Truly spoiled

I hope everyone had a fabulous Christmas! I certainly did.

Matt's sister and her boyfriend came up from North Carolina and we had a good time hanging out Saturday and Sunday. Maggie hooked Matt and me up with a ton of individual Hammer gels. She made sure to get only the flavors that we liked. She also got us running socks. The special treat was a mug for each of us. Maggie throws pottery and she is slowly turning our dining set into something more fun with way more quality. My mug says "Jen's Java". I don't drink much coffee, but I'm thinking of drinking more just to get to use the mug.

Matt spoiled me terribly on Christmas morning. When I came downstairs at 7 AM, he had the fire going. He patiently waited for me to eat breakfast and then excitedly asked "Can we do presents now?" So, we did the exchange. He got me leg warmers, warm bike socks, mountable GU flasks for each bike, an "In Training for 2007 Ironman Lake Placid" technical t-shirt and drum roll A GARMIN FORERUNNER 305 WITH CADENCE ACCESSORY. Wow, I never expected that! I've been debating about whether to get one for over a year now, but the expense has kept me from purchasing it. Now, I will know how fast and how far I'm going. Plus, you can record routes and download them to the Computrainer. It has many more features, but I'll have to learn them along the way. Jodi should be expecting lots of questions.

After the present gluttony, we headed out for our annual Jingle Bell Jog (which ironically has no jingle bells). I was worried about slowing him down terribly, but he stuck with me for the first 1.6 mile loop until I encouraged him to continue on at his own pace. At the end of the second 1.6 mile loop, I was tempted to call it a day, because my right hamstring was so tight. The song "One More Time" came on, my spirits lifted and my hamstring loosened enough to complete the 4.25 mile run. Fortunately, the IT band was only slightly irritated and I felt fine after the run. I'm calling it a "Christmas miracle".

That night, we went to Canton to visit my mom,her friend, my brother and Grandpa for Christmas dinner. My mother has been notorious for buying too many gifts, like we were still 12 and not in our 30s. So, this year, Dave and I convinced her to limit the gifts to 1-2 each. Crazily enough, she complied. Of course, she bought expensive gifts, but it is a start. She got me a digital camera, so I'll be able to post pictures more often here. She got Matt a Tanita Body Composition Scale. Now, we'll be able to monitor our body fat percent, water percentage, etc. as well as our weight. Pretty cool!

All in all, it was a great Christmas again! I'm so lucky to have my family and friends.