Thanksgiving Part 2
Happy Monday Bleeps! (Ha clearly I started this yesterday)
OMG why did I get up for sunrise for 3 days on my mini vacation? Oh yeah, cause it was BEAUTIFUL...but I paid dearly today. Know what I mean?
Okay so where were we? Oh yeah, when last I left you I was getting ready to go for the Christmas Tree Lighting. YEAH! I headed over a little early. We had gotten an email that they had sold out and then extended the registration. They encouraged anyone who could to stop by and pick up their bib and shirt the day before. They ran out of shirts previously and well I wanted to make sure I got mine. So I pulled in right before they closed and got my neon green shirt...gotta say LOVE IT! I still don't understand how the girl who used to LOVE the slimming/hiding the fat black clothes will now sport neon that just scream "LOOK AT MY BODY!"
The beach was mobbed. I was there 90 minutes early and could barely find a spot. If I didn't know any better I would have thought that it was July. But, I did find a special hidden parking area and headed towards the tree. Since I was early and it was cold I stopped by our new favorite cafe for my second cup of Hot Chocolate for the day. This time I got a peppermint Hot Chocolate...it did NOT disappoint.
When I made it over to the tree I was just bubbling up with excitement. They handed me a book with all of the songs and a glow necklace to wear. The only problem was that I was a little hungry and all I could smell was pizza and french fries. I wanted to go get some soooo bad. But, we were having dinner after. I could hold out...I think.
While I was waiting for Mr. Brian and his family to arrive I was looking around and the first thing that came to my mind was "I watch too many Hallmark Christmas movies because this could be one. This is exactly how it would go meeting Mr. Right." So I immediately started looking around at my prospects. haha. Nothing happened...but I haven't given up hope for my Hallmark moment!
So we found each other and the singing began. I was in Christmas heaven. We sang Christmas Caroles for 30 minutes and then Santa lit the tree...after some technical difficulties. It was glorious. And then it was time to move on. We were all going back to the house for dinner and family time. But, we were still cold...so there was another quick trip for some Hot Chocolate.
Hello my name is Jennie and I'm addicted to Hot Chocolate. I didn't eat my calories over Thanksgiving. I drank them.
They were out of the traditional HoCho, but they did have Azteca Hot Chocolate...with cinnamon, almond, and vanilla. O.M.G. It was out of this world. Unbelievably amazing. I did not feel guilty at all.
Okay, so we were walking back to my car when we passed a candy story. They are all over the boardwalks, but this one was not one of the chains. It was smaller. The picture in the window had: Peppermint Stick Fudge...HELLO! I had to go look. Sadly, they were all out. I felt like a little kid who accidentally let go of her balloon. I can see it...but I can't touch it. I will be going back this weekend. As it is my "Eat ANYTHING I want after a Race Weekend." I WANT THAT FUDGE!
So back at the house there was pizza, salad, and desserts. I had one slice of pizza and salad. I held off on the desserts as I already had 3 Hot Chocolates that day. Eventually the boys and I went down into the newly finished mancave basement. They enjoyed some beers and I hit the water. The new fancy water cooler had three options: Hot, room temperature, and Cold. Cold please! I cannot drink room temperature water. I just can't.
I literally lost count of how many glasses I had, but I'm good with that. I drank a lot of Hot Chocolate instead of water that day. The boys started playing darts and I was suddenly aware that I had been up since before sunrise...and we were planning on getting for sunrise again before our race. So I crashed on the recliner and enjoyed watching a Bon Jovi concert...mmmm Jon Bon Jovi! He's still so dang sexy!
I could no longer stay awake and went up to bed. I passed out immediately and before I knew it my alarm was going off. The good news is that we were closer to the boardwalk and I wasn't going to shower first since we had the race at 9. I got some extra sleep, but not much.
So I got up and put on my running tights and the new race shirt. I think this is the first time that I've actually worn the shirt for the actual race. Although I usually am dressed for the race when I pick them up. I also put on my new neon yellow jacket. Awesome! Neon yellow and green. No chance on losing me! My running tights weren't going to cut it, so I put my plaid flannel pj pants on over top. There we go! And off we went.
