Christmas EXPLODED in our house! (plus VLOG!!!)

You may or may not be wondering what someone's house looks like during the holiday season when they love Christmas so much that they named their cat Christmas. Today I will share what our house looks like now that it is finally completely decorated for the holiday season!

I have a lot of Christmas decorations but I haven't bought any in years. Most of the items I accumulated over the first couple years we lived in our house. I also have a lot of hand me down decorations from my mom. The style is just a mish mash of whatever and I love it.

Many of my Hallmark ornaments were gifts from my parents growing up. I love my Hallmark ornaments, and they were smart to know that when we grew up and moved out, we would enjoy having ornaments of our own.

Okay, enough talking, more pictures! That's what you're here for, right!?

Here is a quick VLOG where I go through what we have to do each night to "Chrissy Proof" the decorations!

All the stockings are hung by the staircase with care...

Our kitties have their own stockings even though we don't fill them.

The "B" is for our late, great, Basey Girl! This will be our third Christmas without her but we still hang her stocking.

We got our first ornament from Sutliff Chevrolet.

I bought a car from them six years ago but they still haven't forgotten about me...

Chrissy is tired from "helping"...

I normally set out place settings but both cats have really been enjoying laying on the beautiful table cloth and place mats that I don't want to cramp their style.

Can't forget the kitchen...

I even decorated Chrissy's "Side Window Area" where he likes to sit on the bread box and Burrito hunt. Burrito is the neighbor's cat.

Christmas spirits!

Who else decorates their bathroom?
Hey, I spend enough time in there!

I even decorate my shower curtain with little ornaments. Too much?

Sorry, I took this picture when I had all of my wrapping stuff out.

An example of not being able to let the greenery hang down and frame the window. I can only let it go across the top or I will find fake pine needles in Chrissy's poop.

We will leave this here until Chrissy pees on it.

I hung these all by myself, except Paul stood at the bottom of the ladder to catch me if I fall!

This is my favorite ornament and it has been ever since I was little.

My piano students are always amazed at how many decorations I can shove on my piano.

I love the smell of the Yankee Candle holiday scents!

Paul moves the "Ho Ho Ho" sign when he watches TV. Bah Humbug!

There's nothing that makes a room cozier than a kitty napping on the couch.

I may go a little over the top at Christmas time, but I just have so many happy childhood memories of Christmas, so when I hear music or see lights and decorations, it makes me feel so happy!

Do you need to "cat proof" or "dog proof" your house?
How many days until Chrissy pees on the rug? Winner gets the rug!

Blog Post Revisit: Fitness Bucket List

Almost two years ago, I wrote a Fitness Bucket List for myself. Today I am going to revisit that post to check in with myself. Have I crossed anything off the list? Do I no longer desire to do some of the things? Do I have anything to add? Let's check it out and see!

Here is my original list! After each item, I will comment on whether I have reached the goal, and if not, whether it is still a goal of mine.

1. Become a personal trainer and help others 

cross things off their Fitness Bucket List.

Success! I became an ACE certified personal trainer in June, 2014. Since then, I have helped many people achieve their fitness goals. I hope to help more!

2. Lead a marathon pace group.

Since writing this list, I have not even run a marathon. The thought of running 26.2 miles for myself right now seems daunting, let alone running it with many others' hopes and dreams riding on it. It is definitely something I would love to do someday. At the moment, leading a half marathon pace group sounds like something I would feel much more comfortable doing. But life is long, so maybe I will eventually pace a half and then a full.

3. PR in the marathon, half marathon, 5k, and mile.

Wow, I basically want to PR in everything, don't I? Who doesn't!? I haven't officially PR'ed in anything yet, but I do hope to PR in the half I'm running 9 days from today! I feel like I have a good base in which I could possible 5k PR in the coming weeks, but I promised myself I'd lay low after the half, rather than risk injury or burnout.

4. Run the following races:

San Francsico Marathon

Big Sur International Marathon

New York City Marathon

Stinson Beach 50k

Silver Falls Trail Marathon

Catalina Island Eco Marathon

Well, I can no longer find a website for the Stinson Beach 50k, but I remember the reason I wanted to do it was because the course was much of the Dipsea Trail, which runs from Muir Woods to Stinson Beach. I got to run on that trail when I was in California with Paul several years ago. it was one of the most beautiful runs I ever did!

I would still love to run San Fran, Big Sur, NYC, and Silver Falls (oh my word you must google pictures of that!). I would like to replace Catalina Island with Chicago, after hearing so many good things about it!

I have not actively been trying to run any of these races, but I feel like it is something I should make a priority! Even if I do one every 3-5 years... (Travel is expensive!)

5. Run the entire Appalachian Trail in Pennsylvania.

Since originally writing this list, I have traversed 18 miles on the AT. Eighteen NEW miles, that is. This would still be a cool thing to do, but since I am not that into trail running right now, it feels like more of something I'd like to do just to say I did it. But if when I get back into trail running, it could become more of a goal. But right now I don't care that much about it.

