The steady sound of footsteps, labored breathing, and thick humidity envelops the air.  Puddles are strewed over the streets; race spectators hold their umbrellas unyielding, and I'm praying that this pause of showers continues for 15.5 miles. With over 20,000 runners coming together for the Riverbank Run on Saturday, the crowd pushed slowly through the streets of Grand Rapids; all to pursue one goal...to finish the race.  

The Riverbank Run is the largest 25k road race in country and if you haven't witnessed it before, it is truly a sight to see. The beauty of a race like this is how well the community of runners, spectators, and volunteers come together to pull off such a huge event.  This year I wasn't in race mode, but rather running it just to get my miles in for my marathon training.  As a competitive runner, I knew this would be a challenge for me not to race it.  Turns out, I came away with a greater sense of accomplish than I would if I had been racing. 

When you are in "race mode" the focus is on yourself and how well you can perform.  Saturday morning I had no pressure to race, so I took in my surroundings and witnessed the beauty of this race.  Kids patiently cheering us on as we pass by, hands out stretched, and hoping for a high five.  I couldn't turn them down and seeing how happy they became instantly made the run go by even better.  The amount of volunteers who helped keep us hydrated and running strong amazes me.  The weather never seems to corroborate, yet the volunteers keep coming back every year to stand outside for a couple of hours.  The racers around me supported each other, giving words of praise and encouragement to the weary.  Once I crossed the finish line, the love kept coming...catching up with friends I haven't seen in ages and congratulating others on their finish.  

As I ran back to my car soaked, cold, and extremely hungry, I reflected on how despite the pain and unpleasantness that comes with running, there is a overwhelming sense of happiness. Happiness to be involved in this running community, to have ran as well as I did, and to be done. 

Just a quick shout out to my fellow Gazellians...thank you for your amazing support and congrats to everyone who ran!  To those who haven't done the Riverbank Run before, I highly recommend trying it out next year.  

Look for me...I'll be there. :) 

Happy Running!

-KateLainey

As much as our wedding is about Zach and I and our new life together, it is also about our families.

I wanted find a way too highlight the love and commitment that our grandparents and parents, have demonstrated to us over the years...allowing us to come to this beautiful place in our lives.  

Because with out them, there wouldn't be a Zach and Kate. 

So, in dedication to our families, we decided to gather their wedding photos and will be displaying them at our wedding. Can you tell which line is my family side?  My mom kinda gives it away.  :)  I just can't get enough of vintage photography; the graininess, the colors, and the mood of nostalgia they trigger.  Exposing each era and the couples personality instantly makes me reminiscent.  These are yet another detail that will make our wedding so much more personable and embrace the style of old.  Only thing left to do is find a few more vintage frames and I think I'll be done with the decorations for the wedding! Yippee! 

Well, Friday is finally here and I'm really hoping for good weather for the Riverbank Run tomorrow. 

Have a great weekend everyone! 

-KateLainey

Soaking up the beautiful sun this weekend and watching the abundance of people out and about; you can't help but get excited for summer. As much as I wanted to be outside every second this weekend, running 22 miles Saturday morning put a damper on weekend plans...all I wanted to do was fall asleep.  In an attempt to feel better, I got a little dressed up for dinner with Zach. 

Dress: Thrifted, Shoes: Thrifted, Belt: H&M, Necklace: Gift

I adore Anthropologie and all the inspiration I gather from their collections, so when they launched BHLDN on Valentines Day this year, I could not have been happier!  Some of the items are a little pricey and out of my wedding budget, but the overall designs speak wonders to my wedding style. The charm, the nostalgic vibe, and the airiness of the collections envelops the passion of a wedding and the glamour of women. The site also allows you to create moodboards for inspiration, so I picked my favorite new decor and attire pieces that I think are divine and truly captivate me.

My Mom used to make granola bars for me when I lived at home and would continue sending treats like these to me via mail at college.  I've never been a fan of store bought granola bars; they are usually too hard, processed, and expensive for me to justify buying.  Plus, homemade is always better, so forget Nature Valley! These are not that healthiest of homemade granola bars that I've ever made, but they are delicious and double as a easy snack and dessert!