As mentioned in my last blog post, I had a regularly-scheduled LDP run on my birthday, so my family decided to celebrate my birthday the next day. I came home from my run and saw presents, but I had to wait to open them.
After work and school on Tuesday, we picked up the kids. Jon, Caleb, and Zoe decorated my cake while I read my book.
After dinner, it was time for presents and then cake and ice cream (mashed together to make "dog food" for Caleb and me). My family knows me - most of my presents were running related :) Jon did an excellent job getting me some running things I would love that I wouldn't necessarily buy for myself. I mean, I may THINK I need more Ponya bands and running clothes, but I don't really, so there's always that guilt associated with buying more :) What I especially loved was getting some new running clothes and headbands without picking them out.
First up, the Ponyas. As I've mentioned before, I absolutely love the bamboo Ponya headbands. I wear them for nearly every run. Jon picked out two new ones for me. (I may need to buy a new blue tank top to go with them...) The bottom one makes me smile because it is named after Jackson, who got me addicted to running clothes in the first place.
Next up, the clothes. Jon showed up at Fleet Feet Sports before my birthday and asked to see Erin, my awesome friend and FF operator. The employee asked who he was, and he responded, "Jill's husband." He then told Erin he needed help getting me something for my birthday. Erin walked through the store pulling down clothes and matching them up and carefully considering what looked like me, what I already had, etc. Nothing on display met her standards for a birthday present for me. Instead, she went into the back and pulled out some inventory that had not even been unpacked and entered in the computer yet! For my birthday, I got clothes that weren't even available to purchase yet :)
I absolutely love the shirt I got. It's pink and stripey and has thumbholes and has a fantastic hood for those days that it's cold at the start of a run.
I'm usually very skeptical of full-length running pants. I am short, and I have trouble with them fitting right. Many times, they end up bunching up behind the knees or fitting weird in some other way. Somehow though, Erin found a pair of running pants that aren't even the brand I usually wear that are cute and fit me really well!
The only problem I saw was that I would have to wait a very long time to get to wear these running. However, today the high is only 62 degrees, and it is a rainy, rainy day. I decided it was the perfect day to be comfy in my new shirt :)
There were some non-running-related birthday presents (graphic novels and pajamas), as well.
It's always nice when your family supports you. From celebrating my birthday as a family the day after so I could run to buying me some new running clothes and headbands - my family shows their support in many ways!