Another Beautiful Sunrise...this time it was 1 degree warmer, however the wind was a plenty. It felt like it was 20 degrees colder. Big shout out to Heather who gave me my Christmas present early specifically for the weekend. She gave me a running cap with a ponytail hole. It was specifically to keep my head warm. And it worked! Still figuring out how to wear it, but It worked!
After sunrise we still had some time to kill before the race so we went to Starbucks for a bagel and something warm to drink. We split a bagel and I don't want to shock you, but I did not get a Hot Chocolate. I got the Caramel Apple Spice instead. YUM! I couldn't deal with milk in my belly before a run.
After that we went over to get the shirts for Mr. Brian and his family. I saw the porta-potties and thought there was no way. I would run back to Starbucks and go there, but there were actual bathrooms at the park too so I was okay. We went back to my car to get ready. There had been talk of walking it. In which case I wanted to keep on an extra layer, but if there was any chance of running I had to lose one because I would overheat. The decision was made and I stripped down to my tights, shirt, and just the running jacket. I lost the pj bottoms and two jackets.
We met up with Ms. Chrissy and her young'in Mr. Ian. He is 10 and this was his first race. I'll spare you the suspense and tell you now that he left us all in the dust. Oh the energy of a 10 year old. There was no pacing. No music to push. Just pure energy.
Before the race started they let us know that there was a young man in a wheelchair that would be participating. He was in a special chair that was being powered by another man in a wheelchair behind him. They were going to start early to get ahead of everyone. How awesome!
The race started and we started running. We were doing good and I told Mr. Brian we would go at his pace. It has been a while since his last run so we slowed down when he wanted to. We were keeping a good pace and ran into the young man in the wheelchair on mile 2. Shhh...I cried tears of joy after I screamed encouragement for him. It also might have been tears of pain because just moments before that I whacked my elbow on the metal parking meter. *Still have a bruise*
As we moved onto the boardwalk I realized that I had a problem...my left boob was popping out of my new sports bra. WHAT? I have the same bra in a different color and this has never happened. So I stuck my hand in and shoved it back in...only to have it pop out again. COME ON! I don't even want to think about what I look like in some people's pictures. So basically I ran the second half of the race with my hand down my bra.
We finished strong and were ready for some pie! I forgot to mention that this was no ordinary Turkey Trot. No, this was the: Huff, Puff, & Race for Pumpkin Pie. Yep, pie at the finish line. We stretched and got in the long line. I'm not a Pumpkin pie fan. It's sort of my least favorite pie, but I was all over getting a bagel or something. They didn't have any bagels, but they did have Apple Pie! Yes please! We ate and then we started to feel the cold. Our body temps were dropping and our extra layers were in the car. I'll give you one guess as to where we went next. For Hot Chocolate of course! And this time we were getting food.
We weren't the only ones. It was packed with runners, but we managed to get a table. I had my eye on a spinach and feta croissant for some time...so that's what I got with my Salted Caramel HoCho. Oh soo good.
By the time we parted and I got home for a shower it was 1pm. Even though I stretched my muscles were tight from the cold and the driving. It may have been the best shower ever. I was pretty much worthless after that. I was still tired from Sunrise. I don't even remember what I did that afternoon. I think I watched tv.
We had leftovers for dinner and even with one serving each I was full. OH I do know that I watched the Alabama/Auburn game. That was some great excitement!
I went into the living room to watch a movie with my Stepmom after that. The movie was only 1:23...and I think I only saw 10 minutes of it. I was out. And that's okay because the next day was another sunrise. :-)
I made it just in time. And it was GORGEOUS! We spent most of it on the beach and it was hard to tear away from, but we needed to get breakfast and then I had to get over to my next race. It was sad to say goodbye to Mr. Brian. I hadn't seen him since last Thanksgiving and I miss him, but I had no time to dawdle. I had no idea where I was going. And frankly I was wondering why I chose to sign up for two that weekend.
