Virtual Turkey Trot Update

Happy Thanksgiving!

I had the BEST day. Ever!

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays because we get to just… be. I don’t mind cooking all day if it means I get to enjoy a great meal with my family. It’s just a fun, relaxing holiday.

I was hoping to get everyone out for my first ever Virtual Turkey Trot but with a temperature reading of 19 we decided it wasn’t a good idea for the kids. Instead I strapped on my shoes and got in a relaxing 5 miles. Sounds funny, I know,  but it’s true. With a house full of family it was nice to have a few minutes to myself. Plus I actually enjoy running in the cold. I bundle up with my hat, gloves and scarf and after a few minutes I’m comfortable.

Here I am afterwards all sweaty.

When I got back I put out the veggie tray and cheese and crackers and we snacked and cooked. I don’t want to pat myself on the back but I will… my turkey came out AWESOME!

This is the sixth time I’ve hosted Thanksgiving and I think I finally have it down pat. Thankfully my mom and mother-in-law help clean up after me as I go because I am a MESSY cook.

I did add a new side dish this year AND my very own cranberry sauce!

Anyway, I’m sneaking a moment after dessert, movie watching and game time to announce the winners of Judy’s 4 Paws for Ability fundraising Turkey Trot campaign. Everyone who donated $50 or more was automatically entered. Note: I used random number generator to pick the winners.

5 Vitalicious cases with your choice of their top-seller VitaTops or VitaCakes. Donated by Vitalicious!
- Megan B.
- Shannon M.
- Jeremy L.
- Christina S.
- Shannon S. 3 prize packs that will include NEW Mini Babybel Mozzarella style, Light, Original and White Cheddar. Donated by The Laughing Cow
- Rene C F.
- Susan S.
- Jennifer R.2 Kindle Fire HDX 7?, HDX Display, Wi-Fi, 16 GB. Donated by me.
- Brenda K. S.
- Hannah C.

I’ll be in direct contact with the winners next week. I can’t thank them and everyone enough. We were able to raise $4,660 toward our goal of $13,000 for my niece’s service dog. Even though we held the Turkey Trot fundraiser specifically to raise funds for the campaign we will be collecting donations until our goal is reached – click here to help!

Thanks again and from my family to yours…

Happy Thanksgiving!

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Climb Corcovado Mountain With Me (60-day fat burning virtual challenge)

8/1/13 UPDATE: I am 200 steps up the Mountain. Come with me. Let’s do this! We’re gonna make it to the top!

You know this mountain. Surely you’re familiar with its image. Are you ready to burn more fat?

Corcovado Mountain is the site of the world famous Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro. The site is nestled in Tijuca Forest national park. The mountain scenery is beautiful, intriguing and definitely climb-worthy. No passport required.

Here’s the quick & dirty info on the climbing challenge:

We’ll be scaling 2,330 feet up Corcovado Mountain and arriving at its peak where the statue sits.We’ll travel up the mountain via Mountain Climbers. This is NOT a walking/pedometer challenge.The challenge starts on Thursday, August 1st.Each left-foot, right-foot action of our Mountain Climbers counts as 2 steps/reps (2 feet) up the mountain.If you do 40 reps of Mountain Climbers each day, you will have scaled Corcovado in 58.25 days, but feel free arrive atop the mountain in 45 days or less if you dare. This will mean more reps each day, of course.

Mountain Climbers work the abs, legs, arms, abs and back. It’s basically a total body exercise. It also burns fat since your heart rate gets up there, and it doesn’t take long to knock out your reps. The climb is perfect to challenge your current fitness level.

Add this challenge to your stash of post-workout intensity drills or do your climbers while the kids are splashing in the tub. You get the idea, right? Yes, you CAN fit this in.

Many thanks to @debroby for inspiring this challenge. It was great to virtually climb Mt. Tamalpais with her back in the day.

ALERT! Anyone who quits the challenge part way through is considered to have fallen off the side of the mountain. I’ll keep search & rescue on stand-by.

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Remember our Blogger Virtual Talent Show?* Please to watch this space…

(Our hidden talent of interpretive dance as captured by the Tornado)

It’s coming again soon.

Git ready.

Hone those completely random talents & skills you’d heretofore thought useless and unimportant.

