An Undeserving Honor

This past Saturday was a very special day in my life, and one that won't soon be forgotten.  My sweet friend Mitzi traveled all the way from Tallahassee to Nashville to run a half marathon in my honor. This particular race was to benefit the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America, which is an organization very near and dear to my heart.  As you may know, over 700,000 Americans (including myself) suffer from Crohn's Disease, for which there is currently no cure.  Every penny raised towards finding a cure  for this awful disease is money well spent in my opinion!   Mitzi is a talented, passionate and avid runner and I admire her dedication to the sport.  She even has a running blog where she shares her running experiences and encourages others with scripture as it relates to running in the race of life.  As someone who is not cut out to be a runner, I stand in awe of her ability to use running as her ministry to witness to others.  

Back in June and prior to my surgery, Mitzi posted her plans to run the Nashville half marathon on her blog and I was so incredibly humbled when I read her sweet words and realized that she would be running on my behalf.  Nobody has ever done anything like this for me and I knew that no matter what it took, I would be there at the finish line to cheer her on.  I had no idea what stage of recovery I would be in by that point, but I knew that I had to be there!  You can read her heartfelt post where she describes how this all came about HERE.  It's so neat to read about how it was all laid out before her---such a God thing!!

Mitzi has been training HARD for this race for many months (in the dead of summer in FLORIDA, might I add!!) and I've enjoyed following her progress and watching as she set goals along the way for herself.  This past Friday, Mitzi and two of her running buddies traveled to Nashville for Saturday's race.  Matthew and I made arrangements for Kyndall to stay with Mrs. Pam and Mr. Jeremy Woods on Friday night so that he and I could get up at 4:00 a.m. on Saturday morning and head to Nashville.  If you know me at all, you know that I am NOT a morning girl!!!  I don't truly come alive until at least 9:30 each morning so this was a big stretch for me!  But, I wouldn't miss it for the world!!  

The race began and ended at the Country Music Hall of Fame in the heart of downtown Nashville.  The course spanned 13.1 miles and took the runners all over the city, including around the campus of my beloved Vanderbilt, where I spend much of my time these days.

  Mitzi posted a few pictures of herself earlier that morning on Facebook, so I memorized her race number and took a mental picture of what she was wearing.  There were over 3,000 runners and I knew they would all start looking alike after a while!  I wanted to be ready to hoop, hollar, cheer and take pictures as she crossed the finish line.  Just as she had promised in her blog post, she wore my favorite color combination of hot pink and lime green, which made it very easy for me to spot her!  

The race started at 7:00 a.m. and Mitzi's goal was to finish under 2.5 hours, so Matthew and I knew exactly what time we needed to be there.  

Sleepy, but EXCITED!!!

We ended up arriving super early and we even got the see the first, second and third place runners cross the finish line!!  I must say, I was super impressed!!  However, as each of these ladies crossed that line, they all immediately did the same thing......they bent over and started PUKING and were quickly rushed to the medic station!  Uggggh!  Just as I was feeling somewhat inspired to possibly take up running, this quickly changed my mind.  Noooo thank ya!

My sweet husband, who graciously sacrificed his Saturday to chauffeur me around Nashville!  He's a keeper!

I've always said....."If you see me running, you better be running too.....because it means someone is trying to kill me!!"  It's just not in the cards for me to be a runner.  Or an athlete of any kind, really.  Had I attempted something like this, here's where you would've found me, with the lovely ladies of Vanderbilt EMS!!

As the time neared Mitzi's goal time, I slowly snuck my way closer and closer to the finish line and got my camera ready to capture that pink and green flash as it would soon fly past me!  =)

I've never understood the whole running craze, but I have to say, I was very inspired by what I saw on Saturday.  Women of all ages, shapes, colors and sizes crossed that finish line with a look of pride and accomplishment on their faces that I cannot even explain. It must be a great feeling to know you've just tackled such an amazing feat!  It almost made me sign up for the next race myself.....almost!  (Then I remembered those puking girls--ha!)  But truly, it's an infectious atmosphere of excitement and comradery that you really can't explain until you've experienced it!

Being so close to the finish line, I was able to witness many special moments, such as this one shared by a mother and daughter as they crossed the line together, hand in hand.  SO SWEET!  I also saw a lady carrying her dog under her arm, and many bride/bridesmaid groups!  How fun!!

I was particularly impacted by the many shirts and running bibs I saw with things such as "In honor of...." and sadly, even "In memory of....." inscribed on the back.  Obviously, Crohn's and Colitis knows no boundaries and it affects many, many people.  I was even moved to tears as I saw several runners cross the finish line and immediately break down in tears as they embraced their loved ones whom they were running in honor of.  My prayer is that someday, there will no longer be a need for these tears of sadness or even for this race, because someday there WILL be a cure!!