And then as I pulled in I remembered why. It benefits Special Olympics and you know how much that makes me smile. There were no questions when I got there. I was doing this. Luckily packet pickup was in the Fitness center...with REAL bathrooms! And they let us leave our shirts and water bottles there until after the race.
I was smiling like crazy at the start line. I ran into people that I have met at the past Polar Plunge weekends. Again, so many walkers. They just want to support it. You don't have to run. It's all good.
Okay so for this race I was wearing my new camo running pants. I opted against my running belt because I was going to run with my running bottle. I could keep my phone and id in it and I could keep my keys in my jacket pocket.
So the race starts and I had started in the back. I decided to run until the knees hurt. Then I would stop. Except that I had a problem...my brand new running pants started falling down when I was in a fast run. Doh! If I had worn my running belt I would have been fine. So the first mile I spent pulling up my pants. By mile two I figured out that they would stay up at a slower run pace. This was probably good because I didn't want to push it too much after running the day before.
There was one section of the race that put us out on the highway for 3 blocks. My original plan was:Walk in the sun and Run in the shade. The highway was in the sun...and I was wearing my camo running pants...I was a runnin! That's for dang sure.
My finish time was almost exactly the same as the day before. I was good with that. If not for the wardrobe malfunctions they would have been really good.
Do you know what the best kind of pizza is? It's post race pizza!
I really wanted to stay and talk to people. It broke my heart to leave, but I had to get to church....in my camo and neon...I left my bib on so they wouldn't think I was a nut job. haha.
When I got back to dad's I started packing up. I was fine as I was moving. When I finally sat down that was the end of me. The drive home was icky, but I needed to get home to put my tree up. I don't think that's ever taken me so long. haha. It's okay though. It's up and it's pretty. Yes, I have a Christmas tree in my bedroom :-) I am THAT girl!
Have a Blessed Night
****Please note****
If you feel like you are alone on your journey and you just need some encouragement I am here for you! Shoot me an email and I will do my best to check in on you or give you the words of support you need several times a week. The journey is so much easier if you have support.
jhendersonfit@gmail.com
OMG why did I get up for sunrise for 3 days on my mini vacation? Oh yeah, cause it was BEAUTIFUL...but I paid dearly today. Know what I mean?
Okay so where were we? Oh yeah, when last I left you I was getting ready to go for the Christmas Tree Lighting. YEAH! I headed over a little early. We had gotten an email that they had sold out and then extended the registration. They encouraged anyone who could to stop by and pick up their bib and shirt the day before. They ran out of shirts previously and well I wanted to make sure I got mine. So I pulled in right before they closed and got my neon green shirt...gotta say LOVE IT! I still don't understand how the girl who used to LOVE the slimming/hiding the fat black clothes will now sport neon that just scream "LOOK AT MY BODY!"
The beach was mobbed. I was there 90 minutes early and could barely find a spot. If I didn't know any better I would have thought that it was July. But, I did find a special hidden parking area and headed towards the tree. Since I was early and it was cold I stopped by our new favorite cafe for my second cup of Hot Chocolate for the day. This time I got a peppermint Hot Chocolate...it did NOT disappoint.
When I made it over to the tree I was just bubbling up with excitement. They handed me a book with all of the songs and a glow necklace to wear. The only problem was that I was a little hungry and all I could smell was pizza and french fries. I wanted to go get some soooo bad. But, we were having dinner after. I could hold out...I think.
While I was waiting for Mr. Brian and his family to arrive I was looking around and the first thing that came to my mind was "I watch too many Hallmark Christmas movies because this could be one. This is exactly how it would go meeting Mr. Right." So I immediately started looking around at my prospects. haha. Nothing happened...but I haven't given up hope for my Hallmark moment!
So we found each other and the singing began. I was in Christmas heaven. We sang Christmas Caroles for 30 minutes and then Santa lit the tree...after some technical difficulties. It was glorious. And then it was time to move on. We were all going back to the house for dinner and family time. But, we were still cold...so there was another quick trip for some Hot Chocolate.