6. Do 10 pull ups in a row.

Yes, I still want to do this and no I can't do it yet! This past winter, when I wasn't running much and lifted a lot more, I PR'ed with 6 pull ups! I was so proud of myself! But now I am running more and lifting less so I don't think I could do 6 pull ups anymore. I haven't tried in awhile... I do band assisted ones most of the time. But yes, yes, yes, I want to some day be able to bang out 10 pull ups! It's just hard to be in top lifting shape and top running shape AT THE SAME TIME. Right now I am more in my top running shape.

7. Become a Zumba instructor.

This is something I want to do waaaaaaaaay down the line when I retire. I love dancing and Zumba makes me so happy! It doesn't make my IT band happy but that is another story... If my IT band is back to normal by the time I retire and Zumba is still a thing, I hope to become a Zumba instructor.

8. Learn to take one rest day per week.

I take 1-2 lower body rest days per week and have made HUGE strides in not getting anxiety about taking full rest days. I am so glad this is something I have figured out for myself!

9. Stretch/foam roll every. damn. day.

Yes! Well, I foam roll when I feel like I need it, and I do stretch after every single run. I am so proud of myself for implementing this one!

So let's see...

I accomplished: #1, #8, #9

I am working toward: #3, #6

I did not even seriously attempt: #2, #4. #5. #7

That's not so bad!

What is in your Fitness Bucket List?
Have you run any of my dream races?

Half Marathon Training: Last Long Run and Taper Plan

Race day is just eleven days away. How did this happen!? I am getting nervous. Not just to race but to fly (I AM SO SCARED OF FLYING) and travel by myself. But I'll get to all that in a different post. Today, I want to tell you about my last long run of my training and how I plan to taper going forward.

I was feeling at the top of my game last weekend when I had a successful race pace run and unintentionally PR'ed. I wish that had been race day! I recovered well after and did speed work 5 days later. 

For some reason, I do not feel recovered from speed work! Even though I have been resting and running really easy, it does not feel good. I lost my mojo, and I am feeling all kinds of little niggles...

At some point over the long weekend I was to do 10 easy miles, which would be my last long run of training. I pushed it all the way off until MONDAY. (We have off for the first day of deer season.) But when Monday rolled around, I just did NOT feel like running. I wanted to want to run. (Haha does that sentence make sense!?)  

Paul's mom was taking him to treatment so I was free to venture anywhere I wanted to instead of being bound to my neighborhood like normal. I drove about 30 minutes to the Conewago Rail Trail. I thought it would be nice to do an out and back. Part of the reason I drove so far was that it would force me to do the run. I would never drive the whole way there and then not run. Plus, doing an out and back would prevent me from bailing at mile 7, like I did on Saturday.

It's official, I am in a running funk.

I felt nervous the first two miles. There was no one else on the trail and that made me uncomfortable. I used to not be afraid to run by myself on the trail, but sticking to my neighborhood for so long made this run a little bit scary to me!

Obviously the scenery was beautiful. I zoned out to my podcast and got myself into a rhythm. When I got to the county line, I turned around.

Even though there were "No Hunting" signs everywhere, I had on my reflective gear. I don't really trust people...

Around mile 7, my IT band started to feel really tight. It was strange because normally my knee/IT band feel strong during my run and if I feel it, it's not until later in the night. It bothered me on Saturday too. Is this going to be a THING now!?

Boy was I happy to be done. I stretched a lot that evening and also foam rolled. I hoped my IT band would feel better the next day.

Of course I had to test it out on Tuesday morning. I went for a 5 miler and I definitely started to feel it. Not as bad as the day before, but it was there. So because of this ANNOYING PROBLEM, I am definitely resting my legs these next two days. I will lift upper body today and Thursday, then see how my legs feel on Friday.

As for Saturday through Race day... well my taper plan will depend on the IT Band situation! If it doesn't bug me on Friday, I will do Taper Plan A. If it does bug me on Friday, I will do Taper Plan B.

	Plan A	Plan B
Sat.	8 miles
Sun.
Mon.	5 easy
Tues.		5 easy
Wed.	5 easy
Thurs.	Lift Upper	Lift Upper
Fri.	Rest	Rest
Sat.	Rest	Rest
Sun.	RACE!	RACE!

I love having a plan. Even if it's not the plan I want. A lot of those blank days will be filled in with upper body lifting, but no matter how well I feel, nothing lower body on Thursday, Friday, or Saturday!

Oh, I also wanted to tell you about a weird foot thing I suddenly have going on! When I flex my foot and bend over, it feels really tight on the right side of my heel. It feel sort of like PF, but it is not on the bottom of my heel or the bottom of my foot. Can you get PF on the side of your foot!? WTF!? Why am I falling apart? And no, these niggles are not in my head. They are legit niggles!

Do you fall apart before race day?

Any idea what my "feels like I have PF on the side of my foot when I bend over and flex" thing is?

