lots of things to be thankful for here on the eve of thanksgiving…
+ for my wife Erica, who is amazing. She kicked tail on Sunday in the marathon. All 3 girls did, actually.
Dawn ran a 3:26, which is ridiculously good for someone who has been a runner for a while, but just decided to do the marathon a few months ago. Her time actually qualified her for the Boston Marathon. Some people train for years with that goal in mind.
Kandace and Erica ran a 4:41, which was a little short of their goal, but still amazing considering they had some, umm, intestinal issues during the race. If you subtract time waiting in line for port-o-potties, they probably came in just under 4:30. Kandace, who ran the Pittsburgh marathon back in college, just had a baby 6 months earlier, so finishing a marathon as a new mom was a pretty cool feat.
As for Erica, she only started running back in May. At the time, her 1-mile runs left her winded and wondering if she could even finish a 5K. But over the last 6 months she has trained with dedication and discipline that i’m pretty sure i don’t have. She stuck to her training schedule and in the process lost 15 pounds that she didnt need to lose, she increased her overall health in a noticable way, and she finished a goal that most people don’t even dare to dream. They say that less than one tenth of one percent of Americans will finish a marathon in their lifetime. I’m so proud to say that Erica is one of them.
(I grabbed a few pics of the event that I’ll put up eventually)
+ Tonight we’re having a handful of friends over for a pre-thanksgiving meal at our house. Should be alot of fun catching up with folks and enjoying time spent among people who mean alot to you.
+ Tomorrow we’re hosting Thanksgiving at our house for the first time ever. (It was either that, or have it at the church…and Thanksgiving NEEDS to be held at someone’s house, no matter how packed it is.) There should be about 20 people there, including kids, so it shouldn’t be too bad. Looking forward to relaxing in front of the TV after a great meal and playing some Scrabble. I dont think Erica’s aunts have beaten me in a few years now, so I’ll have a target on me for sure.
+ On friday my parents will be in town for the night, so it will be good to catch up with them. Kylie and Parker are excited to see them, so that will be fun. Erica is working black friday and saturday at the store, including a 3am-1pm shift on friday that should wipe her out completely. She loves putting pretzels in bags when it is super busy, and she’s really good at it, so that’s cool. plus the extra money doesn’t hurt.
+ The community that i started up for caedmonscall.net back in 2001, The Rumor Forum, has been growing strong ever since it was birthed. Even though i am not a big part of it anymore, i love the fact that the ties there are as strong as many real life friendships. Couples that have met there have gotten married, get-togethers have happened with relative frequency, and now they’ve even put out their own cookbook. (yes, i purchased one…hey, it helps pay for the forum). The whole community is pretty amazing. But I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, because they’re all good peoples.
Have a great holiday everyone! Enjoy all that dark turkey meat and leave the white meat for me.
