Life with the Ball's: Patriot's Day

It is known as Boston's best day and it truly is. Even better than the 4th of July. It commemorates the first battles of the Revolutionary War in Lexington and Concord. On this day, history truly comes to life. We watched as the American Flag was raised on Lexington Green where the first shots were fired on April 19, 1775, then the kids climbed up to the belfry where the bell rang to sound the alarm. I love nothing better than seeing people dressed up in colonial clothes, men dressed as British Red Coats, and seeing signs noting the path of Paul Revere's ride.
We joined up with many of our friends from our Boston days at Mile 19 of the marathon and cheered on the runners. We made it just in time to see the Kenyans sprint past. It was inspiring to see and always makes me emotional. Marcus and Ethan climbed up a tree and had a perfect view of the thousands of runners as they passed by. After a couple hours of cheering we drove through Boston to the wharf and took the kids for a ride on the ferry which is where we were when the bombs went off. We never felt unsafe but it was a little unsettling as we drove away from the city while police car after police car flew past us in the opposite direction, heading into the city. Patriot's Day is so special which makes the Boston bombings even more terrible. It would be like the events of 9/11 happening on the the 4th of July. I am so thankful we were nowhere near the explosions but even being a few miles away seemed too close for comfort. We had a great time, courtesy of our hosts, the Jones Family, and look forward to next year's celebration where we will be wearing bullet proof vests and helmets.