Here is the highlight reel:
(Oh yeah, I threw Kam a little lingerie shower at our house the weekend before the half!)
Who doesn't love a good bath bomb?
My mom made all of these cookies herself. Which I LOVED.
Only Kam would cry reading a card at her own lingerie shower.
And, of course, Kamryn is a total ham so she "tried it all on for us."
Our First Half:
For those who don't know, my mom and I have been training for a half marathon since January. We kept it pretty under wraps because we aren't really loud people in general. We are not "runners" and really just wanted to see if we could knock this off our bucket list without making too much of a ruckus about it. We used to run a lot when I was in high school, and we always said we'd do a half someday! When we decided to put one on at work, I called my mom and literally said, "We're not getting any younger. It's time."
This is where we did all of our short runs in the beginning: the local high school track. I got to know this track prettttty well while training for 4 mile runs and under. This pic was taken after my first run with my new running shoes - which are now not quite this clean and pretty.
We took a bunch of selfie pictures after some of our hardest runs early on. Most of our hardest runs were less than 4 miles in distance. Turns out, the hardest part of training is working your way up through the lowest numbers. Once you get those down, numbers like 6, 7, 8 are surprisingly easy.
I love peace signs.
I felt like a freaking champion after running 4 miles. L O L.
More peace signs.
This was taken after our very last run before the race—which was around 6 miles or so. It was hot and HUMID, but nothing compared to our last long run before the race (which was 10 or 11 miles) which we failed MISERABLY. During that last long run we had to start walking at the end—which was the first time in our entire training period that that happened. It was 90 degrees outside and we had no water or energy beans with us—so the cards were stacked against us. But even with all of those factors at play, we truly thought 13.1 was going to be impossible—even if we remembered all the important gear and race things.
Our last month or so of runs happened out by the river because it's easy to rack up miles down there. We loved these views. Something about the very last run was really peaceful. Almost like we'd done it...even thought we hadn't yet. But the hard work—all the front end training—was behind us.
I set out my gear the night before and just PRAYED that we would make it across that finish line (and that I wouldn't forget anything). Turns out you need a lot of junk to run a half marathon.
We got to the Silos before the sun. We were so nervous.
Arden Gray met us at the starting line at 7:30 a.m.!
For your enjoyment.... THE FACIAL EXPRESSION OF A LIFE-WINNER.
Because the training schedule was so intense, the whole time we trained my mom said, "I can't wait to get this 13 miles OVER WITH." But just 5 minutes after we crossed the finish line, before I'd even finished my banana, Mom looked at me and said, "We should do this again!"
UM, WHO ARE YOU? And what've you done with my mother?
The whole race we felt unbelievably energized. We didn't stop, except to pour ourselves water at water stations and that was it. No walking for us. I honestly think we could've kept going, which is insane given that the weekend prior we fell flat on our faces running under 11.
Drew and I went to Lululemon the day before to buy Mom and I new running leggings for an early Mother's Day treat. So please take notice of our matching pants.
When we got finished, we all went for breakfast tacos and Diet Cokes. Then I went home, put a bath bomb and epsom salt in the bathtub, and hopped in. Drew asked if he could pour me a glass of wine to which I replied, "Gatorade would be nice."
My Mother is my hero. I can't believe she didn't tell me to get a life when I asked her to do this race with me. Will we keep running? Maybe. But not 1-2 hours, 4 times a week. No thanks. I'm getting back to spin classes. 45 minutes in and out is more like it.
Now for Kam's wedding!
Weddings are exhausting. I truly haven't felt this tired in a HOT minute.
Weddings are exhausting. I truly haven't felt this tired in a HOT minute.
Aunt Kam just THINKS she was the star of the show—Flower Girl Arden was the true star...
She's really into kisses right now.
The other Flower Girl was Colten's niece and she was ADORABLE.
Bristol just grabbed Arden's hand and took her right down the aisle with no problems whatsoever. I was shocked that there was no meltdown or freak out on Arden's part. She nailed it.
More Arden kisses.
This was a really pretty venue on a pretty dang hot Texas day. What you can't see is the giant crowd of guests out of the frame who opted to stand back in the shade. It was quite sweltering, but no one passed out and that's a win!
Kam was so nervous before the ceremony. She hid in this little closet to avoid being seen. She also had to pee and BAD, so all these things combined equaled a jittery bride.
Nervous smile.
Getting all buttoned up!
My favorite guys!
After the ceremony this little bride was walking on sunshine. All smiles.
I love weddings. Everyone together in one place—even childhood friends you haven't seen in ten years!
My personal favorite highlight...
I'm honestly not sure who shook the prosecco, but I'm sure glad they did. I loved every second of this reaction and didn't mind cleaning it up one bit.
These sisters and this mother of mine are all so beautiful! Can't believe our little Kam is married.
Wedding date and daddy extraordinaire.
Awkward hand placement, but cutest bridey.
Aren't you 7?? When did you grow up?!
Adding this random screenshot because I loved my hair, and if you live in Waco, you should hire this girl. Everyone's hair looked so great! It was $50 for an updo, which I thought was so reasonable.
The happy couple left around 8:45 to head to Dallas. Their flight out to Punta Cana left at 6:00 a.m. the next morning. Poor things, but by now they're sitting on the beach with a drink in hand! It was both of their first flights ever! But they let us know that they made it to the resort today with no issues at all.
NEXT WEEKEND Drew and I are going to Austin for some relaxing hang time. We're dropping the baby off at Drew's parents' house Friday and then we are headed straight for our room at the Domain. We're seeing a comedy show Friday night, and then Saturday morning I scheduled a massage (Drew isn't into massages, so he won't be joining me—but I tried). Then we're going to do some shopping and have some solid meals downtown. Our last adults-only trip was to Napa back in February, and for whatever reason, we are both feeling really drained in this season and knew we needed a few days of rest. I'm so grateful and we're not even there yet.
SPEAKING OF ADULTS ONLY, today we booked a real vacation, too. For weeks we've been talking about taking a celebratory trip this summer, and we finally pulled the trigger. What are we celebrating, you might ask? Drew got a new job working for the same company that I work for, and I also took a sorta-kinda new job (in the same company). SO with all this newness, we're really just looking for a reason to celebrate life while we still have only one baby and can get away with easily snagging sitters.
WHERE OH WHERE are we headed?
Punta Cana! We've never been and we're READY for sun and waves and drinks and rest. So for a week this summer you'll be able to find us at the Excellence Punta Cana. We spent a good chunk of our day researching it, booking it, and then booking some excursion things and some spa things. We may never come back—send Arden.
Kidding. Kind of.
Happy Mother's Day all! It's 12:30 a.m. and I have work tomorrow, so I should probably head to sleep. XO.
