Marc & Seth left early this morning for the race.
A little while later (we didn't get up quite as early), Sarah & I loaded up three small children into our "New" Trail Blazer and headed to Wichita to watch the two guys finish.
Because our Trail Blazer is the extended variety, we have the third row seating. It worked out well for what we needed it for today. Here's a photo of Collin clear in the third row and Luke & Natalie in the second row -- right behind the front seats.
Though the trip to Wichita isn't far from out little town, the kids still did WONDERFUL on the drive there. Once we got near the finish of the Half Marathon (which was in the beautiful Central Riverside Park area of Wichita), we walked the short distance from the vehicle to the finish line with a couple of strollers. Again, it all worked fairly well.
We got there in plenty of time to watch the guy finish. So, the three kids were fairly content watching other runners come in, clapping with the crowds of people, and ultimately, playing and getting dirty.
I LOVE this photo of Collin, standing up in the stroller and clapping. Is he a 4 year-old boy or what?
Eventually, Luke and Natalie wanted out of their respective strollers. This is where the dirt part came in. All in all, though, they really didn't get too dirty -- for being outside near a park.
Luke continued to clap whenever he heard or saw other people in the crowd clapping.
There were over 1,000 people entered in the race -- in fact, there were 1,060 finishers -- not too bad at all for a Wichita race (Wichita's not THAT big of a city). So, needless to say, there were quite a few spectators -- quite a few people and quite a bit of activity with small children.
All of a sudden, amongst all of the chaos, Sarah said, "I think the guys are coming in." So, I quickly picked up Luke, grabbed the camera out of my pocket and turned it on, and moved forward to watch.
Yep, they were coming in with a vengeance.....Here's the best shot I could get. I feel very fortunate to have even snapped this photo because I discovered that it's not quite as easy to get a good photo with a squirming toddler in your arms.
**FUNNY story (or at least it was to Sarah and me) -- Natalie saw her Daddy running in and wanted to go and see him. So, she darted straight out into the finish line area -- where the runners were sprinting in. Sarah was unable to get a photo because she was desperately trying to keep Natalie out of the way -- basically so that Marc would not fall over on her. You can see her head a bit on the photo above.
Seth finished in 175th place, and Marc finished in 177th (somebody got between them). Marc just said to me, "I couldn't keep up with Seth's sprint at the end."
Their finishing time was around one hour and 45 minutes -- GREAT JOB Seth -- for your first half marathon! There's only more fun to come next month with the full marathon (26.2 miles).
Afterwards, there's always the obligatory food line of which both Seth & Marc went through -- I think more than once.
There was a live band -- "Mumblin' Jones." I'm sure it was a local band (correct me if any of you readers know about this band).
Both Seth & Marc received finishers' medals. Collin proudly wore his Dad's medal.
Luke was content just inspecting and playing with his dad's medal.
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Here's a cute photo of my two guys -- Usually, Luke smiles well for the camera. But, I think there were way too many distractions at this point.
And, here is a photo of the two guys -- after the finish. They look pretty good (not too sweaty) after running 13.1 miles.
At that point, the guys moved carseats around to the proper vehicles. Our two families went home separately. I'm assuming that Seth, Sarah, Collin, and Natalie went straight home.
But, Marc, Luke, and I ultimately decided to make a quick lunch trip to DQ -- yep, the DQ I just quit a couple of weeks ago. Nope, I'm NOT at all having withdrawals. BUT, my brother does work there, and so, it's a good opportunity for us to see him. Also, because he works there, we qualify for the "Friends and Family" discount. SOOOO, we can eat VERY affordably.
We didn't stay long, but we did stay long enough for Luke to have a cone after his chicken and applesauce.
At that point, we headed home so that all three of us could take naps.
*****
Now, skip ahead to after our naps today...It was the "Cora's Playground" Dedication. Yes, it was indeed a busy day for the Friesen's.
(And, let me say first that I know there will most likely be quite a few blog posts on this event with probably much better photos -- but, I definitely wanted to share what I thought was special from the dedication).
We got there fairly early. Fortunately, the weather was very nice, and so, the dedication could be outside as planned. We were actually one of the first to arrive (not usually the case for us). Luke had to just play on the parking lot (for those of you not there, this parking lot was blocked off for the dedication -- I didn't want anybody to think we just let Luke play in parking lots).
Finally, some others began to arrive.
Musicians were warming up at this point.
Pretty much right on time, the dedication began.
The first thing -- I didn't feel was an appropriate time to take photos at this point -- Joel and Jess got up and personally thanked those who were heavily involved in the design and construction of the playground. What a special time for Cora's parents to thank those who helped bring a way to remember their precious little girl.
This sign is wonderful -- hanging right around the equipment!
Next, Pastor Dave gave a brief devotional. What I remember best from this devotional was his analogy of the playground to our spiritual lives. I hope I don't butcher this, but I feel like I must repeat it -- at least in some fashion.
"Like all of us being created special by God, the playground equipment was created special by people with the gift of creativity. The playground has a soft floor so that when kids fall (which they will), the fall is softened or cushioned. Like kids falling from playground equipment, we all sin and FALL short of God's glory. BUT, because of God's never-ending grace, our sins are forgiven. There's a canopy over some of the equipment for protection. Just like that canopy, we have Jesus -- God's son who came to earth as a man to ultimately die as an atonement for our sins."
GREAT ANALOGY!!!!
After that devotion, Pastor Adam led us in some worship songs. After that, a bunch of guys handed out balloons -- 341 one of them to be exact.
While the balloons were being handed out, another worship song was sung. Luke (as well as some other children) stayed content through this whole process by playing with the balloons.
At Pastor Adam's count of FIVE, all 341 balloons were released. It was a BEAUTIFUL sight.
The 341 balloons represented all 341 days that Cora was with us here on earth -- the 341 days of her life here on earth.
Afterwards, everybody ate cupcakes....all to honor Cora!
I know that Joel and Jess as well as the rest of us would give anything to not have this playground to have Cora with us, but that was not God's will for her little life. But, what a legacy has been created in Cora's name.
This playground will be wonderful! It will be used to teach other little children about Jesus. It was such a bittersweet sight to see the children playing on the playground after the dedication.
One of these days, Luke will be walking and running around. Then, he too can do a bunch on this playground and ultimately learn about the love of Christ.
This final photo of the playground was about a month ago -- before it was all completed. It's a photo of Marc and Luke, looking at the playground. It's the best one I have with the equipment.
1 comment:
I love the pic of Luke looking at Natalie in the car. He seems happy to have some company.
I too wish there were no playground, and rather Cora was still here. However, the playground is beautiful and a wonderful way to honor her.
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