Turkey Dinner

Ah, my friends, I hope that your Thanksgiving was as excellent as mine. I shall need to burn a few extra calories today, I'm afraid; but it was worth it!

The day started with a nice run around the charming town of Golden, Colorado. My friends Joe and Kristen hosted an event they called the "No Turkey" Trot -- a 4-mile fun run from their house, around the golf course, past the Taj Mahal, and back...followed by pumpkin bread, muffins, and juice. A couple of the other swimmers and a family of their neighbors showed up, and we had a nice workout. I can't say that I ran well, but I even managed to do the downhill sections without screaming too much. It was a great way to start the morning.

After that, I took a nice hot bath (which included an unintentional nap), and then spent the afternoon doing chores around home. I had made a to-do list for the weekend, and got right down to the business of scratching items off of it. I even did some of the tasks. (Ha! You saw that line coming, didn't you?)

Before I knew it, 'twas time to head back to Golden. Joe and Kristen had invited friends over for a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, and I was fortunate enough to be among the invitees. The entertainment began immediately upon my arrival -- a group of deer were wandering through the neighborhood. Apparently, they spend a lot of time there...and after watching them for a while, we each shared our own stories about close encounters with deer on the roadways.

Before the end of the meal, we had also shared stories about driving Camaros in snowstorms, riding motorcycles in thunderstorms, and general tales of woe about how bad the weather can be in godforsaken wastelands like Kansas and Nebraska. It was a fine time, and the food was delicious! I ate multiple helpings of everything, figuring that since my to-do list included several "exercise" line items, I'd work it all off by the end of the weekend.

I hope that everyone enjoyed a marvelous Thanksgiving, and that all were able to spend some time thinking about what's most important in life. For me, it's health, important relationships, miscellaneous snack foods, and reruns of Green Acres. For some, it may include things like getting all your Christmas shopping done on the day after Thanksgiving -- if that's YOU, then I'll wish you good luck and tons of fun fighting the crowds. I won't be joining you.

Whatever you do to kick off the Christmas Season, though, have a great time doing it!