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Christmas Eve Recap & Running Themed Christmas Day

Family Day Recap
Today was the first day since I've been off work (since Wednesday) that wasn't jam packed. In other words, I was able to sleep in guilt free. We had no place to be. The only thing that we actually had planned was to get in a run if the weather was decent. The forecast kept changing, so the last we saw said rain.

It was a pleasant surprise to see sunshine and blue skies rather than the dreary, gray skies we had yesterday. Oh, yesterday...that family-filled day. We left home at 10:45 in the morning and didn't get home until after 9 pm. Needless to say, the dogs were very unhappy and we were very worn out.

The day started at my sister's for lunch of a brunch menu that consisted of 2 types of frittatas, fruit salad, bagels, sausage (for the meat eaters), and my mom made a gluten-free coffee cake as well.
 
 
It was so fun watching the kids open up their gifts. It was definitely a cooking type of Christmas for them. I had found these super cute Curious Chef apron and cooking sets for them. We also gave them gift cards to Kroger so they can pick out a recipe and buy the ingredients themselves. Mom bought them (really my nephew) an Easy Bake Oven. We're convinced the kid is going to be a chef one day. They were so excited they were even happy to wash all of the cooking utensils and pans that came with both gifts.
 
 
 

Then we stopped my Jason's parents' house for a bit. They don't really do anything for Christmas, so it was just us stopping by for a visit and to give them their gifts.

Finally, it was on to my dad's house. He made manicotti and a special gluten-free pasta version for my sister. I made some roasted broccoli and there were tons of treats as well.
 
In the first picture, Sarah is hold up a card that C had made for her, notice the green star ring please. In the next picture, it's a rare picture of my dad laughing thanks to the kids. Oh he'll be so happy to see this on the blog ;-) I should say it's not that dad doesn't laugh, he just doesn't do pictures.

Running Kind of Christmas
So, back to today and sleeping in. I didn't wake up until 8:30 and Jason managed to stay in bed until a little after 9. No complaints though; it was so nice to sleep in and take it easy getting the day going.

We exchanged gifts, a very running-themed Christmas for us. I finally got my long-sleeved running shirt with the thumb holes. I was almost disappointed that it was too warm to wear it today. However, I could wear the Garmin Forerunner 610 he got me! Yep, finally got a GPS tracking system. No more relying on heart rate and time alone for my distance.

I also finally got a new pair of house shoes. My last pair I had picked up for about 5 bucks on clearance. The seams around the toes had pretty much blown out, so those got tossed today finally. I got Jason a new running shirt today, which he did wear along with his new Injinji toe socks that he loves.

We didn't head out to run until after noon. I expected the trails to be pretty empty. But they weren't. Lots of families out walking around and a few runners and cyclist. I guess when there's really not a lot to do on Christmas Day and it's 55 degrees and sunny, being outside is the way to go.

Armed with the new Garmin, we set off on a rather chatty run. I always talk, but Jason doesn't. But he kept wanting to compare the distance and pace from my gadget to his gadget. I loved knowing the mileage, of course, the route we took is one I've done so many times I already had a pretty solid idea. The one thing I think is completely off is the calorie count. 

For me, it was a really great run. I was so happy to hit 10 miles again with very little sciatic/piriformis issues. Jason stopped at mile 9. I think it wasn't a terrible run for him, but his sinuses are a total mess, so it was a little harder for him. That whole snotty, not breathing thing sort of gets in the way of running sometimes.

After stretching and rolling, we had a super quick lunch of chickpea salad wraps. I was starting to get really shaky, so fast was mandatory. We are planning on making a nicer dinner this evening though. It'll sort of be a repeat of Thanksgiving actually. I wanted to try to perfect the Wild Mushroom Green Bean Casserole. And we both loved the Curried Pumpkin Risotto so much that we agreed that was a must. I ended up buying a Quorn Turk'y Roast that we'll have with my Chipotle Cranberry Relish.

For now, I'm enjoying a mimosa with my fee propped up - in PJs of course. It has been a great Christmas for us. We got many gifts that we are so grateful for. We were also able to give gifts and watch our family open them. To me, that's the most special part of the holidays.

Whether you celebrate Christmas or not, I hope you all have had a wonderful day!

Daily To-Enjoy List:
  • Sleeping in
  • Sunshine
  • Running with Jason
  • PJ day
  • Mimosas
  • Relaxing

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