Thanksgiving?!?!?!

Wasn't it August, like 2 weeks ago?  And if Thanksgiving (the U.S. version) is on Thursday, doesn't that mean that Christmas (yay!) and the winter break (boo!) are right around the corner?!?!?!

So far it looks as if the weather will hold, which means we can go to Stinson Beach and play.  Then we'll come home and barbecue.  Because we live in California, and we can. Plus, that's what the Pilgrims and Native Americans did, right?  Rolled out the Kingsford and fired up the grill?
My New England family members and friends are appalled.  But I think they're secretly jealous.  'Cause I don't have to spend the entire day by the oven, looking out at the November gloom. No field trips to Plymouth rock for our kids (although, to be fair, those were FUN!), and no dressing up as Puritans.  In fact, LG drew a Pilgrim hat in school, but it was pink and purple.  No brown and gray and black for this California kid!

I also like that Thanksgiving will be about spending time with my family, and not about shoveling boatloads of food into my (pumpkin) pie hole.  We'll be outside, playing at the park and chasing waves, instead of inside waiting for food, watching football, and washing loads of dishes. Because what I am truly most thankful for in my life is my family; my amazing husband and incredible, sweet, smart, fun kids.  I have hit the familial jackpot, I tell ya!

The only sad part will be the absence of Luna.  She came with us last year, and had such a great time!  There are tons of dogs on that beach and, because it's a mellow, close-knit community, they're all off-leash. She spent her time running (sort of) with the kids, walking in the waves, and generally letting her hair-um-fur down.
This year we'll have to have a toast to her memory.  And know that she has an unending beach on which to frolick, along with all her canine compatriots, and none of the hip pain or age to slow her down.

Finally, on a completely different (and fairly self-indulgent, but, hey, it's my blog!) subject, I've come to realize that, while I can commit to working out, I cannot commit to one particular workout long-term.  I need to mix it up.  Walking one day, Spinning & weights the next, followed by yoga, with a barre-based workout after that.  I can't even do the same workout 3 days a week, apparently.  Every time I say I AM going to commit to something, it falls apart.  I find myself craving variety in my exercise, and I don't necessarily think that's such a bad thing.
For a long time, I DID do the same workouts.  Day after day, month after month.  I not only got bored & stopped seeing results, I started hurting.  Repetitive stress, apparently.  From being stupid and never changing it up. I don't know of it's exercise ADD or simple rebellion, but just the the idea of doing one single exercise program for a month (or 6 weeks, or 90 days) makes me wanna run screaming out of the room.  Even a program (like P90X) that has different workouts nearly every day. (I tried it.  I like Tony Horton, but the workouts just weren't all that interesting, and I kept hurting myself.)
So I'm going to practice Intuitive Exercising.  I'll do what my body feels like doing.  I won't weight train the same way 2 days in a row, but I'll listen, pay attention, and give my body what it needs.  Today, for example, I was planning on going to a Vinyasa class, but I ended up taking a walk, instead.  I needed the fresh air and time alone with my thoughts. I ended up walking through the hills for an hour and 15 minutes, and it was perfect.
I probably won't end up doing the world's most difficult or punishing workouts, but that's not really my thing. Not anymore, anyway.  I value my knees too much to continue doing that. I'm not all that interested in looking like a fitness model.  I want to be healthy, energetic, and, yes, in better shape.  But let's face it: My days of being a leading lady are behind me, and I've NEVER been model material.  It's time to stop focusing so much on the results, on the outside, and shift that focus inward.
It's time to be a little less vain and a bit more selfish.
Time to take care of ME, as well as everyone else.

And on that note, I'm heading to bed,  Because WG will probably be up in couple of hours.

Wish me luck.
I just might need it.  :)