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.