Thanksbirthday

Every eleven years or so, my birthday falls on Thanksgiving. I've heard that people whose birthdays fall on or near Christmas often hate it because their birthday celebration is dwarfed by the excitement of the holiday, but that isn't the case with Thanksgiving. I always love it, probably because it feels a little like a big birthday party, complete with parades and a family reunion. This year was Thanksbirthday, so I headed north for the family celebration.

As I have for the last several years, I walked the Turkey trot 5K while my brother-in-law, nephew, and niece ran. My 54th Thanksgiving was a gorgeous, sunny day this year, so it was the perfect morning to be out at Presque Isle State Park in Erie, Pa.



And there were a ton of people out this year: over 4,000!


I've had some back problems this year, so I was nervous about my ability to walk the race. I know it's only a 5K, but I needed to feel a little competition to get me to the finish line. That's when I saw her: the woman to beat.



If she could do it, I could do it. Some guys on stilts did it, too.



I was a full four minutes slower than last year, but I made it, and so did my family. I don't know what became of the old lady. I left her in the dust.






We headed back to the house for my Thanksbirthday celebration. Except for my oldest brother, all of my siblings were there.



All 15 of us crammed in my sister's dining room.


There was even a birthday pie, baked by my sister Nancy!


And after dinner, a little musical entertainment.


At age 54, I certainly can't claim the birthdays are a new thing, but I can certainly claim that being 54 is. I'm thankful to have had such a fabulous celebration!

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