Hello my name is Jennie and I'm addicted to Hot Chocolate. I didn't eat my calories over Thanksgiving. I drank them.
They were out of the traditional HoCho, but they did have Azteca Hot Chocolate...with cinnamon, almond, and vanilla. O.M.G. It was out of this world. Unbelievably amazing. I did not feel guilty at all.
Okay, so we were walking back to my car when we passed a candy story. They are all over the boardwalks, but this one was not one of the chains. It was smaller. The picture in the window had: Peppermint Stick Fudge...HELLO! I had to go look. Sadly, they were all out. I felt like a little kid who accidentally let go of her balloon. I can see it...but I can't touch it. I will be going back this weekend. As it is my "Eat ANYTHING I want after a Race Weekend." I WANT THAT FUDGE!
So back at the house there was pizza, salad, and desserts. I had one slice of pizza and salad. I held off on the desserts as I already had 3 Hot Chocolates that day. Eventually the boys and I went down into the newly finished mancave basement. They enjoyed some beers and I hit the water. The new fancy water cooler had three options: Hot, room temperature, and Cold. Cold please! I cannot drink room temperature water. I just can't.
I literally lost count of how many glasses I had, but I'm good with that. I drank a lot of Hot Chocolate instead of water that day. The boys started playing darts and I was suddenly aware that I had been up since before sunrise...and we were planning on getting for sunrise again before our race. So I crashed on the recliner and enjoyed watching a Bon Jovi concert...mmmm Jon Bon Jovi! He's still so dang sexy!
I could no longer stay awake and went up to bed. I passed out immediately and before I knew it my alarm was going off. The good news is that we were closer to the boardwalk and I wasn't going to shower first since we had the race at 9. I got some extra sleep, but not much.
So I got up and put on my running tights and the new race shirt. I think this is the first time that I've actually worn the shirt for the actual race. Although I usually am dressed for the race when I pick them up. I also put on my new neon yellow jacket. Awesome! Neon yellow and green. No chance on losing me! My running tights weren't going to cut it, so I put my plaid flannel pj pants on over top. There we go! And off we went.
Another Beautiful Sunrise...this time it was 1 degree warmer, however the wind was a plenty. It felt like it was 20 degrees colder. Big shout out to Heather who gave me my Christmas present early specifically for the weekend. She gave me a running cap with a ponytail hole. It was specifically to keep my head warm. And it worked! Still figuring out how to wear it, but It worked!
After sunrise we still had some time to kill before the race so we went to Starbucks for a bagel and something warm to drink. We split a bagel and I don't want to shock you, but I did not get a Hot Chocolate. I got the Caramel Apple Spice instead. YUM! I couldn't deal with milk in my belly before a run.
After that we went over to get the shirts for Mr. Brian and his family. I saw the porta-potties and thought there was no way. I would run back to Starbucks and go there, but there were actual bathrooms at the park too so I was okay. We went back to my car to get ready. There had been talk of walking it. In which case I wanted to keep on an extra layer, but if there was any chance of running I had to lose one because I would overheat. The decision was made and I stripped down to my tights, shirt, and just the running jacket. I lost the pj bottoms and two jackets.
We met up with Ms. Chrissy and her young'in Mr. Ian. He is 10 and this was his first race. I'll spare you the suspense and tell you now that he left us all in the dust. Oh the energy of a 10 year old. There was no pacing. No music to push. Just pure energy.
Before the race started they let us know that there was a young man in a wheelchair that would be participating. He was in a special chair that was being powered by another man in a wheelchair behind him. They were going to start early to get ahead of everyone. How awesome!
The race started and we started running. We were doing good and I told Mr. Brian we would go at his pace. It has been a while since his last run so we slowed down when he wanted to. We were keeping a good pace and ran into the young man in the wheelchair on mile 2. Shhh...I cried tears of joy after I screamed encouragement for him. It also might have been tears of pain because just moments before that I whacked my elbow on the metal parking meter. *Still have a bruise*
As we moved onto the boardwalk I realized that I had a problem...my left boob was popping out of my new sports bra. WHAT? I have the same bra in a different color and this has never happened. So I stuck my hand in and shoved it back in...only to have it pop out again. COME ON! I don't even want to think about what I look like in some people's pictures. So basically I ran the second half of the race with my hand down my bra.
