I DID IT!!!

WOW!  What an emotional weekend!  I am not sure where to even begin!  Of course this story really starts back in April when I boarded this crazy train called running.  I started off running 1 minute and then walking a minute and a half.  I never thought I could ever run 3 miles straight without having to walk.  Well, as the days went on, I managed to work up to running 10 miles without walking!!!  Of course, then came my injury where I had to have an x-ray and MRI which ruled out a stress fracture only to continue to have more pain only 2 weeks from RACE DAY!  Then came 3 shots in my knee which I felt was the cure to all this pain, and I would be able to run 13.1 miles!  OUCH!

As race day approached, the weather forecast was not looking good.  They were calling for an ice storm.  Kellie came down a day early so we would be sure to get our race packets and shop at the expo.  This was such an exciting night because it was the reality that all that training and hard work was really going to happen!

I found my name on the "heroes" pace car!  It was an awesome feeling to be able to raise $500 for the kids at St. Jude.  After all, they are the real heroes!

Kellie signed the wall for St. Jude in memory of her dear friend who lost their son to cancer a few years ago.

Then we headed to Colettas to carb load.  Mandy came along for moral and emotional support!

As Friday's "ice Storm" came and went there was the big announcement that the St. Jude marathon was cancelled due to safety reasons.  I couldn't believe it!  I had said from day one that I was going to cross that finish line no matter what I had to do, and now the finish line was not even an option!
Of course, Courtney Barnes was not going to let us NOT cross the finish line after all our hard work so the LiveFit running group created their own marathon in our little town of Arlington!  Within hours, the whole thing was planned from the route we were going to run to the water stations a few residents placed along the way to even the post race finish line with hot chocolate and donuts.  The plan was in place, and all that was left to do was to run and cross that finish line!!!

That morning our elves had their own St. Jude race.  Ava was so funny when she saw it.  She said "The elves didn't get the message that the race was cancelled."  HA!

At 8am, I bundled up layer after layer and headed to the square to join my fellow runners I had trained with for so long.  

As we headed to our make shift starting line, the nerves had set in.  As I started the first mile, I felt great, and knew I was going to conquer every mile of this race.  However, that hope quickly turned to despair as my the pain in my knee slowly crept back in.  Suddenly, I felt hopeless that I was never going to cross that finish line.  That's when my Live Fit friends came to my rescue.  The girls running the 5K were there to offer moral support, and Angela was there to offer physical support.  She offered to stay with me and walk the entire way if I needed it.  What a selfless act!  So, off we went to conquer the next 12 miles.  All of the runners finished way ahead of us and each runner was celebrated at the make-shift finish line.  I knew the 20 degree weather and the 7 degree windchill would send most, if not all, people home once they crossed the finish line. I was fully expecting to see only mine and Angela's husbands still waiting for us on Chester Street.  Little did we know, complete strangers along with friends and family were there cheering for us as we came in.  I was completely overwhelmed when we turned onto Chester when I saw and heard so many people cheering for us!!  There were screams, shouts, cow bells, pom poms.  It was one of the most overwhelming moments in my life!  The fact that so many people would stand out in the freezing weather to cheer me on was almost too much!  I fought back the tears as I neared the finish line I set out to cross!  I could not believe I had actually done it!!!

I do have such mixed emotions about the whole day.  When I signed up for this race back in May, I had no idea the emotions that would follow.  I have felt elation, disappointment, hope, exhaustion, fear, failure, and the greatest sense of accomplishment!  I wish I could have run all 13.1 miles and I wish I could have had a much faster time.  However, my main goal was to cross that finish line, and thanks to Courtney, Angela, and all my LiveFit friends, I did it!!!!!!

Black Friday

Black Friday- the one day out of the year people love to hate!  I choose to embrace the day!  As you know, we call ourselves Team Black Friday.  This year Team Black Friday truly made a name for ourselves.  Channel 3 news came out and did a story on us!

Yes, we looked like goobers, but we sure know how to have fun!

We also had a Commercial Appeal reporter follow us around the night of Black Friday and write a story on us.  Here is half of our team heading out:

I had my assigned list of items in my basket and ready to go 15 minutes after walking in the store.

Qua was circulating and doing her thing.

Rachel had one of the most challenging jobs: video games and DVD's.  This year they had this section roped off and they were not going to let anyone get them until 6:00 on the dot.  Here is Rachel waiting with the CA reporter, Cindy.

The police ended up being called over to the video game section due to some unruly customers.  (Not us, of course)  They had to use caution tape and tape off the line due to people skipping (again, not us.)  We were actually at a good location because as soon as the clock struck 6pm we slithered away around the bananas and scored all the items on our list.

Here is the reporter making notes of the event.

And Monica with her basket loaded and ready to roll!

We had to take a group picture to send to Carol who was not able to join us this year.

After Walmart we hit up Target, Sports Authority, and several stores in the mall.  Cindy, the reporter, left us around midnight to head home.  She was so much fun and had a blast that night!

I got home around 1am, slept until about 7am, then headed back out to the stores for another 6 hours.  I found these "Hot Booties" while I was out and heated them up and put them on my feet immediately when I got home.  Ahhhhhh!

