Hi all!  One of the perks of being a teacher is having a lot of time off around the holidays.  Not that its paid, but still, very enjoyable.  My husband is also a teacher which means we have a two week family vacation before Christmas and through New Years.  I still have 3 full days until I go back to work so I am trying to cram in everything I want to do plus get our house back in order to make the transition back to work/school easier on everyone.

Yesterday was a total chill day.  The family went to the park where my daughter and I played tennis and my son and husband worked on football drills.  The weather was perfect and it was fun to just get out and move.  That afternoon/evening,  I ended up watching two movies.  We never have time to watch movies anymore (and usually there’s nothing all that appealing anyway) but my little girl wanted to get ParaNorman (which she didn’t even see fit to finish), so I grabbed a couple for the adults.

While my husband was out with the boys, I watched “10 Years”–a journey back to a high school reunion 10 years after they graduated.  I hadn’t even heard of this movie before but it was packed with actors you’ve see before.  Some bigger names include Chris Pratt, Channing Tatum and his wife Jenna, Rosario Dawson, Kate Mara, and Justin Long.  Surprisingly, I really connected with this movie.  It’s not a big budget blockbuster at all but instead a sweet, coming to terms, sentimental story.  Definite chick flick.

Later, hubby and I settled in or “The Watch” with Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn, Jonah Hill, and Richard .  Hmm…how to describe this movie…random.  It was sort of funny but just so odd.  Lots of alien action and some real weird stuff.  It’s amazing that you can have a cast with 4 super funny guys but just end up with a “meh” movie.

Looking rough after 5 miles–so sweaty from the humidity!

This morning, I headed out on my last 5 mile run!  You know the race is getting close when these are your “short” runs.  Today was pretty warm–about 70 degrees but super humid.  Not my best run (are they ever–ha!)  but I pushed through.  All I  have left is a 10 miler this weekend and then two short runs next week.  Getting excited!!

Afterwards , I had a big protein shake to recover.  I had a serious case of “Runner’s Hunger” today but didn’t do too much damage: celery with dip, a light sandwich, and a clementine.  I’m still trying to find ways to deal with the extreme hunger that comes after running.  I ate ALL of my Weight Watchers activity points this week (about 70!) and I don’t think I’m going to see a loss on the scale my first week. Any ideas?

I’m meeting a friend for dinner tonight and then hoping to unwind with “Unwind.”  My son’s in 8th grade so he usually has some good Young Adult recommendations to pass my way.  I’ve been on the wait list for this one for quite a while but finally picked it up today.

Amazon says, “In America after the Second Civil War, the Pro-Choice and Pro-Life armies came to an agreement: The Bill of Life states that human life may not be touched from the moment of conception until a child reaches the age of thirteen. Between the ages of thirteen and eighteen, however, a parent may choose to retroactively get rid of a child through a process called “unwinding.” Unwinding ensures that the child’s life doesn’t “technically” end by transplanting all the organs in the child’s body to various recipients. Now a common and accepted practice in society, troublesome or unwanted teens are able to easily be unwound.”

What books are on your “to read” list?