Mid-November

(photos from here.)

Mid-November.  We are over halfway through the month already.  WHAT.  And it's full speed ahead for this lady--family adventures, future vacation planning, and the beginning of the holiday madness at work... let's just say I'm taking it one day at a time and gearing up for the goodness that is sure to lie ahead.  

It's also very suddenly winter in Chicagoland.  And by that I mean, it's cold.  I started this post earlier in the week, and at the time I did most of the writing, it was 11 degrees Fahrenheit--but it felt like 0 degrees.  Yes, 0.  See you later, Fall, it was nice knowing you!  We've only had a little bit of snow here and there, nothing that has really stuck yet, but it's just so bitterly cold.  I'm pretty much done with it already, but I guess that's what happens when you live in the Midwest.  I will adjust, of course, I'm just not ready for it quite yet!

I was debating on whether or not I would be going running with the Early Birds on Thursday morning...  I really did want to go running, as I've really loved the last few weeks, but I was, and am, quite nervous about running in such cold temperatures (16 degrees at 6 am).  I have warm weather gear, I was just worried it might not be enough.  It would have also been one of my first cold weather runs, so there's that as well.  I'm not a huge fan of the treadmill, but honestly, single digit wind chills make me think it's not really so bad.  Ultimately, I opted to not go, but I plan on taking advantage of the warmer temperatures this weekend and am hoping to run with the Early Birds again as soon as my schedule allows for it.  And, worse comes to worse, there's always treadmill running...

Earlier this afternoon, I got back from an impromptu road trip to Springfield, Illinois, to hang out with my sister for the night.  I'm lucky to have a smart, beautiful, funny, kind woman as my sister, and I'm grateful for the opportunity to spend time with her.  Every second is so fun, so worth it!  Plus, Springfield is so interesting, as the state capitol, and I love learning about history and visiting museums.   It was a fantastic trip, and I plan on writing about it very soon.  It deserves a post of its very own, for sure!