Christmas shopping...what is that??

Nothing like waiting until the last minute. I just started shopping about two days ago. That is not unusual in this household. Although, I really don't have that much to do. We are getting ready for a family getaway! December 30th we're off to the Caribbean, kids and all! We are so excited, so not only are we counting down the days 'til Christmas but also to our cruise! The kids just can't believe they will be on a huge "boat". If only they knew how "huge". I guess they will find out soon enough. We are winding down with school- we have had all our Christmas programs. All three did an excellent job. Zach sang his heart out, and actually stood quite still. He got to dress as an Australian Explorer for his show- so that was cool. Sydney did the best she ever has done. she was also quite focused and sang all the way through- usually she tends to get a little distracted. The name of her show was "Christmas Snapshots" the exact play Ash did last year, so we knew it very well. I think Ashley was singing along. Syd had to wear a sandwich board , which I was able to make at work, so that was very handy. Ashley was a Shepard. She was not thrilled with this role because she said Shepards are boys- "why can't I be an angel?" So being able to wear a fancy dress under her Shepard outfit helped. The girls begin Christmas break Wednesday and Zach began today. They are looking forward to spending time with Grandma Joan and Papa Dick this week. Papa Mike will get here Wednesday- then we'll see the rest of the family on the cruise.

We were able to participate in our first Family 1 mile fun run. In San Marco they kick off the holiday season with the Festival of lights. There is a 5k run and a mile run or walk for Charity along the streets of the beautiful lit San Marco (on the river). Dan and Syd walked while Ashley, Zachary and I ran the mile. We walked some, but they did a great job. They really loved it. Ashley's favorite part was crossing the finish in front of an audience. She had a huge grin from ear to ear. Zach could have easily run the whole thing- check out the picture of him running. The best part was they received medals. It really was a great night.

This was not only the kick off of the Christmas season but also the kickoff of training for me and 19 other ladies. We are training for the Gate River Run that takes place in March. We have a 13 week plan in the works- we train on our own Monday through Friday and Saturdays we meet for our peak run of the week. We just completed the first week and it is awesome. I am not a runner. I ran my first and only race last year at the gate and it was the 5k. It was a big accomplishment So last year Lauren, my running partner and encourager, and I said we would run the "big run" in '08. So here we are. We will have a blog set up soon so you can check that out and see how we are doing. What is cool is that it is not just us it is a whole group of ladies, of all different levels going for the same gaol- to finish the race! It was the most amazing thing last year to see 13, 000 people take off at the starting line last year, and now to be a part of that is really exciting! Especially with a whole group of other ladies who will be striving along beside me!

Well I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! I will be sure to put cruise pics up when we return!

God Bless you and your families!