9/11 Remembered

The 10th Anniversary of September 11th, is a day of emotion, remembrance and honor. It's hard to believe this much time has passed, and for the last 6 weeks I have been entrenched in the planning, fundraising and basically everything "event".

Joshua isn't as thrilled as I am…lol 

There were times I didn't think it would come together, there was a small window when I thought it wouldn't happen, but pushed to find a way to make it so, then there was the 'why am I doing this?' because it seemed impossible to get sponsors, especially in this economy. It wasn't always easy, but today it was all worth it. I am sure like anything else, there is room for improvement, there are things that could have run smoother but for 6 weeks and it being my first event, it was a success.

I want to extend a special thanks to my event sponsors:
Tucker Materials of Myrtle Beach
Myrtle Beach Mobile
Horry Georgetown Technical College
Kaminsky's Deli
Troxell Chiropractic
Grand Strand Running Club
and of course
The City of Myrtle Beach

Also, a shout out to Keith from Black Thai for the last minute promoting!

As people started to show I was hardly ready for the rush. Half my volunteers didn't show (I've heard of this happening, but hardly thought it would be the case today) which made things a little more confusing, and slow going. Fortunately, I had a few people who were willing to jump in where ever needed (Big thanks to all of the volunteers!).

As the race drew closer, I felt a sense of nervousness, will everyone know where to turn? How can I not be in 10 places at once? Oh to trust other people and relinquish some control (yes, I have control issues, but really it's mostly a good thing!) - how does one do this? I guess it's called faith.

Who brought the Vodka?

Besides, when the race started, I was knee deep in oranges! I told Heather I felt like I was on one of Ramsey's kitchen shows, and anyone who knows me knows, this girl has ZERO (seriously, nada, zip, zilch) skills in the kitchen!

Today however, I feverishly cut up fruit like an old pro… who knew? Maybe I need to bust out my Jack Lalanne Juicer from the pantry?

I was still running around like a chicken with my head cut off to witness the actual beginning (or end for that matter) of the race, so thanks to Heather for capturing the start of the race.

I wish there was a way to be able to organize and participate in an event (maybe there is, this was my first…lol) - I would have loved to run, and even though today would have been rough (tendonitis sucks, FYI), I am sure I would have tried anyway…

Myrtle Beach SkyWheel

As the first finishers started to cross, I truly felt everyone out there running and walking wanted to be a part of something big, a collective effort to do good work, to honor, to thank, to remember. The positive of this day, it was a truly beautiful morning and our backdrop was awesome…


For all the stress, all the time worrying, wondering, questioning, believing and oh worrying some more, it was over in a flash (kinda like a wedding) and everyone seemed to be pleased with the outcome. There were quite of few people talking about next year (let me breathe a minute, please?), so my hopes would be with an earlier start, we can reach more people and do more good...

Onto the Firefighter Stair Climb, organized by Jason Greene. I didn't get to see the opening ceremony, which stinks, but I was still packing up the run/walk and didn't seem right to bail on clean up. So I wish I could share with you all how it was, but I can't… Maybe I can get Heather to post a comment with her feelings on it, since she was there. I did manage to arrive just before the first firefighter began to climb the first of 110 flights of stairs. I shot this video the start, to give an idea of how awesome this was… A huge shout out to all the men and women (especially those in full gear) who participated in the climb and honored those 343 firefighters who rushed in while everyone was rushing out.

So there you have it, the 10th Anniversary of September 11th, as I chose to remember it. Sometimes people get caught up in the misery, the loss, and the paril of that day. Today, all the events that I was so proud to be a part of, honored those lives lost, while looking for the positive in helping those affected most by that day, and the many days (including the present) that have followed.
Moral of my story, we cannot change the past, no matter how hard we try. So, whenever possible, it is best to make every effort to take a tragedy and create something positive from it. Always look to help those who need it, and volunteering and doing charitable work makes you feel good (well it does for me anyway!)… Life is beautiful, precious and never long enough, so let us all make focusing on living our lives, in the most positive way, a priority. God Bless America.