On June 10, 2012, Terri and I ran the Wounded Warrior Half Marathon in Irving, Texas. We drove in the day before and lounged around my sister-in-law’s pool all day.

Sunday morning we woke up early and drove to the race. This was my first race in Texas and I thought Louisiana heat and Texas heat would be the same. WRONG! The good thing was that the people in charge of this race were prepared. Water stops were along the route that included ice cold wet towels at 2 locations, sprinkler systems at various locations, and pretzels.

I had fun at this race in a new kind of way. I actually chatted with several people during the race. I met a man who ran the Rouge-Orleans solo. I met another runner who had previously run the Houston Marathon. We exchanged details about the Houston Marathon vs. the Louisiana Marathon. I patted several Veterans on the back and thanked them as I approached them. After the turn around I High-Fived Veterans who were heading to the turn around. It was a very moving experience. Several members of the military ran the race in full fatigues with backpacks and boots.

At the finish line we were greeted by several Veterans in wheelchairs. I was moved to tears at the sight. I made an effort to thank as many as possible. Other military units were there with trucks and tanks and were kind enough to pose for pictures.

The after party food included pancakes, oranges, muscle milk, popsicles, and several different juices and recovery drinks. Pancakes have never tasted so good! The area for the after party was beautiful. They have wild mustang sculptures running through a water feature.

Race results and the trip home to follow.

About 1/2 mile from my house is an adorable flower and gift shop. The owner has become a successful female business owner in this small town…not an easy task.

Oh, I’ve finally decided my future lies

It’s not finished yet so I’ll post another picture later of the end result, but isn’t it adorable? It says “Flower Power” and is being done freestyle by the artist. (Of course the owner drives her very own convertible Volkswagon Beetle.)

It may not seem like a big deal. BUT when I think about the owner and her shop tucked away on the outskirts of our little village down a small country road, it’s inspiration! Inspiration to all of the women in this small town who have dreams beyond the yellow brick road!

 I have missed blogging about several events. Mother’s Day was a beautiful day. Honestly, Mother’s Day is not always a beautiful day. It is bittersweet. My first thought when I wake up on Mother’s Day is, “I will never be a mother.” I usually have to drag myself through the motions of getting dressed for our early morning 6:30a.m. Mass. I dread being in church when the priest asks all the mothers to stand. I always feel like I am the only person left sitting. This year was different though. I focused on my mother and sister sitting together. I thought about how much my mother means to me, and how I can always depend on her. She is forever filled with loving advice, and is well known for her “What-if’s.” I will always be grateful for my mom. I love her dearly.

For lunch, my parents and sister came over for Mother’s Day. We grilled red snapper, and roasted potatoes and veggies. After lunch we went to the Tribal Trail near our home. It was a peaceful way to spend the afternoon.

My parents enjoyed the shady stroll.

In the evening, my sister and I rode 10 miles on our bikes. It was a great way to end our day.

The weekend following Mother’s Day was my niece’s graduation from college. She graduated in Medical Laboratory Science. I can’t express how proud I am of her. She has overcome so much and proved that she is a strong, young woman. (My picture is blurry.)

She and I together after the graduation:

I am thankful for my mom, sister, and niece…three incomparable women.

Took a picture with a random man because of the shirt. My feelings about the shirt: Why do you think you have to choose between a marathon and Jazz Fest? Who says you can’t do both? I also don’t agree that a marathon is boring and painful. Ok…well, maybe a little painful.

Saturday crowd was huge (we heard 65,000).

I loved Jazz Fest! If you haven’t experienced it, add it to your list.

I had company from Texas this past weekend. I was still able to squeeze in a short run on Saturday morning before anyone woke up. After the run, I showered, made coffee, set out a large bowl of fresh fruit, and woke up the group. The guys went fishing and that left Donna and I on our own. This was her first trip to Louisiana since the 1984 World’s Fair. I wanted to take her to New Orleans for the day, but when we looked at the forecast and saw a 60% chance of rain we had to change our plans.

