Our day started at the gym. I was going to work on my back. 

The weight area was packed! I didn’t think it would be busy because: Christmas Eve. I stood there for about 30 seconds wondering what to do.

I turned around. There was an empty treadmill right next to Ben.

I’m not doing a lot of cardio these days because I’m trying to build. But, I decided, what the hell it’s Christmas Eve.

The run was fun! At one point I kept up with Ben for two whole minutes!

After the gym we spent the rest of the day getting ready for Christmas Eve. Around 5 pm I started feeling down about food and holiday fun. 

I started thinking about past Christmas Eve celebrations.

We had a lot of good times back in the day!

I made things like spinach & artichoke dip, roasted garlic & melted Brie, sausage stuffed mushrooms, and we washed it all down with Bud Light, Pino Noir, Washington Apple Martinis, and whiskey spiked milk shakes!

Now, we’re boring. And 99.9% of the time I love boring. But, for about 1 hour tonight, I thought about how fabulous fatty salty food tastes especially when you’ve got a 4 to 5 drink warm tingly buzz rosing up your nose and cheeks.

But, then Santa showed up! We had Christmas. Sam was happy. Will had an absolute blast!

My mental homeostasis was restored.

Here’s what the backside of me looks like right now. This photo was taken today. No edits, no filters. My legs, hips, and glutes need a lot of work. It’s a good thing I still have over 5 months to train! 

P.S. Have fun getting up at 4, then 5, then 6, then 7 (you’ll probably give in at about 7)! I’ll be thinking of you when I’m fast asleep with sugar plum fairies dancing through my head for 8 hours straight with no interruptions. 

And my kids will sleep well too because they’re not having periodic panic attacks (over the next 8 hours) about what may or may not be under my fake pre-lit forever-green!

Ben Walters you’re brilliant!