Just as I was getting all sappy and emotional, I spotted what I thought was my girl Mitzi coming in towards the finish line......

As she got closer, I heard them call her name and I saw #4181 and knew for sure that it was her!!!

Look at that smile!!!!!!!!!!!!  And look at that time!!!  Way under her goal of 2:30!!!!

I screamed and yelled like a crazy woman and then ran down past the barriers to find her.  I couldn't wait to hug her neck and tell her how proud I was of her!!!!

I didn't know this until after the race, but Mitzi and her running partners wore these monogrammed patches with my initials on them throughout the race as a way to honor me.  They each hugged my neck and then gave me their patches.  I now have three beautiful and meaningful monograms that I can use on anything I want!  =)

So proud of these ladies!!!

 Something else that they told me after the race was that together, their team raised $5,000 for the CCFA in my honor!!!!!  I almost didn't know what to say when Mitzi told me this.  WOW.  I am so incredibly humbled by this and so eternally thankful for the generosity of those who donated!!

I am so proud to call this sweet lady my friend and my sister in Christ!  She's such an inspiration to me!

I can't wait to put these to use!  I'm thinking a cute new hat for one of them, but still considering possibilities for the other two.  Whatever they become, I know that each time I look at them I will remember the loving sacrifice that was made on my behalf and I will be inspired, encouraged and uplifted in remembering this very special day!!  

I spent a while visiting with Mitzi and her friends and then I sent them off to celebrate with the other runners and enjoy Nashville!  Their hard work was over....now it was time to have some fun!  Matthew and I headed to Opry Mills to enjoy a kid-free lunch and some shopping at the outlets.  

While we were having lunch, I received these pictures from Pam, showing off Kyndall's new mani/pedi that Pam did herself!!!! Oh, the patience this must have taken!!!

Thank you, Pam and Jeremy for taking such good care of Kyndall so that Matthew and I could enjoy this very special day!

And a BIG thank you to Mitzi, Shannon and Allison for their hard work and for honoring me in such a special way!  I will never forget this!!!

Kyndall's 3rd Birthday!

One of the reasons I extended my trip to Tallahassee beyond the beach trip was so that we could celebrate Kyndall's THIRD (?!?!) birthday with our family.  As I mentioned, I didn't throw a big, elaborate party this year because we've been there done that the past two years and in all honesty, it's more for me and my own satisfaction than it is for her.  She's really too young to know the difference, and probably wouldn't care even if she did.  Our lives have been slightly turned upside down over the past few months and I just didn't have the energy or the motivation to plan a party.

Matthew flew down on Thursday night and spent the rest of the weekend in Tallahassee before driving us all back to Jackson on Sunday.

On Friday morning, sweet Mrs. Lisa sent a text saying that she left a surprise outside on my parents' lamp post for Kyndall.......

What better way to start your third birthday than with a GIANT bumble bee balloon??  She loved it!  Thank you, Mrs. Lisa!!!!

I couldn't let her third birthday come and go without doing something memorable, so Matthew's parents came over and we all spent the day together

Kyndall and Nonie

First on my list of fun things for the day was Kyndall's very FIRST haircut!!  I've been dying to have her hair trimmed for months now, but I decided to hold off until her birthday just to make it more special.  Plus, I really wanted Mary to be the one to cut it, since she's been doing my hair forever and a day and it only made sense for Kyndall's first experience to be with her!

We had quite an entourage, as Nonie, Poppie, Mommy and Daddy were all there to witness it.  Maybe it's overkill, but you only get your first haircut once!  

Waiting for our turn in the chair.......

Quick flash back to Kyndall's very first (of many) trips to Mary's shop---This was back in the summer of 2011 before she was even a year old!

Fast forward two years and now she's sitting in that same chair for her very first trim!  How did this happen??  =(

She did SO good!  She just sat admiring herself in the mirror the whole time and never gave Mary a bit of trouble!

 Daddy had the very important job of collecting the little pieces of baby hair to be kept in her scrapbook for gosh only knows what reason.  But, it's what you're supposed to do so we did it.  Nonie had a hard time with it all and begged us not to chop it off......

All done and looking so grown up

SO. MUCH. BETTER!!!

 After her haircut, we headed off to a very special birthday lunch where we met up with Grammy and Aunt Kelly on their lunch breaks

I love this little face so much!!

After lunch we somehow ended up at the new Bass Pro Shop that just opened a few weeks ago.  I vaguely remember some talk about how fun it would be to let Kyndall see the fish tank, but I'm pretty sure that was just a cover up since Matthew and his Dad were nowhere to be found once we stepped foot in the store.

Kyndall insisted that she needed to "dwibe" (drive) every single boat and ATV on the showroom floor......so, that's what we did.  Afterall, it was her day!

