Birthday Wishes & Champagne Dreams!

So big day today in my life! Why? Because today is the birthday of one of my nearest and dearest friends. Happy Birthday to you Dar! This blog is for you today....

This woman, to say the very least, is a wonderful human being! She is beautiful, outgoing, kind, smart, trustworthy, honest, a wonderful mother, wife and friend! She would do anything for you after giving you the shirt off of her back. She has a heart of gold and is the epitome of what you would want a friend to be. She will laugh with you, cry with you and listen to you if you just need to bitch about something for a bit. She can get fired up if the situation warrants, she can be loud and is a true "kook" at heart. Yet she's sappy and sentimental and cries everytime she reads my blog (so sweet)! She knows people everywhere we go & is very entertaining. When we have party's at my house, my Grandma will never remember Dar's name. But it never fails Gram will always ask me, "Is your girlfriend coming over, the one that tells all of the funny stories about her twins?" LOL! She's the first one at a neighbors house with pans of food if someone is sick, had a death in the family or delivered a new baby! She loves anything pink and every year has workout clothes and pajamas on her wish list. She was probably one of my biggest supporters and cheerleaders as I trained for the RKC. Many times when nerves would get the best of me and I would say, "What the heck am I doing? Can I really do this?" She always had an answer like, "The RKC may be tough, but you are tougher" or "Renee, you are stronger than you think you are, of course you can do this" or "You can do anything you put your mind to."

She took her own words to heart last year (May 2007) when she ran the Cleveland Marathon (kudos to you marathoners...26.2 is just way too long for me). We were all so proud of her for such an accomplishment. When she woke up the morning of the race, before the crack of dawn. She had some nerves going on & the weather was cold, crappy, semi-raining....well her husband asked her, "Why are you doing this honey?" She replied, "Because I can...I need to do this." She told me later she got downtown and saw all of the people in front in wheelchairs that were going to race & she got all teary eyed (Yes, she's a big sap like me) and thought to herself again, "Yep, I'm doing this because I can because so many out there cannot!" Geez! (I tear up everytime she talks about it)

So Dar, this day is for you. Please celebrate it in whatever way makes you the happiest...you deserve it! Thank you for being on my side, or in my corner & for being such a good friend to me and my family always! I wish for you another 50 more (at least)! Oh, and your own kettlebell! :)