Forever and a Day

It has been FOREVER since I posted on this blog.  Lots has been going on during the hiatus.
     1. My co-teacher left so I have been teaching 5 classes (normal load is 3).
     2. I have been mentoring 24 groups of students as they teach in local classrooms.
     3. I have still been involved heavily in several professional organizations.
     4. I have been working to promote the World Elite Pageant System as Mrs. World Elite.
     5. AND I do still have a family who I get to see every once in awhile!

Kiddo #1 is engaged!  We are so excited for her and for our soon to be son-in-law.  They are planning the small wedding and kiddo #1 and I will be looking for her a dress soon.  Shopping!!

Future son-in-law planned out a great place to ask AND even had a photographer at the ready.  This is a relationship we wish to last Forever and a Day.

Kiddo #2 is working hard at college and following the Razorbacks - as always.  Civil engineering is a tough major with lots of projects so kiddo #2 has basically moved into the engineering center and goes back to his apartment to shower occasionally.

Kiddo #2 did take time out to hike Pinnacle with me one weekend when he was home.  This is the kind of memory that will last Forever and a Day.

Bestie is in his slow season right now.  Meetings will begin after the beginning of the year and he will be gone a lot then, but it is nice to have him around for awhile.  We go on lots of walks and he has dinner waiting on me most of the late nights I have been putting in at UALR.  He is truly a bestie!

Us at Hillcrest Harvest Fest - we've hit a lot of the local festivals this year and created memories for Forever and a Day

So life is still going on.  The nest is still empty (most of the time).  We are enjoying each other and doing fun stuff to 'stay young'.  We all have a lot to be thankful for during this season of Thanksgiving.  Look around and find something for which you are thankful and share those thanksgivings with others.  Don't let a turkey dinner be your only time to say thanks for what you have.  Be thankful Forever and a Day!

Being a Princess at the Princess 1/2

A chance to be a princess for a weekend?  Count me in!  When my cousin, Michelle Luebbering, contacted me about the Disney World Princess 1/2 Marathon and 10K, I knew I couldn't say no.  A trip to Disney, a girls weekend, and a chance to escape the winter of Arkansas for the summer of Florida were all too much to resist so I got a pink tutu, a plane ticket and headed south for winter break fun.

The weather in Florida was perfect!  Sunshine!  Warm temperatures! Low humidity!  Yippee!  I already felt like a new woman when I didn't need a jacket to get from the airport to the car.  Michelle and I stayed with her friends, Brina Hartman and Amy Guimond at a condo not on the Disney property, but within easy driving distance.  Brina and Amy were coming off a series of 6 half marathons in 6 states in 5 days.  These are some serious runners, so I was a little intimidated to meet them but they were fantastic and we made friends easily.

Over pizza on Friday night we hashed out our plan of attack for the 10K the next morning.  With the race starting at 5:30 a.m. and there being over 20,000 people in the race, we decided to leave early to get to Epcot with plenty of time and little stress.  A 2:00 a.m. wake up call??  I smiled and said, "Sure!" but I was not thinking happy thoughts.

Amy Guimond, Me, Michelle Luebbering, Brina Hartman at 4:30 a.m. and we ARE SMILING!

Michelle and I were in corral E so it was 45 minutes before we even got to the start line since the race lets off a corral, waits a few minutes, lets off another corral, and so on in an effort to control foot traffic on the course.  That's how many people are in this race.

 

And we are FINALLY off!

We had decided we would each run our own race at our own pace for the 10K so I started my slow jog to warm up and then picked up the pace a little.  The road was CROWDED and I had to pay attention and do a lot of weaving to find open places to actually set a pace.  I obviously wasn't the only one concentrating to find open road.  I noticed the only sound to be heard was the sound of hundreds of tennis shoes on sandy pavement.  It was beautiful.  What made it even more beautiful was the fact that several other runners seemed to notice the same sound I was and we were all hesitant to disturb this perfect sound, this shared experience of nirvana.  Sadly, some runners from the back begin to push through and the moment was lost as a chorus of "Excuse me" and "Coming through" disturbed the serenity that is so often found when running alone but rarely when running in such a large group.

