Running Man

Last Updated on December 24, 2015 by Stacy Averette

The last weekend in October was a big weekend for us. Eric had been training for the Atlanta Marathon for months…

…and the kids had been anticipating a surprise family trip. I finally let the cat out of the bag about the surprise trip when I got ready to order the Georgia Aquarium tickets. There are so many fun things to do in Atlanta and I wanted to be sure the Aquarium would be something they would like before I bought the tickets. I love seeing those 5 big kids getting excited about a family trip. I know the days of all 7 of us making these kinds of trips together won’t last much longer. I’m really thankful we can still make it happen. So I packed clothes and snacks and tickets and cameras and school books (mine) and off we went.

We started out at the Aquarium.

I loved it when my kids were small but can I just say how fun it is to hang out with people who can go to the bathroom by themselves, don’t need a stroller, don’t need or want a nap, never wander off, but have the excitement of a child. Good times for sure.

After a few hours at the aquarium we headed to Atlantic Station to pick up the Marathon packet and grab some lunch. We had some amazing burgers and fries at Atlantic Grill. We took our seven full bellies to the car and headed to our hotel just across the street. The boys had their own room and the girls were in a suite with us. We settled in and rested a little, then ordered pizza and watched a lot of football.

Downtown Atlanta is a noisy place at night for this bunch of small towners. The hum of traffic and the blare of sirens kept a few of us awake. But the excitement and anticipation of the big day ahead made getting up and out fairly easy. We were bundled up and ready at the starting line by 6:00 a.m.

Once the runners were off we headed out for some breakfast and then a little nap back at the room. We rested. He kept running and running and running.

We headed back to the finish line waiting for our favorite marathoner.

He said, “At mile 24, a rather large Atlanta cop said, ‘Bringin’ it for the big men!’ That was just what I needed to get to 26.2.”

It was a great weekend in so many ways. We are especially proud of his hard work, determination, and achievement. But this family was ready to say goodbye to the big city and hello to our little town.

The red-head said she was really thankful to live in place where they roll up the streets at night. I guess there really is no place like home…