Kyndall liked this one......

Daddy chose this one, for only $131,000

And I chose this one, which was much more practical at only $60,000!

We returned to my parents' house for Kyndall to take a late nap which I hoped would ensure she'd be in a good mood for the evening birthday festivities that I had planned.

Once my parents got home from work and Aunt Kelly and Uncle Michael were free for the evening, I eagerly woke Kyndall up and told her we were going to Chuck E Cheese for a big family birthday celebration.  I just knew she'd be over the moon!  Wrong.  She insisted that she wanted to "stay home" (her words) and not do anything.  WHAT?!  We had to do something as a family to celebrate her third birthday!!  As much as I begged, she kept saying that she wanted to stay home.  I even threw out alternate ideas such as going to the bouncy houses or feeding the ducks at Lake Ella.....something.....anything to commemorate her big day!  Truth is, the birthday princess was just worn slap out from a busy week of socializing!  (That made two of us!)

Though I never though I'd have to beg my child to celebrate her own birthday, we finally convinced her to go out to dinner at Texas Roadhouse.  This was only made possible by the bribe of being able to sit on the "horsey saddle".  You'll see....

She loved being able to throw her peanut shells on the floor.  Simple pleasures......

As promised, there was singing, clapping, dancing, ice cream and a ride on the horsey saddle.......

After dinner, it was back to my parents' house for a few gifts........

Her card from Nonie and Poppie turned into a Minnie Mouse crown.  Is it just me or does she look more like the Pope than Minnie Mouse??

Yay for another monogrammed pocket t-shirt from Aunt Kelly!!!  This one is FSU colors!!  I got a matching one as well!  =)

Ripping through those gifts!

For several months now, she has been asking me to buy her "incruments" (instruments).  I held off because I knew her birthday was just around the corner.  Look at her excitement when she opened this gift from Aunt Kelly and Uncle Michael.......

Going along with the music theme, Grammy and G-Daddy got her this karaoke machine which she LOVED!  

Last but not least was this super cute Barbie bike from Nonie and Poppie!  Her very first one!

Finally, it was time for cupcakes and an official "happy birthday" song.  Kyndall and I had gone to Publix earlier in the week and I told her to choose any type of cupcake that she wanted.  She confidently declared to the nice lady in the bakery that she wanted "chocolate wif wainbow on top".  So, that's what we ordered......

Singing "Happy Birthday"

We ended the night with a performance by Kyndall and Aunt Kelly, followed by an extra late birthday bedtime!

Oh, I almost forgot.....She even got a happy birthday wish from her main man Mr. Cruz, by way of my Facebook page!!!!  How sweet!

It was a great day and even though we didn't have an official party this year, we still made plenty of sweet, lasting memories!  

I still can't believe that my baby is THREE years old!!!!!  How did this happen?  How did we get here so quickly??  If the previous three years have passed this quickly, how much faster will the next three fly by??  And the next.....and the next.....!  

Being Kyndall's Mommy has been one of the two most wonderful gifts that has ever been given to me, second only to being Matthew's wife.  She has opened my heart to a new kind of love that I never knew existed.  She has (at times) pushed me to my limits and made me want to pull my hair out, but she has also taught me about unconditional love and sacrifice.  She makes me laugh CONSTANTLY and fills my life with JOY.  I can't imagine my life without her and honestly, I can't remember what it was like before her.

And because I'm such a sap and I love comparison pictures, here's a little walk down memory lane in honor of her third year of life!

29 Weeks along with our sweet girl

My little 6 pound 5 ounce baby girl unexpectedly made her entrance into the world four weeks early!

My precious Grandparents, who drove through the night to Charleston, SC to see their Great Granddaughter born!  I will treasure this picture and that memory always!

First doctor's appointment at 3 days old

Playing dress up at one week old......

First Birthday Party!

FAVORITE picture EVER!!!

Second birthday party..........

When we returned to Jackson after the birthday festivities, she had her 3 year check up with her new doctor, Dr. Amy whom we already love after just one visit!!!  

Kyndall's stats were as follows.....

Weight: 28 Pounds (10th percentile)

Height: 3 feet (70th percentile)

Tall and skinny??  Who would've guessed it in this family?!

I posted this video on Facebook but it's pretty funny so I'm sharing it here as well.  Listen closely to Kyndall as she talks about her birthday and how old she is now.  We have never once told her to say this....yet she says it without a moment's hesitation every single time someone asks her how old she is.  

What happened to the baby from this video????.......

We are looking forward to seeing what this third year of life brings for our sweet girl, and also for us!  It seems that each new stage is even more fun than the one before so I'm excited to find out what challenges and adventures three brings us!  

We love you, Kyndall Anne Hughes!  Thank you for giving me three of the most wonderful years of my life thus far!