This past Sunday I ran my first half marathon. To be honest, I’m still stuck in this feeling of being on top of the world! Months and months of training all led up to one race. The hours, the miles, the blood, sweat and tears of training all led up to that one moment of crossing the finish line. I crossed the line, hands in the air (making two thumbs up!), yelling “WOO!”. There was seriously no greater feeling. If you told me a year ago that I would have accomplished that, I would have said “No freaking way. You’re kidding.”

Running taught me so much more than how to be physically fit. The discipline of getting up every day and continuing to try harder, even when it hurts, is a lesson that will sit with me forever. It reminds me so much of what it is like to really love someone. I mean really love someone. Those runs where I just wanted to quit and turn around because my feet hurt so bad reminded me exactly what it was like to face hardship in a relationship. But what did I do? Continued on, despite the pain soreness, because I knew the harder I would try, the better I would become and the tougher my feet would be (yay, calluses) and the stronger my muscles would become. In this same way, we continue love even when it’s hard to. Months, days, years fly by and we continue to love and grow stronger in our relationships and surpass a level of love that we never thought was possible.

Ashley and Kurt have been loving each other for over five years. I’m not sure I have yet met a couple that is as devoted to one another as these two! I’m also not sure I have met a couple that has a better taste in music as these two do! Haha! Seriously! They love live music and jamming out just as much as I do. Their natural chemistry during our engagement session was simply contagious. The way they looked at one another, laughed together, and threw out endless movie quotes (Anchorman for the win) and played off of one another’s sense of humor was absolutely amazing. For years they having been “training” for that finish line moment when they say “I do” and they could not be more excited!

Even though I completed my first half I’m already looking towards the future for my next mountain to climb. The buck doesn’t stop here, folks! Though I have not experienced the gift of marriage quite yet, I would imagine this would be easily comparable to reaching that moment of “I do” and looking off toward the years of marriage that have yet to come. Even when your wedding night ends, there are SO many more exciting experiences ahead! I have no doubt that these two will continue to do amazing things together and accomplish so much as a married couple for many, many years!

If I could make a toast right now, I totally would! Raise your imaginary glass of champagne to this wonderful couple, my first half completed, and for making it count! Cheers!

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