When was the last time you were in a running funk?

Weekend Wrap Up!

What a wonderful Thanksgiving Break! I had off Thursday-Monday.

The absolute best part of having several days off work was going to bed whenever I felt like it and waking up whenever I felt like it. Seriously, there is nothing better than not having to get up at the butt crack of dawn!

You can read about our Thanksgiving Eve here.
You can read about our Thanksgiving Day here.
And Friday through Monday... well, keep reading!

I woke up on Friday morning feeling extremely happy that I had nothing on my agenda until Tuesday! We had zero plans, and I didn't intend on making any. I was tired and ready to just chill.

My workout was an easy run around the neighborhood.

That afternoon, Paul and I went for a leisurely walk.

We spent the evening binging on Survivor Samoa and eating (not binging!) Thanksgiving leftovers.

Jelly was my buddy!

I went for a run on Saturday morning but I just wasn't feeling it! I was quite tired and my stomach/chest felt fluttery due to drinking way too much coffee. Do you know the feeling I am talking about? It took quite awhile for me to warm up and actually start feeling good... about 5 miles. I stopped at 7 because I figured I may as well do my long run when I am feeling better. Sunday I would rest, Monday I would run 10.

When I got home, I decided to take advantage of an empty schedule and lifted chest. It was just a short little workout. Here's what I did:

Chest Press- 5x10x25lb

Bicycle Crunches- 4x20

Shoulder Press- 5x10x20lb

Push Ups- 5x10

Then we ventured out to Ross, Wegman's and Target. I don't mean to brag, but just by hitting up those three stores and a huge order from Amazon, we single handedly got 80% of our Christmas shopping done!

Chrissy loves when we come home with new items...

Warning: It is now time for some Survivor Nerd Talk.

That evening, we started Survivor Heroes vs. Villians. After just one episode, I was already hating it! It seems like it is Micronesia Part 2. I hate so many of the returning players... Parvati, Amanda, Cirie, Stephanie, Tyson... I'm not sure we are going to finish the season because Survivor is supposed to make you HAPPY, not ANGRY!

I lifted back in the morning. It took about two hours because during my rest periods, I cleaned the entire house! Here is what my workout looked like:

Band Asst. Pull Ups (Wide Grip)- 5x6

Bicycle Crunches- 4x40

Dumbbell Row- 5x10x25lb

Band Asst. Pull Ups- (Neutral Grip)- 5x6

Bicep Curl- 3x15x15lb

Plank w/ Knee Tuck- 3x25

Plank w/ Row- 3x10x10lb

Stability Ball Pull Ins- 3x15

Then I finished decorating the house for Christmas. I got up all the outside lights, inside lights, greenery, and other little knick knacks. I took a break for puzzles and then finished up by hanging all of our ornaments on the greenery. Don't worry, I plan on doing a blog post in the near future which will basically just be a photo dump of pictures of all my decorations! I am sure you are wondering what a person who names their cat CHRISTMAS does to their house at Christmas time.

I even wrapped a couple presents and put them under the tree!

Christmas "helped".

Monday Bonus! Here in Central PA, schools have off the Monday after Thanksgiving because it is the first day of deer season. I know, that makes us sound like hicks. And there are hicks around here. I am sure it doesn't surprise you that I don't consider myself one of them! However, I am not going to complain about having a Monday off work!

My day started quite early- earlier than I normally get up! Paul was having a rough night so I ran out to get him some meds. I was wide awake, so I got an early start on effing around on the internet and drinking coffee!

I did do some productive things... like fold every piece of laundry in the house and finish my puzzle!

There is a method to my madness...

This one was hard!

Then I went for a 10 mile run on the Conewago Rail Trail. It's about a half hour drive from my house, and sadly, part of the reason I drove all the way there was because I didn't think I would run otherwise! I just didn't feel like running. 10 miles seemed like a long way. Luckily I got into a groove. My IT band felt really tight around mile 7. It was weird! It normally does not bother me during a run.

Another reason I drove all the way to the trail was to cash in on some "free" time. Paul's mom took him to his treatment that day, so I did not have to stick in my neighborhood for my run. It was certainly a freeing feeling to know I was not needed by anyone!

When I got home, I took the longest shower in the world. By the time I was done stretching, Paul got home and we played some games!

I didn't mention it, but all weekend we were very diligent at catching up on Jeopardys. I will admit, we had to delete a couple episodes due to feeling overwhelmed at how many we had to catch up on! So we made it through the Tournament of Champions and on the final episode, there was THIS clue:

PAUL GREW UP IN MIDDLETOWN!!! 

(It's only about 20 minutes from where we live now.)

We could not believe it! I love when a clue has to do wit our neck of the woods. 

It was the perfect end to the LONG Thanksgiving Break!

Do you think it's weird we have off for the first day of deer season?
Have you ever heard of Three Mile Island?
When was the last time you had 4 days in a row with nothing to do!?