A Run To Remember

"We run to involve the community, the nation, and perhaps the world in the continuing progress of coping with the tragedy of the past.  We run as a step toward a better future."  ~OKC Memorial Marathon mission

Well as of Sunday at 9:14 am, half marathon number 2 is in the books for this girl!

Leaving the hotel on race morning at 4:45 am

That's right, I checked that off the 30 by 30 item list when I crossed the finish line at the Oklahoma City Memorial Half Marathon.  Not only was my time better than my first half marathon, but this time Loud Oklahoma Girl ran it was well and finished her first half!  It was so much fun to watch her accomplish the goal she set for herself after watching me cross the finish line in San Francisco two years ago.  She rocked it, and then she cried.  Just like she did for me in San Francisco.

Officially I finished at 2:30:05, which is an 11:27 pace, which beat my prior half marathon time by almost 5 minutes!  Plus I ran the entire race--no walking, no breaks.  I have to admit, I'm pretty proud of myself.

Crossing the finish line

For me, however, the best part of the OKC marathon was its purpose.  The marathon is run in remembrance of the 168 lives lost on April 19, 1995 when the Murrah building was bombed.  The race day began with a sunrise church service underneath the survivor tree, which was miraculously not damaged in the bombing.  From there, we made our way to the starting line, where there were 168 seconds of silence---one for each of the victims.  One second for each husband, mother, child, father, wife, friend, baby and loved one lost in the senseless attack.  Along the race course, there are 168 banners that bear the names of the fallen.

Sunrise service at the Survivor Tree

The day before the race, we went to the Oklahoma City Bombing Memorial Museum.  If you have not been, it's a must see.  The Memorial itself is beautiful and touching.  A somber place set between walls portraying the before (9:01 am) and after (9:03 am) of the moment when Oklahoma City was changed forever.  There sit 168 chairs, one for each of the victims.  There are 19 smaller chairs, for the 19 babies who were killed in the daycare center.  At the museum, there are striking photographs, videos, and mementos that show the horror of that day.  I took pictures of just a few of them.  What struck me the most was the idea that April 19, 1995 was a normal day in Oklahoma City.  People drank coffee and kissed their spouses  dropped children off at daycare and went to the office.  And then all hell broke loose.  The museum does an amazing job of showing that idea.

Day care center Easter photo 5 days before the bombing.

"Here is the botton mline the way I look at it, if Tim McVeigh's legal
rights are protected, then yours and mine are.  If his aren't, then yours
and mine may not be.  Who wants to take that chance?"
--Stephen Jones (McVeigh's criminal defense attorney)

I can't recommend this race enough.  It truly is a run to remember.  To remember each one of the victims, to remember their families, to remember that horrible day in 1995, and to remember that even in the most senseless of tragedies, when the world is at its darkest, there is hope.  Combine that remembrance with finishing a half marathon---accomplishing a goal that (at least for me and LOKG) once seemed impossible---and you leave there sore, exhausted, and inspired.  That's running at its best.

Me and LOKG - 2013 OKC Memorial Half Marathon Finishers!

Meet the Cast Monday #44: Baby Hepburn

Today, you all are going to meet Baby Hepburn.  I've known this girl literally since she was born.  I used to babysit her when she was a tiny little thing and last weekend she went to the prom.  Yep.  I'm old.  It's been so much fun to watch her grow into such a brilliant (no, seriously, ask her ACT score!), beautiful, fun, amazing person and friend.  I couldn't be more proud of her!

Meet Baby Hepburn.

Tell us your favorite part of the trip to Notre Dame (seriously, where else would I start this?)

Duh! Where else would we start?! I loved all of the culture and tradition that you can just feel being on campus. Everyone around looked like they were having fun and loving life, on a GORGEOUS campus might I add? We were so lucky to have you and your connections there show us around. But how could I not mention the football game… Of course T’eo’s shoulder pad hitting my forehead was towards the top of the list. Winning in overtime, rushing the field, swaying in the pouring rain, arms locked with you so you wouldn’t lose me, standing on that field… priceless.   {Priceless is really how I'd sum up that whole trip.  There are just not words for how amazing that weekend was!}

What is the best vacation you have ever taken?

My family has been very privileged in taking some spectacular vacations but my favorite would have to be Sanibel Island in Florida. Almost the entire island is a nature preserve and the beaches are some of the top places for shelling in the world. It was great bonding time for my family. We rode bikes around the small island, kayaked through the mangroves, shopped and collected/brought home literally hundreds of beautiful shells.

Where do you want to be in 10 years?

Hopefully babysitting YOUR children!  {Best answer to a MTCM question ever!!} Maybe I’ll be a little old for babysitting by then… As of right now though, I have absolutely no plan as to what to do with my life. College, husband, children is about as specific as I’ve gotten. Whatever God has planned for me!

