She Can Do Hard Things

Saturday was a doozy of a day.  One of those days where I found myself bursting with pride for my daughter who has worked extremely hard.  I got to watch her revel in all that hard work and feel good about her accomplishments and know, without a doubt, that she can do hard things.

The morning began with a fa-reezing cold 5K run with one of her besties by her side.  After completing 12 weeks of training and learning how to be a girl who can, Hannah competed with her fellow Girls on The Run teammates in the Jingle Bell Dash.  I was lucky enough to run along side her and watch her go through the process of doing something hard.  I know that the lessons she learned on Saturday while running along a cold stretch of the Columbia River will stay with her for a lifetime.  I'm so glad I was there to see it.  

My favorite part of the whole experience was watching Hannah and Nadia work together to complete the race.  Their friendship is rock solid and I loved how committed they were to staying together and finishing side by side.  Melanie and I were choked up on more than one occasion as one of the girls would encourage the other.  They alternated back and forth and cheered each other on the whole way.  I love that they have found that strong of a friendship so early in life.  They will serve each other well for years to come and I'm so incredibly thankful for that.  

 Ready to run!

Melanie & I with our incredible girls 

Another fantastic friend to Hannah, Might Meredith & her amazing running buddy Summer

Noni & Hanners, Girls who CAN!

The last picture makes me cry.  Cry because I know what it's like to have a friend who has your back no matter what. Cry because I'm so proud of those two and the rest of my team.  Cry because I'm in love with the program behind Girls On The Run and am so grateful for the lessons it's taught my daughter. 

Thanks Melanie for raising an incredible daughter.  Thanks to Hannah for doing something hard.  I can't wait until next season.