The holiday season can be stressful for most of us. Between the decorating, shopping, baking and gatherings, sometimes folks are almost glad when the New Year comes and goes so they can go back to their normal routines. How sad! Since we aren't quite to December 1, maybe this year we can commit to a more peaceful and enjoyable season. So far, I was able to finish most of my holiday shopping early by picking up a few larger items for the kids as the ideas came along. They are also getting car wash coupons and movie gift cards in their stockings which will be both fun and useful. At this point, I've got mostly a few odds and ends to pick up to finish shopping. Our extended family gives pajamas as our gift exchange and I found some really fun ones early and placed my orders...can't show what I got here just yet as that would spoil the surprise! I haven't done all of my decorating just yet, but I had some help last weekend to put up the holiday village scene that lives atop my kitchen cupboards until early February. It's one of our holiday favorites at my house. I love Christmas music...but only from the day after Thanksgiving until New Year's Day. I'm going to make one of my very favorite Amy Grant Christmas songs my theme for this year....I Need A Silent Night. The song's writer expresses how the hustle and bustle of the season can cause bad behavior and destroy the enjoyment. I'm challenging myself and anyone else who cares to join me to make an effort to keep their plans big enough to be special and simple enough to be able to enjoy the process. I love Christmas cookies, too, but will bake enough to enjoy and not so many that I can't stand the sight of them! Speaking of Christmas cookies and music, this song will make you laugh, too. Be sure to listen for what we refer to at our house as "The Law & Order twist." The first time the kids and I heard it, we didn't see THAT coming in a Christmas song :-)
This week, I'll be putting up the tree and then running the Snowflake Shuffle on Saturday which is sure to get my holiday spirit pumping. I'm also hoping to get a Google Survey out to my kids and Stephanie's as to what they would like for their Christmas Day celebration. I'll be getting their opinions on menu, games and activities so that we can focus on what everyone really enjoys. I'll be sure to share the results on the blog. What is your favorite Christmas song, cookie and tradition? Please share in the comments! Keep your holidays fun, meaningful and not so stressful that you skip your runs this winter. I know I need the fresh air and exercise to feel myself. Happy running! Missee
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Now that Thanksgiving has past, the Christmas season has descended on us full force. I feel like the cold October and November weather got people in the mood for holiday decor. Many houses in our neighborhood have had their lights up a week or more already. I like to do Christmas shopping early whenever I find something just right for the people on my list. My husband also likes to do this, but gets too excited about what he has found and often gives the gifts as soon as they arrive. His enthusiasm might help our readers find cute gifts for their running friends. Last week these socks arrived: Not only are these socks really cute and inspirational, they are very nice fabric and my favorite--have the tab behind the heel to keep them from sliding into my shoes. These socks are available on Amazon. I was amazed to see how many different inspirational messages someone could put on socks! Certainly there is a phrase that resonates with every runner on your list. Here are the socks on my feet...I sent this photo to my husband and he replied wondering if I'd only gotten one of each sock in the package or if they came in pairs. LOL! Over the next few weeks, I may add some more gift ideas for runners. This one at around $10 is an affordable and fun gift. In the meantime, don't let your shopping get in the way of getting your socks and shoes on and heading out the door. Happy running! Missee
P.S. The Snowflake Shuffle is coming up in only one week. I'll be wearing my same costume from last year and registered last week, so I'm all set. Hope to see you there. On Saturday morning, we woke up to this... Our part of Minnesota got about four inches of snow from Friday night into Saturday morning. I know that mid November is kind of early for snow, but I couldn't help but enjoy the beauty that snow brings. My running friend and I enjoyed a six mile snowy run. Our pace was about 25 seconds per mile slower than last Saturday, but the intensity was about the same. When running in snow, a slower pace is expected. Snow provides resistance. It is a great workout! I got home in time to shovel the sidewalks before our Saturday plans. I guess it is time to bring in my Happy Fall sign and get those holiday lights put up. Happy Running! -Stephanie
Who doesn't love new shoes? Not only are they clean and bright, they feel nice and squishy in all the right places under my feet. I ran 3 miles in a new pair of shoes this morning. They are the Mizuno Wave Runner 22 which is a newer version of the same shoes I've been running in for years. I'd hate to guess how many Wave Runners have run down my street. I love the new color; the purple ones I just gave up were nice, too, but the pink accents on the blue shoes are super cute. I like that the 22 has had a redesign of the soles. Notice that the place where I wore out the old ones has been changed on the new ones. I remember as a kid having people ask me if my new shoes run faster. Since I work in a school, I often have the opportunity to admire kids' new shoes. I refrain from asking them about the speed of their new shoes since that would incite a demonstration and running is strictly prohibited in the cafeteria. If I had $1 for every time I've called out "walking feet!", I'd have enough for a whole lot of Mizuno Wave Riders! I was really hoping that my new shoes were actually going to run fast, but alas, my pace was not that great this morning. I'm planning for a longer run tomorrow and a little better speed. Maybe my new shoes just needed a little warmup jog today. Last week one day I had to look for something in my daughter's closet and found this pretty jacket that is really comfortable, reflective and matches my new shoes! If you catch a glimpse of a blue streak, it just might be my new shoes and jacket flying down the road. Deb had bunion surgery this week, so I'll be solo for a while. I'm planning to try the newest Jodi Piccolt book on audio with my Aftershokz headphones. It's definitely not as good as a friend to talk to, but it will have to do for now. I wish for everyone to enjoy a new pair of shoes this season and the chance to see if they run super fast! Happy running--Missee
