Toledo 10K

This past weekend we made a trip up to Toledo to meet Shane's parents, Dorian (brother), and Kristen (his brother's girlfriend). We all decided to meet in Toledo because there was a 10K race being held in the city of Sylvania - just miles outside Toledo. I can't begin to tell you how excited I was for this weekend! It's been a big adjustment for us to be living far away from our families, as we've been a little more than an hour away from each of them since leaving home for college and then, eventually, to get married. While being in Buffalo brought many challenges, we also loved being right in the middle in terms of travel to both hometowns. We were blessed to have had that time, especially after also being located in the middle during our 4 years of college. Our families mean the world to us and we're so thankful to be as close as we are.

The anticipation of seeing Shane's family had been building for a few weeks. Dorian & Kristen live out in Michigan and they don't always have the chance to get away, so for them to be able to meet us as well just made things that much better! On a sidenote: I just LOVE Kristen! She is perfect for Dorian and I don't think we could've imagined anyone making him happier than she does. I truly hope she will become a part of this family permanently (though I already think of her in those terms!). Kristen & I have become very close over the past few months and not only do I see her as a friend, but as a sister. She fits in so well with the DeHavens and I look forward to the time that we can all celebrate that. Dorian & Shane have always been pretty close, so it's neat to see "the brothers" reunite :) If you were walking behind D & Shane... chances are you wouldn't be able to tell the difference - unless you were me or their mother!! And on top of getting to see D & Kristen, we were also meeting up with Mom & Dad DeHaven :) I absolutely love being their daugher-in-law. I've never felt more accepted for who I am or loved so unconditionally, except (of course!) in my own family. God has truly blessed both Shane & I with wonderful godly families and we're thankful to be a part of them!

So we made the trip on Saturday morning, arriving in Toledo around 2pm. As we pulled up to the hotel, we could see Mom & Dad D waiting outside for us - "The DeHaven Welcome Wagon" as I now call it :) Everytime we're all together it's just such a great time of sharing, laughing, and talking about the future. Again... I can't say it enough - I LOVE MY FAMILY! So after some long hugs we took our stuff up to the room and decided to come back down to wait for D & Kristen. They came rolling into the hotel about an hour later, completing our weekend crew :) We went out to the mall first so we could help Mom D pick out a dress for the Hunter's Hope Candlelight Ball and then went out for a steak dinner. Nothing like some extra protein before a race! We got back to the hotel after dinner and D & Kristen decided they wanted to go swimming. So we all sat around the pool as they swam... and I must say that I felt a bit like a hovering mother :) After a few minutes of them romping around in the pool I said, "Okay, kids - a few more minutes and then it's bedtime!" We all had a good laugh about that one.

The next morning we all got up to watch the boys run in the 10K (Racing for Recovery). It was a beautiful day to run... the sun was out, but it wasn't hot just yet. The boys were looking strong and we were standing by with cameras in hand :) Shane finished first among our 3 guys and I've never been more proud. I love watching him accomplishing his goals! He ran at a great pace and kept saying that he didn't feel too tired, which is good since he's training for a full marathon this coming January :) Dad D and Dorian followed a few minutes later and we all celebrated their hard work. Shane & Dorian actually received medals for their placement! :) NICE WORK, BOYS!

After the race was done we had to say goodbye to Mom & Dad D as they had to get back to Jamestown for some church events. It's always the hardest time for us, as we know it'll be a while before we see each other again. D, Kristen, Shane, & I went out to lunch together at Don Pablos and just had a great time of fellowship. We then decided to get some Tim Horton's (since we knew we couldn't get any back in Lexington!) and went our separate ways. While it was hard to watch everyone drive away, we knew it would only be a few weeks before we saw them all again for Thanksgiving. Thank you, Lord, for the amazing privilege to be a part of this family!