PLEASE COME AND JOIN US!!!!!

Well…Navy’s due date came and went yesterday and still no Navy! I guess no one told her it was her due date!! We aren't sitting around fretting or upset though. We are just enjoying our one on one time with Dakota man until she decides to come!


I love my snuggles!!

We even took him to the Bear movie yesterday since she didn't come. We figured we will just keep partying and maybe it will make her jealous and she will want to come! ;)

I am pretty patient although Zach is getting a little frustrated since the weather has been so bad and rainy that he can’t work…he would love for her to come while he isn’t stressed in the middle of a job! ;) He is such a planner!!

Well…I am writing this post today…because I am already SOOOOO excited that the 2nd annual F2TK (Fight to the Finish) 5k race is getting closer and coming together!!



Last year was their first one and if you remember we did a Team Dakota!

My heart was so full of love and gratitude to each of you who came out and supported Team Dakota and this great cause!!! I wanted to hug and kiss each one of these sweet people!!!!

Now those of you who know me know I like to run and go to races!! BUT this race was BY FAR the BEST race I have EVER done hands down!! Not because of the course, or the competition, or the awards BUT because of the spirit of love and celebration that was there. I wouldn’t even call it a race…because there was no competition, there was no winner, no awards, nothing of the sort. Instead it literally brought tears to your eyes to see the swarms of people each in their different color shirts representing a different team and person that was SO worth representing! There was just LOVE in the air and it was the coolest feeling ever being there!! I can’t even put it into words…but those that were there ALL felt it and walked away a better person…I know that for sure!!!

They had an opening ceremony that really brought the true meaning of it all together. We released balloons of each color representing each team!



As you slowly jogged or walked the course you would pass by pictures of each person that the team was representing. Instead of being in a hurry to finish…I looked at each face in that picture and thought about that person…some I knew, some I didn’t. Those I didn’t I wondered what their story was and longed to know them. Those I did I smiled as I thought about their courageous fight in life and the example that they are to me!!

One of my most favorite people of course Dylan…I love that angel boy so much!!!!
Dakota was trying to sign I love you too! ;)

But of course to see my sweet Dakota man’s face on his own poster sure made my heart swell!!! He is my greatest example of Fighting to the Finish!!

Love that cute face SO much!!!!!

A team that struck me the most was yellow…I can’t remember their team name. But a young boy who was working on getting his Eagle Scout started this team. His goal was for each person on his team to push someone that was in a wheelchair. It melted my heart to see all of these kids like Dakota…who would LOVE to get up and run this race if they could…being pushed by loving hands!!

Dakota thought they were pretty cool too!!!

I can’t say enough good things about the AMAZING people behind this race who I love with all of my heart…one of the biggest Ann Smith who lost her sweet 14 year old boy to cancer. I have gotten the privilege of getting to know her more and more over this last year and man she is one of my biggest heroes!!!

This is Ann and her cute family!!!

I was so privileged to get to help even a TEENY TINY bit by helping pick up all the shirts for the race in Zach’s dump trailer…that’s how many shirts and people they had come!!

Me and Chelsea…my talented friend that designs all the shirts and does all this behind the scenes work all for free! She has a heart of gold!!


We delivered the shirts to Ann and Becky at 11 clock at night a couple days before the race. Instead of complaining and acting like what a pain this was going to be to get all of these shirts delivered…they were SOOOOO excited for them to arrive…even though it was 11 clock at night. They opened up each of the boxes and looked at each team and just went on and on about each of the teams and how wonderful they were! I marveled at the sincere goodness in these 3 woman…Ann, Becky, and Chelsea who were spending SO much time, work, and service into something that they personally didn’t gain anything from. They are some of the most AMAZING woman I know!!!

Ann puts in countless hours and work to out this race together to raise money for The Giving Trees organization that she started and continues to do in honor of her sweet son Tyler. ALL the money they raise from this race goes to creating more trees that she puts gift cards and money on to give to other kids and people that are facing life-threatening things. They bring a tiny ray of hope and light into the lives of these people who are facing unimaginable things!!!

I have been in that dark place and I can tell you that every gesture of love, kindness, and support that you receive from others makes a HUGE difference in helping you feel your Heavenly Father’s love for you and to help you get through!!!!

So…I’m calling all and everyone that can come..to join us again on AUGUST 9TH with Team Dakota to run or walk to celebrate and help this great cause move forward!!!! (It is the day before Dakota mans birthday so we will probably celebrate there with cupcakes or something…maybe make you where a birthday hat or something!!! ;))

Now until June 9th registration is $25. June 9th through July 9th it is $30 and June 9th is the deadline to join a team and get a Team shirt. I’m pretty sure that you can still register up until the day (for you procrastinators) but you won’t get to wear an AWESOME team Dakota shirt…you will get the race shirt which is still pretty awesome because it is Team Tyler!! ;)

To register go to this link and scroll to the bottom to where it says click to register. Find Team Dakota on the drop down. We look forward to seeing all your beautiful faces in our new team color this year…NAVY…for Dakota’s new sister!! ;)


Here is a collage of all the goodness of that magical day!!!!

Still makes my heart so happy to see and remember all of this goodness!!!!