Gill Turkey Trot & Tradition

Once upon a time, there was a Ross who came up with the idea of a 5K race for the family on Fakesgiving, a Thanksgiving celebration 12 days early. Sounded like fun so count us in! And then he whipped out official race bibs, one for every member of the family. And he included safety pins. It was pretty well thought-out.

It's handy to refer to these pictures when you need to know someone's age. Karen- 1962. Gary- 1967a. Sidney- 2009

Here we are at Charley Brown Park.

Well, not Jack because he woke up feeling pretty awful with a terrible cold. We left him behind. That sounds pretty cold.

These are the two family members who weren't in the group picture even though they were present because they found it more fun to be in the back seat of the van looking at a book.

Debra's thinking, if these '00 decade whippersnappers think
they have anything on me...

Race participants even received complimentary water bottles with the official race name and EVERYTHING!

That Ross!

Debra skipped the race and she and Sidney hung out.

The park's burned ground and lingering carbon smell was lovely, I must add.


At the starting line and they are off!


Finishing lap 1

Tom and his grandboys happened to be at the park golf-carting around, so Carter, the little running machine, joined the race, and Ollie got into the book with Grant and Sam.

Here's what was so interesting in case you are curious. Sith Apprentices. So very Star Wars.





Did you know Karen does a mean flamingo?!

Sam was the lone biker in the race. And he stayed on his bike for a total of about 3 seconds.

If Diane were an Native American, her name would be Old-Lady-with-Red-Face. But do notice how it perfectly matches the shirt trim.

We are hoping this was actually Sam's own water bottle but rumor has it, it was Ross'.

The kids enjoyed the playground.

Caroline Belly Laugh.

Grandma headed back to the house to make sure that the turkey feast would be ready for us while some stayed at the park.

Here Grandpa's telling the kids to walk down the dam hill. Grandpa!




















Oh, dam.

Gary, that's dam steep!

But all joking aside, let us not forget the real meaning behind the holiday and what is important about having our family gather together from miles away:

We give thanks for the Big Swig.

So, after such an enjoyable experience with the first Gill Family Turkey Trot 5K, it could become a continuing tradition. Kind of like this one.

At Thanksgiving, Grandma presents the grandkids with a Hallmark Christmas ornament chosen especially for them. Ross is on year 24, I believe, of his series. Now that is something special.

Caroline's this year is a Fairy Girl.
























Jack's series is Snoopy as a scout, very fitting as he is in his 5th year of Boy Scouts and his goal is to become an Eagle Scout.

Grant loves his penguins.

And Sam's was a perfect choice for him, a John Deere lawnmower. Except he would not get over the compulsion to go out into the yard to see if it really would cut the grass. Once he ran it through and got his answer one way or the other, he was fine.

Unfortunately, Jackson was pretty miserable most of the day feeling sick, but here he perked up enough to go outside and visit Sonny, wishing him a Happy Fakesgiving, I bet.

So, in summary, it was a super fun family time--the Turkey Trot was a hit, the food was delish, and it was wonderful to be together, but we were missing you, Julia and Neil!

Happy Thanksgiving to The Gills! I am so thankful to be one of you. I'll let Sidney convey just how it makes me feel.