Weekly Mileage #196 and Christmas 2020

I kinda feel like this tree with all its tentacles is 2020

Monday the kids got to decorate their gingerbread trees. We did this last year and it was such a hit that it'll be an annual thing. Last year I helped Ocean frost his cone, but this year he did it all himself.

he decided he needed to add more after he'd finished

Honestly, this is the perfect activity: the kids can do it themselves, it doesn't need lots and lots of candy, it takes just long enough to finish before they lose interest, and they can eat them when they're done without having a huge sugar crash.

After the kids went to bed, I wrapped most of the presents. It still takes longer than I think it should, and I stayed up later than I'd planned.

Despite the lack of sleep, Tuesday morning Max and I went for a trail run and worked some hills into the mix. It was cold, but not super cold. Unfortunately, later in the day I started feeling a little off. 

some beeswax candles I ordered

this nativity is also made of beeswax, with cinnamon mixed in to give it an antique look- it smells so good!

Wednesday I didn't go for a run. For the first time in almost a year I feel like I'm fighting a cold. The late night + the cold air in my lungs (which is always dicey) + germs from shopping on Monday?

My boxes of tool kits arrived from China finally! They were delayed a week or two because of the high volume of holiday shipping, but they weren't super late.

Thursday I didn't go for a run again. I was feeling better, but still a bit off, plus it was raining the entire day. A little sick plus running in cold rain and getting soaked would make me a lot sick.

I took it easy. I made frog eye salad and some treats, but didn't work downstairs and only had my computer open for recipes. It was a nice break.

Friday was Christmas. I thought about taking Max for a run before we opened presents, but the boys wanted to open presents and the temperature was supposed to drop throughout the day, making anything still wet from Thursday's rain an icy mess. So I decided it was better to just stay home.

I don't usually do matchy-matchy pjs for everyone, but I was able to find a line that had the right sizes for everyone, including a bandana for Max. The boys (including Jeremy) got onesies, and Sunshine and I got pants and t-shirts. I erred on the side of too big for Jeremy's onesie, and it's a tent on him. Oops!

photobomber!

After we opened presents and while the kiddos were busy playing with their new toys, I spent a little time unpacking my tool kits. Half of them arrived with damaged carrying cases (the plastic boxes with hinges and latches), and I need to inventory all of them to see if they have all the pieces they're supposed to, since they ended up floating around in the cardboard boxes. I need to prep a list to go back to the company with- in addition to the damage and potentially missing pieces, I ordered 50 kits, but only received 49. I'm really glad I didn't start with a larger order. I'd much rather work out the bugs on a smaller order.

We got a couple snowflakes on Christmas day! That's the closest we've gotten to a white Christmas the entire time we've lived here. Some areas did get enough to cover the ground, but not at our house.

Saturday I finally took Max for another run. It was below freezing, so we ran on frozen mud on the trails. If it had been warmer, we would have had to run on the paved path- the trails were still pretty wet from Thursday's soaking.

pretty normal for us: me with fogged up glasses, Max staring intently at something in the distance

so cool when the water in the ground freezes and pushes up like this

Max: are we going to stand here all morning, taking pictures, or are we going to go already?

After our run, I spent some time reworking the kitchen door gate. It's still not where I want it to be, but it's better (ie, more sturdy) than it was. But I just used scrap wood we have on hand, so it's kind of ugly, and it won't hold the hinge bolts, so it's just temporary.

I got thoroughly chilled in the cold and wind since I was working without a hat and jacket. Silly me. I definitely felt worse on Sunday.

During our YW lesson about testimonies and growing them, the teacher made a comment about people losing their testimonies, then asked the girls how we can strengthen and grow our testimonies so we won't lose them. Before the lesson I'd spoken a bit about the 2021 youth theme and some of the challenges they'd faced this past year. Between the two, I got to thinking about the challenges we face and whether we allow them to strengthen our testimony, or to tear it down. It can go either way.

I've been spending time on my Biomat every evening, and I think that has helped ward off whatever bug has been trying to take hold. It hasn't gotten rid of it completely, but it also never fully developed into a full blown cold.

Weekly Mileage

Monday- 1.90 miles run and hiked

Tuesday- 2.95 miles run and hiked

Saturday- 2.01 miles run and hiked

total- 6.86 miles

2020 totals

70 hikes towards #52hikechallenge
0 kayak miles towards #365milechallenge

273.05 outdoor foot miles towards #365milechallenge
22.50 indoor foot miles towards #365milechallenge
310.0 bike miles towards #365milechallenge
605.55 miles total