Gather your small children, pets, random household items and commence practicing.

It’s right around the proverbial corner.

*Yeah, we used the term (finger quote) blogger (unFQ) loosely to mean one who has read, seem, or ever heard of blogs. No need to be a blogger yourself.

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Get a signed copy of CHOCOLATE & VICODIN! Virtual book signing details are here

If you’d like to get a signed copy of Chocolate & Vicodin, my local independent bookseller is now accepting orders. Flyleaf Books rocks! And yes, even international readers can get one! (See, this is why Flyleaf Books rocks.)

If you live in the US or Canada
Go to the order page for Chocolate & Vicodin on their site, add the book to your cart, and then checkout. At the bottom of the checkout screen, right below the credit card info fields, there is an “Order Comments” box. Include the name you want the book signed to here as well as any other relevant info.

If you live outside the United States
Just send an email to info [at] flyleafbooks (dot) com with your name, address, signing information and ask how much it would cost to ship Chocolate & Vicodin to your country. (That’s the book, not actual chocolate and Vicodin, which would be illegal.) They’ll be in touch and can instruct you how to pay for the order, etc.

I am willing to customize the signing to an extent if there’s something specific you’d like me to say. So, something like, “To my biggest fan,” is cool. However, something like, “I will never forget our crazy night in Vegas with the goat and the circus clowns,” will not work. (Unless that actually happened.)

Flyleaf Books has been exclusively authorized by my publisher to start selling books on the day of my book release party, Thursday, February 17th. This applies to online orders as well, so if you order from Flyleaf it’s possible you’ll receive your book before the official release date of Tuesday, February 22. WE CANNOT GUARANTEE THAT, but you have a good chance, assuming there isn’t a postal strike or a truck fire or something. You’ll also get an email with the package’s shipping info, so you can refresh it compulsively and see how close it is to your front door.

Thanks to everyone for supporting the book! I really appreciate it, and I’m happy to cramp my hand up signing all of your books :)

"Smart, unflinchingly honest, and laugh-out-loud funny."– Lisa Genova, New York Times bestselling author of Still Alice

PastaQueen.com is a fascist regime ruled with a benevolent fist by PastaQueen and the macaroni military. Lively discussion is encouraged, but any comment may be deleted or edited according to the whims of your monarch. Please read the official rules of commenting etiquette for more details. Spammers are publicly beheaded and their blood is mixed into our spaghetti sauce. Comments are occasionally disabled some time after an entry has been posted to keep the blog on a spam-free diet.

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CHOCOLATE & VICODIN book release party and virtual book signing

I’m happy to announce that the book release party for Chocolate & Vicodin will take place at Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill on Thursday, February 17, 2011 at 7pm. That’s the third anniversary of my headache! No, I didn’t plan it way. Sometimes the universe just likes to mess with you like that, or the people who schedule the UNC sports games do. (No game that night!) Stop by and you can meet me, get a signed book before the official release date, munch on some chocolate (no Vicodin, sorry) and ride a unicorn! Ok, all of that is true except for one thing.

I’m also excited to announce that I’m going to do a virtual book signing with Flyleaf Books, the local independent book store. If you want a signed copy of the book, but aren’t local to North Carolina, you’ll be able to order a personally signed copy through Flyleaf Books. You get to support an independent bookstore and I don’t have to mail signed copies out from my bedroom, so we all win! “But, Jennette, I already ordered by book elsewhere!” you say. That’s ok. Most online retailers don’t actually charge you for a pre-ordered book until it ships, so if you want to get a signed copy you can cancel your other order. Or you could buy two copies! (Don’t you want a spare in case you drop one in the bath tub?) We haven’t worked out all the details yet for the virtual signing, so I’d recommend you not cancel your pre-orders until it’s all sorted out and I have a link to give you.

I hope to see some of you in February!

PastaQueen.com is a fascist regime ruled with a benevolent fist by PastaQueen and the macaroni military. Lively discussion is encouraged, but any comment may be deleted or edited according to the whims of your monarch. Please read the official rules of commenting etiquette for more details. Spammers are publicly beheaded and their blood is mixed into our spaghetti sauce. Comments are occasionally disabled some time after an entry has been posted to keep the blog on a spam-free diet.

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