It’s the first Saturday in September which means it’s time to link up with Deborah and Coco for the Ultimate Coffee Date! I love these kinds of posts, since I never can manage to get out for coffee with friends (more on that later) and I love to catch up with people who are too far away to meet up with at my local coffee shop.
Fun fact- my job is online and we use Zoom to have little 1:1 and small group coffee chats to get to know one another better!
For today, we won’t let timing get in the way, so go ahead and pour yourself a cup. (I won’t admit how many I’ve already had) and we can chat away!
If we were meeting for coffee I’d tell you that something Janae said a while ago has really been bouncing around in my head ever since. She said “racing is my partying” while talking about how much she spends on running and racing. And while I don’t run races much, I like to do a lot of fitness-y stuff. So my brain has changed it to “fitness is my partying”. And it’s gone from there.
When HH and I redid our household budget recently we made sure to fit in some “fun/partying” for both of us. His is a little more traditional. He’ll meet up with friends to watch football on a Sunday afternoon at a sportsbar sometimes or maybe go to a Friday happy hour with coworkers or friends. These are so not my things! We had always fit them in our budget, and he’d always encouraged me to do the same but it’s just not my thing. Sometimes I’ll meet a friend for coffee or I’ll buy books. My book club meets once a monthish, but that’s the extent of it.
We’ve also always budgeted for our gym memberships. But this time we added in some different “partying” for me. Instead of thinking that maybe I would totally change my behavior and personality I went ahead and budgeted for that CrossFit membership I’ve been wanting! Because this little hobbit does need to get out more and interact with the actual humans in realtime. HH had actually suggested it when he and I were both working from home over the summer. When we moved to Tampa I started working from home but until he worked here with me it didn’t hit either of us just how little I was interacting with other adults.
Once we started talking it over we realized that I had made a lot of my friends back in NH through group fitness, before I started primarily lifting. The trick for this little hobbit is finding the right setting, the right workouts, and the right coaching. I did so much research! And I totally found it. I’m lucky enough to have multiple group fitness and CrossFit options right near me, and while it’s a bit of a further drive the coaching and community at Tern are definitely worth the extra Tampa traffic.
I’m also making sure to say yes to some fun opportunities to “party” that come along. So last night when Green Locus Yoga hosted a fundraiser for a dog shelter in the Bahamas that had been impacted by Hurricane Dorian, I signed up. And while Bounce Barre and regular Barre aren’t going to be my regular “bar” it was a lot of fun! I’m guessing kinda like going to happy hour with a friend at their favorite place, instead of yours. And hey, I spent Friday night at a bar(re)! If you look at the videos you can see my so-not a dancer/ so-uncoordinated self trying to keep up.
If we were meeting for coffee I’d want to know, what is your “partying”? Is it going out with friends to watch sports, doing fitness stuff, running/racing, going out dancing… or something totally different? And I’d want to know if you’re making sure to budget enough time and money to “party your way” if at all possible.
If we were to meet for coffee, what would you want to talk about?
-Kristen
Fitness events and races are my partying too I guess. I would so much rather do that than go out and drink or eat something that I don’t really like anyways! Thanks for linking up for coffee
I like the idea of fitness events as “partying”. I made a lot of good friends in our local running club. We have gone on some girls’ running weekends, met at each other’s houses for group runs with food and drinks afterward, and vastly enhanced our social lives. I think doing Crossfit is a good thing. You also might want to check out your local running club if you’re looking for more social activity.
Laurie recently posted…Flying With The Fish
My apologies, I am SOOO late replying back to you. Fitness as partying is legit! Myself, I don’t go to a gym, but manage to workout (in some capacity) almost every day. I run a lot, and walk. This summer, I really biked a lot, too. I also enjoy HIIT and strength work…kind of a jack of all trades LOL We have friends in Tampa, and I’m considering doing the Gasparilla race in February. Tampa is such a neat city!
Back when I ran marathons, I always referred to our Saturday morning long training runs as a party on the trail. We’d often bring muffins and drinks (Gatorade or chocolate milk) for after our run, so I guess we did have little post-run parties. 😉 My husband and I love inviting another couple or two over on Friday nights once or twice a month for happy hour (always mixing up who we invite). I keep it simple with a light dinner and either a specialty cocktail or just wine and beer. We both really enjoy doing that!
Debbie @ Deb Runs recently posted…Making the Most of an Easy Work Week
I really need to put together a budget for myself–there are so many hobbies I want to pursue (and not enough time to do it all)! I’m glad it looks like you found out what works for you! :]
My “partying” = making food with friends and eating it, followed by board games, talking, and catching up on life. :]
Those both sound like so much fun!
I wish I had more time for and friends who were interested in board games!
I absolutely love it here! I hope you enjoy our pirate fest!
Yay for making friends through fitness!!