A Few More Details...

The Hippie Chicks + Brenden (Wendy's son)

Gaining on a runner early in the race :)

Ah, the finish line!

Will looking prepared to give out high fives

Wendy and Kara cruising along--looking good, ladies!!!

Pre-race

Ella is asleep and Mike is putting Will to bed right now. I thought I'd sneak in a few minutes to really blog about the half marathon. It really was an incredible experience. Even the training has been quite the journey. It has been great to delve into a passion of my husband's. I feel like I have a much better understanding now of his crazy running habits! He was the one who made up a personalized training schedule for me so that I could be ready to do this race today. As some of you know, Mike is really into spreadsheets! I felt so supported all the way through my training. It's not always easy to get out the door when you have two little ones to take care of, dinner to make, dishes to wash, etc., but Mike was there several times to tell me to stop what I was doing and go out to get my run in. I certainly appreciate him for all of the times that he realized I needed a break, even when I wouldn't admit that to myself. Why am I going on and on about my husband when I should be blogging about a race? Well, I can't help myself! Mike ran the last four miles with me and pushed me to do my best. He was proud of me in a way that only another runner who has experienced the same thing can be. After I crossed the finish line he gave me a great big hug and lifted me off the ground. If that's not worth puking over, I don't know what is. For those of you who weren't there I almost lost it right before the finish line. There was a little dry heaving going on, but I managed to cross the finish line before I hurled into the bushes. Yep, that's right. Kind of embarrasing, but Mike thought it was cool because he knew I pushed myself to the limit. Mike's family was also there for the finish and it was great to have a fan club! I received lots of hugs, even though I was sweaty and gross. Kristin and Carlos even brought me tulips. So sweet! Marianne was also there as an honorary member of our team. She sewed letters on our shirts and was there to cheer us on and document the whole event. I was so excited when I heard she would be there. I love that girl! Next year, Marianne, we will be cheering you on!

Now on to the hippiest of chicks...

Kara and Wendy have been my running partners throughout this whole process. I really enjoyed running with these gals. Without them I wouldn't have crawled out of my nice warm bed as my babies were both sleeping to go run! It was also fun to talk about all of the good things we wanted to eat after a long run, as well as try to solve the problems of the world together. I am so proud of both of them for running a great race today. We made it 13.1 miles!!! Woo-hoo!!!

Hippie Chick Half Marathon

I puked. It was totally awesome! My time was 2:02. :)

Ella enjoying her time in the sand. I love that this picture shows her sandy little baby feet.

Digging in the sand at sunset.

Will had the chance to feed the koi

I just love this picture of Mike and Ella

The second day into our trip we decided it was necessary to buy surf shirts for the family. Ella really needed one with her fair skin, so then the rest of us followed suit, except for me. I am an avid sun worshipper and cannot get enough of it! Actually, I was a pretty good girl this trip and wore my sunscreen faithfully. Ahhhh, suuuuuun...

Vacation

Auntie Kristin and me with the kids
Splashin' around in the pool

Kristin and Carolyn read Water for Elephants while we were at the beach. I had just finished the book, so we had a little book club at the end of the vacation. I recommend this book. It's a good read!

Will looking for whales. He's still talking about them! We saw some spouts and some whale tails popping out of the water. Pretty neat!

Will enjoyed putting up all of the lounge chairs!

I'm back from vacation and filled with the aloha spirit, folks! We had an amazing time in Maui relaxing and hanging out with family. It felt good to take a break from routine and this week I returned to reality feeling renewed and refreshed. I love the sunshine and warm weather. When we returned home it rained all day on Monday. On the way home from grocery shopping, Will asked if we could go back to Hawaii! I definitely could have spent another week there. What a beautiful place. The kids had a great time swimming. It was Ella's first time in the ocean or a swimming pool and she loved it. She would squeal like a crazy woman when she was splashing around in the water. My little water baby! Will was a little nervous about the ocean and insisted on holding our hands. He really enjoyed the swimming pool where he could let loose and jump into our arms. Most of our vacation was spent in the water!