Turkey Trot, Thanksgiving, Toddlers, Tid-bits

I can't believe it's been two weeks since I posted. There has been a lot going on so hopefully this isn't too long or boring.

First, the kids had their "Macy's Day" parade at school. Andy and I attended with a severe hangover. All was fine until one class came marching by as soldier boys with instruments clanging. Ugh! Mason was a pilgrim and Miller was an Elf. (I am too lazy to crop pics)

Next thing you know, it's Turkey Trot time! We met at Jess and Jerry's for a quick donut and then it was off to the race. Everyone did a great job. Lots of personal records being beat. For me, I not only met my goal of running the race but also my goal to finish around the 30 minute mark. My watch said I ran it in 29:07 minutes which was amazing! I had figured that since the first mile was terrible with dodging people I would be way behind my normal pace but the racers helped me kick it into high gear for a good finish. Whoot woo! Now...what is my next goal?

We hosted Thanksgiving. Lots of people. I think the food turned out great and believe it or not but we got everyone seated (all 20 people) at the same time (including the 8 kids). It was nice to have everyone bring their specialties; it made the chore of cooking much easier to bear. Unfortunately, the camera didn't come out until everyone was gone and we (Ryan, Andy and I) got hammered.

This leads to the Toddlers comment. Mason is teething in full force. He was up at 5am every day of the break and brutally cranky throughout the day. This is normally not a fun thing to deal with. Now add in the adults being stupid and staying up too late and living on 4 hours of sleep. Argh!

Friday we had a babysitter and hit the Hard Rock for a nice dinner and time away from kids.

Saturday included a trip to the fair (meh!). I did get a ride on the Tilt-a-Whirl with Miller. He loved it. He also went on the big boy swings by himself. They looked fun but at the price of tickets, no thanks. I can wait for another trip to Busch Gardens for more rides.

Afterwards we hit up the Polich's for a few hours of kiddy chaos. Then it was homeward bound for a nice crab dinner. Miller loves his crab!

Sunday we took our annual trip down to the beach and had dinner at Hooters. It was a great break from work but man, Monday (and the rest of the week) has been brutal for catching up.

Run Time

I missed my run last Wednesday waiting for the door inspector. Monday I missed my run because I was out of town and had no intention of running there or when I got home. I did do a ton of beach walking and shopping so that should count for something.

Today I left in a huff over the door inspection (getting a time frame is like chasing a pot of gold without a rainbow). I had my best run yet. Not too shabby! My goal with the Couch to 5K program was to be able to run a 5K and hopefully in about 30 minutes. With less than a week to go, I think I can do it! Let's just hope I don't get stuck doing too much bobbing and weaving and I don't let the crowd pace me too fast.

Mile	Time	Change	Avg Pace
1 *Fastest	9:13	--	9'13"/mi
2	19:04	+ 0:38 (-7%)	9'51"/mi
3	29:04	+ 0:09 (-2%)	10'00"/mi

Perplexed

We had our new front door installed last week. The permit process wasn't too terrible because the contractor handled most of the leg work. The contractor did a nice job and now I sit and wait for the inspection/approval by the city.

This is where I am totally perplexed. I have an appointment with the city inspector for today. Yep, today. No window of time (like a 4 hour window wasn't vague enough with every other vendor in South Florida). I skipped my run today because I didn't want to chance being away or in the shower when they showed up. (yes, I could have gotten up at the crack of dawn to get it in before the kids got up but I wasn't feeling it.)

How hard is it when it's a city inspection (you have a known territory) to make a general estimate on when you could be here? I am sure there is more to this process than I understand but it irks the crap out of me to know that I am basically on call for them.

I hope this annoyance doesn't turn into bad karma and they don't approve us. Maybe I should have saved this comment for after the inspection.

Voting

Don't worry, this is not a political post. In fact, I hate politics.

I watched a few debates, read a few articles but honestly, I was not prepared to vote. I had little insight into most of the local candidates and amendments, well, they are written by lawyers. What more can I say?

I know "every vote counts" but the cynic in me knows that it is going to take much more than my vote to really make a change in our government. I just wish the money spent on the campaigns and the effort of the people calling me in brute force was put into better use. It makes me sick to think of the money being wasted on flyers and tv ads.

I can say with confidence that I am glad I voted. I was able to enjoy a nice morning outside. The ladies in line next to me were pleasant. I even met some neighbors that live on our street on my way out. Everyone appeared to come out with a smile on their face that they voted and the wait in line was worth it. It's an experience many take for granted. I just hope that the promised "change" comes sooner than later. And I am looking forward to the next 3 years of campaign free tv time.

Weekly Recap

This last week was a whirlwind. Sunday we attended a Halloween brunch (everyone else blogged and FB'd pics so I am covered there). The kids had fun and so did Ryan and I.

Wednesday the boys had a fall parade and Halloween party at school. This is the first time I have attended one of these and I must say, it was pretty well organized and the kids had fun. Their school is shaped like a U so they paraded around the courtyard where all parents had plenty of photo ops to catch their kids. Mason did 2 laps (poor teachers) and Miller did 3 or 4.  I stopped in Mason's room after for their party but it was just snacks and well, as you can see, not a whole lot was happening. Miller on the other hand had games and treats. Here is him winding up to hit the pumpkin pinata.

After dinner, Jess, Jerry, Norah, and Caleb came over to trick or treat in our neighborhood. It was fun. We took the kids across to Matt and Bridgette's. Adults received ice cold beers and the kids got candy. We headed back down their street and back up ours. The kids had fun and all got to stay up way past their bedtime.

Friday, our new front door was installed. Looks good. It gets inspected Wednesday and then we can finish filling in the screw holes and painting it.

Saturday, we got a couple new trees for out back. Ryan worked like a slave to get the holes dug (pure coral/rock). They look great. Let's hope they take and survive. Then we headed to a local church carnival for some rides. We were going to eat there but the food was limited and no where to sit. I put the cabosh on it and picked a local restaurant instead. The kids ate well and were pretty well behaved (what more can you ask for?). Miller even ate caesar salad (he never eats salad).

Sunday, Ryan and Mason did some yard work and Miller and I cleaned the house. Yep, Miller swept his room and mopped his room, Mason's, the bathroom, and the hallway. He did a pretty good job and wanted to do more but the rest needed much more Mom muscle to get clean. Annie got a bath and laundry got done. Whew!

Lastly, I ran this week and enjoyed the cool temps. I had a personal best with a 31:31 5K distance on Friday. I am pretty pleased with how I have stuck with running and how my time has improved. I know I won't win any races but it's good to keep pushing myself.