bringin' home the bacon

 

"Bringing home the bacon" sounds a bit more snappy.   But in this case, Emmy brought us a pie. 

The last day before Thanksgiving break, our elementary school always holds a Turkey Trot.  The older grades run a mile, the younger set a half mile.  At the finish line, the winners of each class receive a turkey while second place bring home a pumpkin pie. 

In all of our family history of Turkey Trotting (I've run one or two myself), our Thanksgiving dinner had never before been graced by any of the previously mentioned prize goods.  Until this year, that is.

This year's training went about like all the others.  No one gave a second thought to it.  The many notes sent home throughout November, urging all to train like the dickens?  (Come and win the turkey! they urged.)  Didn't do a thing.  In typical family fashion, we gloriously succeeded in procrastinating until the big day.  Sure enough though, when I picked up the girls from school the day before the event, Kate and Emmy were all fired up.  On the list of to-do's was 1) going to the track to run and 2) using the treadmill to practice running.  (Both, mind you.  This was not an either/or list).  They were determined and I tried not to dampen their enthusiasm when I gently explained that it might be a little late to train. 

The next morning, however, the two of them donned their best running attire and talked strategy the whole way to school.  Kate explained the finer points of breathing and told Emmy that everyone will start really fast, but it is best to go slower until the end and then run fast-as-all-get-out.  Kate had her eye on the turkey, Emmy was sizing up the pie.  I smiled to myself and remembered the time when I went to the race to cheer Ryenne on.  She came running by at the very tail end of her second grade class.  I had to laugh out loud when she grinned and hollered over, "Hi Mom!  I just told my friend that last's the best of all the game!"  

So you can imagine my surprise when I picked up Emmy from kindergarten and she stepped off the bus holding a pumpkin pie and grinning from ear to ear.  Second place and a pumpkin pie- just as she had hoped.  She couldn't have been more pleased.  Her secret?  Kate's strategy!

Kate never did bring home that turkey, but she had a great time!  Even better?  There were one or two kids behind her!  She and Ryenne were pleased as punch to not be the last ones across the line.  Some of us run just for fun, it seems. 

The others run for pumpkin pie.