I know that I will see her again someday. My biggest comfort is knowing that she is in Heaven with our grandparents and my Dad. As Rachel used to always say about our grandparents "only the good die young!"

RLS 8/2/76-9/20/08

Save a place for me Rach, I'll see you someday in Glory!

God Bless.

Rileyroos Giveaway Winner and Discount Code

Oh Amy! You are the winner of the Rileyroos shoe giveaway. You need to contact me with in the next 24 hours. I need what shoes you would like, size and your mailing address. Please email me at MrsAMMiller@gmail.com

For those of you who aren't Amy, I have a discount code. Please use the code MM&LL15 before 7/15 for 15% off your purchase.

Thank you to all who entered. Check Whitney and I out again sometime soon.

God Bless.

Rileyroos shoe review and giveaway!

As you may have noticed before I get to do giveaways sometimes. This time I am partnered with my friend Whitney to do a giveaway and a review. My little girl is too big for Rileyroos shoes so I found a friend with a blog who was willing to help me out. Whitney and Sam checked out some cool shoes from Rileyroos. You can read about their experience here.

Rileyroos has generously offered to give one reader a pair of shoes. The giveaway is open to US and Canada residents. Please enter using the rafflecopter giveaway below.

I was not paid to do this giveaway. All opinions on Whitney's page are her own, she was not paid either.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

God Bless.

Esprit de She Cary 10K Recap

Let me just start off by saying that you should not fall down the bottom half of your stairs if you plan to run a 10k in the evening. Judging by that statement how do you think my race went?

This past Thursday I ran the:

in Cary NC. I had the option to run the 5k or the 10k.

I love customizable race bibs! Even though I always just put my name.

 I choose the 10k but mid race I was kicking myself for not using my friend Whitney's bib since she couldn't join us. It was a tough hilly, hot course. It was a well laid out course but I am not a fan of courses that require you to do two loops when you are doing the 10k.

Pre-race, in the parking lot.

The race was one of the hardest 10ks I have ever run. It was hot, nasty and my back was killing me. I probably shouldn't have run at all but I felt like I need to since I was an ambassador. I have nothing but high praises about how the race was set up I just wasn't healthy.

"Power to the She" (Check out my new shoes from Kind Runner!)

 The race offered some really fun amenities. Like a pre-race backdrop to take pictures at. Post race mini-massages, manicures and a "bubbly" bar post race. The post race bubbly bar included beer, wine and champagne.

Ansley and I just before the race.

Do you see me? Blue Nike shirt, Black Oiselle shorts and Orange Brooks hat.

I love the beginning of the race, but not the annoying part of passing all the really people who think they are fast walkers. If you are going to walk from the start, get in the back! I don't care if it's chip timed or not, have some courtesy. Ok, sorry for the little rant there.

Ansley ran the 5k so she was waiting at the finish for me when I got there. She snapped this picture for me.

So happy to be at the finish!

Not my best photo finish but definitely not my worst! I didn't beat my Personal Record, but at least I did it and I finished.

I love that I got to be a race ambassador for the Esprit de She Cary 10k. Maybe I can do it again next year, but hopefully I won't fall down the stairs the morning of.

God Bless.