Today, I eat Birthday Cake.

yup, another year older.

I tend to have birthday weekends, actually I'm shocked that my day didn't fall on Superbowl Sunday like so many in the past.  Friday began with a joint party for myself, my sis in law Tina, and my sis in law Jeannine, as we all have our birthdays around the same time.
 
After dinner and vino, J shamed me into going for a run the next morning with Lake Effect, the group I ran with last winter and spring.  My next race is the Tipp Hill Shamrock run in March, and it's a hilly one, but four miles so the pain is over quickly, and after the race, there will be beer. I was thinking that I needed to start running the course, but I wasn't ready to tackle those hills in 26 degree weather yet, you really have to have the right mindset for it.  I woke up early Saturday morning with everyone (the kids, Mike, and his parents) which made it easier to motivate, and although it was cold, and I had a bit of wine headache, the roads were clear of snow, so I decided to do it. 

It's amazing how time flies, it was so weird to just park the car and hit the streets with everyone, like a year hadn't happened.  I was SO happy with my run, I think my hill/core work has been paying off, the big scary hill was no sweat. I have a great mindset going into the next several weeks of Saturday morning runs, if I did that first run well after an evening of eating and vino, then I'll do even better going forward.

It's nice that my Mom is in town, I haven't spent a birthday with her in years.  She's going to watch the kids this afternoon while I get a mani/pedi, and she already made us pot roast, which is childhood on a plate:

it's always paired with carrots, red cabbage, mashies (her phrase, not mine), and horseradish.  Oh yes, I ate more than one helping.

I also got an early birthday present, a hat that I won in Carly's giveaway! This is funny, she wrote a post featuring all her crotcheting skills, and I commented, saying she should do a giveawy. Which she did, I entered, and won! Thanks Carly, I love my new hat.

Dinner will be Indian take out, followed with a coconut cake.  I'm a chocolate girl, but I've had a hankering for one of those Pepperidge Farm coconut cakes you can buy for $3 at the store. BUT, Wegmans came out with an Ultimate Coconut cake, so while shopping with Mom, one of those made their way into our cart. I made sure it was a small one though.

Happy Happy. Joy Joy.

(anyone remember what line that is from?)