Lantern Love

Early in the wedding planning stage I fell in love with 2 things...

Lanterns and Baby's Breath. 

Recently I found these adorable little lanterns at Garden Ridge and immediately knew that I had to have them. I was shopping by myself, so you might say it was unfortunate that there wasn't anybody there to reign in my love of obsession with lanterns and bring to light that paying almost $5 a piece for these little beauties might not have been the smartest thing - especially since I don't really need them but I like to think of it as destiny.

These lanterns and I were simply meant to be together.

I just needed to find a purpose for having them to justify the money spent. So last Wednesday when my sister/MOH came over to help practice our DIY wedding bouquet skills she helped me create a lovely piece of decor out of these.

<---- Here I am giving some TLC

 to my baby lanterns.

And turning them into....
                                   
                                   
                                   
                                 

Cute Right?!?!

I think I decided we'll place these around the cake table and guest book table to add some extra 

Lantern Love to the feel of the room. I'm so excited! I just hope I don't get so caught up in the excitement of the day that I forget to take a look around and see how adorable they look as part of the decor!

PS

I also decided they would make great decorations for Mark and I's backyard deck when we have people over for cookouts this summer. The money was well worth it. 

2:07

2:07:02

Running a race always seems to teach me something about myself. Shamrock 2012 goes down in the books as the one that taught me that I'm never satisfied with my accomplishments. 

You see, when I started training, coming in under 2 hours and 10 minutes was my goal. Towards the end of my training it looked like I could make it right at, if not just under, 2 hours and 5 minutes. So while my response was always "under 2:10" when people asked me what I thought my time would be, in the back of my mind I would be saying "2:05, 2:05, 2:05". 

As a runner you come to accept that you have good and bad running days, you just hope and pray that Race Day isn't one of the bad days. The morning of the race I was a little "off", but nothing major that made me think it would be a bad day. Mark picked me up at 6am and we were off to the ocean front. I couldn't have asked for a better day for running. Cloudy, no wind and in the 50's... a runners dream! Unfortunately miles 1-5 I had a tough time settling in to a comfortable pace. My fancy watch kept showing my pace fluctuating between 9:30" and 10:45". NOT GOOD. I needed to stay under 10' to meet my goal. 

I mentally struggled the rest of the race wondering how that sloppy beginning was going to affect my time and wondering if I could try to make up time without burning out before getting to the end and completely ruining my chances of setting a PR. Not to mention my IT band thought it would be a good idea to get tight and make my knee hurt. *rolls eyes* But enough excuses, I could come up with a million reasons why I was slower than usual the first half of the race but the fact is I was just running slower. 

As I came up to the 12 mile marker I knew under 2:10 could happen but I also knew my chances of getting in under 2:05 were next to 0. (Unless of course I could magically run a 6 minute mile.) I pushed myself that last mile trying to get as far under 2:10 as possible, as soon as I crossed the finish line I felt defeated. But why? I had made my goal of coming under 2:10! What was the deal? Unfortunately for me its never good enough. School grades, college degree, dress size, weight, race time... its all the same. I want to be better. Of course this isn't always a bad thing, but going in to the benefits of pushing yourself is for another time. This post is for learning to recognize when you accomplish a goal and taking time to celebrate and enjoy that accomplishment before rushing it away to try to do better. If this is the last 1/2 Marathon I'm ever able to complete, do I want to remember it with joy or disappointment in myself? 

Because the fact is, I did set a personal record. I came in 6 minutes faster than my last 1/2 marathon time. I committed my training to the Lord and with His help I accomplished something I thought impossible when I ran my first half. So right now I'm choosing to enjoy this achievement with no regrets and boast in the help of my God instead of focus on my own weakness. 

"Commit everything you do to the Lord. 
Trust him, and he will help you." 

Psalms 37:5

PS

If I do have the chance to run another Half... my goal is under 2:05 : )

Race Day Junkie

I love to run. Scratch that. I love to run races. The thrill of race day is what makes all the long, sometimes boring and monotonous and often times very difficult training days worth it. I get so excited when its time pick up my race packet the day before a race! And there's no words to describe the adrenaline rush I get when I pin on my race number and find my spot in the corral surrounded by thousands of other runners. That feeling is what inspired me to run my first 1/2 Marathon after participating in only a 1.4 mile "race'".

I'm a race day junkie.

With that being said, the Shamrock 1/2 Marathon is less than 2 weeks away and I can feel the excitement building inside of me! It's motivating me to finish my last long run this Friday before the race. Unfortunately (or, well I don't really know if it's unfortunate or not yet) it's also motivating me to do crazy things like, oh I don't know, REGISTER FOR A FULL MARATHON!

No I'm not joking, I really did sign up for my first Full Marathon in the OBX this November. Am I scared to death? Absolutely! Do I dread the long hours of training and giving up sleeping in on Saturday? Definitely. Does the thought of that Race Day make it all seem possible? No question about it!

I know this doesn't really have anything to do with becoming my man's 31 woman, and so this might not be the most appropriate outlet for this information. But I like to think that training for long races cultivates and improves a hard work ethic, self motivation, and health - Which are all necessary attributes when considering the wife in Proverbs 31.
So once the wedding bells have been rung and the honeymoon enjoyed, I'll jump right into Marathon training! Well, maybe I'll enjoy a few sleep in Saturday's with my new husband first. : )

"She sets about her work vigorously; 

her arms are strong for her tasks."

Proverbs 31:17