Like a "Rhino"

I hope you all had a GREAT Thanksgiving with family and friends! I had a very nice day enjoying time with my family. I am very thankful for all the great people I have in my life (including all of you who view the blog).

Yesterday morning I woke up and ran 4.5 miles around my parents' neighborhood in about 39 minutes. My Ipod died right before I started, so I unfortunately had NO music for the entire run. I thought the run would be torturous; however, it was actually quite enjoyable. I was able to really push myself and concentrate on my breathing. In addition, I was able to enjoy the scenery and say "hi" to fellow runners and walkers. Maybe I will incorporate more musicless runs into my routine.

Now back to the food: Our first stop of the day was my dad's brother's house for "lunch." They had all the usual fixings with the addition of lasagna.

Here is my plate:

Turkey, yams, butternut squash, mashed potatoes, brussels, lasagna, eggplant parm

I then had x2 on the squash, yams and brussels. I also had a second Leffe throughout the afternoon. I LOVE Leffe!!!

Next up dessert!

Carrot Cake, Banana Cream Pie and Fruit

The main event of the afternoon was a food eating contest. A friend of the family is a world class eater (one time he ate 4 hamburgers and two hot dogs in one sitting). So my uncles proposed a Thanksgiving challenge to him: He had to eat a half of sheet of lasagna in 10 minutes.

Here is "Rhino" in action:

The clock is counting down....

Slowing down.....

And, unfortunately "Rhino" didn't even come close. He only finished about 1/3 of the plate. It was a HUGE let down! Oh, well maybe next year. In this battle of man vs. food, food won!

In addition to a very nice afternoon at my uncle's, it was also the first time my dad and all five of his brothers were together in a VERY long time!! As well as my grandmother, who lives in Las Vegas.

Here are all 6 fine gentleman and my grandmother:

On our way home, we made a stop at my cousin's house to wish my Mom's family a Happy Thanksgiving and munch on a few more desserts. I had a few bites of cheese cake, pumpkin pie and various other delicious foods.

Oh, how I LOVE Thanksgiving!!!!!!!! Now on to the shopping............