Saturday Morning Run

Well, I intended to run two miles this morning, but it turned into three miles. I'm good with that! I won't be running for a couple of days though. I'm got a big four-plus mile run on Tuesday.

The weather was beautiful this morning! Summer is finally ending here in the South. I moved here in January, and I swear it's been summer since then. It's about 66°F with a light breeze. How perfect is that for a morning run? I think everyone else in the neighborhood thought so, too. There was quite a bit of foot traffic out there! 

I'm still using the MapMyRun app. What I like is that it pauses and resumes the workout by itself. No fumbling with it to stop tracking when I get stuck at a stoplight. Also, the buttons and icons are nice and big, so I don't accidentally click on something when I do decide to fumble with it. It will also send my stats straight to Blogger, so that you can have too much information about me I can share them with you. What I don't like is that it doesn't give me turn-by-turn navigation for the routes I create. And that was the whole point of downloading it in the first place (I read on some forum somewhere that it did that).

This is what it posts to Blogger (not directly, it created a draft post):

I ran with MapMyRun! Distance: 3.05mi, time: 29:30, pace: 9:40min/mi, speed: 6.21mi/h. http://mapmyrun.com/workout/395603207

 Well, better get started with my Saturday! It's free museum day!

The song that got me through this workout was Nikki Minaj - Moment for Life.

Air Superiority - We'll give it back to you when we're done.

If you say you're sorry and promise not to do it again, you can have it back.

Friday Morning Run

We had a late start at work yesterday, so even after I procrastinated, there was still time to go for a run. I couldn't use my usual "I don't want to be late to work" excuse! I got 2.47 miles in yesterday, and another 2 miles this morning.

I tried the MapMyRun app yesterday, thinking it would give me turn-by-turn directions for a route I uploaded. False. It was really just the same as the two other running apps I have on my phone. They just track the route I run and save it, but there isn't any navigation.

I think it will be fun to upload the video to one of my workout songs everytime I run.


Today's run is brought to you by Asia, "Heat of the Moment."

Anyhoo, now I really will be late to work if I don't finish this post up. Bis später!

Free admission to 1400 museums on Sept. 28

Looking for something to do this Saturday? When was the last time you went to a museum?

Travelzoo just posted 1400 museums that will be free this Saturday. That's my favorite price! All you have to do is grab a ticket (which is good for two people). They've conveniently listed all 1400 museums in searchable format.

This is part of the Smithsonian's Museum Day Live program. There are two museums here in Montgomery, the SPLC Civil Rights Memorial and the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA). I've been to both already (I've actually been to the Civil Rights Memorial a lot, every time someone comes to visit). But the MMFA is beautiful, and I can't think of anything I'd like more than to spend a Saturday afternoon strolling through their new exhibits. 

What a wonderful way to spend a Saturday!

Here are the links:
1400 Museums Free on Sept. 28 | Travel Tips From the Deal Experts | Travelzoo
Smithsonian Magazine Museum Day Live!

Running of the Bulls

I just finished another 5k, the squadron's "Running of the Bulls." Our squadron mascot is a bull, so it makes sense. It is not a reference to an actual bull on the course, in which case I would have finished much, much faster. I think my time was 29 minutes or so, about the same time I the course in last Saturday. That makes a total of 10 miles run in the past week! I feel great. I managed to finish this second 5k without stopping at the huge hill toward the end. Started about a minute too late (messing with my phone to get the distance tracker and music started). Still managed to pass quite a few people though. I think I'm finally back to being able to (almost) comfortably run three miles. Also feels good to complete that before 8:00 on a Tuesday! Starting to look forward to these runs.

Children of Veterans Get Free Tuition in California

In the state of California, children of veterans are eligible for tuition waivers at all University of California, California State University, and state community colleges.

Got your attention? Keep reading.

There are a few easy-to-meet eligibility requirements which I'll list at the bottom of this post. And of course, your little darling will have to get accepted to the school.

The program is for any state school. For example, UCLA, Berkeley, Cal Poly, and any of California State University's 23 campuses. (Not private schools though, so ixnay to Stanford and Pepperdine.) There are more schools than that of course, but I can't think of them all.

Is this even worth it? Well, for the 2013-2014 academic year, tuition for an academic year (9 months) at UCLA is $11,220. Yikes!