We finished strong and were ready for some pie! I forgot to mention that this was no ordinary Turkey Trot. No, this was the: Huff, Puff, & Race for Pumpkin Pie. Yep, pie at the finish line. We stretched and got in the long line. I'm not a Pumpkin pie fan. It's sort of my least favorite pie, but I was all over getting a bagel or something. They didn't have any bagels, but they did have Apple Pie! Yes please! We ate and then we started to feel the cold. Our body temps were dropping and our extra layers were in the car. I'll give you one guess as to where we went next. For Hot Chocolate of course! And this time we were getting food.
We weren't the only ones. It was packed with runners, but we managed to get a table. I had my eye on a spinach and feta croissant for some time...so that's what I got with my Salted Caramel HoCho. Oh soo good.
By the time we parted and I got home for a shower it was 1pm. Even though I stretched my muscles were tight from the cold and the driving. It may have been the best shower ever. I was pretty much worthless after that. I was still tired from Sunrise. I don't even remember what I did that afternoon. I think I watched tv.
We had leftovers for dinner and even with one serving each I was full. OH I do know that I watched the Alabama/Auburn game. That was some great excitement!
I went into the living room to watch a movie with my Stepmom after that. The movie was only 1:23...and I think I only saw 10 minutes of it. I was out. And that's okay because the next day was another sunrise. :-)
I made it just in time. And it was GORGEOUS! We spent most of it on the beach and it was hard to tear away from, but we needed to get breakfast and then I had to get over to my next race. It was sad to say goodbye to Mr. Brian. I hadn't seen him since last Thanksgiving and I miss him, but I had no time to dawdle. I had no idea where I was going. And frankly I was wondering why I chose to sign up for two that weekend.
And then as I pulled in I remembered why. It benefits Special Olympics and you know how much that makes me smile. There were no questions when I got there. I was doing this. Luckily packet pickup was in the Fitness center...with REAL bathrooms! And they let us leave our shirts and water bottles there until after the race.
I was smiling like crazy at the start line. I ran into people that I have met at the past Polar Plunge weekends. Again, so many walkers. They just want to support it. You don't have to run. It's all good.
Okay so for this race I was wearing my new camo running pants. I opted against my running belt because I was going to run with my running bottle. I could keep my phone and id in it and I could keep my keys in my jacket pocket.
So the race starts and I had started in the back. I decided to run until the knees hurt. Then I would stop. Except that I had a problem...my brand new running pants started falling down when I was in a fast run. Doh! If I had worn my running belt I would have been fine. So the first mile I spent pulling up my pants. By mile two I figured out that they would stay up at a slower run pace. This was probably good because I didn't want to push it too much after running the day before.
There was one section of the race that put us out on the highway for 3 blocks. My original plan was:Walk in the sun and Run in the shade. The highway was in the sun...and I was wearing my camo running pants...I was a runnin! That's for dang sure.
My finish time was almost exactly the same as the day before. I was good with that. If not for the wardrobe malfunctions they would have been really good.
Do you know what the best kind of pizza is? It's post race pizza!
I really wanted to stay and talk to people. It broke my heart to leave, but I had to get to church....in my camo and neon...I left my bib on so they wouldn't think I was a nut job. haha.
When I got back to dad's I started packing up. I was fine as I was moving. When I finally sat down that was the end of me. The drive home was icky, but I needed to get home to put my tree up. I don't think that's ever taken me so long. haha. It's okay though. It's up and it's pretty. Yes, I have a Christmas tree in my bedroom :-) I am THAT girl!
Have a Blessed Night
****Please note****
If you feel like you are alone on your journey and you just need some encouragement I am here for you! Shoot me an email and I will do my best to check in on you or give you the words of support you need several times a week. The journey is so much easier if you have support.
jhendersonfit@gmail.com
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