i can't wait to see your face

I can't believe I did it. But I did. :) The experience was fantastic. The running, not my favorite...but you knew that anyway! I had to be on the bus at 4am...that's 1am in "the hood"...and when I got there, the line was super long. I met some wonderful ladies from a Ft. Lauderdale running/walking club. They were kind enough to let me tag along and two of them were in the same group I started with. There were soooooooooooo many women...and quite a few men as well...and most everyone was dressed in some kind of princess garb. Fireworks went off at the beginning of each running/walking group. The ladies from Ft. Lauderdale walked, but were sure to give me hugs before I ran away ;).
The run itself was harder than I expected it to be and I was thankful for the training I'd done in some of the hillier places. There were Disney characters positioned throughout the course which made for many photo opps along the way :) I decided that I wanted to enjoy the experience instead of worry about finishing in a certain amount of time...which was good since I'm a sucker for a photograph ;). I am unbelievably thankful for the prayers and encouragement of all my dear friends and family. My back only bothered me once which is a complete testament to your prayers for God's grace over me as I ran. I walked for a short time (less than .10 of a mile) somewhere between mile 10 and mile 11, because I was really tired. I was frustrated and I definitely felt like quitting. But in His mercy, Jesus came for me, as He always does and I was able to start running again. The last mile and a quarter felt like the longest mile and a quarter in my life, but I was definitely not willing to stop that close to the end. :)
So it's over. After some 3 hours 11 minutes and 17 seconds, I crossed the finish line. I feel so blessed to have made it to this point...and I'll be wearing my medal around for awhile ;). I ran the race and can't wait to get home to hug all the people who were praying for me...and if you're someone who prayed for me that I can't hug right away, know that I love you and am hugging you in my heart! I'll post an update from home with the final amount I'll be giving to the Rogers' for their adoption. I can tell you with certainty it's up to 4 figures :) and that...makes me very very excited!