Amazing Day!

Coming off a horrible 24 hours, I didn't have high hopes for today. But I was pleasantly surprised that everything worked out as well as it did.

I volunteered to host Thanksgiving this year because my mom said she wasn't doing it if my dad wasn't home. So I battled the Tuesday night grocery store crowd and then had a massive anxiety attack on Wednesday afternoon putting all the stuff together. What the hell did I get myself into? I don't know how to cook a turkey!!! Luckily my mother, sister, and her boyfriend were here to assist in the house cleaning and preparation...even though I fought the urge to strangle them.

I started my Thanksgiving morning at 7:30 AM. Preheated the oven, pulled the turkey out of the fridge, and did the last minute oil rubbing, etc. After putting it in the oven, my sister motivated me to go for a run. (See side note about my sister below) She was nice enough to do workout 3.2 of my program with me. I left my iPod on speaker so we could both hear the run/walk cues. Bentley was not too thrilled to be running with both of us because it was cold and windy, but he made it through. If she hadn't gone with me today, I would have wimped out toward the end. My lazy ass had to run for 3 minutes straight during this workout! The last 3 minute session was up a hill! Ok...no...not a hill...the side of an Illinois mountain! It wasn't really that bad, but my legs barely made it. Bentley was able to walk next to me the whole way up because I was not moving very fast. Anyway, another workout down, and another day closer to being able to run for 3.1 miles!

The turkey and all the sides finished right on schedule, probably due to the fact that my mom did most of the work. She basically cooked her Thanksgiving dinner in my kitchen. :) Oooh! Best part! She even did all of the dishes!! I love my mother! My grandparents were pleased with dinner and everyone was out of my house by 4:00. The husband and I are now able to relax and nap after hosting our first ever holiday meal.

I hope everyone else's Thanksgiving was just as wonderful as mine! Best wishes to everyone who ran their "Turkey Trots" this morning!




**Side Note**
Ok, my sister. First off, she used to be my pudgy little sister. We're 13 months apart and I'm the oldest. Growing up, she was always bigger than me. I was more active in sports and she was more of the music lessons type. Somehow, while I was away at college my first year, my sister decided that she was done being pudgy. Just like that! The next time I saw her, she could run 2 miles and had lost about 20 pounds! This is about the point where my self-esteem took a trip down the toilet and has yet to recover. She was able to make friends with all the "healthy" people in college who ran and ate well. Last summer, she ran her first half-marathon. Now she is planning on training for the Illinois Marathon in April. She is amazing! Whatever she decides she's going to do, she does. Motivation has never been an issue with her. Needless to say, I'm jealous as hell! However, she is a major part of my motivation. I want to be able to run the Rock-N-Roll Chicago Half with her next summer. Yes, I have sister issues, but I love her.