Home for the Holidays

I?m home!!!

My mom has gone Charlie Brown this year. She says it?s because she spent all her money on our high end Christmas presents. I?ll take an SLR over a Christmas tree any day ;)

Thank you sosososo much for all the congratulatory comments on my new job!! I?m still in shock about it really! I still haven?t hammered all the details out yet, seeing as it?s the holidays. But I?ll know everything for sure after this weekend :)

Was up early today determined to 1) Run, 2) Drive home! Ate a small breakfast first.

Two Nature?s Path pomegranate waffles, almond butter, honey. Powered me through 30 minutes of shovelling my car out, then 60 minutes on the treadmill! Did my usual 5.3 mile speedwork.

On a 1% incline:
2 min @ 3.2 mph
3 min @ 3.7 mph
5 min @ 5.6 mph
10 min of 1 min intervals alternating between 6.0 & 6.4 mph
10 min of 1 min intervals alternating between 6.2 & 6.6 mph
10 min of 1 min intervals alternating between 6.4 & 6.8 mph
10 min of 1 min intervals alternating between 6.6 & 7.0 mph
5 min @ 5.8 mph
3 min @ 3.7 mph
2 min @ 3.2 mph

Pheeooowee! My ticker was definitely working hard today. Must have been that tough shovelling workout first ;)

Came back and had a real breakfast after.

Soft-fried eggs on whole grain toast and sweet potato hash browns with onions. Seriously, seriously yummy meal. Felt like I was on vacation. Wait! I am! ;)

Then I hit the road and had a verrrry boring 90 minute drive home. Walked in the door as my mom was assembling the meat pie! 

She makes tons of meat pies every year. I asked, and this is an English/French tradition that started in my nana?s family. My mom?s pies have chicken, pork and beef. Now that I?m an everythingtarian, this is my first year eating meat pie since childhood!

We hit up my mom?s boyfriend?s parent?s place for a little Christmas Eve get together. From now on, my mom?s BF will be referred to as Mark, for clarity?s sake ;)

The spread. I only reeeally took this picture because there was a goat cheese blueberry spread that was delish. And the biggest grapes I?ve ever seen. The size of plums!

We came back to my mom?s place for the real feast though. She went all out.

A lasagna:

Meat pie:
  
And I threw together a salad so our meal didn?t consist of ground meat alone:

My plate: 

The meat pie was even better than I remember it!! I put some green chow chow on top and it was awesome. The lasagne was fab too. The whole time my mom kept saying it was the best she ever made :P

My mom?s place is really dim, I apologize for the awful flash photography!

My subjects are at least beautiful ;)

Daughter and mother (ie my mom and nana).

 
Sister Jane posing next to a self-portrait she did in high school :P I don?t know why, but this really cracked me up.

But wait! We can?t forget dessert!

I must point out sister Sara?s homemade sesame cookies. However, I went straight for the butter.

Shortbread with almonds. Melted in my mouth.

Then some music with the step-family.

 
Christmas carols lose their appeal when you work in a mall :\

That?s all for tonight, short and sweet. I?m beat. But I?m also embarrassed to go to bed before the kids. I may wait it out. Have a wonderful Christmas!!! I will hopefully be updating Christmas Day with some better-than-usual pics ;)

Question of the Day: What?s the best thing you ate on Christmas Eve? Mine was meat pie!!