Family, family, family

One of the things I'm blessed with in life is a wonderful family.  That goes without saying for my immediate family (my wife and children), and my own parents, brother, and his family.  But I'm blessed with an incredible, wonderful extended family as well.  My in-laws, in particular (both sets), as well as Jess's sisters and their families, make up part of this group.  There's not a person among them whom I don't genuinely enjoy, so at last count that's 4 (3 living) parent in-laws, 7 siblings, 4 sibling in-laws, and 3 nieces and nephews.  I've spent so much time with them over the last 10 years and more that they feel like home to me as much as any group of people.  We were just in Maine for a weekend, and had an incredible time with John and Phyllis, one of Jess's sets of parents (grandparents to our kids!).   I could hide and say I'm really glad just for the kids' sakes but I'm glad for my own sake too.

My own more distant relations - grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, were a big part of my life as a young child, but primarily because of geography I haven't seen much of them since.  There was a short period of time when Jess and I lived in Colorado that I was beginning to renew some of those relationships, but we moved away and I have mostly lost touch again.  It strikes me as a loss that I wasn't as close to extended family in my own (later) childhood as I now am.

On a totally different note, I am beginning to get pissed off at myself for failing to get up for morning runs. I've been variably good and not so good at this in the past, but this is a new low.  I've got a busy week at work coming up and I'll give myself a break, but after that I've got to suck it up and run early, especially as the weather is warming up.  As I always try to remind myself, I never regret it when I do it.

Notice in the photo to left my outstanding nutrition plan!

3 days ago: yoga 40 minutes, 13 burpees
2 days ago: run 4 miles / 37:14; PT back exercises, 14 burpees, 10 knees-to-elbows
Yesterday: 15 burpees
Today: PT back exercises, 25 pull ups (15 standard, 10 chinups), 20x3 leg lifts (up on dip-bar apparatus, lift legs to 90 degrees with a hold at the top, each rep of 3 is straight/left/right), 16 burpees