Ugly Sweaters galore!

Good morning!  It's been a minute since I was last here, but I can't say as I'm too sorry about that.  I felt pretty raw for a few days, and so I hunkered down and watched an entire Korean Drama series in one week while I made 4 pans of Rice Krispies Treats, and ate half my weight in said treats.  #totesworthit

However, we participated in something near and dear to my heart over the weekend, and it filled me with such joy that I couldn't keep it to myself;  The Ugly Sweater run.  And guys, it was so glorious.

Oh hey, Giant Santa, how are you???

As some of you may know, I have taken to collecting Ugly Christmas Sweaters over the last couple of years.  They bring me great joy and happiness.  So this was a given on our holiday schedule, especially after they promised copious amounts of hot chocolate... which was absolutely necessary, given the fact that the temperature was 25 degrees when we got there, and the water in the cups at the starting line was frozen.  Womp, womp.

This was an untimed fun-run through the streets of downtown Denver, so Ammon and I decided to walk, not run.  It really was so cold that running the whole thing may have put me in a bad way with my IT bands... I think my minimum outdoor running temperature may be 37 degrees or so.  Anything below that just isn't happening.

Also, the hats... I can't ignore the hats.  These were our race swag, in lieu of yet another race t-shirt.  I am so, so, so in love.  And as it turns out, they are creating a collection of different ugly sweater swag, so next year, we'll get a different matching piece in the collection.  I have serious love for these hats, they remind me of every single ski hat I ever owned between 1991 and 1997.  The nordic pattern, the puff ball, the colors... just yes, yes, yes.

We ended up dashing out after the run was over for lunch with Karissa!  I threw sweatpants on over my long underwear and Christmas socks, but otherwise, she just got to hang out with me in all of my ugly sweater and ugly hat glory.  Sorry about that, Karissa, next time I'll come looking a little less... festive, as you put it ;-).  We had an outstanding conversation about Homeschooling, the public and private education systems, books, writing books, pen names, and pressure on authors.  It ended way too fast!

And in its own way, it made for the perfect Saturday:  Friends, tacky sweaters, fun, and hot chocolate.  In my book, that is a combination that is tough to beat.