Sunny Leftovers & Pumpkin Pie Weather Moves In!

My wife actually got up at 5 a.m. this morning and she verified the weather forecast. It was very cold out there and she was relieved she did not camp out last night like other folks. It is hard to believe that stores opened at 4 a.m. Why not just stay open all night? Have they ever heard of frostbite? Now this is okay in Jacksonville, Florida where the palm trees and average temperatures in the 50s and 60s dominate the landescape. But here in Lafayette, Indiana you have to do a turkey dance just to stay warm this time of year at that time of night. Oh, my apologies to the outlet malls. They apparently opened at 1 a.m. which is more weather-friendly. The only problem is that the closest outlet malls to Lafayette are well over an hour away. So on this crazy Friday, I mean Black Friday which of course is today we can all be relieved that sunny leftovers are coming our way courtesy of nature. The weather will be sweeter than pumpkin pie! Welll, almost. But really this is the best kind of leftover! I think I ate over 30,000 calories yesterday. That may be a bit much, but I felt like it. Our dark, stormy start to the Thanksgiving weekend is going to turn brighter and milder. Black Friday which is named for shoppers helping to put all the stores in the "black", can be renamed Sunny Friday! I really have nothing to complain about. Luckily, I got to stay home and be in charge of all the sleepers in my household this morning. I still feel a bit groggy from all the turkey, carbohydrates, and several desserts I ate last night but all is good. How will I work off all the holiday food?

Well my plan is actually crazier than the stores opeining at 4 a.m. I will hit the gym and run 6.25 miles. I want to send a positive message to my body that I am in fact still in the game. I am 38 years old, but we all saw what 38 year olds can do on TV yesterday as Brett Favre led the Green Bay Packers to a 10-1 record. Brett gives me lots of hope! I do have the Washington Marathon coming up in March so I will start coming up with a strategy to break 4 hours. Once I am done running, I will lightly lift some weights before coming home and cleaning up! Once that is done I will check out the latest weather models and maps. This can be quite invigorating for a meteorologist, especiallly with the wild weather pattern we are in right now. Lunch will not include anything heavy. I may have a leftover turkey sandwhich along with fruit salad. I will wait until dinner to have any more stuffing or macaroni and cheese. Before heading into work today I will head up to the attic and finally put my family's summer clothes away and take down some Christmas decorations. So you see the key is to keep on moving! Now are you awake? I am getting there. If not, here is something funny that can jolt you out of the holiday stupor. A sense of humor is also important during the holiday season so I have a funny turkey story link for you to check out below. Check it out to find out if turkeys really drown in rain.

http://www.snopes.com/critters/wild/turkey.asp

I will see you later today at 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. This will be a nice break for you and me from the hectic holiday rush and I will make sure to include more things to keep us motivated. Remember you have to pace yourself. Tomorrow my family is going to pick out the Christmas tree. I am like Clark Griswold in the movie Christmas Vacation this time of year. So my next obstacle will not be digesting food, but trying to find a way to fit an oversized tree into my average-sized living room. You stay safe and remember to keep the ladder securely against the house when hanging holiday lights. Now it is time to run, run, run! Have a great rest of your holiday weekend!