I'm still alive....kinda!

Whew! It's been a busy couple of weeks!  It's been forever since my last post because of my hectic, hectic schedule!  Since my birthday post, I have celebrated the best birthday ever, had a little birthday brunch with the besties in my life, run in a 10 miler in the 85 degree weather at 2 pm in the afternoon (awful!), gone to yet another Will Hoge concert (love), spent the day with my sweet little momma money, traveled to Abingdon, Va for a great trip down the Creeper Trail, run in another half marathon (6 for the year!) and enjoyed another girl's night out with my favs from childhood! So....you can see the much needed whew at the beginning! On top of all of that, my schedule is beyond busy!  Cheer practice two mornings a week..one at 6.30 am and one at 7 am...tutoring twice a week...one am tutoring at 7 am and one in the afternoon at 3.45 pm...plus tumbling every day and helping Annie Bannie in Kingston one night a week...oh and don't forget all that running I do!  So...lot's going on! I will promise a good post this weekend!  I still have to survive this week with a little Halloween Dance at the school...costume! And the Race for the Cure with my cheerios! I will survive this!

Happy Birthday to Me!

Tomorrow marks my 29th birthday! 29!!!! What?  So, a brief look back at the last 29 years!

Sean and me soon after I was born.

My best friend, my mother!

This little journey of life started on October 6, 1981. I believe the story goes that I tried to be a couple of weeks early, but they all said no! So, I waited....I'm sure not patiently, because if anyone knows me, I don't think patient and Noelle really go hand-in-hand!  Sean's my only brother and/or sister...okay, he's not a sister, but I'm pretty sure at times I was a lot like a brother to him!  Girly did not describe me as a young tot. Mom and Dad were in their early thirties, super late twenties (Agh! Where I am right now!!! That honestly just hit me! I could have two children right now...um, no!  Not ready to give up my runs and naps just yet!)  Sean is/was four years older than me. Obviously he still is four years older than I am!  A great little family I was born in to! I don't really remember much as a "bebe" I'm sure it was great! Mammaw says I was a very happy baby, so we'll go with it!  

"Ralph" and his little sister!

So, Sean and I are were pretty much inseparable growing up, minus all those fights I would start! Of course, I was pro at starting a fight, throwing some punches, then crying and blaming the whole thing on him! Notice the "Ralph", side note on him (this can't all be about me!) Sean went through a phase (of about three years) believing and telling everyone that he was Ralph, the Greatest American Hero! NERD!  I had a great childhood, full of Disney trips, beach trips, many hours of gymnastics, dance classes, soccer, swim team, college at MTSU.  My parents have been amazing and the last 29 years have been great!

Disney World, 5 years old

Gymnastics, 12 years old, did this sport for 13 years!

Cheerleading, 18 years old

Mom and me at Disney, age 25

My family! Would not of made 29 without them!

Graduation, 18 years old

I have a GREAT life! My life is full! Full of family, friends, love, support, encouragement, everything anyone could want in life! It's been a journey to get here with lots of ups and downs, but it's been a really good journey. Some things I would love to not have happened, but without those things, you never know who you really, truly are!  I am in love with my life and I don't say that as a princess mantra!  Everything is just so full!  I have the most amazing people around me, have overcome a lot in the past few years and am living the life that I always dreamed of when I thought of myself as a 29 year old!  So here's to another 29, or really, let's just get to 30...that's going to be a crazy birthday! It's going to take me until then to get used to 29...I just realized that I am not 18 anymore! Thanks Mom and Dad, Sean, Mammaw and Pappaw, and all those people in my life that helped mold me and get me here!
  

Nashville Women's Half

Last Saturday I completed my fifth half marathon for the year!!!!  I ran in the Nashville Women's Half Marathon! It was great!  I was really anxious about this run...more so than any other!  A month before the marathon I had to take two weeks off because of knee pain.  The thought is that my miniscus is torn and needs to be cleaned up. So, good ole' Dr. Oros gave me a cortizon shot to get me through this marathon and the other two I have coming up! So, after my two week break, which was torture, I started running again! So hard! Do not take two weeks off right before a race!  I started with just 3 miles run every day and tried to do the longer distance runs on the weekends.  The Sunday before the race I ran ten.  They were not ten, no stopping miles, but they were ten!  I figured I would have to walk some and the 13.1 miles might be torture, but I was bound and determine to do it!  So, ten on Sunday, three on Monday thru Wednesday and a break on Thursday and Friday.  Carter and I took off for Nashville on Friday after work, went to packet pick up and expo.  We took in our usual road trip food....McDonald's! Nothing says big race like a McDonald's hamburger the night before! Ha!  Saturday morning, Carter dropped me off about a block from the start of the race. I walked to the start, where I was in the first corral, (um, excuse me, why am I in the first corral? Shouldn't I be more in the back? Interesting...gave me a little boost of confidence, but I'm pretty sure it was a mistake!  The kids who win are in the first corral, I'm just hoping that I make it through!)  I found Erin Wright Brown and Jenn Wade and we decided to run together, at least for a little while.  It was actually nice running with these two! I normally run by myself and enjoy that a lot, I really have to get in my zone when I run and forget everything around me, but it was great to gossip and catch up, at least for the first 7 miles! I decided I needed my music after mile 7, so I slacked off a little and put my headphones on and jammed out for the next 6!  The whole time I was really worried about my knee, my foot, my calf, whether I might kill over at any moment, if I was going to have to call Carter half way through in tears because I was in pain and couldn't do it, but no! This was a great run! I had NO problems and loved every minute of it! I ran without stopping, minus some water breaks and finished just a little over 2 hours!!!!!!  The hardest miles were 9-10 and then mile 12-about 12.5...they put a durn hill right there! Really? Who does that?  Great job girls, there you go running, you've done 12, you're almost done, but oh wait, let's put a hill that might kill you right here at the end, we would hate for you to think you were really almost done and it would be "down hill from here"! Agh!  I just looked at my cute little purple shoes and told myself there would be no stopping! I had made it this far and really didn't expect to, I was not stopping at 12.25!!!!! Technically speaking, you should be looking up when you run up a hill, it's not "proper" to run with your head down! But at this point, there was no "proper" running....just get done!  My favorite part of the run was down the street where all the honkey tonk bars are! So...made it through the horrible hill and finally saw the finish line!  As soon as I saw it, I ran like I was on speed! I took off! I had chills, I was so excited! I'm pretty sure that there was about 100 c.c.s of adrenaline running through me! I have never taken off like that at the end! It was a little crazy and I loved it!!!!  I really didn't expect to be bale to finish this race, I thought I would walk a lot and not be able to even run most of the miles!  Every new race I run becomes my favorite, but this one really was! It meant a lot to me, since once again, I probably shouldn't of been able to run in it!  I don't lose sight of that every time I run.  My doctor told me running would be out of the question after the car accident, I was lucky to walk...don't push it! But, here I am running A LOT!!!!  He now tells me he will never tell me I can't do something! He knows better!  Here's the only picture I have from the race! Me and Jenn at the end! Thanks Jenn!!!! Next up...Cookeville's Haunted Half October 23rd! Can't wait!

Right after we finished! I'm on the phone with Carter, trying to find each other! I've learned since Disney to always have my phone!