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Ten Things of Thankful: Running Late Edition

I'm nearly late for the link up, so will write a short post this week. I don't want to miss out on an opportunity to express my thanks!

1. I'm thankful for the first snowfall of the season in our backyard. Drexel seemed oblivious.



2. I'm thankful that when I drove up to our new house ("It can't be snowing yet! I'm not done raking leaves!"), I found a sweet welcome banner tied to our porch, and a plate of goodies by the front door.

Photo: Orange-with-white-polka-dots plastic triangles, tied with a string to white porch rails, form a bunting banner that spells out "Welcome!"

3. I'm thankful that John and I were able to go to our last Disneyland run. Not only was it the last Disneyland run we have signed up for, it was the last Disneyland run period, in the foreseeable future, at least.

4. I'm thankful that the details of the running costume finally came together.

Photo: Various pattern pieces lay on top of a gold-colored piece of fabric
The race we ran was the Thor 10K. John dressed as Odin, and I dressed as Frigga, Odin's wife. We like to run in coordinating costumes, and we felt we fit the Odin/Frigga demographic better than the younger characters. One downside is that Frigga isn't as easily recognizable. When we got our photos taken with Thor during the race, I said, "We're so proud of you, son!" Thor told me, "Oh, at first I thought you were my brother, Loki!" 

Photo: Me (as Frigga), Thor, and John (as Odin) pose at a photo spot during the 10K
5. I'm thankful that after the run, as we were walking back to our hotel, we were stopped by another runner, who asked if he could take a photo with us. He was dressed as Thor, and recognized us as Odin and Frigga. Hurray! At least someone knew who both of us were supposed to be. 

6. I'm thankful that we were able to see friends while at Disneyland. One meeting was planned, and one was serendipitous. Both were delightful!

7. I'm thankful for the comfortable blend of familiar and unexpected that I find at Disneyland. I love the fact that I know my way around, and I love the fact that there is always something new to discover. On this trip, I noticed the unusual feet of this waterfowl. (I tried an image search to determine what type of bird it was. One search returned, "beak", and the other returned, "plant.")

Photo: A small black waterfowl, with white feathers on its head between its red eyes, has feet with black and white, scalloped-shaped toes

Photo: A close-up of the bird's feet. Each toe has 2-4 of the scalloped segments. The feet are not webbed in the true sense of having the webbing connected from one toe to the next, but each of the scalloped segments is wide and provides the same advantage that webbing has.
8. I'm thankful that youngest daughter took care of things at home while we were gone. Drexel was cared for, and when we arrived home, the house was cleaner than it was when we left!

9. I'm thankful for uneventful drives. We hit neither traffic nor construction nor bad weather nor anything else! 

10. I'm thankful for John. Being able to take a short vacation together was fun. We kept the same pace, both on the run and on the endurance of our theme-park days, which made it nice. Though our Disneyland runs are over, now we will get to find other races to run. Life is an adventure with John!

Photo: John and I stand in front of the huge Christmas tree on Main Street in Disneyland
Well, I'm not sure I succeeded with a short post, but I'm thankful I got it written! What are you thankful for this week? There is still time to link up a post if you'd like! 








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Comments

  1. 10k.... that's like ...more than a mile, (the concept is still so amazing, A) to be able to run that far and 2) to enjoy it!! lol)
    It's not that I don't enjoy physical exertion, which I do, but to be able to run a distance like that...for fun, very cool
    odd bird... I assume he (or she) was in a wildlife section of Disneyland? as opposed to walking along near the rides.
    too soon for snow, though I suspect (sincerely hope) you'll have more than we will out here.

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  2. Congrats on completing your Disney run! Very cool costumes too. And how nice of your neighbors to welcome you.

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  3. I believe the bird you took a photograph of is called a "Coot". We have them here in England and I love their feet! Well done on the Thor 10k, I love your costumes! I'm always in awe of people who are creative :)

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  4. You managed to fit a bunch of great thankfuls into this "late" post! The welcome banner and treats your neighbor left for you made me smile, a reminder of kindness that can still exists!

    I love that you got to go back and participate in the final Disney run and your costumes were great! You've had a lot of fun doing this multiple times and its also fun to meet up with friends there!

    I've never seen bird's feet like those, definitely let us know if you discover the identity. I will always be amazed and delighted by the unique beauty that each creation has!

    The photo of the two of you is a keeper, a reminder of more fun memories made. It is nice that your daughter was able to keep things going at home for you and I'm sure Drexel was adequately spoiled in your absence! :-)

    The first snowfall of each year is magical at any age. We don't get much snow here but usually we will see a few white mornings. I can't wait to wake up to that! I am also thankful that it doesn't last long, it's so pretty, but icy paths are not fun to drive or walk on. It will never really feel like Christmas here though, since it was always frosty cold and white where I grew up.

    I hope you're having a great week, we are truly blessed! XOXO

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  5. Those are cute outfits. Did you use fabric glue to put the pieces on John's shirt?

    The expert here says the bird is an American coot. I usually see them swimming in water, so I'd never noticed their feet. :-)

    I'm glad you had uneventful drives. That is always good to hear.

    Was the cute banner on the home that you are renting? Very cute.

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  6. That lovely bird is the Common Coot... his nephew is the American Coot and he has BLEU feet!
    I love looking up strange things to find out what it is... Can you tell? I've never heard of that bird and it's not a bird found in the Netherlands, but I hope to see one some day when we're in the US again.

    Love the outfits and how you alway coordinate. Too bad most people are not up to date with their history and mythical history. I love it!

    Say hi to John for me.

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    Replies
    1. Oh, I just saw this bird is the same as our "Meerkoet", and it does live here too... Never saw his feet though, so that explanes it. Very common bird indeed... with freeky feet!

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