14 Days and Counting - Saturday, December 24th

Merry Christmas Eve!!

I spent Christmas Eve at my mom's. My brother, sister-in-law and nephews came over for brunch. My plan was this… Since it was going to be in the low 50s today, I would do the brunch thing with the family, clean up and go running. I even brought my running gear and printed out a 10.8 mile route through downtown Washington that would bring me past the National Christmas Tree. But like the saying goes - life is what happens when you're busy making plans. My mom, the Earl of Earliness, woke me up at 7am to help in the kitchen. I really didn't mind except my brother and family weren't planning on showing up until 10am and 3 hour prep was overkill. She realized this when we were standing in he kitchen looking a table full of food that could be prepared within 30 minutes of their arrival. At 20 minutes to 10:00 they called to say they were leaving. I guestimated that they wouldn't get to my mom's until 10:45. When they came, we ate, we exchanged gifts and they left. I had a nice time. My youngest nephew was very restless. I could see the exhaustion on my brother and sister-in-law's face. Either way they stayed longer then I had planned. By the time we were done cleaning up it was 2:30. Even if I got dressed that very minute and drove downtown, I'd be lucky to start my run by 3:30. I planned on running the entire 10.8 mile route which would take me at least 2 hours and I wouldn't get back to my mom’s until 6pm at the earliest. At which point I needed to take a shower and rest before getting ready for Christmas Eve mass. Considering I was already tired because I woke up early and I didn't sleep too well the night before because I have a cold, then I had to help get brunch ready, spend time with my energetic nephews and clean up afterwards, there was no way I'd come close to having any kind of decent run today. Plus my mom wanted to drop off presents for some her friends before Christmas Eve mass. So, my plans to go running got scrapped. Instead I ate like a pig for the rest of the day and took a nap. I know I'm not an emotional eater. When I'm upset I prefer shopping, exercising or just going to sleep. Food is the last thing on my mind. But when I'm bored I eat like a pig. This is why I'm never home and I don't keep food in my house, but my mom's house after Christmas brunch is a totally different story. Let's hope the scale is forgiving.

- Au Revoir