...So bare with me while I get my typing legs back.
We have been on a nice little run since my last post. I'll break it into categories for you.
Family:
We hosted Thanksgiving with Robins family, my parents went East to be with Brett, Jori and the boys. We had turkey, ham and all the trimmings. Robin cooked one heck of a good bird, Robins sisters and mom brought great sides and desserts, as usual, and we all ate well. 21 of us in all. The kids had a wonderful time playing and running around in our newly remodeled front room (more on that later). On a down note, Nigel caught a doozy of a cold and infected many of us including Robin and I.
On the Friday after Turkey day I went to the store and picked up the family Christmas tree. We spent the day on Saturday decorating it and the house. You know the house just feels better when it is decorated for Christmas.
On Dec 6th we went to a good friends house for their annual Christmas dinner. Their were 5 couples there and 9 kids. When this group gets together I am not sure who is louder, the grown up kids or the, well, other kids. We had great food, great conversation, and a great time. Life is good.
Running:
My last post mentioned the Turkey Trot. It was a 4 mile run with a monster hill. Doesn't sound all that appealing to most, but I had a blast. What a great way to spend my birthday. Two weeks later, on the 6th, was the Jingle Bell 5K for arthritis. It was the biggest run, attendance wise, that I have been in to date. They had a costume contest, food, fun and games for kids, music and all to raise money for arthritis.
Prior to the run I had been in touch with a friend from high school, Shelley, that was going to run as well. We had not seen each other since high school. We were able to find each other prior to the start and chat a bit. Shelley runs a bit slower than I like, so I took off after running with her for about a 1/4 mile and then waited for her at the end. She, her husband Ryan, who I went to school with as well, I were able to catch up after the run. I met her two little boys and had a nice chat. The day was a great success.
My time was a respectable 24:14, good enough for 129th place out of 614. Most importantly, however, were results of my fund raising efforts. Thanks to those who generously contributed through me, I was able to raise $670, and come in as the #2 overall individual fundraiser. That's right...I got a trophy. It has inspired me to participate in the event next year, and put together a team for the run and the fund raising. Shelley is going to help me out as well and we are going to kick some arthritic butt.
This was definitely my last race of the year. I am going to continue running though the winter to stay in good condition and get ready for next season. I have set a goal to place in the top three for my age group in at least one race. That is a hefty goal as my age (35-39) is one of the most competitive out there.
The Room:
As promised here are pictures of the finished project.
Robin should be proud of herself, I know I am.
Cheers
