Christmas

We had a really nice holiday with just the three of us in Denver. Last year we went to both Missouri and Texas to visit our families and it was just way too much. Plus we just really missed Piper (ok, I admit, I am the only one who missed Piper).

Christmas Eve we ventured out to get dinner. There weren't very many places open and we had a tough time agreeing on where to go, but finally we spotted a Chilis and decided to give it a try. I don't remember the last time I had eaten there, but I got a grilled shrimp platter with mashed potatoes and broccoli and it was pretty good. Madison ordered a spicy chipotle pasta and she was in heaven, while Rick ordered his usual turkey sandwich, so it worked out pretty well. We were back home by 8:00 and each opened a gift.

Madison, me and Piper



Piper got a new reindeer stick dog.



Madison got a new camera. She also got other gifts such as lotions, perfume, gift cards, cash, etc, but the camera was a needed necessity (according to her).



Baffled on how to use her new camera



Rick finally helped her get it set up with her e-mail account, etc



Piper also got some treats for Christmas, her favorite doggie "chocolate" cupcakes.



But I don't want JUST ONE cupcake!!!



Christmas morning we got up and opened the rest of our gifts and then made Christmas lunch. We decided to do something different this year and instead of the usual turkey and fixings, I decided to make chicken parmigiana, bread, and a salad.

After lunch we sat around bored until Madison and I decided that we would go to the movies to see Breaking Dawn. I can't wait for the final movie!!!

In other news, I have my half marathon in California this weekend. I am actually not looking forward to it. My training started out very strong and I was feeling really good and healthy. However, I have been sick the last few weeks and it has definitely taken a hit on my training. I went to the doctor and had bloodwork drawn last week, and we seem to be getting to the root of my health issues. I can still run the race, but it will not be the race that I had envisioned. It will be nice to just go and spend time with friends and do a beautiful run along the coast. There will be other races in the future, I just need to take care of myself and not go full out for this one. I'm ok with that. Thank gawd it's just a half and not a full!