Friday Five - Spending Other People's Money Is Fun!

 

Friday Five - Spending Other Peoples Money Is Fun!

1. I am looking forward to spending someone else's money today. In this case, my sister-in-law's. She is in need of some new clothes, and I have offered to take and help her in picking out some outfits. She has some physical challenges that necessitate simple clothing without zippers, snaps, or buttons, and in doing a bit of online research, Kohl's appears to carry affordable clothing that meets her needs.

Kohl's is not a place where I shop myself, in that their clothes seem to run 'boxy', but that would actually work well for my SIL, in that items need to be very easy to pull on and pull off. 

I'm a very good steward of other people's money, and I will thus be very diligent in finding items that work, are attractive, and are on sale. Plus, it's fun to not be the one pulling out a credit card at the register!

The type of easy slip on and off clothing we are searching for.

Afterward, we'll celebrate our expected success with a shared lunch - she and I both recently lost weight, so we are of like mind there, nicely.  The fast casual place we're going to has a crispy chicken katsu sandwich with plum sauce that we both much enjoy, and a nice big outside and shaded patio for eating. We are currently in the low to mid-70's here, unlike what I know is happening elsewhere, so outdoors is still enjoyable. And appreciated!

2. We are eating faux on the Fourth. Specifically, Smart Dog hot dogs from Trader Joe's, about as faux as you can get in that they are made from soy. I find them to be delicious, however, and actually prefer them over a 'regular' hotdog at this point. And I appreciate that they are lower in saturated fat and calories than a regular hotdog.

I bought Brioche hot dog buns from Aldi's - so good - and we'll top our July 4th dogs with mustard, red onion, and relish. That should bring each one as served to just over 200 calories, an easy treat to slide into my daily plan. Watermelon will round out my plate, others will likely enjoy baked beans and Barefoot Contessa Old Fashioned Potato Salad along with their hot dogs. I think my mom is planning to serve ice cream for those interested to end the evening as we enjoy the fireworks from her front yard.

3. I'm looking for a new physical challenge. My primary activity this year has been walking, a result of my husband falling and straining his back late last year. He's been slowly and steadily recovering since, and is now back to almost 100%, so I've begun pestering him a bit to pick back up where we left off with road cycling and golf. 

We'll start off the road cycling with a flat and easy 15 mile roundtrip ride, then advance from there. We find that we can increase in increments of about five miles a ride, more to slowly train our saddle muscles than our leg muscles. (IYKYK!)

And once we return from our upcoming Alaska Cruise, we'll start back up with golf lessons, likely much needed after so many months away from the sport. I have to say that even while I have no aspirations that I'll ever be a fabulous golfer, I do get much enjoyment from simply going to the driving range with my spouse, and then enjoying glasses of iced tea together afterward on the golf course's scenic patio.

4. I reached backward in time and picked a date for my once-upon-a-time running club group of pals to meet up at a brewery. I also reached backward in time and made a date with a girlfriend I haven't seen since high school, to come out for an overnight visit.

The running club reunion event will be easy- I'm just texting the where and when, and our collective joy at all being together again should take care of the rest. The high school girlfriend overnight visit should also be easy - we'll spend a long and leisurely evening enjoying dinner and sunset viewing at our west-facing social club, talking non-stop I'm sure. In the AM we'll walk down to the beach for breakfast before returning to the house for good-byes.

5. I'm returning to Bridge, a game I both enjoy and do not enjoy in equal parts. I much enjoy the strategy and the playing. I much do not enjoy how intense and at times downright unpleasant some of the other players are. It seems to be the basic nature of some of the folk that are drawn to this game, an energy I don't bump into at any of the other activities I/we participate in. However, I've decided to give it another try after my spouse sincerely asked. Oh, the things we do for love! 🙂