What do you remember about me babysitting you kids?

One of the memories that stays with me to this day is the fact that, according to you and me, carrots taste like wax. Ha ha! My mom’s still mad at you about that, and I still don’t like carrots!  {What's funny about that is that I now love carrots!  Sorry about ruining them for you kids!} We had a lot of fun times with you and I’m glad that we’ve only gotten closer over the years. 

Me and "the kids" at Christmas

What is the best part about growing up in a small town?

I’ve been so blessed to grow up where I did. I wouldn’t trade it for anything. What I have come to appreciate as I’ve gotten older is how lucky I am to go to school at a place where I can play all of the sports that I love. There are no tryouts or cutting from teams. We may not be as good as bigger schools, but I have the opportunity to play on multiple varsity teams year round.

Who is your favorite Saint?

Although my confirmation saint is St. Catherine of Siena, my favorite saint would have to be St. Maria Goretti. She is the patron saint of teenage girls and chastity. When she was 12 years old she was stabbed to death because she refused to submit herself to a young man that was trying to rape her. It is a very inspiring story. She is one of the youngest saints to be canonized.

Did you ever think your parents would let you roam The Strip until 3 in themorning?

No!  But dang, was that a good time.  They were either completely exhausted, or have a massive amount of trust in you; maybe both.  That night was definitely one to remember though.  Thank you for giving up your fun night with the "big kids" and hanging with us.  I had a blast! :)  {I had the best time with you guys---I'm quite sure we had more fun together than I would have had with the "big kids!"}

What potential colleges are currently on your list (you are allowed to be honest, so long as ND is still #1!)?

ND is of course #1! (pending acceptance) but the rest of the list isn’t very clear. Texas A&M I suppose is up towards the top. It’d be great to be by you.  {I find this to be the only acceptable answer other than Notre Dame!}  This year for spring break we are going to California for a week and visiting colleges there. We are going to see 7 in all, by the end. Maybe after we get back from there, there will be more on the list. UCLA, Stanford, USF, USD, Loyola Marymount, St. Mary’s, and Thomas Aquinas are the ones to be visited. Benedictine in Kansas, University of Dallas and Ave Maria in Naples are also on the list.

What is one (or more) item(s) on your bucket list?

I've been so lucky growing up that I've had the opportunity to do so many things.  The one day I did start a bucket list, I put two things on it:  the first is to go to the Kentucky Derby (with a derby hat) - you and I have decided to do that one together :)  {Heck yes....we're totally doing this.  I am so excited about it!}  The other is pretty stereotypical bucket list, I'd like to go skydiving.

Playing a Little Catch Up

“Life is about moving, it’s about change. And when things stop doing that they’re dead.”  ~Twyla Tharp

My life has been a total and complete whirlwind over the last couple of weeks.  I've been updating  you via my daily photographs, but I wanted to share some of the awesome things that have been going on in more detail!

A Surprise Party



College Roomie got me.  She got me good.  She threw me my first ever real surprise party.  (She threw me one or two more in college, but she always let me in on the secret and I just acted surprised.  We were cool like that.)  But this time she and McCain picked me up to go to dinner at Casa de Benevidez, this Mexican food place in town that College Roomie raves about.  No, seriously, she's even blogged about their sopapilla burger.  Anyway, we walk in and I see one of my friends from law school and her husband.  I think to myself, "Wow, what a coincidence."  Then I glance around and see someone who looks like my friend Miss Texico.  I looked back and realized it was Miss Texico and Pharmer Girl.  At this point, being the genius I am, I still don't get it, and say, "This is amazing, I know everyone here!"  And then it snapped.  College Roomie had gathered up 15 of my friends for a surprise going away party.  It was perfect!  (You can read her recap of the events here.)

The Cowboy Rides Away Tour

George Strait.  Final concert tour.  Cousin Whitney, Aunt Evil Kineval, Aunt Delta Dawn, and three of their best friends.  Honestly, words don't do this event justice.  We seriously had the best time.  George was amazing, as you would expect.  He played for over two hours and still left out a ton of his great songs.  College Roomie figured out that if he played just all of his number ones (mind you, that is just the #1s and would leave out songs like Amarillo By Morning) he would have had to play for like 36 hours or something insane!  Listening to the 1.5 hours that he did play (which included lots of his old hits, was the perfect way to spend a Saturday!)

Me and the aunts.

The whole group.

Me and Cousin Whitney waiting for the action to begin.

This lucky $#&@& has the best job in America...she gets to stand behind
George every single night and listen to him sing.