 

All along the course are different Disney characters.  At the location of the Frozen characters it was actually 'snowing'!

The 10K course leaves Epcot, runs along the freeway and then enters Epcot from the back at China.  At this point, it actually started to get light outside which made running a little easier.  I had a good pace and didn't feel tired.  The air was a perfect temperature and humidity and there were characters and Disney employees waving at us along the route and shouting encouragement so it was more like a 10K party than a race.

 

 I didn't stop to get pictures with Disney characters along the route because the lines were 15 - 20 people long for most pictures and I wanted a decent time for my first 10K, but I HAD to stop right before the finish line to get my picture with my Fairy Godmother.

The time showing in the back was not my time because it took us 45 minutes to even get to the starting line.  When I got to the finish, my timer was at 1:31, then I stood in line to get my picture with Fairy Godmother before actually crossing the finish line.

So day 1 of the Princess Weekend (a 10K) was done.  Now time to sit by the pool, nap, relax and get ready for the 1/2 marathon on the following day.

I mean, really, how cool is this for a water slide at the pool?  And the temperature, in the 80's.  Yeah, I came home with a tan!

Day 2 of the weekend brought the challenge of a 1/2 marathon.  I was not that sore after the 10K.  Must be all the liquids consumed at the pool during 'recuperation'.  It was another early morning since the race began at 5:30 again and there was a 2:30 a.m. wake up call.  This race had just over 26,000 registered.

This is just a small fraction of the porta potties scattered along the race route.  Each of these has a line about 20 people long, but notice all the tutus!

For the 1/2 marathon, Brina, Michelle and I decided to race together.  This time it took 1 hour to reach the starting line - yes, 1 hour!

 

Again, there were lots of characters along the route but no time to stop for pictures with the lines 20 - 30 people long for most picture stops.  Also, once you stop it is hard to start again, especially in a 1/2 marathon distance race.  I had anticipated the race being all in Epcot and then Disney World, but most of this race is actually on the freeway connecting these two parks so it gets a little boring.  Thank goodness the characters and music kept us occupied on this early, FOGGY morning.

FINALLY!

After leaving Disney, it is back to Epcot.  Disney World is NOT the halfway mark so there was still a lot of ground to cover and we started hoofing it pretty good because it was back out on the freeway again.

 The last mile!!

Done!  As the medal says, now I am a princess!!

Two races, two days, two medals and two new friends!

What a great girls weekend opportunity.  If you are a runner, this is definitely one of those races you should put on your bucket list.  Several charities benefit from the proceeds of the race, the course is flat and allows you to visit Epcot and Disney World, it would be a great opportunity for a girls weekend or a family trip so I recommend it to everyone.

Bestie's take on the race:  He didn't go!  He spent the weekend on his Harley in the Arkansas Ozarks and took the kiddos to dinner.  When we got to see each other on Sunday night, we got to share our adventures and a nice glass of wine. We had had fun apart but were ecstatic to be back together again and rejoice in each others accomplishments as we continue our life after children - older, wiser, better.

World Elite Pageant - An Earth Shaking Experience

If you don't know by now, I have a hobby that some people find strange for a woman of my advanced years.  I like to compete in pageants.  I know.  I am married.  I am 49 years old.  I have two adult children.  My days of competing in pageants should be over, but why do they have to be?  I am more than just wife, mother, teacher.  I am also Kelly and so I ventured to Columbia, South Carolina to compete in the World Elite Pageant.

Kiddo #1 and I had decided to compete in the Mother/Daughter part of the pageant AND compete individually.  She would fly out of Fayetteville, AR and we would meet in Atlanta and then fly together to Columbia.  Well, best made plans and all that.  Because of the bad weather in Atlanta and the eastern coast, there were no planes in Fayetteville so Delta cancelled her flight.  After being on the phone for 1 hour, Kiddo #1 finds a flight out of Fort Smith, which was then cancelled.  Finally she finds a flight out of Tulsa and made it to Columbia about supper time.  So far the weekend looks like it will run smoothly......right?

Pageant weekend is all about getting prepared and staying focused.  Friday night was an informal meet and greet with the other contestants who had arrived at the hotel.  Only a few of the contestants could make it to the meet and greet session because of all the travel delays but, of course, we had to take pictures.

