Friday evening, Dane came home after picking up Emma from gymnastics. They took longer to get home than I expected, so I figured he grabbed something to eat with her afterwards... When they came home, they had a surprise for me... They registered the entire family for a 5K the next morning. Now...it's important to me that you all understand that I can easily walk/jog a 5K (and more). For reasons not easily understood, the very thought of doing a 5K in front of people watching and cheering makes me absolutely anxious and panicky... I did not want to do this. The 5K was to support "Shirley's Angels" (for more info, http://www.shirleysangels.org/), which helps support breast cancer survivors. It's definitely a cause I'm interested in supporting, but I still Do. Not. Want. To. Do. This.
On Saturday morning, I prayed that the alarm would not go off and we would miss the race. No luck. I dragged my feet as long as I could and then I finally got myself dressed and ready. Once we found a parking spot, we started walking towards the starting area. Emma and I were walking together, and Jake and Dane were walking together. I started feeling extremely panicky and felt like I was hyperventilating... tears were streaming down. I could not handle this. I had to stop. Emma ran up to tell Dane that I was crying. I don't know how long it took, but I was able to calm myself down a little and we started walking toward the starting area again.
Once we got to all the tents, I had to go find a spot to sit. Emma and Jake came up to me to give me some pink beads and a "Survivor" sash. Ugh. Bring on the tears...again. Dane came to sit with me. He felt horrible. He had no idea. He truly thought that this would be a fun morning. I felt like a complete basket-case, and I hate that Dane's plan turned out so crummy.
The race began, and we all started walking. We sent Jake and Emma on--told them that they should actually race--and they did. Dane and I walked together. By the end of mile 1, we were chatting again. I was feeling better. By the end of mile 2, I put that stupid sash on. By the end of the race, I was feeling much better.
Shortly afterwards, we ate breakfast and then went home, Dane headed to Highlands for a playoff soccer game (which they won!) and I took a 2 hour nap. I
Took Jake to his baseball game, and then afterwards, we headed to the pool, where we met up with Emma's friend and her mom. The kids swam for a couple of hours and then Emma went to her friend's house for a sleepover (so they could plan their talent show dance...). Jake and I headed out for some ice cream and then went home.
This morning, we all met up with Emma and her friends for breakfast. I got to hear all about their dance and how it all came together. Sounded like they all had a blast--although they all had that exhausted look in their eyes!
We headed out to Jake's tennis match (which took forever) and then came home. We were home just enough time to pack our swim bag and get ready to go to the pool. About 5 minutes before we left, a friend called and said that they had had a barbecue and had a lot of stuff left. She wanted to know if we wanted to come over to pick up some leftovers to take to the pool with us. Sounded pretty good to me (they make some pretty amazing BBQ!).
When we pull up to their driveway, I notice a huge sign in the yard... I stop the van, read the sign, and look at Dane. "Did you know about this??" He says yes... He says keep driving. When I pull all the way up, there are a ton of people in the backyard. All my friends. Amazing. Wonderful. Overwhelming. I almost cried.
After eating and visiting with everyone, Dane starts with a speech thanking everyone for all of their heart-felt support. He explains that we are going to take all of the bras that people have brought and burn them in the bonfire! The first ones to go were me, Jake, and Emma. It was crazy. Then, one by one, volunteers came up to the clothesline, grabbed a bra and said such nice things about me. This is when I lost it. It was tough! Dane even got teary-eyed.
It was such an amazing surprise. I feel so honored. I feel so lucky to have such wonderful friends in my life.
Dane, you are my hero. I love you more than I can explain.
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