Thankful little turkey

Christmas is one of my absolute favorite times of year, and I honestly couldn't be more excited that the holidays are here! Robert and I try to go to New York at least once a year, and have decided to take our trip in December this year. I looove snow (aka the Floridian likes snow for a week, then is ready for mid-70 degree weather for the rest of December) and I'm super excited to see NY during Christmastime again. We usually go during baseball season (since one of his birthday presents usually consists of Mets tickets), and have yet to go together when all the Christmas decorations are up. A couple of years ago, I went for a journalism conference at Columbia in early December and absolutely fell in love with the whole city at that time of year. From the ginormous Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center, to the perfectly decorated shop windows on 5th Avenue, to the feeling of walking through Central Park after it has just snowed. Okay, okay... I know that's kind of cheesy, but it just gives me this warm fuzzy feeling that you don't really get with Christmas in Florida. The last time we had snow was in 1989... That's right, 21 years ago. And (make sure you're sitting down for this one...) it was a whopping 2 inches of snow. Whoo hoo!!! If I can find it, I'll post the picture of us all out the front yard in our little "blizzard" making snow angels. Every time I see that picture it cracks me up. I literally looked (and felt like) the Michelin Man walking through the yard, with the 317 layers my mother had me in. You know in "A Christmas Story" when Ralphie's little brother falls over in the snow and can't get up? Yep... that was me. So, needless to say, I'm very much excited to escape the Florida warmth for a week and head up north. Since our coldest days tap only into the 30s and 40s for a couple hours, my winter wardrobe is seriously lacking. I guess that just means I'll have to go shopping... sigh. ;) I mean, I may or may not have been spent a 2-3 hours a day for the past week looking at adorable winter coats and outfits. Soo yes. I'm very ready.

On a slightly different note, I think it's so important to remember what this season is for. Regardless of your religious beliefs, this time of year should be about being thankful, being selfless, and thinking of others before ourselves for a bit. It's so easy to get caught up in all the parties, presents, and overall excitement of the holidays... and rightfully so, to a degree. Don't get me wrong, spending time with loved ones and "enjoying" the season is definitely a huge part of it. And I'm all for partaking in holiday festivities! :) A couple of years ago right before the schools were letting out for winter break, I was working with a teacher in her 5th grade classroom. A little girl (who was usually very shy, didn't talk much, but always did her homework and did well in school) came up to us and said "Mrs. C, can we come to school over winter break? Like, will it be open?" The other teacher and I looked at each other a little confused, and Mrs. C said "Well honey, I'm pretty sure the school will be locked up. They usually clean it over breaks. Was there something you needed?" The little girl looked a little sad and sighed. "Oh..." she said. "It's just that... well, we don't have breakfast and lunch at my house. And I was hoping I could could come to the cafeteria to get something to eat." My heart just sank. The girl received free breakfast and lunch daily at school, and didn't know what she was going to do over break. The teacher told me that after long weekends, the girl would come back to school a few pounds lighter, and very hungry. The parents both had drug problems, and the little girl was basically in charge of raising her two younger brothers... at 10 years old. I wanted so badly to tell the little girl to come to my house every day and I would feed her breakfast and lunch. It just absolutely tore me apart. Each year since that day, I always think of that little girl when school lets out for break. For the most part, none of us have to really think about whether or not we're going to have gas in the car, heat in our house, or breakfast and lunch to eat. The last thing I want is to come off "preachy," but I just wanted to share that story with you all. If you get some extra time, please donate a meal to someone who needs it, or an extra $5 to an animal shelter to give a blanket to an animal who will spend its holidays on the cold floor of a pound. To us it's just some extra cash but to someone who needs it, it could be the best Christmas present they get... or maybe even the only one.

On a lighter note, I'd love to hear about your holiday plans! Going anywhere fabulous? Or maybe even just staying home and doing absolutely nothing (which, I am a firm believer in sometimes being the best "vacation" there is).

Lastly, I'd like to thank each and every one of you who read my blog! It really means so much to me that you all take interest in it, and I'm thankful for each and every one of you every day. I love hearing from you, so please don't be shy! :)

Goodnight y'all!

And it begins...

After taking about 5 months off from doing sort of "organized" running, I've finally gotten back to the grind... When I really think about it, I'm not quite sure why I ever stopped in the first place. I had finished my last of 4 half-marathons and just let that be "it." Maybe it was more of a burnt out feeling, or maybe it was more of me just being lazy. Probably a mix of both. I joined up with a local running group for some early morning Tuesday/Thursday shorter, 2-4 mile runs, and a good long one on Saturday. I had definitely forgotten how great it made me feel. The 4am alarm? Not so much. But the feeling of getting the day started with a good flow of endorphins is wonderful. I finally broke down and bought a new pair of running shoes, too. It's pretty easy to forget how shoes are actually supposed to feel when they 1) fit right, and 2) aren't completely broken down (being in one, complete piece helps too!). A couple of new outfits, new tennie's, and a pair of sunglasses later, my retail therapy left me with no excuses to not get out and hit the road. Having new gear always makes me a little more excited to start back up though. Maybe it's the "fresh start" vibe that it all gives off. I'm all for starting fresh!

This Friday, Charley goes back for his second post-FHO checkup. On May 4, he had his first surgery (FHO, femoral head and neck ostectomy) of two to correct his hip dysplasia and first (of 3) steroid injections in his elbows to help with the elbow dysplasia. For those who aren't familiar with it (as I sure wasn't before this!) an FHO is a procedure where the hip joint is salvaged by removing the "ball" (of the "ball and socket") of the hip and letting cartilage form a new one. The upside to doing this in comparison to a total hip replacement is 1) no activity restrictions post surgery, 2) some dogs who go through a total hip replacement still end up needing an FHO down the road, and 3) it is a bit less expensive, especially since we were going to have to do it twice. The little guy had just had his first birthday on April 21. This condition usually doesn't present problems until much later in life, but his case was so severe (due to genetics) that he began to show pain at only 8 weeks old. :( Let me tell you... nothing breaks your heart more than watching an 8 week old puppy suffer like a dog who has lived a long, plentiful 10-15 year life. On a lighter note, he has been going to "puppy rehab" at a local hydrotherapy center and is doing great! This is his absolute favorite thing in the world. For 30 minutes, he becomes king of the pool. He swims for a bit, stops for some physical therapy (still in the pool), and swims some more. Every Wednesday and Friday he wakes up knowing that once 11am rolls around, he gets to go swimming. For anyone who has a lab, I'm convinced they're at least half fish! ;) Anyway, we find out Friday when the next surgery (and steroid injections) will be and after that he should be good to go! Please keep him in your prayers!!


Hmm... what else? The week has been absolutely crazy busy and it's only Tuesday! Whew! Luckily from here it's all down hill. I should be posting a bit more once things settle down. Just a side note... I love reading all your blogs out there! I'm adding a couple new ones each day to the list of those I follow and it's just great! Thanks to all of you who have invited me into your day to day lives, even if it's just in the slightest way. Goodnight ya'll!