The Life of a Beautiful Friend

Cancer took the life of one of my friends and roommates in St. Louis, Kelly Friend. She was one of the kindest people I knew. Honestly, I don't think there is a bad word I could say about her. She was always thinking about others. She was so creative and used her talent to bless other people. She gave me a place to stay when I needed it the most and became a friend to me during one of the hardest times of my life. When I found out that she had cancer, we sent her some money to pay for medical costs. She was so sweet to write a thank you note...something we never expected due to the circumstances. It's sad that such a beautiful life was lost but she will always be remembered.

Some of my favorite memories:

New (Good) Changes

Lots has happened since my last post. But the most important (and most exciting) event was the return of Josh! We were so blessed to have him come home two months early, making it a 7 month deployment. It's amazing how much shorter 7 months seemed than the last 9 month deployment and especially the 1 year deployment prior to that. There's nothing better than the whirlwind of excitement that happens with coming home ceremonies. Here's to hoping that he's able to stay home longer than a year this time. :)

I also ran my second marathon three days after his return. I cut 29 minutes off my first marathon time. I was definitely more prepared this time plus it helped that I lost quite a bit of elevation. It was also so much fun to have Josh cheering me on along the course and even running a few miles of it with me!