Ultimate Coffee Date – January 2020

3 January, 2020 Off By Renée

Well, here we are my friends. Finally! We made it! I’m so happy for this new chapter. Of course I don’t think that you need a new year or a Monday or a birthday to “start fresh” but for me, particularly after last year, I feel like I have a clean page to write on again.

Welcome to the Ultimate Coffee Date!

It’s that time again to kick back with friends and have a chat over coffee (black, please), chai, herbal tea or whatever you fancy. Deborah and Coco host the Ultimate Coffee Date every first Friday/Saturday of the Month – care to join in?

The Ultimate Coffee Date

If we were having coffee…

I’d tell you that I’m ready to make a mental switch about how I feel about the holidays. It’s never going to be like I wish it would be, so instead of wallowing in that sorrow, I’m going to turn it around and just do whatever I want for the holidays. From sending cards to decorating to cookie baking – I’m going to do it all this year. And there will be a tree. Even if the cats want to play with all the shiny things. Poor Ron will be subjected to Christmas Pyjamas as well. And there will be Ugly Christmas Sweaters. Mark my words. If we were having coffee, how would you describe how you “do” the holidays, even if you have “challenges” (culture, family, whatever)?

If we were having coffee

I mentioned already that I do not want to have any big goals this year. Last year I had goals and, well, we all know what happened there. I think, for me, I just want to be healthy. I want to get it together emotionally and physically and I think that’s enough as far as goals go. Sure I’d love to race more and hit some PR’s but to be honest, I think just being able to run and race is enough. Obviously I’m going to run Chicago (if it’s the last marathon I run) but I don’t even have a time goal for that. Just start fit and finish smiling. If we were having coffee, what would you tell me about your goals for this year? Big hairy ones? Or keeping things low key and going with the flow?

If we were having coffee

I’d mention that we are yet again hooked on another Netflix series, but it’s an older one that you probably haven’t even thought about for a while… Mad Men. I thought I watched quite a few seasons several years ago but we are up to season four now and I really didn’t remember anything past season two! My former stepmom is remarried to a man who actually was a “Mad Man” in advertising back in the day so it adds a bit more dimension in my interest (he’s a super nice guy and I can’t imagine him getting up to the kind of antics they get up to in the series, but he told us it really was like that!). Also, it’s so hard to watch sometimes and wonder how we (women) could have ever accepted the kind of sh*t that they tolerated back then. And “back then” wasn’t so long ago! If we were having coffee, would you tell me you’ve seen Mad Men too? What series are you watching right now?

If we were having coffee

While we love traveling, we are probably going to travel less this year. I’d really like to spend more time in the US when we go to Chicago so that means we need more $$$ while we are there. The savings plan has already begun. I would tell you, too, that we are going to Paris in less than 2 weeks though, but we are driving – so maybe that puts it a bit in perspective. It’s close enough to get there in 6 hours with coffee breaks. It’s almost Ron’s birthday and he wanted to go to the Leonardo da Vinci exhibition at the Louvre. Who am I to not go along with that? We’re going to see my parents in Málaga again in March as well. Maybe there will be some spontaneous trips to the UK; we are not running Liverpool this year but I’m missing my UK running friends already. If we were having coffee, what would you say about your travel plans for 2020?

If we were having coffee

I would definitely thank you for the, albeit online, friendship over the last years of blogging. I am glad I can be myself and don’t have to pretend if I’m not feeling well mentally. I haven’t said all of the things that influence why I am so sad, but it’s good to know I don’t even HAVE to say everything. I really appreciate having a place where I can put my feelings down in black and white. And if we were actually having that cup of coffee in person, I’d hug you tight and try not to cry when I tell you how much I appreciate you. If we were having coffee, would you also express your gratitude for the blogging community?

So let’s have that coffee and talk!

Since it’s Friday I’m also linking up with Meranda and Lacey at Fairytales and Fitness!