The Marathon

I hope you all had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend!  We spent the weekend in Madison, WI, where Handsome Hero ran his first marathon.  I was in awe of him, reaping the rewards of his hard training.

We stayed in a hotel in an efficiency apartment.  My friends, if you have kids, this is the way to go.  You have a bedroom you can close off and you don't have to turn off the lights when the kids go to bed.

That being said, it was not a vacation with a lot of sleep. 

The two little kiddos were very happy to talk late into the night each night, and then wake up very early. 

This made for some ultra-crabs at times,  and the kiddos were kind of crabby, too.  Still, we had fun. 

If you have never been to a marathon, it's a sight to behold.  Since I don't plan on ever running one, I'll give you the perspective of a loving spectator.

People are everywhere!  It's very festive, and everyone is in a good mood.  Everyone, that is, but my kiddos.  Did I mention the lack of sleep?

We parked ourselves near the finish line so we could watch Daddy come.  And then we waited.  And waited.  Because, you see, we had no idea how long it would take him to be done.  Have you ever stood with your stroller not moving for half an hour?  How about in the rain?  How about in the rain with no umbrella or jackets?  How about with snacks that got soaked and are inedible?  Yep, this is where I wanted to be -

And it was just a few hundred feet away!  But I couldn't bear the thought of not seeing Handsome Hero cross that line.  And suddenly I was crying, so proud of all he had done.  His work ethic is stellar and his determination makes me shake my head in wonder.  Seriously, I'm shaking it right now. 

So at this point, Jack is in my arms, crying his eyes out, and Ella is in the stroller, crying her cyes out, both miserable and cold.  I am trying to hold my camera at the ready but protected from both the weather and the Jackster.  A group of college girls ask if they can help me and we plan a strategy.  Two of them are bounty hunters spotters with a description of Handsome Hero.  Another is my baton partner.  At the critical moment, the spotters see him coming, and the other one grabs the baton Jack so that I can film the event.

But it wasn't Handsome Hero.  Just another guy wearing the same shirt.  Oops {picture me toeing the ground rather sheepishly}.

We called it a not so very dry run.

Then we saw him, and in slow motion, went through it again.  This time we got it right and this is what we saw {he's the one in the yellow shirt}:

His official time was 3:30:13.  He had been aiming for 3:30:00.  He said it was close enough. 

I agreed. 

I have always been proud of Handsome Hero.  He is brilliant, he is steady, he is strong and capable.  He is a wonderful provider with a selfless servant heart.  But watching him cross that line gave me a whole new level of pride.  

Congratulations on your accomplishment, my Handsome Hero!