Mothers Day weekend my Aunt Irene and I, and Zachary and Nicholas participated in the Revlon 5k Run/Walk for Women's Cancer. Irene has been participated in this event for years, and I joined her about 4 years ago. This is the first time the boys have come. It requires us to get up very early on a Saturday - about 5:30am! We then drive down to Los Angeles to walk around the Coliseum and around the USC campus, ending on the field where the Trojan's play football. They were very good getting up so early and with the waiting time before the walk officially began.
Here we are before the race - getting ready to go:
The walk itself is an amazing experience. Y0u walk with women in purple hats that show that they are cancer survivors. You walk with people in support of a loved one fighting cancer. And you walk with those who are walking in memory of someone lost to cancer. Those are the heartbreaking ones: the father and children who have lost their mother/wife. We pointed these out to the boys, so they could get a sense of the grander purpose of getting up so early and why we were there. But we had fun too - this is really a well run and fun event. The boys enjoyed walking around the campus of USC and talk about going to college there (yikes - I'd better start saving my pennies ... wait, this is USC, make that more ... now!). And of course, the ability to get out with my boys and get some exercise and fresh air was part of my inspiration as well.
Nicholas did really well until about mile 2.25 - then he was asking if we were almost done. Those skinny legs of his got tired! But quickly after that it was time to walk down the tunnel that leads to the field where the USC Trojan football players come out on game day. Now you need to understand, my Aunt Irene (who is Nicholas' godmother) is a HUGE Trojan football fan ... I mean never-miss-a-game, come-to-our-house-to-watch-on-the-big-screen-TV, yell-at-the-TV kind of fan. So this part of the walk is a big deal, and the boys felt the same way.
Here we are entering the tunnel:
And now it's Zachary's turn:
After the race, all walkers get a goodie bag of treats and some water. We fought the crowds and got our food and found a small patch of grass to sit for a few and eat. Michael Bolton was performing a concert right there, Aunt Irene and I enjoyed it. Nicholas, on the other hand, was pretty much done with the whole thing and tired
One last photo op with Mom to show I really was there the whole time! The we had to say goodbye to Michael Bolton and start the long process of getting the shuttle back to the car. By the time we got home it was about 2:00 in the afternoon - and nap time (at least for me!).
Nicholas did really well until about mile 2.25 - then he was asking if we were almost done. Those skinny legs of his got tired! But quickly after that it was time to walk down the tunnel that leads to the field where the USC Trojan football players come out on game day. Now you need to understand, my Aunt Irene (who is Nicholas' godmother) is a HUGE Trojan football fan ... I mean never-miss-a-game, come-to-our-house-to-watch-on-the-big-screen-TV, yell-at-the-TV kind of fan. So this part of the walk is a big deal, and the boys felt the same way.Here we are entering the tunnel:
And at the end of the tunnel by the wall that shows all the championships the Trojans have won - it's an impressive list, whether you love or hate USC football.
And on the field about to cross the finish line. It was cool to be on the field and see all those people everywhere:
Nicholas gets his medal. The medal is one of the things the boys were looking forward to:
Nicholas gets his medal. The medal is one of the things the boys were looking forward to:And now it's Zachary's turn:After the race, all walkers get a goodie bag of treats and some water. We fought the crowds and got our food and found a small patch of grass to sit for a few and eat. Michael Bolton was performing a concert right there, Aunt Irene and I enjoyed it. Nicholas, on the other hand, was pretty much done with the whole thing and tiredOne last photo op with Mom to show I really was there the whole time! The we had to say goodbye to Michael Bolton and start the long process of getting the shuttle back to the car. By the time we got home it was about 2:00 in the afternoon - and nap time (at least for me!).They say they are going to do this again next year - I really hope we can make this a family tradition ... and when Katie is old enough, she can come as well.
