End of November Letter to the Reader

It's hard to believe that Christmas is only a few weeks away. The leftovers from Thanksgiving are being consumed as we speak. Holiday cheer is sprouting in every corner it can creep its way through. And here I am, only wanting to bake. I don't want to do homework. I don't want to clean. I don't even want to think about presents. I want to bake. Bake anything too. Right now I'm making an Eggnog Rum Bread that I found on someone else's blog (http://kneadtocook.com/eggnog-bread/). 

But before I can move on to tell you about the yummy things I've made this week, I want to tell you about my Thanksgiving. 

The last three weeks have been rough. I've been moody and tired because of the amount stress I feel like I've succumbed too. And yesterday, on Thanksgiving, it came to a head. I woke up with a horrible headache that quickly turned into a migraine that made it hard to focus. I couldn't just lay down to sleep because I had made plans to do the Pilgrims 5K with one of my closest friends, Ferren. 

So here I was, forcing myself to get dressed for a run in the brisk November morning, drinking water like I'm never going to drink it again, and leaving the driveway headed south. Headlights were blinding to my now pounding head, my right eye was struggling to see anything. I thought to myself, I could probably crash right now because of this migraine. I hoped I wouldn't have a seizure from the sunlight peaking over the mountains allowing strobing (what seemed to be, although I'm sure that isn't what it was really doing) effects to occur in my car. I was so relieved when I finally pulled into the parking lot of the race so I could relax for 10 minutes. 

I met up with Ferren, Ken, sweet little McKay, and Moniqua, Ferren's cousin. I put on my race day shirt, Ferren put on my timer chip, and we were set. It was cold, but it was bearable. 

'What The Fox Says" came on and this was dear Ferren's reaction to it. It was quite funny actually. 

After we took a couple of pictures together, we made our way to the start line. 

When the gun was fired, as a giant mass of people, we dawdled towards the point of no return. Once we hit that timed mark, we were off. 

We ran for probably 600 feet. Actually, I have no idea but it felt like a good distance. I had to walk. My brain was jiggling around in my skull and I was winded. Ferren and her cousin were kind enough to walk with me. Some people are just so patient and it means a lot to me that these two were with me. We did a walk, run, walk, run bit for awhile and then I just wanted to walk. It was hard to run on the path because it was very narrow, packed with people, and was a constant up and down. Moniqua got lost in the crowd, or should I say that I fell behind and Ferren stayed with me. 

Ferren and I talked more than anything, which was needed. I don't get to spend time with her as often as I would like, so when we do it's like we have to get everything out to make up for lost time. 

We made our way around the last bend of the race and ran like we were first place winners. And then I was a loser. It was pathetic, I was a horrible runner yesterday. I walked. But then we pushed for the end and finished in 50 minutes. HORRIBLE TIME! But I still had a good time. 

After the race, we hung around drinking water and eating pumpkin cupcakes waiting for the awards to be announced. One person was able to complete the 3.2 miles in 19 minutes! A woman followed that time at 20 minutes. I can't imagine being able to do that but I guess I better figure out how I'm going to cut my time to under 30 minutes if we're going to do a 10K in the Spring.

This was our punishment for finishing the race in such slow time. It was kind of fun to pose and after the pictures, I realized that Ferren's sunglasses match her shoes. 

Tom the Turkey

We meandered over to see Tom, above, and were surprised at the size of the turkey. He was in a large dog breed kennel. He looked kind of sad to me, set on display like a piece of art. But really, I didn't feel bad because I'm a straight up carnivore. 

After that, it was time to go. I drove home like a maniac because I just wanted to relax my brain, yes I still had a migraine. 

When I got home, I thought, "maybe a cup of coffee will help." I sat at the computer, drank a half cup of coffee and still felt like I couldn't function. I took a shower and laid down for a few hours.

The rest of the day was pretty relaxing, but the headache never left. I had aspirin and water and then I started feeling sick. By the time we made it home from visiting family, I was exhausted. Stick a fork in me, because I was done. I got ready for bed, then laid down. It wasn't long before I was sound asleep.

After a night's rest, I feel better today. I'm thankful I did the 5K and that I didn't eat myself into a daze of sickness and being bloated. Today is productive and I'm feeling rested enough that I can take on the world. 

Happy Thanksgiving and happy holidays to all. December is about here and I'm ready to bake everything I can.