birthday kisses

today my dear sweet friend HEATHER celebrates her birthday. my plan was to take her out for coffee & scones but unfortunately she lives in Utah and i couldn't get back before school let out. bummer :(

instead i had my coffee by myself...paired with a kashi bar...because i don't have a bakery in my house. as i sipped on my drink, i googled to find the stats for the OPERATION SMILE FINAL MILE. i wanted to see if they had posted the results. i mean, i knew it's not like hudson was going to be in the top five...or even top ten...or top hundred (LOL), but i was just curious to see where he finished.

hudson has NOT stopped talking about the race. he loved it. my friend libby works for operation smile and dropped off some goodies for him. included was an official operation smile memo pad. hudson has been using it to write letters...some to children who are going to have the surgery...and he wrote a note to carter (heather, i'm sending it along with some other things). not going to share it here...just know, if you're reading, that it was the sweetest thing and carter has genuinely had an impact on hudson.

sometimes there are things that impact your life...or people that impact your life...and it changes your future. it changes your perspective. it changes your life. heather and i joke about hudson and jovie getting married someday...but honestly, even if that plan should fall apart, our hearts are joined forever. i am so thankful for this sweet family. our hearts are stronger, better for knowing the mcmerrick family.

so anyhow, blah blah blah...in order to get JUST HOW SPECIAL THIS SWEET BIRTHDAY KISS FOR HEATHER IS, you'll have to remember back to my september 23, 2011 blog post. and i'd link it for you but for some reason i can't figure out how the HECK to do that...heather could...because she's awesome like that. anyhow, it was super cool and if you're curious enough just go back a few months and find it for yourself. lol.

now...back to the coffee & scones...i mean kashi...

i scrolled through until i found hudson's name. he was in the fifth corral...which was a LOT of scrolling LOL. and then THERE HE WAS...

hudson lee. finished number 365. his time?

yep. yep. yep.

9:23.

SHUT.UP.

one second slower. one second faster. NOPE. nine minutes and twenty three seconds.

God is with us. not just on race day. not just at the finish line. but THREE HUNDRED AND SIXTY FIVE DAYS A YEAR...through the ENTIRE RACE.

and i'm crying again.

happy happy birthday heather. God goes with you. he knows the road ahead, the road behind. and he loves you and is cheering you on as YOU move along on YOUR path.

may this next year of YOU be mind blowing. and may we please, please, please somehow get a date on the calendar for that coffee & pastry? :)

love you my friend.