My dear friend, Kristine, called me around 6 months ago and asked if I'd be interested in running a half marathon with her in Florida in a few months. I didn't even think about it and said absolutely. Well one thing led to another and this past weekend a group of around 24 girls headed to beautiful Seaside, Florida for a girls weekend/run. It was nothing short of therapy for the soul. It's been along time since I went on a girls trip. I have laughed and laughed remembering how silly we all were! We all went shopping and you have never heard more 'ohhhhs and ahhhs' and 'this would look GREAT on you's' streaming from the dressing rooms! It was so fun!

The group I was with arrived Friday night and went to Red Bar restaurant, which was wonderful!

Saturday was the most rainy day I have ever seen. We woke up bright and early.. being mostly all moms, you know... and it was raining. 18 hours later? Still steady raining. So what do you do while at the beach in a down pour??? SHOP!! We were all wet rats but left with wonderful bags of goodies as a reward for braving the rain!

We went to the registration area to pick up our race gear and I was just utterly astounded. If you've never been to seaside, stick that on your bucket list right now! It was unbelievable! Beautiful, quaint, lovely, picturesque. Even in a monsoon, it was darling. We were a little worried though, because by mid afternoon, most everything was beginning to sink underwater. The amphitheater was a lake. It wasn't looking hopeful. 

However, when we woke up Sunday morning, the sky was clear and cold. Things were beginning to look up!! Here is most of our group pre-race...

 Lauren, my training partner, who KILLED it! I am so proud of her! I have loved spending the last 6 months of Saturday mornings with her! She's such a doll!

 Early am start finish line

Here I am goobing out at the last half mile! Race cheerleaders are a LIFESAVER!! They are so encouraging! I was trying to get the finish line crowd to cheer for us because they, of all the groups, were quiet as mice! The groups along the way were awesome! I finished in 2 hrs flat. I was glad with that! It was comfortable, easy, and 4 minutes better than my last half. Next year, sub 2 hours. 

 The amphitheater lake I was telling you about? Here she is, 12 hours later, dry as a bone. 

And the grey, awful Saturday skies? They couldn't have been any brighter blue. God is good and gracious. May I never forget. 

A little taste of darling Seaside, Fl. The ATM. 

 and post office 

 and beach... pictures shared by my dear friend Katy. My poor aching toes never even saw the sand!! Katy had quite the view though!

 And my favorite site on the way home from the beach. I wonder who said 'YES!!! That is the PERFECT name for our restaurant!' 

I spoke with my mom the week before the race and promised her that I had no interest in training every year. Consider this a promise broken. This weekend went down in the books and I can't wait for next year. I already have my mind set... based on the amazing prayer sweet Kristine prayed over all of us before we started our run... 

"Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord Almighty!' 

Amen! Thank you gracious God for filling my life with friends that build me into someone better than I am. Thank you for 15 girls who accepted the challenge. Thank you for safety. Thank you for this new community of sisters that will forever hold this memory in our safe keeping!