What a difference a year makes.....

Last April 2012......

We were playing in the sprinklers outside

We had on shorts and a t-shirt

There was an occasional cool day, but we had GREEN grass

Baseball in the backyard (no snow)



And what a difference a year makes!  "Spring" in Minnesota this year looks something like this:

The yard is still covered in snow (April 2013)

And more snow...

And many of the lakes are still frozen

What a difference a year makes...we are still waiting on spring to arrive in Minnesota!!  It is hard, however, to post about our lack of spring in MN when this pales in comparison to the other events of this week.

When I started working on this post, it was a few hours prior to the tragedy that unfolded at the 2013 Boston Marathon.  This hit very close to home for John and I since we ran together in 2011 and were also there when I ran in 2006.  Collectively, we have completed 13 marathons and a countless number of 5Ks, 10Ks, and half marathons.  We also had several friends who were running the Boston marathon this year.  Boston is by far the most prestigious race and "Marathon Monday" is an amazing day in Boston with all the crowds and the celebration surrounding the race, Patriot's Day, the Red Sox game, etc...  It is sickening to think that there is someone so evil that would destroy such an amazing event for so many.  After training for months to cross the finish line after 26.2 miles, it is ironic to think that these runners were suddenly running away from the finish line in fear.  While the incident doesn't make sense to me at all, I agree with Mario Fraioli (a writer for ESPN) when he said: 
"As deep and pervasive as this wound is for fellow runners, spectators, fans of the sport and residents of Boston alike, it will heal. In fact, that slow process has already begun. A marathon, you see, is more than just a footrace -- it's a symbol of strength and unity, regardless of where it's held or how many people are on the starting line. It has a unique ability to bring people both inside and outside of the running world together during tough times -- as we saw in New York last fall -- and the number of runners who took their shirts off at the finish line Monday for rescuers to use as tourniquets, or rushed to hospitals minutes after finishing in order to donate blood, only serves as evidence of the unselfishness of this tight-knit community. And that unselfishness is infectious, as others inevitably follow suit, offering their homes, food or whatever other assistance they can muster to help the innocent victims of a terrible tragedy."

Praying for Boston and all of the runners, spectators, families, children, physicians, etc...who were affected by this tragedy. 

 

 

Holding our race numbers prior to the 2011 Boston Marathon