George and Martina singing "Jackson"

Where the Cowboy Rides Away.

A Bridal Brunch

College Roomie is seriously one of the classiest people I know.  She's a total Audrey Hepburn.  So when she had a bridal brunch, I knew that it would be amazing.  And it was.  My favorite part was when her Aunt Jewel was explaining to one of the groom's friends how the family tree worked.  When she got to me, she said, "That's Tiffany.  She's, well, she's just my niece."  (Mind you, we're not blood related, but I love the fact that I've been adopted into the fold!)

The hostess saw me poking at this and came over
to tell me that they were real and I could eat them.  Oops!

Donut kabobs!

Conception Quiche....the single girls stayed away from these!

Me and Aunt Jewel

College Roomie and the mamas.

The Bridesmaids (minus one who lives in Phoenix)

Can't wait for the wedding day!

Road Trip!!

One of the things that I have been most excited about my move was the fact that College Roomie offered to road trip with me to Texas when I went down for the first time.  I was seriously beyond excited about this event!  We used to road trip back and forth to OSU all the time, so we totally got to re-visit those memories.  We stopped in Amarillo for lunch with Sister Lisa (College Roomie's little sis) and The Boy from Texas.  And then we continued on for another 8.5 hours in the car where we ate ice cream, analyzed life, discussed every relationship that you can imagine, listened to old school cds (yes, that's right, cds, not iPods), and generally had a blast.  There is nothing like 13 hours in a car with your best friend!  The road trip ended when we arrived in Texas and I got to see my new house!

  

Show Lamb Sale

Next up was my family's annual show lamb sale.  You've read about those sales before here and here.  This year was our best sale yet.  Even with all of the work and stress and dirt, I have to say that these are usually three of my favorite days of the year.  Getting to visit with old friends and look at lambs.....you really can't beat it!



Look for the Helpers

"Look for the helpers.  You will always find people who are helping." 

I know that I'm a bit behind, but I wanted to comment on the horror that happened last week at the Boston Marathon.  Being a runner myself, seeing the awful video from that day was something that really struck a chord with me.  I had a couple of people contact me to be sure I had not been at the race, because they know that I had a race coming up.  (I'm far too slow for Boston, but thank you for the vote of confidence!)  That made me realize how none of us are safe, none of us are immune, and we never know when something like this will happen.

But one thing we do know is that even when the worst happens, when pure evil occurs in the world, good always follows.  People running in to remove the rubble.  Medics rushing to save the injured.  Runners across America wearing shirts and running races for Boston.  Americans praying.

In the face of tragedy, we have to look for the good.  For the helpers.

On Sunday, I will be running the Oklahoma City Memorial Half Marathon.  A race in memory of those who perished in 1999 when evil came to Oklahoma.  Now, this race means even more.  For me, it will be a race during which I will be thankful for my ability to run, prayerful for the victims of both OKC and Boston and their families, and grateful for the helpers who always appear.

Happy Birthday To My Dear Friend

“If someone's life is not enriched by their time with you, then you're not doing something right.”  

~Impossible is Stupid    

 

Happy 30th Birthday to my sweet ND Friend!

 

She's a New Mexico girl who grew up on a ranch, kicked everyone's butt in any FFA contest she was in, played basketball, graduated from Notre Dame, ran the Boston Marathon, studied abroad in Rome, designed the Student Shirt at Notre Dame while she was there, hosts amazing cookie parties, the most beautiful handwriting, authors hands down the best blogs ever (I think this one or this one or this one might be my favorites), has the best laugh, the prettiest hair, makes the best cookies, and always knows the best restaurants.

 

 

I could not be more grateful for her friendship, for her hilarious sense of humor, for her continual prayres and kind gifts, and her inspiring faith.  She's someone who makes me want to be a better person.  I can only hope that you have someone like this in your life.

 

If not, you can probably borrow mine.  She's cool like that.

Two Months of Photos: Week 3

"Ain't goin' down til' the sun comes up...." ~Garth Brooks

This week has been a total whirlwind.  Sheep sale, funeral, unpacking a house, a cross Texas road trip, a bachelorette weekend, an 8 mile pre-half marathon run with Loud Oklahoma Girl, and a couple of 30 by 30 list items done.  Plus I got to spend time with my family, great family friends, some of my favorite girls, and The Boy from Texas (who was hinted at here).  I'm exhausted.  But I enjoyed every minute of it.

Sunday

Sheep Sale

Monday

Standing Guard

A Cowboy's Boots

On Behalf of a Grateful Nation

Tuesday

Splash of Orange

Wednesday

My Mantle

Thursday

Road Trip Across Texas

Friday

A Bachelorette Dinner

Saturday

Candles at the Cathedral