Faith's first spaghetti!

I posted some pictures of "The Spaghetti Experiment" on Facebook, but for those of you (my mom) who don't drink the Kool-aid, you can view them by clicking on those underlined, red words.

As a bonus to those who have suffered through the 98 posts that is this blog (maybe 99, I didn't use a calculator) I thought I would provide an extra "never-before-seen" picture for your viewing pleasure.

After Faith finished her spaghetti, I wiped her arms and face down so she didn't look like she tried to apply bronzer while drunk. I noticed that she was wet, so I removed her diaper. Not wanting to put another one on before I gave her a bath in five minutes, I placed her in her dad's lap while I took my last few bites of spaghetti. You can see where this is going...naked baby + one unsuspecting dad = Rob peed his pants.

This is his "I'm not amused" face.

Just kidding. He didn't, although Billy Madison says you ain't cool unless you do. Well, consider Faith Miles Davis.

My Last Dam Update (until next year)

"I have no desire to do anything that ends in a K." -Summer Evans

The above quote came after I tried, very unsuccessfully, to convince my friend and college roomie how much fun it is to run a race, ie a 5K, 10K or 20K like Dam to Dam. "You feel like you're a part of something really special," I argued. She wasn't picking up what I was putting down.

But my feelings were only reinforced as I watched hundreds of runners cross the finish line on Saturday.
-one girl in her late teens drug her friend across
-a man with a shirt that said "blind dude" smiled as his guide led him across
-a dad and daughter held hands as they stepped across
-a man in a wheelchair pushed a loved one across
-a girl puked up some yellow Powerade as she ran across (just in case this was getting too mushy)
-a woman cartwheeled across

Some sprinted, some limped and others raised their hands in victory, savoring the moment. It was an awesome experience to be a part of and that was just the 20 minutes I watched.

I also saw our friends Ben and Amy cross the finish in sub two hours, which is amazing by the way. And then I saw a bright yellow shirt in the distance. As my husband ran by at 2:11:59, I tried to cheer, but my voice got caught it my throat. I was so choked up I could barely muster a "GO ROB!" I was and am SO PROUD (for all you Paul Rhoads groupies out there) of him. And everyone who crossed the finish line that day. Whether they crossed at one hour or three, it's an impressive accomplishment to run 12 + miles.

Go Rob!

As for me, I survived the 5k (this post isn't being ghostwritten is it?). My foot didn't hurt as bad as I thought. My lungs hurt worse than I thought. And the beer was mighty tasty afterward. All in all, I was very happy with my decision.

The date for next year's race is June 2 - our 5-year wedding anniversary. I told Rob I would wear a veil and he could sport a top hat and we'd hold hands as we crossed the finish line. My very sore and tired husband's reply: "I thought you wanted to go to Hawaii for our 5-year wedding anniversary."
My response: "I guess Des Moines will have to do."

p.s. Please pray for one of the Dam to Dam runners, a man named Josh Brungardt, who collapsed from heat stroke with the finish line in his sight. He continues to improve at a hospital in Des Moines, but the saddest part of his story is that his family became terrified as they waited for him to cross the finish line and he never came. I cannot imagine how scary that would be. Rob ran with his iPhone so was able to call us immediately after he finished, but this man was running alone with nothing to show emergency contact info. The family is working with Dam to Dam to put that info on the race bibs next year and I completely agree. No one should have to go through that again. Please keep Josh and his family in your thoughts and prayers...

Dam(n)

It's 6:06 a.m. on Saturday, June 4 (oh wow, I'm turning into my dad). I've been wide awake since 4:44 a.m. You see, I'm not supposed to be sitting here at a computer. I'm supposed to be on a bus headed to Saylorville to run Dam to Dam today. But God had other plans. So did the softball that hit me directly on top of the foot four weeks ago.

After initially being told it was broken, the doctor (and I use that term loosely) called back eight hours later to tell me another radiologist reviewed it and read it as "normal." If only my foot felt normal. I tried to run once, about 2.2 miles to be exact, and the entire run my thoughts went back and forth from, "Yeah, this isn't so bad...I could totally still do Dam to Dam," to "Sweet baby J, make the pain stop."

Lots of tears were shed these past few weeks as my brain slowly came to the conclusion that a 12.4 mile race probably wasn't the best long-term decision for my foot. My ego doesn't agree and still isn't talking to me. I asked several friends for advice prior to today. One, who knows me better than anyone in the world, told me just to try the 20k and see what happened. She doesn't wish pain upon me (at least I hope you don't Ericka) but she said I wouldn't be satisfied running just the 5k or cheering Rob on from the sidelines (probably true, though I am very excited for Rob). Others told me just to skip the whole thing. The thought of that just gives me a case of the Bummers.

It wasn't until yesterday at packet pickup that I finally decided....drumroll please...to run the 5k. I can walk if the pain gets to be too unbearable and still finish, rather than realizing somewhere in the middle of miles 7-8 that I made the worse decision of my life. I remember how difficult the Lincoln half marathon was in 2009 and I was injury free and in shape. Did I mention I've run once in the last four weeks? Probably not the best training regimen if you're about to embark on a 12 mile journey.

The good news is I will get to see Rob finish before my race starts at 9:45. I'm so proud of him for all his hard work in preparation for today. He hasn't stuck to a strict running schedule, but he's one of those annoying, natural-abilitied people who can just go out and run a 20k without batting an eye. If he's reading this while waiting for the race to start (gotta love iPhones) good luck dear!

Who knows how I'll feel at the end of the 5k and in all reality, who cares at this point. Eventually my foot will heal and there will be other Dam(n) races.