.5 Snow Days

This morning my school had a delayed arrival due to the "Artic Blast" that hit town last night and this morning. Every morning I leave my apartment to head for work at 7:08 (seriously, I have it down to the very minute) and get to my desk by about 7:25. I resisted getting out of bed until 6:25, waiting to watch the names of the schools that were closed or delayed scroll across the bottom of the TV screen on the morning news. I saw all our neighboring schools, but finally groaned and started brushing my teeth just shy of 6:30. As I prepared to walk out the door around seven, my boss called and said we weren't opening until 10:00. Awesome. So much for sleeping late. So I put on my PJ pants, and had the most productive extra two hours of my entire week. I wrapped all my remaining Christmas presents. I finally finished the calendar I have been working on in iPhoto for months and ordered it (express shipping) for my parent for Christmas. I unpacked my suitcases from this weekend. I did some shoulder exercises with my free weights (my weights instructor at the gym swears they are the easiest muscle to define). I watched the Today Show and Regis and Kelly and played with Gus. I emptied the dishwasher. If only work could start at 10:00 every day.

I had this zany idea to join a running class after the first of the year. My friend Laura inspired me because she is going to train for a half marathon and has signed up for a group that meets three times a week at five thirty in the morning to run. There's no way on earth I could do that. But I found a group that meets on Tuesday and Thursday evenings at 7:15 and runs for an hour. They put you in a small pace group of people that run at the same speed as you and the trainers help you increase your distance and endurance. It's a "101 Class" for non-runners. I am trying to convince Mark to do it with me, and also myself to believe that I would actually willingly go run outside in January and February. It could be a good New Year's Resolution though.

I have this really bad habit of forgetting to bring wedding gifts to weddings. I always forget them in the car. Then I drive around with them for weeks after the wedding, waiting to run into the Newlyweds and deliver the gift. I went to a wedding the weekend before Thanksgiving and finally gave the bride the gift today. This after taking it to dinner with the bride's sister last night to give to her to pass along, and then FORGETTING THE GIFT AT THE RESTAURANT. I guess we were having too much fun and the bottle of wine was taking a little too much effect. I didn't remember until I drove down the icy tollway and was pulling into my garage. At that point I was not going back to retrieve it. So I made a second trip to Houston's at lunch today and then finally dropped off the gift at the bride's office this evening. It was a set of cookie trays and a big wooden rolling pin, and I added these cute Christmas Cookie Cutters to give it a cookie baking theme. Good thing I have her nine whole days to get those cookies together!