White Rock Marathon

My parents came out to visit me this week and weekend, so we could go together to White Rock Marathon in downtown Dallas, TX. This was my first marathon to ever attend. And no.... I was a cheerleader, not a runner. My brother, Brad, ran his first marathon. So.... we got up at 3:30 am and got ready and made the 2 hour drive to Dallas. When we got there the traffic was horrific. Mr. McDermott, Brad's father in law, called us and told us where to meet them. We decided to by-pass the start of the race and catch up with Brad at mile markers 3, 7, 12, 21, and 26. It was neat to see all the people standing on the sides cheering for loved ones and complete strangers. There were cow bells, pom poms, signs, live bands playing, and lots of cheering and clapping to encourage the runners. We ran into a few friends that had a family member also in the race. (How cool is that?) Brad ran the 1/2 marathon with his father in law last year. He began training for this during the summer. I am so proud of him!!! What an accomplishment!

Here are a few pictures I snagged from my sister in law....






The picture on the left is of a sign Lisa, Brad's wife, made for him. Lots of runners would smile and point out the sign to other fellow runners. Seeing the cheerful face of my beautiful niece, Claire, seemed to cheer everyone up! Lisa, Brad, and Claire are in that picture. It's a photo taken right after the race ended. Thank you, Lisa and Claire, for supporting Brad during it all.... the countless hours of training that took away many, many hours of time with you. My brother is such an amazing, inspiring person. Way to go, Brad! :)

** I know the pictures are very small, I will add bigger pictures later when I snag those from my dad and download a few from my phone. :)

Thankful

Thanksgiving was really special for me this year. I was so happy to host my first Thanksgiving lunch/dinner at our house. It felt so good to be back in Texas where our family could easily come visit us. Robert's side of the family came and joined us on Saturday to celebrate, since he was on call Thanksgiving Day. I am so thankful for family! I cannot tell you how hard it was for me to live so far from family, the past 5 years in Kentucky. I am thankful for that experience.... it taught me to not take family for granted.

I am also so thankful that because I am not working this year... I can be a part of BSF (Bible Study Fellowship.) It is an amazing Bible study that dives deep into the Word of God. The questions you are asked in the study really make you think and rely on the Holy Spirit to help you gain wisdom and understanding from the Bible. My parents have been a part of BSF and I saw how much closer they came to God, and I couldn't wait for that opportunity in my life. If you ever get the chance... you should go to BSF. It has richly blessed me.

What really stood out more than anything this Thanksgiving.... is how thankful I am for my mother. She is fighting stage 4 breast cancer which has spread to her liver and now recently her lungs. I am so thankful that we got to be close friends when I left for college. We weren't always close when I was a teenager, but through both of us being teachers.... it brought us so much closer. When my mother retired from teaching, she started coming once a week to my classroom. She helped me with bulletin boards, art projects, reading to my students... and many more things. It was such a special time for both of us. My students especially thought she was the coolest.... she was Mrs. Parsons and they went to Parsons Elementary. :) I also am thankful for the time mom and I spent together preparing and planning for my wedding. We had so much fun together and spent so much time together and loved being together. I am so thankful that she could be a part of that time in my life. I treasure those experiences. I don't know if she will be here when the moment comes of when I hold my 1st baby in my arms, but I know when that time comes..... I'll know that she somehow knows and is a part of that moment. I pray that she does live to make it to that moment in my life. I am thankful that I have such a wonderful mom who set such a good example for me when my time comes to be a mother.

I'm sorry I don't have any pictures to share.... I decided to share my heart with you instead. I hope you were able to reflect on all that you are thankful for and what God has blessed you with. May God continue to bless you.