Boston Marathon

Marathon Monday started out just like our other Marathon Mondays in the past.  We wake up, turn on the tv to watch the start of the marathon (first the wheelchairs, then the elite women & men, then everyone else) and eventually make our way to a spot along the course to cheer everyone along.  This year we knew two people running--which makes it even more fun.  I was looking to cheer for Jenny, a sibling of an OT school friend of mine, and Michael was watching for his "little sister" from dental school, Mindy.  We were able to walk from our house to watch the marathon between miles 14 and 15.  (In the past (before the kids came along) our routine was to go to the Red Sox game and then head to Boylston Street to watch around the finish line.)  It started out as a chilly morning and so we bundled up and headed to Route 16/Washington Street.  Nicholas slept in the baby carrier (at one point he got hot and I took his hat off which resulted in sunburned cheeks!) and Mikey was half interested and half hungry, which made him irritable and not much fun to be around.  After an hour and a half, I had cheered  screamed for/at Jenny and we missed Mindy (based on her stats on the Boston Marathon app).  When there are so many people running it can be quite difficult to find someone in the pack!  We headed home around 1:30 to have lunch and Mike went to work.  After I nursed Nicholas, I ate lunch with Mikey and was downloading the pictures to the computer when Michael called me around 3:20 to tell me to turn on the news--there was a bomb that went off at the finish line.  I didn't know what to think.  I raced into the tv room and saw the footage.  They stopped the marathon and I was sucked in to the news reports---although we didn't know much.  Lots of family and friends were calling, texting and posting on facebook asking us if we were okay.  Thankfully we were all fine---just very scared and confused.  How could this happen?  Who did this?  Is everyone we know okay?  I offered for Jenny to stay here (she was thankful but declined) and Mike got in touch with Mindy.  It turns out that Mindy was staying at the hotel positioned at the finish line and it was closed.  They live in NYC and were planning on staying the night.  Thankfully they were safe and spent the night with us.  

That week was a week like no other.  Here we watch shows on TV like "24" and "Homeland".  Who needs to watch those "fictional" shows when this was real and it happened practically in our own backyard?!  It was frightening and scary for so many reasons.  I was afraid of the dark for a few days following the manhunt and jumped at any sight of a black, unattended backpack.  

Slowly we will all recover and remember those who lost their lives on such an innocent and patriotic day.  It is very discouraging to think that this is the world that Nicholas and Mikey are growing up in.  Through all of this, there have been many positive stories of strength, courage and love and we must remember there are many more good people out there than bad.  And I pray we will never have to live through something like this EVER again.

Here are some pictures before our lives changed forever:

(I think I need to get rid of the aviators--I look like a man in this picture!)

                                              

It was amazing to see everyone smiling and having so much fun....while running.  Simply mind blowing to me!  We were a mile from the start of heartbreak hill!

Team Hoyt--so inspirational!  I look forward to cheering the father/son team on each year!  Thankfully they were stopped a mile from the finish line and were also safe.

                                        

Nicholas with his new friend, Charlotte (Mindy's daughter)