So I have officially completed my first two 5K races. I have been working for a few months to build up my endurance and to feel comfortable with running outside. I have done one other race before, but honestly I was not prepared for it and ended up walking way more of the race than I wanted to. Being honest I probably spent 75% of that race walking. My goal was to be able to complete an entire race without walking. For some people this might come easy (just ask my husband who hasn't ran in years), but for me it was definitely a challenge.

The first race was in Kansas City at Rock the Parkway.  I was initially just going up to cheer on my sister in law as she completed her half marathon. Did I mention that she is the one that inspired this little challenge? Somehow she convinced me that I was ready for this race and that it would give me a starting point for the real race I was training for in May. My nerves were unreal as we were standing there that morning, but I tried so hard to act like I had it together. As I started off I remembered her words, "don't run too fast in the beginning, just keep your pace." I truly think this is what helped me have the endurance to make it through. After I made the turn and knew I was on the downhill slope, I allowed myself to think about what I was actually accomplishing. Towards the end of the race there were families standing on the side with signs, children cheering on their mothers, and friends encouraging their runner and strangers alike. Crossing the finish line was hard! Yes my legs were sore, I was starting to tire, but the feeling that came over me was so intense. It was a good thing I remembered there was going to be pictures....because I had been running with tears streaming for the last mile. I did it, and not only did I meet my goal of not walking, I finished almost 5 minutes under what I thought I would.

1. Our first dance song at our wedding was "I Wanna Know" by Joe
Danny and I met in college, so it is no surprise to anyone that our tastes in music were a little different back in the day compared to now. When we met there was no other song that could express our love better than the smooth tunes of Joe. It may not be the standard wedding song but it was definitely our song.

2. Feet
I seriously hate feet....they just look silly and the thought of them touching any part of me sends chills up my spine. Danny on the other hand seems to think that rubbing his feet on mine is the best thing ever. Ugh!

3. Homebody vs Social Butterfly
We could not be more different in how and where we want to spend our time if we tried. I think Danny would be more than happy to spend all of our time sitting at home together. On the other hand I would much rather be out and about surrounded by friends and family. Now, that doesn't mean that I don't enjoy spending time at home watching a movie and doing nothing at all sometimes.

4. Hannah's name
We came up with our daughters name before we were married one evening during a totally random conversation. It was one of those conversations that seems so funny at the time. When we were listing off possible names of our future children we were also stating what the appropriate nicknames could be. With Hannah we somehow came to the conclusion that it would be fun to be cheering for her from the stands yelling, "Hannah get a woot woot!" Like I said, way more funny at the time. =) Since that conversation there was never another name that came close to Hannah.

5. Pet lover
Our family owns two dogs and a fish. I can honestly say that before getting married I was not really a pet person. After spending time with Danny and seeing how much he cared for the pets he grew up with, it was easy to see how having pets would complete our family. Our puppies were definitely our furbabies until our kids came along.

6. Friday the 13th
The movie, the day, and spooky Halloween fun describe our special days. For some time we had a fun tradition to have a movie night on any Friday the 13th to watch those movies.  It usually included food, fun, my sister and cousin, as well as many of our favorite memories. It just so happened that we became on engaged on one of these Friday the 13th evenings.  Now whenever the date comes up it holds even more of a memory for us.

Each year it is easy to start off with a list of resolutions and ways to be better in the coming year.  The problem I usually have is that I feel like the list just hangs there over my head.  Taunting me if I haven't quite succeeded in each area.

I am pretty sure this only applies to the men in the marriage. Just kidding! I read this and it really makes so much sense. Sometimes when we are arguing it truly is only about trying to prove who is right in the situation. It really doesn't matter when the day is done who was right and who was wrong. I know that I am much more likely to admit when I have done something wrong when I know that my partner is there for me and not there to say "I told you so."