Goal Accomplished

In January, Amanda and I set out with the goal of running the Country Music Half Marathon in Nashville on April 28th. She was running to try to raise money for the mission trip that she and Steve are going on in June, but I was just running to be a partner..and hey what else should I do since I had already met my last year goal of losing 20 lbs. We trained as best as we could with some crazy schedules between the two of us. We spent this past week so stinking nervous, but we weren't going to let our heads get the best of us. Sam and Steve also ran the half too! We got up before the sun on Saturday morning and headed to Nashville. We learned a very valuable lesson of always try to be somewhere early and to check gear before leaving the house. We got to Nashville when Sam realized his race number was at home. We went back home, but made it back to Nashville with plenty of time load the bus and head over to the starting line. It was definitely a day of firsts. It was the first time I had ever been on public transportation, used a porta-potty more than one time in a day, and completed the half marathon! Let it be known that I have met my limit of porta-potties for awhile. :) We all started together, but soon the boys carried on ahead while we kept our pace. We had fun along the way even though our bodies were wearing down the closer we got to the finish. We finished under our goal, but next year we want to beat our time! I cannot describe the feeling of crossing that finish line knowing that I was accomplishing a goal that I had been working toward since January! Sam and Steve waited for us at the finish and met us as we crossed! We hugged it out and congratulated each other and then made our way through the crazy crowd of snacks, water, pictures, and everything else! They really just need to make a spot where people can crash! My parents came to support us at mile 6 which was AWESOME! Amanda's sister, Candy, and the girls were also cheering us on at mile 12. It was great to have people there cheering specifically for us! Such a great feeling! On the bus heading over to the starting line!

This is the starting line. There were SO many people!

The dynamic foursome at the start!

Over halfway there...still smiling!

Adding to the Family

How many people thought this was a baby announcement? HAHAHA Oh I have way to much fun with this cause that was totally my intent! :) Well it's not what you think. Sam and I are not the ones that have added to the family. This weekend the TN Shrewsbury's along with the McGuire's made our way to West Virginia to see a Shrewsbury be added to the family. That's right. There is another Shrewsbury walking around. Sam's cousin Alex got married to a very sweet girl named Kayla this weekend. This was the first time that many of the TN folk had met her.
It was a small wedding with close family and friends, but it was great getting to see and spend time with everyone. We went to the rehearsal dinner to munch on some good Italian food. Sam went on to the rehearsal, while I took an adventure with Gina and the girls to Walmart. It was definitely an adventure! :) Those two girls crack me up!
The next day we went to the wedding, followed by a lunch for the reception. Living up to what I have learned about West Virginia family, there was tons of food to eat!





After sending Kayla and Alex on their merry way complete with bubbles,

the family left behind met up at a local park to hang out with each other and of course eat more food! The leftovers were fed to the ducks by Samantha and Calyn.





It was a fast weekend, but it was great getting to see the West Virginia family. We look forward to going back and seeing everyone again when we can actually sit around and play Scrabble! :)

Easter

This year for Easter, we got together with the Claud family. This was the first Easter for Boone, so we all gathered at Regina and Mike's house for lunch. It was a relaxing afternoon with talking, laughing, and a little golf in the mix. Before everyone went their separate ways, we took a few pictures together. These turned out a little better than our Christmas family pictures! :)