The Great Aloha Run! But first...

some pictures of my girls...
We had a really busy morning on Saturday. John had signed up to donate blood at 7:15 a.m. (they no longer like my blood, having lived in Germany during certain years). We loaded the whole family, watched John get drained, and then headed out to get some breakfast. After breakfast we went to a couple of stores to waste time and then headed over to where we thought MF's soccer pictures were to be taken.

Star playing on the blanket while we waited.

She really is a sweet and silly baby!

SO...we waited until about 5 min. after the time that everyone HAD to be there and then started to panic that we were in the wrong location. MF decided she REALLY needed to go to the bathroom so John drove her over to the gas station. I got the brilliant idea to check my emails I had loaded on my iPod for the location and found out that we were really supposed to be on the other side of the AF Base. UGH! So I loaded up Star, blanket, etc. and started walking in the direction of the gas station hoping that John would pick me up and I could let him know. As I approached the gas station, I saw the car was STILL there and was pretty mad that it had taken him so long and had figured he and Miss Fabulous were really playing around in the store and buying junk we don't need. I got to the car only to find him frantically searching it for the keys. Somehow the car key had come off and had fallen somewhere and he couldn't find it. GREAT! He finally asked someone inside and YES! someone had found it and turned it in. Well, to make a longer story not quite as long, we arrived well after the pictures were over, the photographer had left and the whole team was eating breakfast together at the nearby cafe. So, here are a couple of pictures I took:

And that's the end of THAT story.

Yesterday (President's Day) was the Great Aloha Run. 8.15 miles from the Aloha Tower to the Aloha Stadium. AloooooooHA! It was a beautiful day! MY day started with Star waking up around 3:30ish. John took over so I could sleep a little more but I was too excited! Around 4:45 I got up and got ready really quick and was out the door by 5:05. My friend Monique picked me up and we drove to the Stadium where we caught a bus to the Tower...er...a few blocks away from the Tower anyway. We walked down the the Pink zone (a.k.a. Slow people zone) and waited for the race to begin.

Waiting...waiting...

Just after the GAR started at 7 a.m. See all the people? About 30,000 people registered for this event (according to the numbers)!

Finally approaching the start line! We didn't actually make it to the start line until almost 7:30 and the announcer on the radio said they were expecting the first runner into the stadium at any moment! We stopped at Kmart shortly after the start for a "pit stop". We weren't about to wait in the huge long lines for the Port-a-pots. Miles 1 and 2 were super easy and somehow we missed the marker for mile 3.

Me...at mile marker 4. Half way!

Nearing mile marker 6. By this point we had passed a LOT of people but there were even MORE ahead of us.

Monique! Yes, she was still smiling after 6 miles!

Self portrait

Entering the Stadium for the finish line!

Here we are! Okay...move on quickly...next picture!

The finish line! 2.5 hours after we started!

Self Portrait again. So Hot! HAHAHA The flowers peeking over my shoulder are some I picked up along the way (the florist was handing out leftover Valentine flowers) for Miss Fabulous since she loooooves flowers.

After finishing, I picked up my shirt and went to find the medal that John had had me pre-order since this was my first event. After being sent from one worker to another, all over the stadium, I finally found someone who knew what I was talking about and who also informed me that they had "run out". WHAT? I was also informed that I could find the number to call online, and that they'd let me know when it was ready and I could go pick it up. No. They will be sending that sucker right to my door. Or they can give me my money back.

SO I finally call John, who was supposed to meet me at the finish line and take me home but since I hadn't seen him I figured he hadn't made it or saw all the cars and decided not to worry about it. Nope. He was waiting to see me come in still. So I said goodbye to Monique and walked around to the other side of the stadium again to find him. Once there, I realized that what he thought was the finish line and what was actually the finish line were two different things. He was back on the other side of the stadium. So I walked there and then we walked a few blocks to where he had parked the car.

I think after everything, I easily walked 10 miles.

The chalk board inside the locker room.

The stadium.
After we got home, I showered and decided I was VERY hungry! I had received in my GAR packet a $10 coupon for P.F. Chang's, so we went there for lunch!

Yum!

Double Yum! Now I know why their Mongolian Beef is their best seller!

After Lunch we went to see Tooth Fairy. SO cheesy! MF loved it!