Holiday party with some friends

Christmas holiday party with some 'hot rod' friends. Good food, good drink, and good conversation! One of my favorite things about the holidays is the holiday parties we get to attend! Too bad these don't last all year!

Motivation is needed

I am so lacking in motivation these days!

Maybe a nice sandy beach would help - but wait - I was just on some sandy beaches in Florida & my motivation is still low...

Maybe I'm missing sailing more than I thought... who wouldn't miss visions like this...

Maybe I need to get to the mountains & go for a nice long hike - even though they are snow covered by now...

Maybe I need to get out of the country... but Chris was just in Europe, so I'm sure he won't be up for it...

Maybe I need to spend more time at the horse barn - but lately I'm there 3 times a week - so, maybe I need to spend less time there...

Oh, I don't know, but I really need the motivation to get in the pool,

and to get cycling...

and to use these...

Winter is here - blech!

Early Christmas present!

After the Philadelphia marathon, Chris & I took 2 weeks completely off training in order to rest & rejuvinate for the upcoming 2011 triathlon season. So, it was a nice little surprise, when we went on a little drive last weekend - along our regular run & bike route - and discovered that one of our roads had been re-paved!!! Thank you thank you thank you!! It was getting to be a real ankle breaker & you don't want to know how it felt riding the bike!! A mountain bike wasn't even comfortable on that road.

Yippee!! I can't wait to try out the new road! Too bad our road bikes are put away for the winter.

Last Day

On to big & better things, our dear fried Erin has taken a new job (at a company around the corner; with our old boss, Ana - such lucky girls!)

Last (as an employee) Lunch with the sales guys

Then on to the 3:00 party! ice cream cake!


and lots of gifts (beautifully arranged by David)

Last day, we could ask her to work - so she had to cut her own cake :)

Erin was the buildings bright shining fun star & everyone turned out to wish her the best! She really made out on the gifts too!!

Our days are a little dimmer now (especially mine, as she was my next door office neighbor), but we all wish her the best!

Thanksgiving in Florida!

Chris' mom & her husband, Tony, live in Florida, so Thanksgiving is a perfect time to visit!

Thanksgiving morning - relaxing & catching up on the lanai.
They live on 5 acres, so they have plenty of privacy & a great view!

Their pool is very nice!Love palm trees!

And their backyard neighbor has horses we can visit:

They live on a nice quiet road, so we went for a walk before & after Thanksgiving dinner. We were on a 2 week hiatus from swim; bike; run - so walking it was!

This little frog was hanging out in the pool - we had to save him, else he was going to drown.

Tony helping with Thanksgiving dinner

And the table is set - yum!

Tony & Liz' friends, Sal & Henrietta, also joined us. So we spent the rest of the afternoon chatting & watching football.

That evening, we visited a neighbor who goes crazy with Christmas decorations. He even had a lighted helicopter on his roof. Everything was lit up. He had trains & sleighs & bubble machines...

The next day, Chris & I drove to Daytona to attend the annual Turkey Run car show. It's held in the infield of the Daytona 500 Nascar track.

and there are a lot of participants!

The Daytona race track is pretty cool. The corners are so steep!!! Those cars have to be going fast, else they would slide right down

And they are just finishing repaving the track. Should make for an interesting race come February!

After the show, we headed to Daytona Beach!

Took a short drive down the beach. My first time on a beach that had traffic lanes!

On Saturday, Tony & Liz took us for a drive - near Disney. We stopped at a little town called Celebration - very quaint.

The town was all decorated for Christmas, so we took some pictures.

That evening, we headed over to Old Town. They have a car show every Saturday night.

Old Town also has amusement park rides & games. And it's right across the street from Disney!

On Sunday, our last day, we woke up & found a visitor. Actually, Tony had known he had some kind of night critter, so he had set a trap to catch him. Tony & Liz have a nicely manicured lawn & it attracts a lot of unwelcome visitors. Poor little guy - he was all tuckered out & sleeping when we found him.

After the morning's excitement, we went to breakfast, & then headed to the beaches. We wanted to spend a little time in the sunshine & by the water.

Then it was off to the airport & MA!

Philadelphia Marathon

On Saturday, we flew to Philadelphia & went to the marathon expo:

Marathon Day was Sunday with a 7:00 am start. Great weather (50's & no rain); great course; & great company! Our best marathon to date :) I was very impressed with Philadelphia - very cool city. It was never on my radar, but it is now. I can't wait to go back!

me & Chris after the race!

Super happy with my performance, as I had been struggling with my training. That darn Lyme disease! We ran 20 seconds a mile faster than our best marathon - woo hoo! And we felt strong through out - even better. First consistent race!! And my quads weren't too sore. Chris' were a little - but not as bad as previous marathons. I think we still had some in the tank...

The first 13 miles of the marathon went through the downtown sections & around Independence park. Then we ran out past the zoo & along the Schuylkill river for the last 13 miles - very scenic. Great crowd support as well. The Philly marathon is highly recommended by us!!

Medals & Bib #'s

So after we got cleaned up, we headed out to see the city! I was planning a short walking trip this time - nothing like our D.C. adventure. Mainly because I was flying out that night & I didn't have the time :(

Fortunately, our hotel was very close to Independence Hall & Park

We didn't take time to visit the Liberty Bell - the line was too long.

Steph in front of Independence Hall (where they signed the Declaration of Independence, I think...) Our trip to Philly was very quick, and my history was lacking.

and Chris in front of the Hall

Independence Park; Hall; Old City Hall

Then we found a great pub: Rotten Ralph's. These beers saved our lives!

Then we went back to our hotel room to relax a bit & watch the final laps of the Nascar race. Final race of the season & Jimmie Johnson pulled out another championship! 5 in a row!

Then I dragged Chris out again for a 30 minute walk around the downtown area, before I headed to the airport. (Chris was staying for business meeting)

Lots of cool architecture in Philadelphia. I liked it a lot! The mall area where we started the marathon was super cool too. I just didn't get back there to get any pictures. It's very similar to Washington D.C. Loved it!!