 

After the meet and greet, it was time for some beauty rest before the long pageant day ahead.  The fault lines in South Carolina had another idea.  I was almost shaken out of the bed by this quake. 

So, with the World Elite Pageant already rocking my world, it was time to get the pageant underway!  Early morning rehearsals were quickly followed by the mid-day pageant which included Mother/Daughter, Photogenic and Talent competitions.  This was a FAST paced part of the pageant day so I didn't get pics of Kiddo #1 and I in our red gowns competing in Mother/Daughter since talent followed that closely and Kiddo #1 needed to get changed and stretched out for her dance.  I sang "St. Louis Blues" (ala Lencola Sullivan) and had a wonderful time.  Although we didn't win Mother/Daughter, I did win talent in my division and Mrs. Elite Ambassador (based on an essay written about my marriage to Bestie - this is a lifetime title!) and Kiddo #1 won the Community Service Competition.  Now the pressure was off because we would NOT be going home empty handed!

The afternoon pageant ran long, so it was a rush back to the hotel for interviews.  The interviews are one on one with each judge and last 4 minutes each.  It was very much like the interviews in the International Pageant system so we felt pretty confident.

With interviews behind us, we only had two more phases of competition to do Saturday night - self expression in style and evening gown.  We got a quick rest and then back to the Scottish Rite Center for the pageant.  The theme was "Olympics" and the opening number was to wear winter clothes and wave flags from various countries competing in the winter Olympics.  Kiddo #1 and I kept it simple.  Remember, we flew to the pageant and you are charged to check bags now, so we wanted to get the most out of our wardrobe and fur coats take up A LOT of space in a suitcase!!

The self expression in style part of the competition is like a runway modeling competition but you have to write the commentary that goes with your walk and explain why the outfit you are wearing shows your style.  Kiddo #1 related her dress to dance and I talked about how I had created the gown I was wearing by spreading out the fabric on the floor of the fabric store and cutting around it.  Yes, I actually sewed that dress.  I do have a BSE in Home Economics, I just don't like to use it.

 

This was actually fun!  Kiddo #1 and I were relaxed and having a great time.  The pageant was fast but not crazy fast so there was time to change but not time to get bored.  Next was evening gown and we were ready to rock it with gowns from Laine Berry and The Royal We.  Brooke's gown was designed by Laine in 2007 and still is a fantastic gown.  Mine came from The Royal We in Conway, AR where I was treated like a queen.

All the scores were in and it was time for crowning.  As in many pageants, there was time to fill while the auditors added up all the scores.  We had time to get a few pics backstage.

Some of my U.S. United and now World Elite pageant sisters - Laura Smith and Vicki Hedgecock West

Well, when the results were announced, here is what happened:

Brooke (aka - Kiddo#1) won self expression for her division

I won evening gown and self expression for my division

Brooke won Miss World Elite

I won Ms. Woman World Elite

THEN:

Brooke won Miss World Elite Champion (highest point total of all unmarried contestants)

I won World Elite Grand Supreme (highest point total of ALL contestants)

Wow, just WOW!!!

We didn't want to go home empty handed and we were definitely not!  This picture does not show it, but we got nice glass bowls for all the prelim wins, beautiful glasses for our division wins and huge glass bowls for the champion and supreme wins.  Our first question was, "How are we going to get all this home?" and that was before we saw the enormous gift bags we also got full of GREAT products and clothing.  Oh, don't worry, we found a way to fit it all in.  That's how we pageant girls do!

Brooke Chaney, Miss World Elite Champion

Christy Passoth, Ms. World Elite Champion

Me, World Elite Grand Supreme

This was a great weekend, even if we had not won so many awards and gifts.  The other contestants were very kind and I felt like we were just a bunch of girls having a fun girls weekend.  It is so refreshing to meet other women who just like doing pageants without all the cattiness that sometimes is associated with the pageant circuit.  Tamara Harvey is a great director and I encourage anyone interested in getting involved in pageants to check out the World Elite website.

Many thanks to Bobbi Burg and Laura Smith for their wonderful encouragement and to Starr Dawkins for doing a fantastic job on our hair and makeup.  I definitely felt like a queen.

