Thanksgiving day--and a new personal best!

As is tradition in the Allred household, our Thanksgiving Day started with the annual Ashburn 5k.

This is the third time I've run it and everyone else's 4th (I was about 7 months pregnant last year, so I bowed out.)

Before:

I love that this year we ALL did it. Mom and Glenn and all 6 of the kids.

There was some confusion at the beginning of the race and we ended up starting close to the back, so much of the beginning was spent dodging people while I tried to catch up to my time group (I was trying for an 8 minute mile average). The good thing about starting close to the back is that I passed people the whole way--giving me a much-needed boost of confidence.

Luckily we had sensors that started and ended our time when we crossed the lines, so even though we started in the back, our times were accurate. 

I ran it in 23:41, averaging a 7:38 mile! That is my personal best AND it qualified me as first place in my age group! (Okay, I was really second, but the person who won first place in my age group also made it into the top 3 overall, so they bumped her out and gave me the first place spot. I'll take it!) Laura came in second in our age group (less than a minute behind me), Chad came in 1st in his age group with 19:28, and everyone else beat their previous times by a large margin. There were over 1,000 people running this event, so needless to say, we were very proud of ourselves!

After the race:

Not a bad looking bunch!

Ready for showers and FOOD!

Tyler was so nice to watch the boys for me while I ran. I found out he missed his annual football tournament with his friends and family just so I could run with my family. Thanks, Tyler! You're the best!

The boys found a great way to pass the time while they waited for all the adults to be ready:

We had our Thanksgiving dinner at the Simmon's house in Maryland. They are moving this coming year and it was a little bittersweet knowing that this was our last Thanksgiving with them being so close.

Lots of prep...

Lance showing off a loose tooth to cousin Kailey.

Cole got passed around and just ate up all the attention. He sure loves his Uncle Stephen!

The set up:

The family:

I wish George could have been there. Sadly for us he was snoozing the day away in Charlottesville after working the night shift the whole week.

It was so nice to have extra hands so I could catch a few bites. Thanks, Grandma! (Can you tell Cole was on his last little legs?)

And of course it wouldn't be a proper Thanksgiving without...

I think we had about 20 pies/cheesecakes/desserts. That's more than an entire pie per person! 

Cousin love (with a Jude in the middle):

Lance loved him some rolls. Actually, now that I think about it, rolls may be the only thing he at that whole day. Picky, picky kid.

Amy and McKay having an intense discussion about something.

The boys got bored of the adults after a while, so we went downstairs and played a little ping pong.

Jude thought it was wonderful. Lance wasn't too sold on playing with a 2-year-old, but took it in stride as best he could.

As night rolled around, out came the games!

Lance had been begging to play "Ticket to Ride", so we broke it out and taught him how to do it.

He did a great job!

Jude wanted to play games, too, and was ruthless in Connect 4.

Okay, he didn't really understand the concept of getting 4 in a row, but he sure let the smack-talk fly! It was so funny listening to him.

Cole was so good and just explored and hung out on the floor.

Remember the race that morning? We didn't know our official times until late that night.

Mom took it upon herself to check every so often and report back. :)

Jude "beating" Aunt Linda.

Intense...

Guess who won the game:

Yep, he won by a large margin. Thanks, Aunt Amy for all the help!

It was a great day! The only thing that could have made it better was George being with us. I guess the fact that he was saving lives and caring for children helped ease the disappointment. A little.

I know Thanksgiving is long past, but I can't pass up the chance to list a few things I'm thankful for this year. First and foremost, I'm thankful for my family. George and my boys are what make my world go 'round and I can't imagine a happier life. I'm thankful for my extended family, for their love and support. Life gets hard sometimes, but with them by my side I can conquer the world. I'm thankful for the Gospel and the knowledge that my family can be together forever. I'm thankful for the chance George has to be a Resident at UVa and have a promising career helping those around him. I'm thankful for our good friends who really are our family here in Charlottesville. And once again, I'm thankful for George. He is kind and funny, smart and sincere, spontaneous yet grounded, understanding and compassionate, my best friend and the love of my life. He has the amazing ability to make me laugh at myself without tearing me down, to offer me new perspectives while still respecting my point of views, encourages me to be my best through example and helps me have the strength and the patience I need to raise our three wonderful, crazy boys. I love everything about that man, from his strange love-affair with bow ties to his non-mainstream choices in music. Thank you, thank you George for loving me.