It wasn’t until today when it finally hit me… you are within two days of running a marathon. So many things to do, and the first on Thursday’s list – packet pick up (minus packing suitcases). Remembering how long the lines can stretch, I thought it might be a good idea to arrive right when the doors open for the first day. For some reason I was determined to arrive an hour before hand to assure myself a parking spot. WOW – best decision to make. I arrived around 10:45 AM to find most of the parking lot already full. Frantically fumbling around for the paper work, I managed to get out of the car to follow the masses heading to the Milkhouse. It was now 11 AM. One hour before the doors open. A line is already in progress. Not wanting to waste time while waiting, I checked emails, Facebook, and made a few calls. (Thanks, Mel, for talking with me for over 30 minutes. It made the time past by so quickly!) With seconds left on the clock to strike noon, we all moved closer and closer to the door. I could have sworn I heard trumpets sound as at last, the EXPO officially opened. As soon as I walked into the building, my jaw dropped. For the past two years, the EXPO (merchants) has been at the bottom arena while we runners snake around in lines on the top floor. Not this year! The entire bottom floor was dedicated to registration. And what a difference! If I had known exactly where to be for each station (four stops in all), total time would have been 10 to 15 minutes. Over all time came out to be about 40. The EXPO as well as shirt pick up was located in the All Star Café building. It was difficult to stay away from all the merchandise, but last minute items on the To-Do List came first. Oh, and I still had to pick up the kids from school. LOL! By the time I came out to leave, the line I thought was long was now humongous! It curved its way down to the entrance gate area of the Wide World of Sports complex. If I had arrived by noon, add another hour or two in addition to my previous time.
Believe it or not, the kids had an “unofficial” birthday party to attend. We didn’t want to miss it, but I will admit I was anxious to get checked into our hotel room and settled. Scott would not join us until the next morning which meant double duty for mom. Last year took almost 45 minutes of waiting until we could reach the counter. This time around was much faster. The kids were amazed at the oversized Pop Century icons which decorate each section of the buildings. We were in the 1960’s section. Mason begged to walk up into the giant Yo-Yo to reach our room. That was not accomplished until all baggage was safe and sound inside our space. Shortly after getting settled, Melanie called. She asked which room we were in, and for some reason we both decided to open the door that connects to the adjacent room – and low and behold at the same exact time we were staring at each other and laughing. The noise level quickly rose as our children got reacquainted. Other than dealing with my crazy, loud munchkins, I finally could relax… for now!
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