If you are sending your kids to college in California and are not a veteran, I would suggest adopting them out to a vet. I'm just saying.


Here's the fine print (which is really, really easy to meet):

1. You (the veteran) need to have a service-connected disability rating of 0% or higher. Yes, 0% is a disability rating! Have you ever been to the hospital while serving on active duty? Then you probably can get a 0% rating.
2. Your child must attend a California community or state college.
3. Your child must be under 27 and make less than the poverty level (about $11,000 year). That's your child, not you. You can make more if you want. 

You can read more about it (and verify that this information is legit) at http://www.calvet.ca.gov/vetservices/CollegeFeeWaiver.aspx.

I don't even have children yet, but when I do, they are going to college in California. I hear California is pretty this any time of year.

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

149 Places That Offer Military Discounts

Thanks, Gift Card Granny!

Gift Card Granny has compiled a list of 149 places that offer military discounts. Like Aeropostale, Kohl's, Banana Republic, Old Navy, and Applebee's.

You can get a free 8x10 and 50% off your entire purchase at JCPenney Portrait Studio.

Texas Roadhouse gives you 10% off your meal.

You can even save 5% off flooring at 1800WoodFloors.com.

This list is worth a look if you have a valid military ID. I shop regularly at a few of these places, and had no idea. I feel like I should have written this post with many exclamation points, but I'm just so excited to see this list that I've gone past exclamation points, straight to blissful serenity.

149 Military Discounts

Ziploc Vacuum Sealer - $39.99!

I really need to start saving money. Or, stop spending money. Last month, Kaiser the Dog had a stroke (he's doing great!), but the near-$4,000 of veterinarian bills was unexpected to say the least. I needed to start cutting back. Luckily my darling boyfriend is a great cook, and we're homebodies, so skipping the restaurants and eating at home was an easy kill. But then what?

I came across this blog, Blissful and Domestic, and was amazed at how she lives with her family on $14,000 a year. A year. I could use some of her tips! I was inspired.

This is the first post in my adventure to spend less, without feeling like I'm losing out.

Today's big budget-friendly "splurge" will save me tons in the long run. It's a Ziploc Vacuum Sealer. It was $42 or so at Wal-Mart. (You can get it for $39.99 at Menards by clicking here.) I've always wanted one of these toys (I have a slightly odd obsession with very specific small kitchen appliances). But man, are they expensive! Then along came Ziploc.

I stocked up on ground beef, chicken breasts, Italian sausages, and shredded cheese at Sam's Club. I came home and had a little sealing party, splitting up all the bulk meats and sealing them into portion sizes. I even opened a bag of chips and resealed it, just to see if it would work, and it did! I admit, it was kind of fun. My freezer is full, and I am a happy camper. I'm pretty sure this just paid for itself in one day.

What do you think? Do you have one? Have you continued to use it? Right now, it's a new toy to me; I hope it doesn't end up forgotten on a shelf. I kind of love it right now, in a you-could-change-my-life kind of way.

Ziploc Vacuum Sealer

Fitness Wagon

Trying to get back on the fitness wagon, I may have overdone it this week. I feel great, but my muscles are fighting me. Last year, I lost about 30 pounds in 6 months or so. I had a regular routine of hitting the gym at lunchtime. A month of Monday through Friday Spin classes kickstarted the weight loss, but I got bored fast. I switched to twice a week Spin, twice a week of whatever group workout class they offered, and once a week of Stairmaster or elliptical training. I didn't run much. The one day a week I was on a machine, I watched my guilty-pleasure TV shows like Judge Judy or Entertainment Tonight.

Then the big move, from Germany to Alabama started, and I just didn't have the time. Fast forward to this week, when I realized I had started living in yoga pants again. My skinny jeans were muffin-top jeans! I managed to fit in a Spin class, two 2-mile runs, and topped it off with a 5k this morning. I finished around 29 minutes. I'm proud of myself, but am going to take a few down days. My next thing is a group 5k that we call "The Running of the Bulls" on Tuesday. My goal is to get that 5k down to 25 minutes or less. Oh, and to make my skinny jeans zip up without doing a dance to zip them up.

So that oughta get you caught up on where I stand. I'll post more successes and failures as they come up. But to paraphrase Dori, "just keep spinning, spinning, spinning."