My kids are between 18-23 years old. They are pretty independent but call home once in a while for advice and to keep us up to date on their goings on. Last week, the boys were supposed to meet up to go to Mills Fleet Farm for their Orange Friday celebration...Black Friday but for hunters. On my way to work, I talked to Blake who was shopping at 6:45am on his own. David didn't show up at the store to wait in line for a free hat and scratch off ticket. Later when I got a hold of David, he had overslept by a couple hours. At that point, I described what had gone on in my day so far. It was a non-student day at school so I'd met up with the other half of the staff running club and Deb in St. Joe to run there as it was a more central location for us to run and each of us to get to work on time. Deb is always game for an adventure; Marian and I had a little more time to work with than normal since we didn't feel too compelled to be as neatly groomed as when we are dealing with students. Some might think that's yucky, but I've always said I'd take an extra mile over extra grooming any day! The three of us met up at the local Kwik Trip and hit the streets. Marian and I had gone to college in that town (about 12 years apart), so a lot of the roads were familiar, but it has grown a lot and there were new streets to explore. After five miles or so, Marian suggested we head out into the woods behind the college and run the trails. Keep in mind that the time was now around 5:45am and really dark. I had the only headlight, so I did feel secure that I wouldn't be left behind not that these ladies would ever do that. We had an awesome run. Later via text message, I'd asked David if he'd overslept because of a late night to which he'd said no. I described meeting up with the ladies to run 9.5 miles and enjoy some homemade muffins. He'd replied, "sounds like a rowdy crowd." That made me feel like we were some sort of rebels. When my daughter Haley heard about our exploits, she was aghast that we'd gone out into the woods. I said it was ok because we didn't see any weirdos. She figured we WERE the weirdos to be up and adventuring at that hour. Hmmm...I guess our definition of fun differs from the college crowd. Some people complain that they don't like running because it's so monotonous and "boring." With a little creativity, the same running motions can be really different and never boring. We had so much fun that we are going to venture out to St. Joe again this week. Look out Central MN, the rowdy crowd is hitting the streets! I've got one more photo from Quilt Camp to share. Mom and her friend have tackled a very difficult pattern that will be so beautiful when it is finished. She had one block to show at Show and Tell at the conclusion of camp. Can't wait to see the finished product. Last weekend, on the first two days of our deer hunting celebration, Mom and Charlie were bonding over some nice long walks. They were adorable out walking the streets of town. I'd challenge everyone to find a way to keep your running interesting by changing up your location, adding some new partners (with two feet or four), time of day or distance. Feel free to create your own rowdy crowd on a run, but nothing illegal please :-) Happy running--Missee
Last weekend was our annual Quilt Camp at Camp Lebanon in Burtrum, Minnesota. Camp Lebanon provides summer camps for children along with a variety of Christian retreats throughout the year. My mom has treated my sister and I to the Quilt and Craft Retreat for the past three years. The three of us, along with my mom's friend, look forward to our weekend together filled with sewing, dining, and laughs. On Saturday morning, Missee and I headed out on a delightful run. We ran along the county road for a short while and spent most of our run exploring the camp roads and trails. The scenery was beautiful! There were several marked trails at camp. The Eagle Ridge trail was a loop that zigzagged down a hill leading to the lake. The uphill was one steep climb. We loved that loop so much, we did it twice. Both of us enjoyed the challenge of the hill. The main focus of the weekend is sewing, quilting, and fellowship. My mom, sister, and I really like to sew. Hours and hours were spent on our sewing machines. I used my time to catch up on a quilt-a-long that I have been working on for about a year now. Missee was working on purses and our mom was quilting. We had a wonderful weekend! I'm already looking forward to next year's Quilt Camp!
Happy Running! -Stephanie The next 9 days, especially the weekends that "bookend" it, are a sort of official/unofficial holiday in Minnesota. Rifle season for deer will be in full swing 30 minutes before the official sunrise on Saturday and the menfolk from my family will be wearing their blaze-orange best and creeping out to their stands an hour early so as not to spook the deer away from their stands. With some good luck, there will be a few less Bambis running in front of cars and ready to go to the meat market for our winter suppers by sundown. Hunting is good for a number of reasons:
Many hunters suffer from what is affectionally known as Buck Fever. They get pretty excited to shoot a deer and don't always think as clearly as they should. For this reason, runners, walkers and bikers need to be very cautious during rifle season. Until the season is finished, I will avoid running outside of city limits and always in bright clothing. I don't having anything brown that I normally wear running, but the fluffy ponytail could even be a danger. It's easy to run in city limits at home, but on the day of staff running club (still only 2 people), we usually head out on a wooded trail for part of our run. This week, we will stick to the city streets which is not as scenic, but definitely free of hunting activity. I won't be skipping any runs during deer season, just being smart about them. I'm meeting up with two friends very early Friday morning to squeeze in our long run before the opener so that I can run shorter on Saturday while the guys hunt. In addition to the made-up holiday of deer hunting, we also celebrate another DNR sponsored holiday known as walleye opener which almost always falls on Mother's Day. I suppose Marathon Monday (the Boston Marathon) is also a made-up holiday that I've celebrated before. Here are a few pics of deer the guys have tagged over the last few years. I always enjoy a good reason to celebrate holidays, even if it's kind of made up. What special days do you celebrate that Hallmark or the US Postal Service doesn't recognize? Share in the comments! Happy running--Missee
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AuthorMissee and Stephanie are two Minnesota sisters and moms who love to run. We are not experts in running, parenting or anything else, but we do have years of experiences that may be helpful or entertaining to others. Archives
May 2020
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