Well I just returned from Athens, Greece yesterday from the most memorable trip. It feels as if it was a dream and I just woke up to tell you the story, but it was REAL!!! Let me start by giving you a little background if you do not all ready know (if you do know...feel free to skip this part)
If you look back a year ago on this blog I wrote a few posts about checking off bucket list items
First Marathon(Bucket List check off)
checking off the bucket list
I ran my first marathon post cancer to check off some items off a bucket list of things. It was amazing as you can see. Well what didn't get into this post is that I went to the marathon expo. Now really this is not that big of a deal and that is why I did not put it in the post....boy was I wrong!!! I strolled through the expo getting samples of gu, new shirts, trying on the latest and greatest shoes and then I noticed that in the corner was a famous marathoner, Jeff Galloway, and always up to meet an inspirational person I went over to the corner. He was visiting with another expo participant about marathoning and I waited and waited just to say hello. As I waited upon the table there were sign up forms for a FREE TRIP TO RUN THE ATHENS MARATHON. I stood there waiting and remember thinking...Yeah ok that sounds awesome and going to Greece, Wow, soooo I put my name on the paper, literally NEVER to think of it again. I said hello to Jeff and went on my merry way! This was October 2012!!!! (that is me in the middle by the way)
July ish 2013 my phone rings, messages left, and several emails received.....LIFE CHANGED THAT MOMENT!!! Mr Jeff Galloway's office was calling me to inform me that I, little old Holly, had been drawn out of the millions of entries over the last year and HAD WON THE TRIP TO ATHENS TO RUN THE ORIGINAL MARATHON COURSE! After weeks of believing it was a scam I finally realized that this was no scam it was actually coming true! Amazed, blessed, and completely dumbfounded I accepted this opportunity of a lifetime and was on the road to Athens.
Now let me give you a "quick version" of the back story prior to this trip.....I had cancer (obviously hence the name of the blog). Then within a two year period life really got difficult. My husband lost his very very good job in a mass layoff of workers 2 weeks after I had quit my job to live a dream and be a stay home mom and run the charity. Then, my dear sweet wonderful grandma passed away and became my first angel. The friends came next. Within a week of this another dear old friend lost her battle with cancer of all things. A few more friends lost their battles months after that to the stupid beast cancer. At this point I was feeling very close to rock bottom of emotions. I felt like I was continually getting kicked in the face as I laid their on the ground crying. Then, then final straw came along. Only 6 months after losing my first grandmother, my last grandparent remaining here on earth and one of my best friends at the time left me as well. My other grandma who I had just had a glass of wine with two days prior left too. I was done. I hit the bottom of the hole. I checked out of life to live in a very sad place for a while. Luckily the sad eventually lifted, but only after a long road of soul searching and running! Running became my ONLY thing that I had control over. There was so much taken that I felt I had nothing left. My never ending faith and my family/friends is the only reason I am through this mess today.
Needless to say winning something, being GIVEN something, just felt like a welcomed change! I was excited and ready for adventure. Then reality tried to kick back in as this was only a trip for 1!!! With some encouragement and support from my great friends I decided to spend the next few months doing ANY odd jobs and asking for help to live this dream. It was a tough road trying to raise the extra money to bring my BEST friend, my husband, but I did it! We got all things in order and prepared for a life changing experience......and it did not disappoint! This trip changed my entire life!!!
Trip of a lifetime to be continued.......
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