Instead, I told her to throw on some jeans and dancing shoes. We jumped into the car and drove to Breaux Bridge for Zydeco dancing and breakfast at Cafe Des Amis. Every Saturday morning from 8:30 am- 11:30 am, they have a Zydeco breakfast. There is a $5.00 cover charge but if you decide to try one of the tasty entrees they’ll refund your 5 bucks.

Anyone who knows me, knows that I love to dance. I will try to dance to any kind of music. As soon as I hear music, my toes start to tingle, my feet want to jump up, my body wants to jig and shake. This is how I felt Saturday. As we walked into the cafe, the air was electric. People were moving and shaking without a care in the world. Tables full of patrons enjoying breakfast with Bloody Marys and Mimosas surround the dance floor.

We put down our names for a table, walked to the bar, and ordered our drinks…a Bloody Mary for Donna and Mimosa for me. The pictures hanging above the bar somehow add to the expressive atmosphere.

Before we can take in all of the sights, we are being pulled to the dance floor. Thankfully, Donna also loves to dance. I love the look of carefree joy on her face.

Another face of elation…

Corey Ledet and his Zydeco Band

I know I will be going back soon. I can still feel the rhythm and different beats from the band. I could dance right now!

I’m so happy Donna came visit. We had a blast on a Saturday morning!

Miles 5 and 6 led us back closer to the Gulf with no protection from the wind. My pace slowed considerably during these 2 miles. At 7.1 we had a turnaround point with a groovy support team cheering on all of the runners at this water stop. They were all dressed in 70s attire including all of the girls in white Go-Go boots.

After the turn I felt refreshed and picked up the pace and ran relaxed until somewhere between 10.5 and 11. At that point I began to slow again and had to chant, pray, and say my mantras to continue to the end.

At mile 13 (according to my Garmin) there was no finish line in sight. At 13.1, I could hear cheering but still no finish line. I finally crossed the finish at 13.27 miles.

Official Time: 1:42:48 

Division Place: 3 / 144
Overall: 67
Gender Place: 13 /903

Right after crossing the finish line, I went to the post party in search of an orange. All I could find were bananas on every table. I asked one girl if there were any oranges and she had some in her ice chest and was kind enough to give me one. When she saw I was shaky and couldn’t peel it, she peeled it for me. How considerate! I thanked her and checked my watch. I took off at a slow jog to our hotel to retrieve our cameras to get a picture of Terri coming in for the finish. I made it back and tried to snap her picture but I only caught a portion of her in the fluorescent yellow hat and shirt behind 2 other runners. (I’m not a very good photographer.)

I also got the back of her after she ran past me. (Look at those flags whipping in the wind.)  If you ask Terri what condition she dislikes running in the most, her answer will be “wind.” Despite this, she finished with an impressive time: 2:14:51.

We were able to get someone to snap our picture after Terri crossed the finish.

We went to the post party and checked out the food…red beans and rice, bananas, cookies, and granola bars. We opted for the cookie. Someone snapped this photo of us and when I looked at my pictures after getting home, I realized that it looks like the shark is biting Terri’s head. Watch out!!

We mingled with the runners and everyone had a finish of over 13.1 miles. Terri’s watch showed 13.29, another runner we met said her Garmin showed 13.3 miles. It doesn’t sound like a big difference, but when you are approaching the finish every tenth of a mile seems like a lonnnnggggg distance.

After partaking in the festivities we went back to our hotel to shower and pack. Terri snapped this photo of me on the balcony with my 2nd place age group mug. I’m listed as 3rd in my division, but the first place finisher moved up to the Masters winner and that moved me up to 2nd place.

We put on our compression socks and Gulf Coast Half shirts and hit the road. About an hour down the road we found a “Mellow Mushroom.” This is one of my favorite post race restaurants. We pulled in and ordered this:

Pizza with steak, mushrooms, and artichokes. Delish!

Quick summary of the day: Run 13.1 miles, shower, eat, drive 6 hours, and arrive home. Awesome day!!!