Tamales and other stuff

Hello blog world.  Once again, I'm strapped for time and I've hardly been running at all, so what do I blog about?

I'll do this in bullet points because that's easy.

• This was our first full Holiday season back in Texas and it wore us out a little.  On top of that we made and sold over 86 dozen tamales.  It was for extra cash and to get Brad's food service website off the ground.  Brad really made the tamales.  He has all the talent.  I just pulled the meat off a couple of chickens and created the packaging which was pretty simple.  One order alone was 50 dozen.  Our friend's company ordered them as gifts for their clients and that's where the packaging really counted.  They also wanted a jar of homemade salsa to go with the tamales, so we had our friend's Marsha and Dave make that.  It was exhausting  but it turned out so well.  And so far we've received good feedback.  I can feel the success in Brad's future if he keeps up with this.

Loaded up with supplies

Not a fan of this grunt work

He likes to pull out his old chef coats for this kind of stuff.

Simple, but rustic and cute.

Mmmmmmmm

Some tamales in the freezer

ready for delivery

• We did the whole Christmas thing.  My Brother's girlfriend was down for a visit and we found a new love for monopoly.  The kids got some awesome bikes under the tree but it turned out to be a santa fail.  It wasn't that they didn't appreciate them, they were just afraid of these bikes that were so much bigger than the ones they had before.  Also, it was raining (which later turned into snowing!) outside, so that whole image I had of them getting super excited and taking the bikes straight outside to try them out didn't happen.

Lil magic Mike in his tiger diaper

Braden in his "fancy" jacket and his new fancy hat

Oh look, it's bitchy Angie in her pj's

Alaurie and a whole lot of zebra

Playing with the present I got Trent.

We always have a fancy meal with my inlaws.  Brad cooks and Doug brings the wine. This year it was prime rib.

I can't believe they weren't more excited

Getting taken to the cleaners

Me and Lu.  She loves holding babies and I lover her for that

•  Earlier in the month we went to the Sherman Christmas parade and Christmas on the square in Celina.  

My FIL walked Main St in his bath robe

Christmas on the square in Celina

Free photos from some church

The kids plus our neighbor friend.  My oldest boy is always SO HAPPY

•  We also had a tacky Christmas party.  I wore a green sequinned dress complete with shoulder pads.  Classy tacky.

The 903's

My bobcat bitches

• I survived the Apocalypse.

•  I was disappointed to not have a screamer in this years Santa picture.  Maybe next year.

• And it was a white Christmas in Texas!

Too bright!

• Tomorrow starts a new year and I really want to do it right.  My diet has been way off and I can see it in pictures.  I was losing weight and then just stopped.  I'm certain I've even gained a lot back in the last month or two.  Also, my dad has run two sub 5 marathons and I can't stand it!  My brother just ran his first marathon and came way too close to PR for my liking. I need a plan.  I have a modest goal of running just 500 miles this year.  I'm purposely making it easy.  Just 10 miles a week will get me there easily.  But I need a plan of attack.  Here's my situation:  Brad travels for work which is usually Monday evening through Thursday or Friday afternoon.  Weekend long runs will be no problem, but weekdays will be difficult to squeeze in.  I'm thinking I'll use my usual marathon training plan as just a guideline  mostly for the long run distances.  During the week I'll just do speed work for 20-30 minutes right out front of the house whenever the baby sleeps but the older two are awake.  What do you think?  I'm also going on a vegan streak as of Jan 1.  I just want to see how long I can make it last and count the number of times I cheat throughout the year.  Of course I want as little, or no cheating as possible, but I'm not going to set some impossible goal where the first time I fail I just give up altogether.

Wish me luck.  And Happy New Year to you!  What are your goals for 2013?

-Hugh Jass