My post today is definitely filled to the brim with PINKNESS!!!
First, let me give you a little background as to just how I came to be a part of the fabulous day I'm going to share with you this weekend.
I met Stacy, owner of THE CANDLE QUEEN CANDLES and GIFT BOUTIQUE in Leavenworth, KS, in August of 2011, when two friends and I traveled to that town just to see her store!! We'd picked up a little postcard about it at a local flea market and were told by the vendor in that booth that we really needed to visit that shop.
And so we did!!!
HERE is the link to the post I wrote about our trip to Leavenworth and how I came to meet The Candle Queen.
I fell in love with her little boutique and her awesome candles and with her. She's such a bubbly lady that you just can't help but be "upbeat" once you are around her!!
I "liked" her on Facebook and was able to keep up with all that was going on in her Candle Queen world. And then last year she did something that "rocked my socks off" (as my DIL would say)...she hosted a 5K run/walk to benefit a charity.
I had already made plans for the date on which the event would be held, but I knew I wanted to make it to the Candle Queen's 5K Romp this year!!
And I did!!
Along with two of my running pals, we traveled to Leavenworth last Saturday and located her delightful shop for "packet pickup"!!
THIS is Stacy's darling little car!!! It was parked right by her store. . .ready for tons and tons of folks to get pictures of it!!
Like me!!

On the brick wall of her shop, an artist created this beautiful chalk drawing for the 5K participants to use for pictures, as well!!
And you'll see later that we did that, too!

Here's Stacy, the owner of The Candle Queen Boutique. . .getting everything in place for us to be able to pick up our packets for her event to be held the next morning!

Mary (left) and I had driven from Kansas City early that morning so we would have the day to enjoy antiquing and shopping and dining in historic Leavenworth, KS!
And boy oh boy did we !!!

The next morning, we arrived bright and early for the 5K, hanging out near the START which was in front The Candle Queen Boutique.

All three of us are pictured below, just before the 5K! L to R me, Mary and Karen!
Yes..we have on our tiaras!!

OK. . .this shot may seem odd to you non-run/walk folks, but it's a little bit of heaven in the eyes of us who participate in such events!! A welcome sight for sure. . .all of these clean porta potties. . . as there were 1,200 (mostly women!) who had signed up to do this 5K ! :)

I thought this group shot of us turned out great!! It was taken by SeeKCRun, as were all of the photos in this blog with the tag on the lower left that said "2014 Queen's 5K Romp. Leavenworth, KS" .
SeeKCRun is such an awesome organization. They take tons and tons of pictures at local races, then make them available for us to print for free!! We so appreciate that!!

In this picture, we are getting ready to start!! Stacy is on the right, ready to "sound the horn"!!!

I found this photo from SeeKCRun that pictured Mary (on left with the white hat) and Karen is on the right. My attempts at arrows are sloppy!

And here I am! :)

The following photo just took my breathe away when I saw it on The Queen's Romp Facebook page. It was taken by Debra of:
First City Photo in Leavenworth, KS.
This run was not an easy one for me as I've been dealing with a weird hurt leg issue since mid-February. I was not in good running shape or condition, but I so very much wanted to do this particular 5K cuz it just looked so FUN in the pictures I saw of it last year.
I told Debra in a message, that because I was just trying to push through the run that morning, I didn't pay attention to how lovely the area really was that we were in. Her photo captured a wonderful moment in time with so many ladies running along that trail. It was truly a sea of pink- - -one that I was so thrilled to be a part of that morning.

As I said earlier, SeeKCRun, took tons and tons of awesome photos, too. Here is one I found where I've got a determined look to "get this done"!! We are running along the river front here. . .you can see the water and the gorgeous bridge in the background. It's also in this stretch of the run that I do recall two pretty significant hills. . .they did me in!! :)

And at last. . .I crossed the finish line!! My time was slower than what I've done in the past, but I felt such a sense of accomplishment in completing the run. . by mostly running it! ha ha. I did totally run the first mile, then I ran/walked the rest of it.

Karen came in first place and I was second place in our age division. She nailed a swell bottle of champagne for her accomplishment!!
And Mary had quite an accomplishment at this 5K, too. . .it was the first time she'd ever completed that distance without walking!! I'm so proud of her!!

The Queen's 5K Romp selects a charity each year to be the recipient of the funds raised by the event. This year, Stacy was able to give $10,000 to THE FARMER'S HOUSE, a local organization that works with developmentally delayed individuals. They are provided practical vocational skills through the experiences of tending a garden and selling various products (including vegetables, fruit, honey, cheese, and farm and home related items')at The Farmer's Market. Included in the many skills they learn are: "operating a cash register, making change, stocking the shelves, interacting with customers, planning, tending and harvesting the market garden. . . .and so much more."

Here Stacy makes the presentation to the Farmer's House! What a great moment!!

We had so much fun being a part of The Queen's 2014 5K Romp. It was one super special event!!

Here's the loot I brought home from Stacy's shop!! She makes the most amazing candles, so I stocked up. I also HAD to get this sweet little glass!!

THE STONE RABBIT looks pretty swell wearing my tiara and blingy medal from the Queen's 5K. He also LOVES the pink bib I got to wear that day. . .and thinks I need to put that event on my calendar for next year, too!!
And so do I!!

Hope you head on over to Beverly's blog, HOW SWEET THE SOUND!! There will be a long line of other bloggers ready to share their pinks with you this weekend!!
Happy Pink Saturday!!
DANA
