A Belle Birthday!

Miss Parker Elizabeth (age 4) at her Belle Birthday party! ❤

Impressive dining room decor!

And an awesome balloon garland by Karli Marie!

Present time... Mom wrapped mine and Parker clapped for the bow before even seeing the present! lol

Pic with Ellie, Jeffrey, and Henry before they left!

Yay, pizza!!

True story - "the gray stuff" was cookies and cream icing by Karli - really good!!  Also, "Be Our Guest" is one of my fav songs from Beauty and the Beast, a movie with an exceptional soundtrack to which I know every word!!

Photo by the birthday girl (being held by Bill, so it was from a better high angle - yay).  They had all these fun photo props, but we never took pics of the kids wearing them, so I decided to remedy that before I left! lol

Yum!!  And what a cute Chip cupcake holder! =)  I'm sad Chettles missed out on these with his #sadgflife, but I sincerely applaud his commitment to getting healthier!! 

Healthy snacks and awesome silverware chandeliers by Karli!!

Presents (thanks again to Mom for wrapping mine!)  Parker has the perfect reactionary personality for this part of a party - so much genuine joy and excitement over every fun gift and card! =)

Wilson fam - she was much happier through this whole party than last year's! lol

Legit ice cream cake with an Oreo ganache middle layer by Karli!!

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The freeze-dance party was entertaining and fun, and a good way to pass the time before the Domino's Pizza arrived!  Here's JEM and Chettles at their best entertaining all the kids! lol

FREEZE... then hop!! lol

I got one pic where I laughed about Chet's side-eye expression, then I made this collage of him and 3-year-old Parker with all the suspicion!! lol

It was raining as I was leaving, and this cute lil' bunny (Tate named him "Muffin") was taking shelter under their van, so of course I snapped a pic of that!! ❤

All in all, I think Parker Elizabeth had a very fun 4th birthday party with pizza, dancing, ice cream cake, and lots of fun friends and presents!
Post-party crash -- cuteness!

I got her a cute doll bed and an Our Generation doll (basically a cheaper and more modern version of American Girl dolls) named Emily... I laughed out loud at these texts from Chet:

Preshface.

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That's all for today, I believe.  It's super rainy and dreary here, but I finally got a really good night's sleep last night, and it has made a world. of. difference. in how I feel physically and emotionally today!! #yaysleep  I sent two important emails this morning, and I feel good about both.  So I'm grateful now for hitting my limit yesterday - I was very tired and *very* sore and feeling mad and sad about lots of things I don't really need to get into here, but I needed to cry and do the work to process it all, so I'm thankful for that overwhelm and the power of extra rest, for a very timely Mel Robbins podcast on trusting yourself and making hard decisions, for a lighthearted night of spaghetti and Scattergories with the fam, for good talks and genuine support lately from Chet Lee and Mom and Kristin, and for feeling a bit of relief and greater clarity about what I want moving forward long-term!  In the near future, I'm currently looking forward to fun dinner plans with Kristin tonight, Kyndal's final 11s club tournament in Tulsa this weekend, and my CCU graduation ceremony next Friday!! #almosthere #getexcited ❤

Packet Pickup!

Okay, one last Marathon-centric post! ❤ 

I never shared the pictures from Friday's packet pickup -- Mom was kind enough to join me for that at the OKC Convention Center across from Scissortail Park!

Lots of photo ops at these events, and Mom was a very willing photographer!

Lots of vendors and booths - Mom got me a cute pink OKC Memorial Marathon runner's jacket, which I'm excited to wear on cooler days!  She also got me a RooSport magnetic pocket with a zipper that can hold your phone and energy chews and such... I didn't wanna risk adding that on the day of the race having never tested it before, but I'll try it on weekend runs and it may be great for future Halfs! =)

I finally downloaded the app that day, and it had lots of helpful info about where to park, tracking runners, good places to watch, etc.

Such a huge crowd!!

My 1st-Time Marathoner bib - YAY, David!!  (The listed Medium T-shirt size was wishful thinking way back when I signed up, and I was worried that they wouldn't let me change it that day.  But when I got there, the lady looked worried that I would be disappointed and told me "We only have Large and up!" lol So God worked that out, and the Large fit great!  The "Why We Run" on the bib was what alerted them to give me 3 medals since I'd also signed up for the 5k - I had decided not to run it and risk any injury the day before the Full, but since they reschedule it, I got all the medals - fun!  And the lack of A or B before my number is what alerted them that I didn't belong in the front super-fast corrals. lol  No harm done!)

I'm glad I chose this race - it's close to home, it's a cause I care about, it's well-marked and well-organized, and it's a relatively flat course!

Marked "Lose 100 pounds consecutively" and "Finish a Full Marathon" off of my Life List goals this morning... I'm so happy I did it, and I'm so happy I never "have to" do it again! lol  I know this has been a lot on this topic, but I'm thrilled to have these pics and posts to help me remember all the details years from now!!

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Okay, now on to recapping the rest of life, starting with Parker Elizabeth's party!!

Post-Race Party Pics!

