Thanksgiving and More

So we went to Grandma's house in Waycross, GA for turkey day. My brother bailed at the last minute because he couldn't get off work until late Wednesday and told us not to wait for him. Dan, Tad and I left Wed. afternoon to drive up to Waycross.

I did not take the time to go to the gym before picking Tad up from school, then I let time get away from me, so Wednesday was one of my off days.



I drove because Dan was very tired from not sleeping much the night before... or that was his excuse.. ha... and the traffic was steady but not too bad. I probably went too fast, but I wanted to get to my Grandma as fast as I could. I wanted to spend every minute I could with her.

We got stopped by the Georgia Smokies and local police in a little bump-in-the-road town just north of the border, but so did everyone else. It was a DUI stop. We passed... in case you were wondering.


When we got to Grandma's we found my mother had been cooking for two days. See the pics below. I actually did very well eating. I did eat two pieces of the six layer chocolate cake Uncle Herbie and Aunt Sarah brought, one Thursday and one Friday.


I went walking Wednesday night and walked around Grandma's block twice (it is a big block) and Thursday Aunt Sarah went with me. I only made it around once Thursday. Friday was a travelling day, but Saturday I was back at the gym.


I found out over the holidays that I walk much, much farther and faster when I am on a treadmill than when out in nature. I also amped up my walking speed since I have been home. I was walking on the treadmill, top speed at the rate of "Popular" from the Broadway show "Wicked". Now I am warming up at the speed of "Seasons of Love" from "Rent" and then kicking it up faster after a 10 minute warm up.


On my cell phone's .mp3 I have my workout playlists. The most popular one has Billy Joel, Harry Connick, Jr., Blue Man Group, songs from Wicked and Rent, and of course, the amazing Captain and Tennille. Hey, I can get to walkin' to some Cap'n! Ok, stop laughing. It's not Muskrat Love, but Love that will keep us together, people!! Sometimes I wonder if I am blasting it so loud that my neighbors on the treadmills can hear my earphones, but then no, they can't because they aren't laughing hysterically.


Another observation from Thanksgiving: Uncle Jimmy's daughter, Denise, has lost over 60 pounds. I know this because I was reminded of it no less than 20 times by various family members. They must have thought I would jump at the competition. Denise is one month younger than I am. I have never, ever felt competitive with her. Whooptie-freakin'-do, Denise has lost weight. Good for her. This is not a blog about her, but about me. It's all about my choices. Denise didn't force donuts into me. I did. I love Denise. Yaaay Denise. Now stop telling me about her, because while I love her, I have to focus on myself.


Now, if you had told me my cousin KAREN had lost weight... well then, fights on sister!

I did get encouragement from my family while I was there. And I had a blast with Dan and Tad. Tad played and played out in Grandma's backyard. He built an Indian fort. He used his imagination more than he ever has. It was really fun. He played so hard that he took a nap on Grandma's couch in the living room.


I love my Grandma more than anything. She means the world to me. It is very hard to watch her be in pain and be confused. She repeats herself now. A whole lot. And she is hurting. It breaks my heart. I cannot put into words how much love I have for her. She really makes each grandchild feel like we are the "favorite grandchild". All 12 of us, plus our spouses. She loves us no matter what we do. And oh, man, does she love the great-grandchildren. She loves us so much that she prays for each of us. She is very worried about my sister, Bonnie and her pregnancy. She wants to see that baby so badly. I tried to convince her that Bonnie was very much doing fantastic, and that time was on her side now. She is still worried. That's ok, though, that means she will pray that much harder for Bonnie and Alivia, and Jason. They need all the prayers they can get. I joke with her that I know I am her fave because I am named after her. She just laughs and lets me keep thinking that. I wish I could see her every day.


So, Thanksgiving is over. I am still thankful. I am going to meet with Joe Cool, my trainer, tonight for another round of "Let's Turn Becki Into a Pretzel- Part Deux". I am going to see if he can teach me how to use the other modes of cardio without killing myself, so I don't get bored with treading the mill. I need to bring my cable to work to put more songs on my phone that I have on my computer at work. I love Harry C. Jr, but Frosty the Snowman is starting to irritate.

Oh, I have more to share that is non-thanksgiving and non-exercise related that is exciting... more later.