Had a great treadmill run today. 5 miles of increasing speed up to 7.0! I was sweating like crazy and loving every minute. Exercise is such a great stress buster, don’t you think?
I spoke with the gym owner this morning, as I hadn’t seen him since last Monday and offered my condolences on his friend and co-owner. I asked him if there was anything I could do and he said, “Just keep coming in between 7 and 8 in the mornings like you usually do so I won’t be staring at the walls, since you are usually the only one here.” That about broke my heart. It does seem that at least for that first 1/2 hour or so, I am alone – which I actually like.
I was so ready for breakfast when I got home. My Luna bar was good for the run, but I was ready to eat!
I pan sauteed a pear in a tsp of coconut oil, cinnamon and a tsp of brown sugar and topped it onto steel cut oats. Nummmmmm…….
Regarding the refinance I was speaking of, this is a rental house we own, not the house we live in. We were refinancing to get a better interest rate because as an investment property, it is quite high. We are probably just going to put it on the market in January, as there is one tenant in there now who can’t afford the rent by himself (his roommate moved out). I like the tenant. It’s just annoying to deal with at this point. The house was originally a fix-and-sell, but it didn’t sell.
Lunch was some greek yogurt, protein powder, strawberries and my chai granola.
Yum, but it’s too cold for this now! I am done with yogurt for a while, I think.
Then it was off to get stuff for Christmas dinner and to use my BJ’s wholesale gift certificate:
I have a 2-month free membership, so we had to check it out before the end of the year. Have any of you been to this place? Everything is giant size! I died when I saw a 5-pound bag of protein powder:
Too bad it is artificially sweetened, or I would have gotten it 
We did get some great deals on almonds ($3.99 a pound!) and milk, so we had no problem using up the gift certificate. The fresh produce wasn’t such a great deal and the bulk buying is too much for just 2 of us. I don’t think we will get a membership.
After fighting the crowds there, we went to relax at Virgil’s. A cool thing about Virgil’s is that they ask that you turn off your cell phones and have no laptops there. The place is full of books and games.
The atmosphere is cozy and what I would like in a cafe if I had one 😀
Had a delicious skim latte.
Then we had to hit up the other grocery store to get things we couldn’t find at BJ’s. I was ready to get home and away from the crowds, that’s for sure!
Dinner was a bit of a mish mash that turned out quite good! We cooked up a sweet potato and split it in half. I topped mine with some sauteed broccoli, chicken, and cheese. I had a lot of broccoli on the side, too.
John had his half with butter and brown sugar LOL! Sweet and savory from the same potato. Warm and yummy in the tummy!
Ornament of the day:
Cardinals are one of my favorite birds. We have a pair that had a baby last year and they were so fun to watch! Debby, I know you will appreciate this ornament. 😀
Off to wrap presents and have a bunch of tea and a snack to keep warm!
I am new to your blog, congrats on the weight loss, you look great!
*check out my raw revolution bar giveaway -over tomorrow*
I am so sorry to hear about your gym owner. I’m glad there is motivation to be found though, in your early morning workouts and in keeping the owner company 🙂
Virgil’s looks like an awesome place. We actually had something like that near me and it was a great, relaxing atmosphere. It didn’t survive the economic downturn, but it was replaced with a super yummy breakfast joint, so I suppose that’s a plus.
I’m also considering joining BJ’s – unlike Sam’s Club, they accept manufacture coupons!!
.-= Heidi´s last blog ..Back, back, back it up. =-.
Oh that is so sad about the gym owner – and amazing that by just doing what you were doing will help him. Glad you were able to talk with him today…it must be so hard right now.
I love the idea of an unplugged bookstore/cafe! What a revolutionary idea. I wish we had something like that here – all we have is a B&N and Hastings. No independently owned bookstores. 🙁
.-= Shelley B´s last blog ..Friday Wrap Up =-.
We used to have some independent bookstores, but I think they all went out of business because of the big stores. Reminds of the movie, You’ve Got Mail!
.-= Foodie Girl´s last blog ..Back On The Food Log =-.
I love Virgil’s! You and John always do such fun things together, I really like that! Is my resolution for next year: spend more time with the hub 🙂
I think it’s good to know that you can make a difference for the gym owner for just being there. It’s so sad for him but you being there in the mornings helps him a bit to get through the day.
