My decision to race in the Baltimore Marathon was made because of three factors. 1. Its a Saturday race. 2. The prize money structure looked favorable. 3. Our good friends, Ammon and Juliana Posey live there. Juliana is a former pole-vaulter track teammate of mine from BYU who actually introduced me to Aaron back in the day (my Junior year at BYU). Ammon is Aaron's good friend from high school and former roommate who started dating Juliana just as Aaron and I were whipping through our whirlwind romance and subsequent marriage (we met and married in 4 months). Ammon and Juliana were married a few months after us as well and the past 8+ years has brought three children and many unique life experiences and blessings into each of our homes. I scheduled our flight back home later (7:00 p.m.) on Sunday since that was the only day we could set aside to visit with the Posey's and I was really looking forward to seeing them. Juliana picked us up from our Hotel at 9:40 a.m. to attend Church with them which just happened to be a few miles from our Hotel in downtown Baltimore. We really enjoyed the wonderful spirit in their small, diverse Ward. Many of the members there are converts to the Church and have valiant testimonies and experiences to share. After Church we went home for lunch and to enjoy their adorable, friendly children who are very close in age to our three kids. We really enjoyed talking with Ammon and Julie, sharing faith-building life experiences as well as funny, growth-promoting experiences while catching up on the past few years. After a few short hours Ammon gave us a ride to the airport and we were back to our opposite sides of the country living our separate lives with similar values and themes. Long time friends like that are hard to come by. I hope we can hold on to our connection and friendship for many years to come. Thanks, Ammon and Julie for the wonderful Sunday!
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