The 12 Days of Thanksgiving: Day 12

Wow! What a day! It started early this morning with the Fort Worth Turkey Trot. It's been awhile since I've run a 5k so I was a little worried I wouldn't be able to run the whole way, which was my main goal. I could not believe how many people took part in this race. There were people everywhere. It literally took 7 minutes to get from where I started to the actual starting line and the whole race was like bumper to bumper traffic. All the walkers made it a little difficult for the serious runners like me. That was a joke, by the way. There was lots of weaving in and out of people and running through yards, but I made it. I ran the whole way but haven't received my official time yet. According to my iPod I ran for 40 minutes but it also said the distance was 3.55 miles so I'm curious to see what my actual time was. All in all it was a very good experience. I think it might be kind of addicting...anybody up for the Jingle Bell Run next weekend? :)

Since we celebrated our traditional Thanksgiving last weekend, today we went to Texas de Brazil for lunch. This was also a new experience for me. It was a little overwhelming but the food was great. People rave about all the amazing meat they serve, but for me, the best part was the Ranch Dressing. I thought it was really good. After all of that I was ready for a nap! I slept for 2 1/2 hours which is excellent because now I'm going to have an even easier time getting up at 3:30 am to go shopping! Oops. After the napping and once the Cowboys were in control of their game we made our way to the movies. We saw Four Christmases, and it was hilarious! Definitely a movie you should see.

Now for the last installment of the 12 Days of Thanksgiving:

Day 12: I'm thankful for Christmas
It almost seems kind of trite to me to say that I'm thankful for God, but it really is what I am most thankful for this year. As I'm growing older and living more of life I've been able to see the amazing love of God in so many things. In the people He's given me to do life with, in the job He's entrusted me with, and especially in the circumstances that surround all of it. I certainly don't understand why things happen the way they do but I'm learning to trust that it's all gonna work out far better than I could have even imagined. I'm learning to just live and not worry so much about the details. I'm realizing that without Jesus, without the cross, and without God's grace I would have absolutely nothing - all the things and so many others that I've been writing about for the last 12 days are an incredible gift. Even saying I'm thankful for them seems inadequate. My God loves me extravagantly and way more than I deserve. This year, I want to celebrate Christmas with that thought at the very front of my mind.

And with that, let the Christmas season begin!