Thanks for the explanation on the house, I totally understand now.
.-= Fran´s last blog ..A day in my life: Saturday December 19th 2009 =-.
We do really love to spend time together and going out for coffee is inexpensive and casual!
Sounds like you had a geat day!
.-= Ron´s last blog ..That’s why I don’t buy it !!!! =-.
That Virgils place looks like such a neat spot!! My gym is huuuuuuge. One of those big giant chain ones. I would be kinda creeped out to be in there all by myself!! Although, it is open 24 hrs – wonder if anyone is in there at 3am? 😛
.-= Susan´s last blog ..Sweet Saturday =-.
That is one thing I really like about this gym is the small size. When I was at the Y earlier in the year, it was just so huge (and had a lot of amenities). This gym is functional for me and the membership fee is really reasonable.
Congrats on that workout!!!! I love when I up my speed on the treadmill & survive it! 🙂 Very sad about the gym co-owner though. Like you, I like my workouts to be less people so I go when hardly anyone is around. We have 24 hour gyms so not going to scare you with my workout time! 🙂
We have Costco & Sam’s club here which is like BJ’s. With just two of us too, we don’t buy a lot there BUT it does pay for the things we do buy. I don’t buy my protein powder or bars there because the ones they sell are not “right” for my bod… and my bod does not like them either if you get my drift! HA!
Now Virgils sounds awesome! I wish we had a place that said not cell phones or laptops! What a treat!!!!
Oh, Lori, finally got the gingerbread bagels!!!!! I got online & saw the damage so I only ate half. As I mentioned before, my older bod does not allow for all the bagels I really want these days. 🙁 BUT, MAN WHAT A TREAT! SO DELICIOUS! I am so glad you mentioned that or I would never have checked… I am hooked till they are gone!
Have a great day!
.-= Jody – Fit at 52´s last blog ..What Happened To Healthcare Reform??? =-.
Those bagels are oh so good, aren’t they??
oh that chai granola looks great – I really want to try that!
.-= Simply Life´s last blog ..Z Crackers! =-.
That cafe does look really cute! I love the huge bookshelf…wish I had one in my own house! We have a Sam’s club membership and love to shop there. We get a lot of the frozen stuff but a lot of fruit too!
.-= Alissa´s last blog ..Saturday =-.
We don’t have BJ’s here, just Sam’s. But I tell you what – when we were first married I never dreamed it would be my main grocery story! We used to visit and be just overwhelmed with the size of everything!
.-= Diane Fit to the Finish´s last blog ..Grocery Shopping Annoys Me =-.
Regarding BJ’s Wholesale Club:
I work there and I shop there. I’m a single guy, live in an apartment and don’t have a big appetite but I find it a great place for household things I need, the things I want to save money on. For example the laundry detergent, the paper towels, TP and dish soap. However, I also pick up food too. Berkley & Jensen chicken in 5 pack cans, tuna, soup, coffee, Berkley and Jensen splenda (exactly the same as Splenda) milk, eggs, beef (when I’m in the mood) muffins, Iced Tea mix, raw shrimp (frozen bag). I use the BJ’s coupon booklet, flyer and manufacturers coupons when I can. As far as produce is concerned, BJ’s packs are too large for me so I go to Stop & Shop for that. I use BJ’s as a source for my shopping because I get what I need at the best deal around. We don’t get an employees discount but we do get a free standard membership. If your BJ’s has gasoline, that would be another place of savings especially when prices go balistic. I think if you decide to get a membership you’d be surprised at what you can get year round. BJ’s has some very unusual items in it’s seasonal section and some great deals in entertainment electronics and household electronics too. I took this time to write to you only because I know you didn’t get to take in the whole experience in one visit. There’s a good deal for everyone if you don’t expect the moon and I know you’ll be pleasantly surprised with the quality and savings that can be had at the club. You’ll feel good about shopping there and you’ll look forward to seeking out the savings. Have fun.
Thank you for your opinion on BJs! It’s nice to hear from someone who is not a large family buyer on whether it is worth it or not. We are still waffling. We have 2 months to decide whether to keep the membership or not.
.-= Lori´s last blog ..What is advertising telling us? =-.