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!

Cap and Gown!

Get excited!!  Shoutout to Rachael LaJo for all the time and effort she put into this!!  I love it! ❤

Since my CCU Commencement Ceremony will be in Colorado, I decided to bring my cap and gown and get a few pics with friends yesterday - I'll do the same with family soon!  When I came out wearing it, Chet Lee played the Pomp and Circumstance graduation march song on their speaker, and Karli had made me this presh mini-cheesecake with the Cricut topper! lol They're the best!!

The hood is odd and I'm unsure how to wear it correctly, even after multiple YouTube videos, so I'm kind of awkwardly holding it here. lol

Yay, Moss family!!

Sarah Elizabeth and Chet Lee!

Fulton Fam!

The Wonderful Wilsons!

Myers fam!

Shoemaker fam!

My hair looks kinda rough, but hooray again for this grad cap!!

Chettles:  "Turn around so I can get a picture of the cap."

Me - standing with my head thrown back for said photo

Chet:  "Well, don't be awkward about it." lolol

Still not sure what he was going for, but he's a funny one!

YAY!

Best. Friend Group. Ever! ❤

Things I love here:  Every person in the photo.  The setting in the Wilsons' backyard.  The sunshine on a day that was predicted to be rainy and dreary.  Henry and Holly looking at each other and laughing.  Ellie clapping.  Parker presenting me.  All the kids looking happy/content (kinda surprising with the amount of tears and drama throughout the day).  Kate and Sophia being on their dads' shoulders.  And Chettles' squinty eyes, which he noted and complained about... but overall, it's a pretty perfect group pic. lol

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Easter Eve!

Happy Saturday, friends and family!  I just booked the Colorado flights for Mom and I for my graduation - get excited!  I know this isn't the best Spring weather for Easter weekend, but I'm loving the sound of the rain as I sit here blogging in my PJ shorts and hoodie.  If I'm choosing 3 emotions on the emotion wheel for today, I feel grateful, relaxed, and hopeful... very Easter appropriate. =)

I also feel reflective.  Today is the 30-year anniversary of the OKC bombing, something I remember vividly from my 5th grade year.  Mom took me to lunch that day and told me about it, then Miss White made the announcement to our class before school ended.  And a week or two after that, I wrote a poem that became a bigger deal than I'd anticipated.  Watching all of that on the news was jarring, and it had a big impact on my 12-year-old self to know that Mom's former office was right across the street from the Murrah Building.  The race next weekend will be the 25th "Run to Remember," and along the course, they have posters with individual photos honoring each of the 168 people who were killed that day...

The term Silent Saturday is not nearly as familiar to me as Good Friday or Easter Sunday, but I LOVED the message here...

My deep thoughts for today were about how Good Friday speaks a message of deep love, Silent Saturday calls for strong faith, and Easter Sunday speaks vibrant hope! (1 Cor. 13:13)

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Okay, so Marilyn (our court reporter friend pictured bottom left) got us a table for the soft-launch opening of the 7th Neighborhood JAM location (which is in Moore)!  Apparently, her daughter's husband came up with the idea for it, and it's been a great success in OKC and in Tulsa, so that's awesome!  It was good to catch up with her a bit - she's retiring in December and looking forward to becoming a grandma soon!  Our server talked us into a cinnamon roll appetizer (yum - he didn't have to work too hard on that) and my French toast was awesome, and all our food was free since it was a practice run for them, so that's always a delight!

Last night, I joined the Wilsons and Weatherfords for dinner (Bill and Melissa picked up Rib Crib for us) and a musical at the PAC... Chet and Tate are on the mend after a rough week of sickness.  Melissa thought I was mildly crazy for coming on a potentially stormy night, but I so love hanging out with their fam, and the long drives are never a deterrent to me!

This = Parker in her fun colorful shoes (she came to greet me with the best excited scream when she realized I was there!), Bill and Tate playing on the mini-air hockey table (so cute!), a fun Easter wreath, and a random pre-dinner candid I snapped when my heart was full thinking how very fortunate I am to be friends with them! lol

The Myers had to cancel last minute, so I got to join Chet and Karli for a third time on their PAC season tickets... fun!!  The play was fun and very well done, and it was lovely chatting with the Wilsons and Paul and Stephanie!

In the end, 90% of my drive back home was dry and smooth... there was heavy rain for about 15 minutes when I reached the Kickapoo Turnpike, followed by a bout of feeling dangerously tired when the rain calmed down and I was 15-20 minutes from home around 1am.  (That really doesn't happen often for me, but it was intense, and I'm thankful for God's protection!)

Friendly Reminder:

Not sure how this hadn't occurred to me until today, but I'm going for the diamond boots as my graduation footwear... YAY - yes, please!  (I'll likely be wearing black slacks instead of a dress.) Between the diamond boots and my crystalled-out cap, I'm not sure CCU will believe I'm "respecting the solemnity of the occasion," but I'm excited, and all of that feels right for me!  Pics on the right = my living room chair-side table with some happy yellow roses I grabbed today, then the strawberries and dip I made for tomorrow!

Spring/Easter pics are always the cutest!  Yay Shoemakers and Moss fam! =)

And speaking of Easter, I attended the CHA Easter program Thursday night...

Mini Miss K looking lovely in her new dress!

She was accidentally twinning with her art teacher's daughter, but I love that she embraced the fun of that and asked for a pic with her!  On the right is Jaceman with his friends TJ and Jace!

The 5th grade girls!

Pics with J&K!

The 6th grade boys!  (This one was J's final elementary school program!!)

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Ending with a couple memes, just for fun! =)

How cute is this dog!?  And the writing is super accurate and made me laugh!

Okay, the rain is still going strong... I'm grateful to be in my cozy house, off to watch Ted Lasso and do a short bike ride now, then eat my delish cinnamon roll leftovers, because balance! lol  

Reminder:  God is working behind the scenes - He is with you and for you - and His words are more reliable than our feelings.  Thanks for stopping by, and Happy Easter tomorrow!!

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Thankful Thursday #225

"You will be enriched in every way so that you may be generous, and this [generosity, administered] through us is producing thanksgiving to God [from those who benefit]."  ~2 Corinthians 9:11

Today, I am thankful for...

1.  Ridiculous reels and fun memes that lighten the mood and make me laugh!

2.  Fam dinners and the Miss K bringing diamond art for us to work on together. =)

3.  Sarah tagging me in this happy post - Leslie is back as Aaron Burr on Broadway, and the tickets are flyyying!

4.  Rest, ice, and elevation... I'm over it, but I think it's helping a bit.  I've done a couple bike rides and a lot of visualizing myself pushing through to the finish... praying for the strength and healing needed to do that!

5.  Carter Lee, my rodeo champion nephew who turns 17 tomorrow!  #HBD

6.  Abby, who I need to set up a lunch or dinner with soon!

7.  Having Good Friday off tomorrow, and having extra time this week to slow down and consider my options and pray for wisdom and clarity and peace - so many big decisions looming, and I really need God's guidance in this season!  *Also grateful for Levi Lusko, whose wise words have been an encouragement this week!

Two Thursdays in a row - I'm on a roll!
Happy Easter weekend ahead!

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