26.2

Well we did it! Chicago marathon ... check... We had such a great weekend in Chicago, we arrived on Saturday morning. We spent the day eating at a local sandwich shop and then went to the EXPO. The Expo was one of my favorite things of the whole weekend. We got to see all different kinds of vendors, watched a video which took you through the whole course, dad bought some new shoes and we got to sample a bunch of gross healthy stuff:) Part of my involvement with the marathon consisted of raising money for Make A Wish. On Saturday night we joined the other members of the Make A Wish team for a pasta dinner. We went to bed early since we had to get up at 5:00 a.m.

Much to my dismay it was 28 degrees on Sunday morning. Nothing was going to stop us at that point!!! We nearly froze but once we started running we warmed up quickly. There were nearly 35,000 people who ran the race. There were one and half million spectators, it was quite the sight!!!! The race was amazing, I have never felt anything like it!!!

Many thanks to mom, dad, mike and david for being great spectators! They stood in the freezing cold (literally) for more than 5 hours!!! It was seeing them on the side lines at mile 3, 10, 13 and 20 that's what got us through the race!

I can't say it was the most beautiful finish ever... quite a bit of pain accompanied the 26 miles... but that's not the point! The point is that I finished.

One of my favorite memories of the trip was the fact that I felt like I had been hit by a car the next day. My joints were swollen stiff and I was walking like a pirate. The best part is that so were 20,000 other people who were walking around Chicago. I had nothing on my identifying that I had run the race and people would just walk up and say "How'd you do?" It was awesome!!

Well we are back to reality now... I had to get an MRI of my knee today to see if I have a meniscus injury ... which much to my surprise is not a tendon or ligament but cartilage.... who knew:) More to come on the injury ... it was totally worth it!

Weddings and Fun!

This past weekend David and I went to Oklahoma to his friend Riley and Leslie's wedding. We had such a great time! I have to admit Enid Oklahoma is way out there in the middle of no where but once we found it we were good to go. David and Riley have been friends since high school so we were very excited to get to be apart of their big day!

Bogey spent the weekend at our friends Bryon and Lindsey's house. They have a giant labordoodle named Judge, the two used to not be very good friends but after this weekend they are best buds. Judge typically body slams Bogey. But Bogey can hold his own:)

Even better news is that I SOLD MY JETTA!!! YAAAA. I am having a hard time letting go of COCHE ROJO but I know that it is time.  After 8 years on the road with her I feel as if we are the best of friends. If you think about your car goes through some of the craziest times in your life with you: teenage driving (yikes, sorry coche rojo), college, new jobs, new houses ect.... quite emotional. 

So the adventure is on to find me a new car, since I wont have one after Monday yikes!!! Wish us luck. 

I almost forgot. Last Saturday we had a surprise birthday party for my brother in law Mikes 30 BIRTHDAY!!! HE IS SOOOO OLD! Just joking mike:) Erin did an awesome job with food, we had individually wrapped pork sandwiches that were wrapped in parchment paper and tied with twine. How cute is that!! details details details. If you see a little guy running around in these pictures, thats Easton Erin's nephew. Mikes brother Phil and Wife Nicki flew in for the festivities!

1/2 way!!

So I know I have my very own blog about running at rundudegirlsrun.blogspot.com but I just have to let everyone know that we are 1/2 way there on our marathon training. On Saturday morning Erin and I went running around White Rock Lake. We ran 15 MILES!!!! What.... that sounds super crazy to me too, but it was awesome. Erin did way better than I did, I wish I had her endurance. But none the less we did it:) It was a great accomplishment. Just wanted to keep everyone update incase you don't read the other one.

So this weekend David and I are going to Oklahoma to a friends wedding. David is a groomsmen and gets to wear a bow tie:) He will be so cute:) Should be a fun time. It is in Ennid, OK. Does anyone know where that is?

Well hope everyone is doing well.
Dani

SCARY

So David and I have a new hobby.... it consists of getting Starbucks and then taking Bogey to the dog park. The scary part about it all is that when we watch Bogey play at the dog park we feel as if he is actually a child. We watch his social habits and it is so funny. He is very cautious but likes to play with the big dogs. He usually follows the pack but stays toward the back. He is so fun! Not to much else is new with us. We are going to play Bingo tonight which is another quirky hobby we have. I am not sure what attacks us to the game it is either the smokey air, the very old grandparents we play with, the strange looks everyone gives us because we are under 70 or good luck elephant charms everyone brings with them:) Strange we know! But we love it:) Hope everyone is well!!

July

David and I are sitting here wondering where July went and why no one told us it was almost August??? Well... camp is over. I spent last week on a beautiful piece of Gods real estate in Brenham Texas. Camp was defiantly a whirlwind. I spent a week with children facing some of life's greatest struggles. It was a learning and growth experience for me and I am thankful for every child that I met. Every child had a different story, something different to share with the world, something different they will have to overcome. I was amazed by God's presence at camp with me. I knew that there were people praying for me and I could feel it every day. One thing I learned from camp was that no matter how apprehensive I was or anxious about the unknown, that was nothing compared to the lives of uncertainty and illness that these children face everyday! I am so thankful for the experience and hope I gave back even a little bit of what the kiddos gave to me~ If you are reading this blog you are probably also hearing a song called "The Worlds Greatest"  the children sang this song everyone morning before we began our day. To hear children sing this song with joy and hope in their voices was an amazing way to start our day. 

On the other end of things David spent the week at home with Bogey: Here are some new pics:)

Camp Hope

Well I am off to camp! This year I have the opportunity to be to go to Camp Hope in Brenham Texas for a week. Camp Hope is a camp designed for a week of fun for kids with HIV/AIDS. I ask that you will all pray for a week of great weather, wisdom, grace and Gods protective hand on all the groups traveling to and from camp.

Camp Hope is held at a camp called Camp For All. Camp For All hosts all different kinds of camps during the summer, each with an individual need. We will get to hike, canoe, horseback ride, ropes courses, make overs, glamour shots, fireworks, dances, and talent shows.

I am going as a member of the psychosocial team and will help the kids as issues arise. Please pray that I will have the words to say to these children in need! 

Hope you all enjoy your week, I will be back on Friday! 

Wish me luck! 

Never enough time

Does anyone else feel like me... like there is just not enough time in a day or a week or a month to get everything you need to get done, let alone things you would like to get done? I tell ya this working gig is for the birds:) Takes up all your time:) Only joking I am VERY thankful for my wonderful job. But seriously wake up 6:00, leave for work 6:45, 7:30-4:00 work, drive home till 5:00 (thats right a whole hour), pick up house 6:00, fix dinner 7:00, after dinner get my butt up to do some training for the race 9:00 get home:shower, and back in bed..... I mean honestly what is the deal?   Just wanted to vent for a minute

I hope everyone has a very safe 4th of July... just remember to be extra safe (those crazy accidents that you think could never happen .... do.... so be safe) We are headed to Missouri for our family reunion at the Kinseys'. This is one of my favorite things in life. David gets to go this year for the first time and I am sooooo excited.

Courtney and Casey are going to babysit Bogey... hopefully he will be a sweet puppy for them:) THANKS POP!!!

Until we meet again...