A New Thing & A Wedding

Oh remember this?  

Yeah....I have some serious catching up to do.  But, I will have 30 new experiences total before my 30th birthday and you will hear all about them. =)  So far, this is truly one of my favorite experiences.

Seriously, my family is awesome!!

Ok, let’s start from the beginning.  We woke up super early (thanks Dad) and headed into the blistering arctic cold of an Iowa October morning. 

It was actually colder when I woke up, but I was too groggy to take a picture to prove to you that Iowa is basically inside the arctic circle

The half-marathon started at 8:00am – but the 5K, which my mom and I were running, didn't start until 8:30am.  So, my mom and I graciously allowed my dad and sister-in-law to leave the hotel without us and I promptly spent 20 additional minutes drifting in and out of sleep.  heavenly.

Finally, around 7:20, I decided it was time to drag my weary body out of bed and get ready for my first run EVER with my mommy!!  We got down to the start line just a few minutes before the marathon/half-marathon start.  

I love how the state capitol building is in the background.  It is such a beautiful building!

After the half started, my mom and I lined up for our 5K, which didn’t start until 8:30am.  Did I mention it was freezing? 

I really enjoyed running 3.1 miles with my mom.  I know I've mentioned this before, but my mom has become much more active in the recent past than I can ever remember her being before.  I am *so* proud of her!!  The first .5 mile or so were headed straight to the base of that beautiful capitol building.  My mom was running an excellent pace and I was bumping some Katy Perry and Lady Gaga out loud on my phone (sorry to anyone around me that was annoyed).

My mom ran for 2.5 miles straight!  I was so impressed!!  I think she was a little disappointed in her overall time because it was slightly slower than her last 5K, but she did set a new Personal Record for distance run without walking and that definitely counts for something..... I think it actually counts for a lot.

Once we got done, we headed over to one of the last turns on the race course and hung out with my brother and my super adorable nephew while we waited to cheer for my daddy.  My dad was hoping to run the half in under 2 hours.  We were super excited to see him running in the general vicinity of the 1:50:00 pace group with approximately 0.5 miles left!!  I was very excited when I received the automated text message that he clocked in at 1:50:05 - What a great time for a first half marathon!!!

Everyone was super proud of him, but there was no time to sit around and celebrate because we had a very special wedding to get to on the eastern end of the state!  No rest for my speedy daddy.  While we were getting ready to head to the wedding, my brother let us know that my sister-in-law finished the half right around 2:20.  It was a great day for running and celebrating!

First, the whole family runs and then my parents and I get to witness the wedding of my friend that I’ve known since the age of 2!! (check out that link for some AWESOME recipes - she is super crafty in the kitchen!)

The wedding was beautiful and it was so fun to see someone so special to me find such happiness.  

After the wedding we headed to the lovely reception.  The food was awesome (I would have taken a picture of the most scrumptious strawberry champagne cupcake, but I basically devoured it before the flash on my camera went off).  The drink selection also really made my day.

312 two weekends in a row?  yes, please.
Side note, I did just find a place I can order this online.  Be right back, I'm going to get my credit card.

It was also really great to see so many people that played such an important part in my childhood through high school years.

Congratulations dear friend.  I am excited to hear about the many years of happiness to come.