Five for Friday

Well since you did not get three things yesterday I am upping the stakes today to five!!  You're welcome!  If any of you follow on Bloglovin' you would have noticed that I posted something on accident....I'm blaming the fact that I have 9 gazillion things to do between now and tomorrow!

#1....Em's kid party is tomorrow...thus the 9 gazillion things!  We are having an art/fairy party at a local conservatory tomorrow and then a family party the following day!  I really do love planning parties and tonight I'm getting my Martha Stewart on with making personalized art smocks, a fairy cake, and these bad boys

just to name a few!  I also need to stock up at the party store too on my way home!!  Em is of course over the moon excited....and I somehow don't understand how 5 years have gone by so quickly!!!

#2...Today's Elf4Health challenge is to run/walk a mile as fast as you can.  I am planning on doing this in the basement on the mill.  Hopefully I won't go flying off the treadmill into the wall!!

I have never timed myself in the mile...well not since middle school when I ate full bags of chips for fun...so I am interested to see how fast I can do it.  A Kenyan I am not but it should be fun!  What's the fastest you ever ran a mile?

#3...Cold has settled in on our seaside town and I have a feeling it is here to stay! While it isn't as cold as some places across the country (thank goodness) it's still wicked cold here and I know that in just a few weeks, these temps will feel warm!  Time to break out the winter tights, gloves, hat, and badass running attitude because here comes winter running!!!  I was laughing to myself yesterday as I sprinted from the car to the front door thinking...you better suck it up buttercup because you're going to be spending hours in this cold! 

#4...Running hiatus...Unintentionally I have really cut back on my miles run this month.  Call it slacking...call it a much needed break...call it being too busy...I'm calling it an affair!  I have been still working out a lot even though my miles are showing it!  I have been in love with kettlebells in case you haven't noticed with my Facebook and Instagram pics!  Don't tell running but I really am liking all this strength training and HIIT training!  I plan to start back up training in January (and continuing the weights) once I get my 2014 schedule settled, but I'm enjoying a little break from crunching numbers and paces! 

#5..So there are just a few days remaining before Christmas and I can feel the hives forming on my neck just writing that!  I know once the party is over I can get the few people that remain but oh boy!  I always wait to the last second and then I say to myself...never again!  Only to be back here again!!  This year I mean it though...I'm searching the year through so that I can be all done but the wrapping come December!!!  One thing that this part of Massachusetts has that I really like is more open air shopping than malls.  I love to be able to walk from store to store and not feel like I'm surrounded by people!  There are even fun little stores that sell more unique gifts!  How are you doing with your Christmas shopping?  What's your favorite part of this season?