Brian's first 1/2 marathon!

on the way into OBX we had to stop on a swing bridge to let the
boats go through and the kiddos LOVED
getting out and looking into alligator river

picking up his race packet! we walked around the expo for
a while before going to the beach.

we can't come to the beach without seeing the ocean! our hotel was right on the water
and we were able to go on it to see the HUGE crashing waves. it was a super windy day which made brian worried about his run but the next day wasn't windy at all.

our hotel had a 'bed and breakfast feel' with snacks in the afternoon. the kiddos had popcorn, hot cider, and cookies in front of a warm fire. we met a bunch of people running in the race and had a great time chatting with them. that night we went out for dinner so brian could have pasta and carb up!

they are always SO happy at the beach!

brian and i at sunset...and the sweet kiddos outside our room

we weren't sure how it was going to work out with all the kiddos
plus us sleeping in the hotel room but everyone was asleep by 8:15!
i even went to bed super early and was able to catch up on much needed
sleep. brian slept well and woke up at 4am to eat breakfast/stretch. his
friend (who was in the hotel next door) was kind enough to bring him to
the starting line so the rest of us could sleep later.

cheering on daddy! we are SO proud of him!

brian and i were worried about me getting lost but anthony was SUPER
helpful and brian was able to get me to the first point easily. we met a family (who i
strongly feel were sent by God) who helped us cross the busy road and get to the
finish line (which was FAR away because of the detour). we saw him at mile 5 and then
had to hurry over to the finish line so we could see him again because he was so fast. once
we were at the parking lot the kiddos and i walked a mile to the finish line and only waited 10 minutes to see him come in! he finished in 1:42!

YAY! GO DADDY! (Ephram was screaming "YAY" and 'hooting' too:)

the finish line! SO proud of daddy:)

brian felt awesome about the first nine miles and then had a hard time on the bridge which was a HUGE hill. he still finished with a great time but was shooting for under 1:40. he's had several injuries throughout his training, including one which kept him from running most of September. this week his calf was really bothering him but he was able to run the race pain free! we are SO proud of him!

brian was able to rest while we waited for Beth and Janet to come in.
we were SO proud of her after she just ran one three weeks ago!


the camera was switched to manual somehow which is why these
are so bright. i LOVED the pictures so much that i had to post them:)

YAY! Beth and I did many of our runs together and I was so
excited for her to race again! We are
going to continue to run together with kelly and molly and have a great plan in
place while we're not training...starting with 7 miles this friday:)

driving to the OBX we saw a TON of cotton fields so I used it as a teaching
experience about what we use cotton for, how it's dyed, etc. on the way home
we stopped in one of the fields to let the oldest two pick cotton and see how
it grows (so cool) while the youngest two were napping. when brian and i started
dating we went to his parents house and stopped in a cotton field along the way to
pick cotton (i had NEVER seen a cotton field before!)