Here's to a Smurfing Awesome New Year

Well, I made it through Christmas. Alcohol helped. I don't even have a hangover, and do you know why?

Because if you're tore up before 2pm and then stop drinking, you will be sober again before the Packer game at 7pm. Sober before bed = no hangover. Woot.

Let's start with the bad news:
1. My Dad is now Hospice.
2. I gained 5lbs in 10 days.

Obviously one is worse than the other. However, I think engaging Hospice now while he's still 100% independent of cares (in other words, he can still bathe/eat/poop without help) was a very good, rational decision on his part. He is handling this as well as a person could, and I believe it is the right choice for all of us. It's hard, but we're working together to make the best of it.

Now, for the second bit. I have been eating all. the. things. for two weeks. Part of it is emotional, part of it is hormonal, part of it is water :) As of today I am off sugar and alcohol. I was really starting to feel cruddy, and my motivation was lagging pretty badly. I already feel better after one day totally off my "drug", and I'm looking forward to spending the next two weeks getting my low-carb mojo on.

My marathon program starts 1/1/12 for the Cellcom on 5/20/12. I am really stoked about starting! The weather has been wintry awesome here for the last couple of weeks and I am ready to get some bracing fresh air and many miles under my (ever loosening) belt. My plan is to be a lean, mean marathon machine come May!

In addition to the marathon, and all the races that lead up to it, I was lucky enough to get on a Ragnar team with a bunch of fabulous bloggy-type ladies! We're doing Madison to Chicago on June 8-9, and I'm very excited about it. I need the camraderie and motivation that goes along with training for something like this, and I think it's going to be lots of fun.

Team name: The Panty Raiders

Now all I need is a nickname....

Oh, I managed to crank out more handknits in the last 4 weeks than in the previous 9 months combined! I made Christmas stockings for my whole family, a blanket for my Grandma, a bunch of little stocking ornaments, and a pair of socks for me. They were supposed to be for the sister, but I bound off the cuff too tight and there is no way she'd be able to get them over her heels.

I have rediscovered knitting in a big way, and I'm all set to start teaching myself fancy colorwork.

I might be prematurely 90. My husband is always teasing me about my antiquated vocabulary and proclivity for odd old-fashioned handicrafts and recipes.