The Boston Marathon

Lily and I spent this year cheering for the Boston Marathon runners, just like we did last year!
Only this year, we were in Newton near her new house instead of near the finish line near their old house.
We had such a fun morning with friends who came out to watch the race with us and spent our time on the course cheering for everyone going by. It is an amazing thing to watch runners from every country come together and be cheered for by a million and a half people. It is so inspiring and moving. I teared up a couple of times as I saw how runners were moved by people cheering their names and encouraging them on.

Most of these pictures were taken a little after 11am.

Lily and I went back to the race course after her nap today. (Their new house is less than a block away from the race course.) There were very few runners on the road at this point and they were all being diverted already which I thought was odd. Then screaming police cars came barreling through the course, through the runners and I thought that was extremely odd. Just as Lily and I were talking about the police cars going fast and being loud, Lily's mom called me to say there had been a bomb at the finish line. I immediately said, "We're on our way home." We walked quickly back to their house to find the news covering the horrible scene. We watched for a while, and I ended up leaving a little early so that I could get home. There were police on every corner as I left their house, but I had to cross the race route to get back to Cambridge.

I'm still following coverage as I sit here listening to helicopters and sirens from my dining room table hours later. How surreal. Somewhere you go all the time. Somewhere you feel safe.

So thankful that my friends and loved ones are safe tonight. So heartbroken for everyone hurt by this tragedy.