New, last year to the middle school, was Cross Country. Graham had no interest, so I forgot they offered it. However, when the same family who had reached out to Grayson reached out to Callie, she was in!
I think I mentioned it before—but I'll say it, again—the two of them sort-of ended up in the same friend group. They'd go to Kneaders after practice or to get a snow cone later in the day. "Come on, Callie, it's time to go," Grayson would say.
Her running buddy was Gloria. Callie showed natural stamina when it came to running. Callie doesn't mind hard work; she doesn't mind getting up early or doing something unfamiliar. Callie is just an all-around great gal.
Most of her races were at the Uintah Basin, which is two hours away, so they went by bus. I only got to go to one of her races and a fun-run. Thanks to a thoughtful mother, I got photos—I didn't even ask her. I appreciated it because Callie's first race fell on our anniversary.
I love the way Callie's ponytail flipped. Mallerie always ran with braids, so her hair didn't flip.
Ironically, a lot of the girls she became friends with are in Graham's friend group. He is not quite as generous with sharing as Grayson is with sharing his friends, but Callie and Graham have gone to a few things together also. On black days she eats lunch with two of Graham's besties.
I think knowing that he had friends at the race made Graham more willing to volunteer with me. He was great at keeping the water table stocked.
Callie made the paper too! Not for running, but in an article about cross-walk safety. Through the grainy picture, we could tell it was Callie by her bike and backpack.
I am anxious to see where this girl goes, not only with running but with hard work and determination. The sky is the limit!
