Thankful #22-26 How is your weekend going??

It’s the 26th and I’m a bit behind on my thankful for the month of November.  So without further ado

#22: Running and Martini Curls:  I had the pleasure of running in one of local Thanksgiving 5k runs.   I chose to do the one closer to home and on the route I ran during the Mini training program.   I’ve only run like 2-3 times since I finished my last half marathon.   I need to get signed up for the next one in May, and the training program which starts January 16th.  If I’m going to stay successful in my experiment to stay completely off Wellbutrin I think I need to incorporate regular working out to my regimen, as well as dump a  few other habits.   The Husband is completely out as a running buddy for a while as he has 3 bulging discs in his back, yes that is about as much fun as you might imagine.  He has been in daily pain since mid October.  Hood running buddy was walking it with other friends so I planned to just run it alone.   I’ve been slightly experimenting with a run 5 min walk 2 min interval, and I am torn between sticking with that and simply  training to try  to run the whole 13.1, which is truly my preference.   I signed for the race;  I’m planning on signing up for a few others; as a way to force me to at ;least run a little through the holidays until blessed January 16th arrives and I’m forced into the Mon-Wed-Sat training schedule.    Thanksgiving morning I talked The Husband and the Destroyer out of bed and out of the house at 7:15am  to come and watch me run.   The Destroyer wanted to do the kiddie run through the woods and we are trying to nurture them both into budding runners.  You don’t need babysitting during races if your kids are running alongside you!  Anyway, as we pulled into the parking lot I had the great luck of parking right next to my friend Martini Curls!  This i super exciting because I haven’t seen her in a while, don’t get to see her nearly enough, and I  absolutely love her to death.  I met her years ago at a MNO in an over crowded private restaurant room.  We shared our love of Vodka.  You know those people who you look forward to being around because of how you know you’re going to feel just being around them?  She is one of those people, whenever I am around her I KNOW she is going to be smiling and laughing and friendly. You can’t help but absorb some of her joy when  you’re near her.  I get super excited when I see she is going to be at a group event I am attending.  AND>>> she recently started running!!!!  Which means I have a hope and a prayer that she shares my below average pace of 12+ minutes and maybe I can keep up with her for the 3 miles.  Turns out I can hang for the first  mile and a half or so.  I dropped back to walk and managed to finish in 36:20.   Almost a full 3 minutes off my last 5K race time.   It felt pretty great!

#23 My Readers:  I don’t know If I’ve thanked you all properly yet or not, so let me take this moment to say THANK YOU!!!!! As Martini Curls and I got started at the 5K we were with another Mommy in the group. I’ve met her once or twice. And the One memorable time was the night at Champs when the joint salesman wanted to talk Project management with me naked in his hotel room.  We-reintroduce ourselves and  I mention meeting her before. “My life was a lot different then.” I laughed.   Martini Curls look at me and says ” I love your blog. I read it every time it comes out.” ” Aww, thanks.” I tell her. I absolutely LOVE hearing that. I love it when you guys email me or call me or tell me when you see me that what I write matters enough to you to keep reading it.  Thank you for reading whichever parts of this blog you do, I love writing it and I hope it brings you joy or understanding or helps you in some small way.  Even you juts stop by and even if all it does it help you to laugh at me laughing at myself.  I appreciate all 23 countries and rising of you!

#24 Bacon:   Yes, bacon.  Due to some family drama circumstances I had the ability to eat Thanksgiving in my own home this year at whatever time I felt like it.  I had a bacon, egg and sharp cheddar sandwich on ciabatta bread after finishing my 5k.   For dinner The Husband made:  Smoked a prime rib roast,  Smoked garlic cheddar mashed potatoes, Apple onion stuffing, Braised leeks au gratin  with bacon.   I made dill, garlic bacon green beans and the gravy. For dessert we had ice cream and fancy cupcakes because The Husbands Birthday is near Thanksgiving every year.  After MiniMe said the prayer we all went around and talked about what we were thankful for.  We were a few turns down the list and I was taking a bite of my leeks. Bacon. I am thankful for bacon. I had it again on my egg sandwich for  brunch and again on my pizza for dinner.

#25 My SIL:  My SIL joined us for Thanksgiving this year.  She is The Husbands sister and one of my dearest friends.   She recently moved further away and we do not get to see her nearly as much as we used to. And boy do I miss her.  She is one of those people you can sit down with and cry both from laughing and from sharing all in the same visit.   She has a beautiful heart and a stubborn will and she gets herself into some real pickles. But just like she loves me as is I don’t hold it against her when she leaves and my vodka supply is depleted, her bed is unmade and I have no idea when we w get to see her again.   She is my favorite member of non-immediate family, hand down.   She is my concert buddy  and my vodka buddy and my pick on her brother partner in crime.  This game is fun because it works both ways. I can help the husband pick on her too.

#26 New Husband:   New husband  does a lot of things differently than before AD Husband.    We are starting into year 2 of being back together I am enjoying that most of those better things have stuck.  Including no longer being an absolute Grinch about Christmas Decorating.  Which we started today by picking up the new real tree  and greenery. Then we had a great afternoon and evening in the cul-de-sac enjoying the weather and all of the adults were out doing the outside of their houses while the kids ran and played.   I was puttering with my greenery churning out 8 swags (pics and post later)  while he climbed on the roof and hung the lights.  I looked up the street at all the screaming kids, my two among them,  at all of the houses on our cul-de-sac getting prettier and prettier, and I thought “I’ve never been happier than I am right in this moment.” Thank God for new husband.