Color Run Fun!

This past Saturday I joined my daughter in New Orleans for the 5K Color Run!  We'd never participated in this event before, and it was a lot of fun!  Basically, at every kilometer there were people with colored dust (cornstarch) that would throw it on you.  Everyone had to wear some sort of white top, which would be "decorated" throughout the event. 

 

 

"Decorated" after the run!  I'm sportin' the headband that we received, and we also got a cool t-shirt.

The weather was perfect, and part of the run was along the New Orleans Lakefront.  You can see a little bit of the water in the picture below.

 

Getting ready to start and go up that hill way in the distance with the flags!

 

 

Every participant was given a bag of color, and at the end we all released it.

 

 

It's been a while since my triathlon days, so participating in this event was a lot of fun ... especially since it was with our daughter!

 

Afterwards, we went to the Jewelry Show at the New Orleans Convention Center.  I'd never been before, and it was much better than I expected.  There was much more than jewelry at this show!  You had to have an invitation or a wholesale business to attend, so I was lucky that my daughter's boyfriend hooked us up.  He came along with us, and I got a head start on my Christmas shopping.  I got a couple of cool things for the boat, but in case Ken reads this ... it's a secret till Christmas!

 

While I was having fun with our daughter, Ken was home sanding sheetrock!  I usually don't like to leave Ken alone with our projects.  I just don't feel right about "sticking" him with the crappy stuff.  If nothing else, I like to hang around for moral support and to be the extra hand.  I figure we're in this together ... good and "bad".  Anyway, I didn't feel too guilty when I came home to dust ... everywhere!  Didn't I just go through this a few months ago?!

 

Sunday was spent dusting and cleaning the house ... floors, furniture, pictures, light fixtures, counters.  While I was cleaning, Ken finished staining the front door and applied the first coat of polyurethane.  Next step ... texture and paint the foyer sheetrock and hand the light fixtures.  After that, our house will finally be in the same condition it was prior to Hurricane Isaac.  Then we can tackle that list of "little" things while we try to find a buyer!

 

Hasta luego ... until then.  Mid-Life Cruising!

A Personal Challenge!

I was looking over some old pictures the other day, and came across this old photo.  It was taken 15 years ago, when I was 30 years old.

With our upcoming trip to the Virgin Islands, I wondered if I could look like this for our trip.  With my frugal ways, I still have this bathing suit!

So, I'm challenging myself to step up my workout routine and get in shape like I was15 years ago!   I can tell you I won't have that tan.  When this picture was taken, I was going to the tanning booth.  While I loved my tan (this redhead does tan) and the relaxation of the booth, I didn't go to the booth very long because I knew how bad it was for me.  I'm glad I stopped!  I 've tried some sunless tanning lotions in the past, and they seemed to work pretty well, so I'm gonna try one of those again this year.

I"ve always been into fitness, have completed a few triathlons, and try to stay in shape.  Exercise is what keeps me going!   However, I'm going to have to push myself a little more to get ready for our trip.  Wish me luck!

Triathlon Days, 2005

BTW, that's my baby girl in the picture with me.  She just celebrated her 20th birthday last month ... wow!

Hasta luego ... until then.  Mid-Life Cruising!

Frugal Fridays - Free Workout Videos!

Think you don't have the right outdoor environment or the money it takes to get fit and stay that way?  Well, it's time to get rid of those excuses cause I've got a solution that can be done in your home and doesn't cost anything but the price of an internet connection!

I've always been into fitness, and for years I was lucky enough to have a free gym membership that came with my job at the local hospital.  But, when I moved on to bigger and better things I lost my free membership!  I signed a one year contract to another gym that I'd been wanting to try and really enjoyed being able to continue going to the gym.  I enjoyed the weights and the elliptical machine, but the yoga, pilates and kickboxing classes were my favorite!  However, a few years ago the real estate market took a big drop ... along with my income.  When my one year contract was over, so was my membership.

I'm a huge believer in the benefits of exercise, and I'm very passionate about keeping fitness in my life.  At different stages in my life I've been into running, swimming, and bicycling and still continue these activities every now and then.  However, my favorite forms of exercise continue to be yoga, pilates and strength training.  So, when I was faced with the fact that I could no longer afford the gym, I had to come up with a cheaper alternative.

I quickly found my answer on the internet!  Did you know that there are tons of free online exercise videos?  You can find just about any type of fitness class on the internet, without having to purchase the video.  A few of my favorites can be found on Hula and Metacafe.  Part of keeping fit is to mix things up, so it's really convenient to find so many workouts online.

I've included this link, which provides several workouts that I like on Metacafe.  There is one small catch ... some videos have one or two 30 second commercials during the workout.  Heck, I'll deal with that for a free workout video.  Check them out and get moving!

Hasta luego ... until then.  Mid-Life Cruising!

 *For those that missed the first nine posts of this series, check them out below:

• Frugal Fridays - The Rest Stop!                              Frugal Fridays - The Internet
• Frugal Fridays - Goodwill                                         Frugal Fridays - The Day After 
• Frugal Fridays - Happy Hour!                                 Frugal Fridays - A Little Patience
• Frugal Fridays - An Almost Free Vacation!      Frugal Fridays - Free Music!
• Frugal Fridays - The Class Room