Sixth State Success

{ Sixth State Race. }

My goal is still far from being reached, but that doesn't stop me from continuing on towards my 50 by 50.

When Tim travels for work I usually check local races for the area to see if any of them could potentially coincide with his schedule.

The I Am Second Run was an hour away from the job site and the details of finding sitters for the kids worked out perfectly. I quickly registered us both for this race and organized the hand off of the kids in order for the weekend to be pulled off with success.

Tim has been in and out of Dallas-Fort Worth working on a large project so I knew when I went down with him I would be a bit on my own. This is no problem for me as I like to explore...and with no kids SLEEP IN! Funny thing is when you have the chance it never happens as you wish. My body was awake by six am and ready for coffee once my eyeballs opened.

As for the race I requested one thing; NO WALKING. My Love is not a runner so asking for him to run with me and then to push himself to run with a smile on his face was not only speaking my language, but a huge ask physically. I was so incredibly proud that he ran the entire race and had gas in the tank to even sprint to the finish line. I'm not expecting a trend to start anytime soon. Happy to have ran this race with him and also to have our own I Am Second in our personal lives as Jesus truly has given us a second start to life.

{ Always running for my sister and others in the fight. }

{ Proof that we finished! }

Once we got back to the hotel, I quickly cleaned up and then headed to Waco where I had the chance to visit Magnolia Market; better known as the Fixer Upper Silos. I was fully prepared to go by myself when another employee spoke up with his excitement for Chip and Jojo. Ian and I took to I-35 and found the Silos where he left me to do my thing. Oh boy, this place is awesome. Unfortunately, the line for the bakery was around the corner long so I eyeballed and drooled over the sweet treats others were walking out with instead of enjoying myself. The grounds are beautiful with nothing but hospitality greeting you. Families playing soccer, volleyball or siting at the picnic tables having lunch in the center courtyard. Food trucks around the outside property lines offering coffee, lunch and other sweets. The garden in all it's whimsical state was inviting to enter and have a look around. The old barn crowded with men and women checking out the sales on site. Inside the main building is where all the fuss is about displays, Christmas decorations and shirts stating Demo Day. It's a good thing I only brought a small suitcase because I could have gone crazy here! There was indeed a few small items that did make it home with me.

{ 2191.2 miles from Lynden & 1416.3 from L.A. although Ian originates from England. }

On the way back we stopped at the Stockyards to have a look around searching for boots. The dutch in me stopped at looking only as this was the real deal. Turns out that during the day the cattle still run down the street in the Stockyards. It was here I saw the real cowboys with everyone in boots, some carrying open beer bottles down the street and most wearing hats. I wish I took a picture but it slipped my mind.

The funny thing is this...Tim had the idea that I would come home with a new pair of boots to strut with summer dresses and denim. To my delight, the only thing I came home with was new Christmas pillows that are currently being shipped home. The day before he had arranged for another customer to take me shopping for these talked about boots. Donna introduced me to a new store which is where the exchange of boots to pillows came into play. Shopping with a complete stranger, driving me around the area and not knowing if we'd get along was a little uneasy, but once I met Donna I realized we would be just fine. Donna is as Texas as it gets calling everyone Sugar, Sunshine or Honey.

Later that day we met up with the crew for dinner where we shared many laughs together.

Overall, my weekend of running and relaxing was a success. Seeing firsthand the project that is underway, meeting new friends and having some fun walking around was exactly what I needed.

Mom and Dad survived the weekend too with all four blessings giving them reason to nap possibly for a few extra hours this week.