Attack of the Dinosaur!

We had a splendid time making gingerbread houses with our neighbors.

Jared made a house for his alien.

Little did we know that we weren't the only ones eying the candy!

The Hard Work Paid Off!

OH the days of ending a draining day of work, only to be followed by a run lasting well into the dinner hour are over! (For now at least). Bille and I were training (for what felt like forever) for the Honolulu Marathon. Our evenings were shot, along with EVERY Saturday morning. I'm so glad Bille trained with me or else I would have given up a long time ago. Mike and Zane also sacrificed their Saturday mornings to bring us water on our long runs.
On Sunday Bille and I ran the marathon together and it was awesome! Definitely worth the hard work.

Many people have said that running a marathon is a spiritual experience. I really didn't know what to expect though. At the start of the race it began to pour. Squishy Shoes...the whole way! It hurt because the wet socks were rubbing away. I was so worried about running the perfect pace because I did not want to run out of energy in the end. I just took it mile by mile. I looked forward to 10, then 13, then 15..17..20..21.22.23.24.25.26! and then I was there...at the finish line.
It was crazy to look at the people all around me. There were people of all ages from different places, running together. We were all in pain, but trudging forward to the end. It was an amazing experience.

I am so grateful for my body and the strength I have! It was such an amazing feeling to know that I really was going to finish. When I crossed the finish line I almost started to cry. It really did feel like a spiritual experience.

Bring on the next marathon!