"Marathoning:  The triumph of desire over reason." ;-)

Okay, now it's time for the fun post-race photos -- LOVE this group pic!! ❤

Again, huge shoutouts and THANK YOUS:

• To Mom & Dad -- For waking up in the 3am hour to drive me there and drop me off at the Start Line in plenty of time, for coming to cheer me on at Mile 14, and for walking a ways to greet me at the Finish Line!
• To Rachael LaJo -- For making two masterpiece signs and showing up with food and water and helping me during my mini-break and returning my lost Airpod and encouraging me to keep pushing at Mile 20 and waiting at the Finish Line and letting me borrow her lip gloss and her flip-flops, and driving me to Ted's when she was planning to skip that! lol
• To Kristin and Frankie -- For the encouraging texts and phone calls, the chocolate-glazed donut and photo-worthy message, and the awesome "Yay, David!" sign that I immediately read in Alexis' voice!! lolol
• To Nash, Wesson, and Diesel -- For taking the time to make amazing homemade posters to encourage me, and for enduring two fairly long waits just to see me and give me high fives and happily pose for photos!
• To Chet, Karli, Tate, and Parker -- For the encouraging texts and FaceTime call, for making the trip from Tulsa to support me, for Chet's very timely pep talks with solid advice and meaningful encouragement, and for the thoughtfulness/assertiveness of telling the Finish Line announcer how to correctly say my last name - it caught me off guard in such a good way! lol
• To JoBug -- For the text encouragement and in-person support, and for bringing my race-day bag to the house at Mile 18 and coordinating my mini-break stop there!  (And to her friends for their kindness!)
• I'm grateful for lots of support on Facebook, and to Emily (counselor), Megan Elizabeth, Tiffany, JEM, Laura, Sarah, Holly, and Triston  for texting specific words of encouragement!
• To Dr. Aaron at The Movement Lab -- For checking in repeatedly after I called him about my foot injury a couple weeks back, including reaching out to see how the race went yesterday - if ever I need physical therapy, I'll be calling him!
• To God -- For orchestrating a million little details in His perfect, sovereign way - including my visit to the OKC Memorial Museum on Thursday, my foot healing and feeling much better just in time for race day, the perfect race-day weather, my favorite people showing up in big ways, them getting great photos and videos along the way, the food and drinks I needed showing up quickly when I needed them, raining out Saturday's 5k so I could get 3 medals for one race on Sunday, everything about the Mile 18 break, the 7:17 finish time, the race time extension, medical aid being very close/attentive when I was concerned about my heart racing, my phone not dying until our late lunch hour, no digestive issues surrounding the race, and consistently getting encouragement and inspiration when I needed it most!  I see and feel His protective strength and kindness toward me in all the big and small things listed above, and it all matters!!

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My "Memorial Marathon & 5K" medal!! lol  They gave me an individual one for each race, and one for signing up for the "Weekend Series" bundle.  But whatevs, I conquered 26.2 miles, so I'll take all the medals! =) 

Closeups because the detail here is very impressive!!

(*I know this feels very random in pics with others, but I requested this Cobra Kai sign to get a fun pic with Hawk-style Jaceman holding it, which we will hopefully get later this week!  They were at their dad's this weekend and it didn't work out for them to come for the Finish Line.)

At Parker's party on Saturday, Chet mentioned that they'd be happy to do lunch afterward, but understood if I wasn't feeling up for it.  I made no promises as I was expecting post-race digestive issues and exhaustion and figured I wouldn't be up for anything, but I brought some extra clothes just in case.  Their kids were hungry, so I rallied and postponed my shower and changed clothes in the small bathroom at Ted's. #notideal  My phone battery fully died and I was covered in sweat and salt, my purse and bag with my makeup and phone charger were in Mom and Dad's car, but least I thought to bring deodorant to reapply - everyone is welcome for that! lol  PS My fav thing about this pic is that Parker is holding the party balloons from the OG Emily doll I got her for her bday - I love that she was a fan enough to bring the doll and her accessories on the road trip with them! lol

Borrowed Rachael's phone to take these cute pics. =)

We discussed the race a bit, and the idea of forming a Relay Team to run with Chettles in his Route 66 Full this November - Karli, me, and potentially JEM and Evan and Gary?  Could be fun - and I'm very willing to sign up and prepare for a 5-mile portion at a faster pace! =) After lunch, I went back to Mom and Dad's and got my car, then finally drove home and showered whilst reviving my phone -- yes, please to both of those -- then texted with people and narrowed, edited, and posted photos for the next couple hours!  All in all, a fantastic day that makes me feel proud and grateful!!

Annnd very sore. lol  I'm using IcyHot and taking Advil and had a nice long epsom salt bath tonight.  This ad popping up on my FB made me laugh! lol #alwayslistening

Okay, so the left pic is me on a makeup-free morning walk one year ago today (4-28-24)... a 40-year-old woman pressing through a challenging internship and grad school program and just starting the Mel Robbins Launch course, opening my mind and heart to the possibility of real change, starting with her advice for regular morning walks.  Today, I am still on the lifelong journey of transformation with God, but I am grateful for the evidence of internal and external growth and progress... including graduating, losing over 100 pounds from my highest weight, 10 months of therapy work, and at long last, being a Marathon FINISHER!! ❤
...Or on a lighter note, behold the power of lipstick! ;-) #itmatters

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So many internal pep talks and "encouraging myself in the Lord" moments yesterday!

"Okay?  Okay.  What's next!?"  ;-)

Thank you all for being here, and goodnight!