Her First Half

As a mom with a camera,  I have always tried to be there to capture

those "firsts" in the lives of my kids.  

It's not always possible now that they're older, but I still try.

 This is a picture of Annie back in 2002 (age 7) 

when she ran track for the first time.

She has run many, many miles since then.

On Sunday,  I had the privilege to watch Annie run her first half marathon in Rochester, NY.

She was looking good in mile one!

In fact,  she was probably one of the happiest runners there - or 

maybe she was just happy that we were there to cheer her on!

Vance and I got a bite to eat for breakfast and then waited for her 

somewhere in the middle of the course.

As we were waiting, we saw a few of her friends run by.

Sorry, Austin, I didn't realize it was you until the last second!

When Annie ran by, she wasn't looking quite as "fresh" as before!

Her smile had lost that "sparkle".

It had begun to rain too.

We got in the car and drove to the finish line at Frontier Field.

The sky had opened up by then and it was useless to even try to keep

your feet dry, even as a spectator!

We were there to see Sumner finish.

When Annie finished,  her smile was rejuvenated!

 She was so excited that she did it.

It was the first time she had ever run 13 miles.

And we were there!

Congratulations to everyone!

After showering, we took her out to lunch to one of our favorite places to eat in Rochester.

The sun had come out and it was a beautiful afternoon.

We were so happy to have been there for Annie's

"first" half marathon and spend time with 

her this weekend!