A This & That Coffee Chat

Is there anything better than a toasty hot beverage and some cozy conversation with friends?

In my opinion, these two make for a great combination...and not just in the winter season. Gathering together, even if it's by virtual means, always makes for lots of feel-good vibes and plenty of laughter.

What ya say? Shall we join forces, fill our mugs, and have a chat? 

Well, here goes...

If we were to gather, over coffee, I'd start by telling you how my January played out. Most know that the month of January, traditionally, is sort of an off-season for me. Mind you, that doesn't mean I sleep late or skip my morning workouts. I do scale things back, though, especially in terms of running mileage, and January '23 was no exception. The running miles were some of the most conservative my legs have seen in a long time, and I'm alright with that. Unfortunately, the walking miles took a major hit as well. But, if we were to talk about biking, the story takes a much different turn...and I'm super content with that.

If we were to gather, over coffee, I'd share my excitement for RAGBRAI '23! RAGBRAI is the acronym for the Register's Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa. The Des Moines Register sponsors this annual week-long bike ride across the state of Iowa. This event attracts cyclists from, literally, around the world, and the 2023 route was just announced last weekend (it changes every year). This will be RAGBRAI's 50th year, and I hear there's a lot of fun stuff in the works. I've only ridden single days (I rode Day-1 in 2021 and Day-7 in 2022), but am hoping the ride both Days 4 and 5 this summer since both of those days will be fairly close to my hometown of Grinnell (which is halfway between Des Moines and Coralville, and directly south of Tama-Toledo). Lucky me, Day-5 is featuring the second longest mileage for the week, as well as the most elevation (both of my previous days had similar claims to fame as well).

If we were to gather, over coffee, I'd have to bring up my treadmill dilemma. As most know, it appears Milly may have run her last mile this past weekend. While this has happened a couple of times before, and we were able to resuscitate her, I'm not as optimistic this time. My dilemma: Do I replace her or go without? She's definitely not my BFF (best fitness friend), but it is nice to have her on standby for the handful of times when it's just too dangerous to run outdoors. I don't want to spend a lot of money (since she won't be used much), but I can't go ultra cheap, either (because I want her to have a few nice features to lesson the "torture aspect" of it). And, let's not forget that we're almost through the worst of the winter weather. In other words, I could probably make due without a treadmill for the remainder of winter (emphasis on probably, LOL).

If we were to gather, over coffee, I'd admit my confusion over the allure of mirror selfies. Personally, I think they're kind of awkward and odd (seriously? A picture of oneself taking a picture of oneself???).  I seldom ever take mirror selfies, and it's a very rare occasion when I actually post them on social media. This particular one, below, was taken out of sheer boredom after a bike ride. The pose is rather dull. The workout room has a lot of clutter being showcased in the limited space. Even the letters on my tank top are in reverse (a huge pet-peeve of mine, BTW). Yet, while this pic didn't go viral, it did garner a lot more interaction than I'd ever anticipated. Is that what people want to see?

And finally, if we were to gather, over coffee, I'd gush a little more over this orchid. I received this from my son almost two years ago for my birthday (March 2021). It was in full bloom, and the blossoms remained intact throughout most of that summer. In October of that year, I noticed new buds forming on the stems, and they started blooming in December. Those blossoms stuck around for several months, eventually dying-off by late spring of 2022. Wouldn't you know, not only were more buds appearing by late summer, but a new stem had also sprouted. The orchid was again (for the third time!) in full bloom. As those blossoms started wilting, though, I noticed more buds forming. Just a week ago, these newest blossoms have started opening. Obviously, this orchid likes its home, by the south-facing window in the sunroom. Huh, maybe I should give it a name? 

Anyways, those are just a few (or five) things I'd bring to the table, if we were gathered over coffee. 

How about you, anything to share? Did you have a productive January? Ever heard of RAGBRAI? Should I replace Milly? Mirror selfies- yay or nay? Ever have an orchid continue to bloom repeatedly?

 Since it's the first weekend of the month, I'm linking this with Deborah and Coco for the Ultimate Coffee Date.

I'm also linking this with Michelle, Renee, Darlene, Jenn and Zenaida for the Fit Five Friday Link-up.

By the way...are you following me on social media?

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