The Commercial Appeal article came out Saturday morning.  We thought it was hilarious and Cindy did a great job!  There was not a picture in the real newspaper but here is the picture they posted online.

And here is the article:

The women of Team Black Friday descend on Walmart like an army squadron.

They’ve spent three years tweaking a perfect shopping plan and are reluctant to even reveal the store location where they shop so others don’t learn their secrets. For most of the year, the 10 or so women are kindhearted second-grade teachers at Arlington Elementary School. They wipe noses, take kids to recess, and create math assignments that reflect their holiday season reconnaissance mission. For example:

Question 1: The Black Friday team starts shopping at 4 p.m. on Thursday afternoon. They finish shopping at 2 a.m. on Friday morning. How many hours did they shop?

But come Thanksgiving, they study the playbook and fashion a battle plan with no deviations. Team uniform: Black T-shirt with 10 rules printed on the back, warning other shoppers that team members may tie your kid’s shoes during school, but the first shopping days of the holiday season they are ruthless, unflinching and unsympathetic.

“Sympathy sends you home without your stuff,” says Qua Garrett, a petite, sweet, cutthroat strategist who has a knack of securing the most difficult items for team members. It’s secured her a spot on the MVS trophy (Most Valuable Shopper).

A few of the rules:

No. 10: Run, never walk; No. 1: Go hard or go home. And No. 6: Carol (Harrison) is not allowed to drive. She once took too long to find a parking spot, putting the group out of sync.

Each team member brings basics: energy drinks, a four-page list of items everyone wants, a store map and, most importantly, a fully-charged cellphone. Some use debit cards; others, like Carter, put back $120 a month so she can bring $1,440 in cash with her.

“If I run out of money, I’m done,” Carter said.

Shoppers are already bumping baskets and getting in each others’ ways when the team of eight enters en masse and scatter through the store at 4 p.m. Thursday. Rachel Norman joins customers in what will become the store battleground: Produce — where the store displays video games and DVDs that don’t go on sale until 6 p.m. Since the store is open around the clock, Walmart staggers the major sale times and when prized products are available.

Carter’s section is sheets and towels. She studied the map for weeks. She moves directly to the foam mattress toppers. Two twins, a full and a queen are her first assignment. The shrink wrap on the pallet — which shouldn’t be removed until 6 p.m. -- is partially torn; an interpretation under Team Black Friday rules that items are available. Carter spins her basket and speed-walks to another pallet-sprinkled aisle. Along the way someone who looks like management stops Carter.

“Where did you get those mattress covers? You aren’t supposed to have them,” she asks.

“That pallet is open over there, and people all over the store have them,” Carter responds.

“I’m going over there to check then I’m coming back to get those from you,” she warns Carter, who never flinches as she heads for the sheets.

Employees with cutting knives are standing at the ready for 6 o’clock.

“They’ve already opened the pallets in the middle aisle,” Carter says in a misleading statement.

“They have?” one asks. The employee shrugs then cuts the shrink wrap on her boxes.

She must dig all the way to the bottom to find the chocolate king-size sheets. Meanwhile, she cheerfully hands out sizes to surrounding customers who smile and thank her.

“Always make friends,” she says. “You never know when you might need them.”

Taking only 20 minutes to finish her list, Carter heads to Norman in the video line. They begin sorting stuff into two baskets. A few minutes later Garrett and a couple of other team members come to divvy items into baskets. The line is so long, a clerk tells the people to swing around so they are standing between produce and the bakery. Some restless customers shove the celery bin against the russet potatoes, sending security guards into the middle. One strings crime scene tape along the aisle’s perimeter to block the line cutters who might squeeze in through the sides.

There’s a little shoving and a few shouts. Then with no starter gun, horn or even a ribbon cut, they surge. No one seems to notice the six women in black T-shirts who slip into the line past the bananas.

They spend an hour in the checkout line. Of the 45 items on their list, they missed the three laptop computers, until Garrett walks up with one in her hand for team member Ziggy Goodman. Garrett secures the MVS trophy. Besides the other two computers, the group missed out on an air mattress and an Xbox game.

They scatter to different stores after Walmart. Some will keep going until sunrise. Others will sleep and hit the stores on the real Black Friday.

Christmas Tree and Thanksgiving

We decided to put our Christmas tree up super early because there are 6 fewer days between Thanksgiving and Christmas this year.  (I won't say how early we put it up, but I think the fact the girls have shorts on in the pictures could give you some idea of how early this tree went up.  HA!)  The sad thing about this Christmas is that the girls are getting older so it is harder to get them in the Christmas spirit.  I remember when they were younger, and they couldn't wait to put up the tree.  This year was a little different.  They were upstairs playing video games, and I literally had to make them come down to help.  Sad stuff.

After the tree was up and I was checking my facebook, here is what I saw:

I sure love this dog!  She did manage to wiggle her way onto my lap.

To add to the holiday spirit, I got my nails done with Rudolph!

We spent Thanksgiving with both sides of our family.  (Sorry for all the selfies.  I just wanted to capture pictures with the ones I love.)

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!