{.:.Day of Thanks.:.}

Good Afternoon, Friends...and Happy Humpday!

Well, here it is - nearly a week after Thanksgiving, and I am just now getting around to telling you about our day of Thanks, which, by the way, was absolutely spectacular. And incredibly low key. Which I appreciated more than I could even begin to convey.

On Thursday morning, DGC and I woke up before sunrise and made our way over to Belle Meade Boulevard for the Boulevard Bolt. This annual race takes place each year on Thanksgiving day, with the proceeds used to directly help Nashville's homeless population.



Over 8,200 people came out bright and early on Thanksgiving morning and ran/walked the 5 mile course.



{Okay...let's change the subject for .5 seconds, shall we? And discuss a little something that I saw taking place at this Bolt. Okay, so I know that barefoot running is the new "in" thing these days, but I couldn't help snapping this photo while simultaneously wondering - IS THIS GUY FOR REAL? I would be far too worried about broken glass, frostbite, someone stepping on my toes, HEPATITIS, etc....but hey, to each his own! Yay for him for braving the elements...}


It was a perfect morning for a run. Chilly and dry. Once I finally broke free, I was actually able to run at a pretty decent pace. I opted out of the official timing chip since there were only a limited number available and instead kept my own time with my Nike + GPS app on my iPhone. {LOVE this app, by the way. Do any of you have it? If so, what do you think about it?}

While I'm no professional runner or anything, I do enjoy walking away from a race feeling like I did the best that I could...

On Thursday, DGC and I set three goals for ourselves:

(1) Run the entire race with no walking;
(2) Finish in under 50 minutes; and
(3) Not fall on my face.

I'm proud to say that both DGC and I met all three of our goals. {Although I had a few close calls with #3. I'm telling you, I am quite possibly the world's clumsiest individual. I think it has something to do with the fact that I'm 5'10 and wear a size 7 shoe. It think that makes me top heavy. And not in the good way, if you know what I'm saying...}



After the race, we came home and showered before heading to The Susan's for a delicious and low key Thanksgiving dinner.

I made my usual Turkey cake...


and I am proud to report that it stood without falling apart (again) this year!


{Thank you, Willams Sonoma, for providing me with a fool-proof, yet impressive Thanksgiving dessert!}

I also brought this fabulous tray of cookies from Gretchen, who is pretty much the Cookie guru. Seriously, if you're in Nash and ever need cakes or cookies, Sweet G will hook you up! :)



After dinner, we headed home and watched A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving before counting our blessings and then falling asleep.

Super exciting, huh?

Either way, we both realize that we have so much to be thankful for this year. 2011 has brought about some exciting changes and equally as stressful challenges. Through it all, though, we've had the continuous love and support of our family and our friends. And we can't begin to tell you how much that means to us. So on Thanksgiving, and every other day, we were completely humbled and eternally grateful.

And, of course, I am thankful for each and every one of you!

Happy Belated Day of Thanks, y'all!