How does Bestie feel about this?  He is pretty proud to be married to a pageant chick with such a big crown.  Yes, to him size does matter.  He does get shy when I ask him to take pics of me all the time at various events, but he still does it.  He even carries my crown and banner for me sometimes.  Just call him "Prince World Elite" or maybe "Court Jester" would be a more fitting title!

Who Needs a Stinkin' Gallbladder Anyway?

Some things are just associated with getting older - wrinkles, drooping body parts, and things getting out of whack.  I have always refused to get older.  I eat my vegetables, I exercise, I wear heavy duty moisturizer for goodness sake!  But all that could not keep me safe from something I always associated with older people - gallbladder problems. 

I tried to play it off cool.  I said my gallbladder was 'stoned, man'.  I joked it was caused by all the wild times I had in college.  But the reality of the matter slapped me in the face. I am now 49 and my gallbladder has decided to riot against me, so after several sleepless nights spent sitting on the couch in pain, I had to banish that enraged organ from my body.

Bestie came to the rescue and forced me to go to our family doctor who then referred me to a specialist who then said, "Surgery!"  The doctor was named Osam, but pronounced AWESOME.  How could I not have a great experience with a doctor named Awesome??

So I head in to the hospital after not eating or drinking since midnight.  Surgery is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. and they start all the required pre-surgery mumbo jumbo.  I change out of my clothes into the designer hospital gown provided and experience the refreshing breeze up my backside since these gowns are designed for minimum coverage of the booty.  Why did I even worry about what underwear I wore to the hospital?  All anyone saw was the gown, which I must say was NOT in my color scheme.

My veins are small because I am now dehydrated so they blow out a vein in my hand before going for the big one in my arm.  Ok, IV finally in, check.  Now we need a blood thinner to guard against blood clots (old person now, remember?).  The blood thinner can't go in the IV.  It has to go in the fat of either the tricep or inner thigh and stings likes a hornet.  At least I have plenty of fat in both those areas for the nurse to use for her evil deeds and who doesn't love a hornet sting every now and then??  Blood thinner done, check.

Now let's add insult to injury.  Since it is in my records that I vomited ONE TIME while under anesthesia I now have to take anti-nausea medicine.  This medicine actually makes me nauseous!  Another shot and a patch behind my ear and I am dizzy and sick to my stomach and not enjoying my hospital visit anymore.  Is it too late to just go home?  Nausea medicine administered, patient now ill, check.

Bestie was the perfect nurse.  He talked on the phone, read seed guides, answered emails all while telling me I would be fine and giving me cool cloths for my head.  Finally the nurse came in with a sedative and I could have kissed her.  Where was this magic potion 1 hour ago??  Sedate me THEN do your evil deeds.  Why torture me first?  Now seeing Easter Bunny talking with the Tooth Fairy, high as a kite, check.

A ride down the hall, a few deep breaths in the oxygen mask and the next thing I know I wake up in recovery to loud noises and lots of pain.  Morphine!!!  Now!!!  Thank you, Janene.  You morphine goddess.  You sweet angel of mercy.  My new best friend.  Keep the pain killers coming and no one gets hurt.

I only had four small poke holes - 1 at my belly button (goodbye belly button ring), 1 just below my sternum, and 2 under my right breast.  Amazing they can pull an organ out such a small opening.  Amazing that such small openings can cause such a disruption to your daily life!

So now I am gallbladder free and as sore as a boxer who has taken one too many body blows.  The kiddos have gone back to college and Bestie is taking advantage of the good weather to ride his bike non-stop so I am enjoying the lovely weather while wrapped in a blanket in my backyard as I focus on not laughing or doing anything that causes my belly muscles to contract (coughing, sneezing, getting up and down, turning over in bed, etc.).  Just another indication of getting older but also of getting wiser.  I don't HAVE to be out running or biking right now.  I do HAVE to listen to my body saying, "Hold on little missy.  You are NOT ready to do THAT yet."

I have time to enjoy just being me and looking at this recuperation time as an opportunity to enjoy life at a slower pace as I readjust back to life with an empty nest - oh, and a missing gallbladder.