Christmas Eve Happenings

Merry Christmas Eve, guys! Just popping in on this unusually mild December 24th afternoon to say hello. We are a happy, full house again as Mikey’s younger sister Catherine and her husband Dave are here! Yesterday after my morning clients we drove up to Red Deer to meet them and Dave’s family for lunch, went ice skating, and then headed back down to Calgary with two new passengers in tow. We had a great time visiting with Dave’s family and the pond we skated on was perfect! It was a total enjoyment thing, meaning no pictures were snapped – at least not by me! My mother-in-law took a few:

Dave’s dad Tony + my FIL, Maurice; Dave & Catherine!

…and the cheesy posers.

We drove home to a beautiful sunset, had a great meal of steaks and potatoes (Alberta food, baby!), and sat and talked for a while before pulling out the game Ticket to Ride (North America version). We are board game players…love it! I was in and out on a team with Mikey, just enjoying the company and laughing at the table together. At around 10:30, the “kids” headed downstairs to our “suite” and watched “Elf.” Lots of laughs and fun to hang out and enjoy a movie together.

As I hit the hay last night, I contemplated my desire to get a 10 mile run either on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, but knowing we were going to bed so late made me think it wouldn’t be this morning! However, when my 6:45 am alarm went off, I checked the temperature on my phone and knew I had to get out there and run. It was mild out, I knew the wind wouldn’t be raging yet (Alberta’s had some serious wind gusts this month and they always pick up later in the day), and I felt like some quiet alone time to begin my day. Although it took me a few minutes to get out of bed, I eventually crawled out of the warm covers, grabbed my clothes that were laying outside the door, and ate a piece of toast with 1/2 banana and some almond butter. I layered up, grabbed my headlamp, and headed outdoors for a long solo run.

It was beautiful out: still, calm and serene. Running in the dark on snow covered trails, my feet quietly padding a long; shedding my lightweight coat almost immediately; moving in the warm air and darkness…it was amazing! Hearing coyotes howl in the darkness and later watching the sun rise was such a treat – it was as if I was watching God wake up the world, but only bits of the sky at a time, some clouds reflecting the bright morning colors and others staying a dark grey. It didn’t prove to be the easiest run, but it was beautiful and worth getting up early for before the day began.

I love building fitness and healthy living into traditions. Do any of your traditions include fitness with family or solo? My family is going for a hike by the ocean down in California tomorrow for Christmas and I remember going on long runs with my mom on Thanksgiving morning (and always a walk with family after the big meal!). Mikey’s family always goes to Lake Louise and/or Banff on Boxing Day (December 26th) for skating, ice hockey, and tobogganing, so that’s a pretty active tradition too! I hope I can continue to add a long run to the holidays (I also ran 10 miles on Thanksgiving Day) and knew I would feel great if I got outside and moved this morning…and I did! And still do.

After my run I enjoyed a green smoothie and waited until the still-slumbering-siblings were up before all eating breakfast together upstairs. My in-laws are such great hosts and always have fresh baked/cooked foods with lots of fruit for everyone when people visit! I enjoyed some egg and veggie quiche and a scone square before my post-long-run-stomach only wanted more green smoothie. Perfect! The food put us into a relaxed state, and we spent a good chunk of the morning just chatting and lounging around before Mikey and I called my mom and chatted with her too! So great to connect with family any way you can, you know?

Coming up next on the agenda is a quick trip to the mall (on Christmas Eve? I know, seriously crazy!) before going to the 5 pm Christmas Eve service at our church (looking forward to that!) and then coming home for a meal and a time of reflection on the year together…Should be a great day!

What are you guys up to today? Any fit holiday traditions to share? Are you completely relaxing from workouts or do you have a little burner planned before your big meals?  You know I’ll be doing a few squats, push ups, and pull ups sometime tomorrow – but nothing too planned or that takes much time. For me, still moving is essentially to setting myself up for the day ahead, especially if I plan to indulge.

I had some downtime so I decided to post, but if you don’t read this until later, good for you! If you’re popping online now and then like me, I hope your holiday time can be filled with a focus on people. Phones/computers off and heads up!

Merry Christmas!

…from our small group, “Fat Tuesday!”

…and from the Langs! …always cheesin’ it up.

I’m off to enjoy some time with everyone, and I hope you guys can too! Catch ya on the flip side, and have a great night! Live well & be well,

Bonnie