It was insane. While we managed to find a parking garage that still had available slots, we nonetheless had to drive around for close to forty-five minutes looking for a parking space. And then we had to walk for another fifteen mintes before officially arriving at the Hynes. As frustrating as it was, the energy in the air was palpable which made things not so bad!
We found the place for number pick-up, and Garth headed straight to the end of the line.
His official number was 22,544, which Ali proudly displayed for him.
And of course we had to get the requisite pic of Garth and the girls in front of a "Boston Marathon 2011" banner.
We did hit the expo so Garth could buy an official jacket, but it was so crowded that we just wanted to get out of there. And unfortunately, we had let the cat out of the bag that we were staying at a hotel with a pool, so that was all Ali could focus on. If I had a dime for everytime Ali asked, "Can we go to the pool now?" Well, you know the rest of the saying.
After that, we headed over to the Westin Copley for the Miles for Miracles pre-race reception. Although the girls have participated in MFM in the past, we have never made it in for the festivities. Outside of the reception hall, they had signs set up representing all of the towns/cities the runners would pass through during the marathon. Garth and the girls posed in front of the Wellesley sign.
Children's did a fantastic job. There was an area for the kids to make signs to cheer on the runners, a place to make buttons, and a place to write and hang personal notes to the runners. I thought the food was good, but it wasn't really kid fare. This was a bummer for the girls, but they made do with some fruit, cheese, and crackers. Maya and Ali both took time to write personal notes to Garth.
And then they were able to stick them to a map of the course.
Ali's actually made the Children's Hospital FB page.
There was a professional photographer there taking pics of the kids and runners in front of the "Wall of Inspiration," and then volunteers made the photos into buttons for the kids.
Unfortunately, Ali was falling apart and could only focus on returning to the hotel, so we bolted after the girls had their pins. We missed the slideshow presentation, but there was no way that she would have made it through. So after another fifteen minute walk and $35 in parking fees, we were off to check in at the Doubletree Suites in Waltham, which would be our home away from home for the weekend.
We were lucky enough to not only have the girls' grandparents with us for the weekend, but we were also joined by our dear friends the Wilders, as well as Garth's sister and her family. After meeting up with the rest of the crew, we quickly changed into bathingsuits and headed down to the pool.
The pool was great for tiring the kids out. The kids visited with each other for a bit longer while the grown-ups enjoyed a cocktail hour, and then it was bedtime for everyone.
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