I haven’t posted in over a week! So unlike me. But I’ve been out there experiencing life in big, beautiful gulps and it’s been exhilarating (although just  a tad exhausting, in all the right ways;).

I was reminded this week of the quote from Jackie Robinson:

“Life is not a spectator sport. If you’re going to spend your whole life in the grandstand, just watching what goes on, in my opinion, you’re wasting your life.”

Well, I was a participant in a big way this past week and I have the amazing memories (and some great pictures) to show for it!

First up was our family trip to Ft. Walton Beach, FL. We’d never been, even though it is the preferred beach getaway of most of our friends, and it did not disappoint! Sugar sand beaches, lovely restaurants and shops, and amazing weather. Oh, and parasailing! That was a first.

We stayed at the Fairfield Inn and Suites on Oskaloosa Island and although normally on beach trips I like to rent a condo (so we have a kitchen) this was a GREAT choice. literally right on the sand, this brand new hotel had a lovely hot breakfast every morning and a very kind staff. The location was ideal as we could walk or take a short drive down to the Boardwalk with great shops and restaurants (the Crab Trap was a particular favorite).

We got home late Thursday and I had to quickly repack both myself and one of my kids! He was headed on a church mission trip to Albuquerque, NM, and I was headed to Boulder, CO, for the Skirt Sports Ambassador Retreat and the 13er!

I have so many words about this weekend that I’m going to have to self edit here to keep this from being a novel, but I was not only blown away by my amazing new Skirt Sports sister,s but after touring the Headquarters in Boulder I’m even more in love with the brand.

Throughout the course of the 2 day Ambassador Retreat, Nicole DeBoom (Skirts Sports founder) talked to us about everything from her story, to product development, to how they tour the factories in Asia where the clothes are made to ensure that the workers are in a safe and properly compensated environment (that’s ALWAYS a big deal to me!).

Skirt is run like a big family even though it’s a growing and successful business and I love that business model! I would buy the products no matter what (because they fit me so well and work) but I wouldn’t be an ambassador if I didn’t also believe in the vision and mission of the organization. I was reaffirmed on all counts!

(DON’T FORGET! You can always use the discount code SSRPM20 for 20% OFF EVERYTHING AT SKIRT SPORTS! I may or may have done a bit of shopping myself while I was there;)

The race itself was AMAZINGLY BEAUTIFUL and also INCREDIBLY CHALLENGING for me. The altitude and big hill really got to me (the big hill, by the way, was named the “bad relationship” by my friend, Sandy, and it works. It’s a bad relationship, get over it;). More on that in a separate post later in the week

I got to hang out with my BRF, Sara, and we had an amazing time catching up for our 2 plus hours of running and then afterwards at brunch. So grateful for her!

Such an amazing week. I travelled by car and plane, saw multiple states, and went from ocean to mountains. I met new friends, connected with old ones, and challenged myself to new things. I fought my fears (see this post where I talked about that – I didn’t get lost even once even when my iphone navigation locked up on me in construction, on the freeway, at night, in the rain!) and I am filled with joy and gratitude.

May we always choose the driver’s seat of our own lives and take the chances that shape us into the AMAZING humans that God desires us to be!

Happy Running!