2013 - It Came, I Fell, I Conquered!

To my 5 (previously) loyal followers I must express my deepest apologies for not keeping you up to date on all the exciting developments in my incredibly exciting life!  Let's just say that with all the tasks needing to be done between Thanksgiving and Christmas, blogging began to look more like a chore than a recreation, so I had to let it slide.  However, since I don't want any of you to miss one second of the drama and adventure that is my life, I have prepared this highly ego-centric and photo heavy recap of the last 6 weeks.  Enjoy!

1) I began December with another hand surgery.  This one was to free up more ligaments and clear scar tissue from the palm side of my hand.  Knowing that I would be unable to run (or use my right hand) for a week or so after surgery, I tried to do as much Holiday stuff as I could before.  And, oh yeah, I thought the time between Thanksgiving and surgery would be a great time to redo the floor in my den.  Using this technique. 
I.
am.
an.
idiot.
But the floor got done, and my surgery got done, and I managed to bank enough miles in the weeks beforehand to keep me on track for my 1,000 miles in 2013 goal.
Here's a picture of my hand post surgery.  It's gross!

2) Because of the hand surgery (which I only found out about mid Nov.), I had to miss my first planned half marathon - the Starlight Half Marathon in Palm Coast, Florida.  Instead, my husband and I turned that weekend into an early 27th Anniversary trip.  We stayed at the Hotel Indigo in Jacksonville.  What an amazing hotel!  I can honestly say that I have never stayed in a sub-$100 hotel room that was this unique and luxurious!  If you ever get a chance to stay in one, I can highly recommend!  Here are a few pics of the room:

Entrance - that's a Keurig coffee maker!

Hardwood floors and little touches of home.

Huge bathroom!

Huge shower!

 We ate out a Lebanese restaurant.  That was definitely a first for me!  We chose the appetizer sampler, and this is what we got:

I have NO IDEA what most of this stuff is, but it was good!

3) Then we traveled home (Pensacola, Florida) to celebrate my Mom and Dad's 50th Wedding Anniversary.  Their anniversary is on the same day as my husband and mine - December 20th, which is why we celebrated ours the week before.

  

Mom, Dad, me and my two brothers.

 After their party, 8 adults and 7 children all traveled to see the lights at Bellingrath Gardens.  Impressive light display and also highly recommended!

Grandkids enjoying the lights.

4) Christmas happened!  Now that my children are all growing up and moving away I treasure any time we can all get together.  I was blessed to have all my children home for Christmas Eve dinner.  Here we are, ready to say Grace before the buffet style dinner:

My youngest daughter and grandson.  This is as close to snow as we get!

6) Are you ready for the most exciting thing that has happened in the last 6 weeks?

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I finally finished my 1,000 mile goal!

Saturday night I ran 10.9 miles and this is the spot where I officially hit the 1,000 mile mark!  Even in the dark and the rain I stopped and did my Happy Dance!

When I got home, my children shocked me with an all out PARTY!

They put this all together during my 2 hour run!

Even though it's been a couple of days, I still grin when I think about this.  My big victory run could not have been any better!  I began and ended the run in the very spot where I fell and broke my hand on Jan. 1st.   I overcame... I persevered... and I am overjoyed!

So.... If you still read this blog (ha!) tell me about your Holidays!

And, I hope to be back to my regularly scheduled programming!