The End of Summer Rush

Whew! It has been almost two months since I posted! That is CRAZY!

The end of summer felt like a mad dash to the end. We literally had one event after another all the way up until school starting.

The beginning of August was spent with my cousins and aunt and uncle visiting. We were happy to host Jill and Sean and their sweet little girls- for selfish reasons. :) I got to spend more time with them. We did all sorts of touristy things during the day, and got creative at night. Jill really got into making things, and loved it so much she went back to Missouri and broke out her sewing machine.

The following week, TJ, Cory and I left for Kansas. My cousin John got married, and my sister, brother and parents all flew out. It was so great to see all my family, and we had a great time. I even got to spend a day thrifting. I dragged my parents and Cory all over Wichita and covered a googled list of thrift stores. But believe it or not, the biggest score was in the bustling metropolis of Newton, KS (population 18,437).

The end of the month was spent in Chicago for a Geico conference. Jay was the emcee, which had him stressed out to no end, but he did great! We explored the city, and had a blast! Our hotel was the Intercontinental on Michigan Ave. Right in the heart of the Magnificent Mile. The building is an historic building, and there are so many things to do right within blocks. I got my Anthropologie fix (twice), and lots of other shopping, and we had delicious food and tours. The highlight of the trip was getting to spend a few days with our friends Jason and Kelly. They were our closest friends, while we lived in Iowa. It was so great to re-connect and have a few laughs. They are an awesome couple and so much fun to be with. Plus, I had a running buddie for the 11 mile training run I needed to do. She kept up like a champ! Running along Lake Michigan was a real treat for me. It was gorgeous!

Last, but certainly NOT least.... I ran the Rock N Roll Half Marathon on September 5th. This was an amazing accomplishment for me. I went from very little exercise to preparing for a 13 mile run from January to September. I know that I am not the first person to run a half marathon, but to think of how difficult it was to even complete 3 miles at the start to being able to finish 13.1 at a strong time! I am just overwhelmed. The reality is still catching up to me. I walked by my gear check bag the other day, and thought to myself, "I can't believe I did it!" I am amazed at the ability of a strong body the Lord has given me. The running has definetly had a big impact on my walk with Christ. And the most exciting part of the race was that I got to run with my best friend since third grade. She and I have been through so much together. It means so much to me that she is a part of my life. I tell her all the time, "You and I, we have a history." I love the woman that she is, and I am so proud of her accomplishments. Love you, Heather!

The race was on a gorgeous cool morning, so the weather was perfect. We started strong and steady, and having Heather with me pushed my pace. I had the awesome pleasure of having family along the route. Sarah, Jessica and Rachel- all three of my sis in law's were at two points, and I was able to see them clearly yelling and holding up posters. And I saw my sister Valerie just about a mile after the start. Then Rick, Rhonda, Madison and my other daughter, Rachel were at about the 11 mile point (when I was getting tired). And my boys and Jay were at the 13 mile point yelling for Mama. I finished well under my expected time at 2 hours, 7 minutes.

More to come.....

 

My baby started Kindergarten!