Flea Market Fun!

One of the fantastic places to take your family for fun is the flea market. Yesterday we found an old school flea market, with people peddling their home wares. Not only is there a ton of fun people watching opportunities, but the buys on things are incredible.... DVDs for a dollar, used tools for a few bucks, and corn dogs for a dollar to boot! Many flea markets also have a section with fruits and vegetables for sale, and we did spy some outstanding tomatoes. So, plan for a day at a local flea market and enjoy the show!

Automatic Goal Achievement

Over the past few weeks, I've noticed something .... I don't focus on the sailing goal anymore. Does this mean that I'm not interested in doing the trip? No, not at all. In fact, every time the topic comes to mind a smile comes to my face.

What I've noticed, however, is that all the actions we take to make it happen have become so automatic that we don't think about it anymore. The saving of money, the focus on self sufficiency, the disposal of items that we can't take, and so much more have become automatic.

After nearly 2 years, all of our set up to go actions have become part and parcel to how we live. Now obtaining the goal is easier than ever.... we don't even think about it, it just happens. The coffers are filling, our skills are growing, and stuff is disappearing.

This is a key transition for us. Automatic things automatically happen. :)

Hydrate your way to health and weatlh

With the Ironman entry complete, it is time to begin the process of training. My training plan is 40 weeks long and 1 of the key components is hydration. Why is this relevant here? Well, proper hydration results in optimal physical performance AND costs less than drinking soda.

Here is an interesting rule of thumb used by elite athletes: for every 1% of under full hydration your body is, the resulting loss in physical performance is 2%! Put another way, for all the hours you exist and you are under hydrated by 1%, you will have to expend 2% more effort than you would if you had simply remained properly hydrated. 5% under equates to 10% more effort! More effort requires more fuel, more fuel requires more spend. Plus, more effort makes you tired sooner.

Being under hydrated also puts your immune system at risk. Water is a key component of antibody manufacture. Without them to fight off a bug, you get sick. If you get sick, that puts you behind on your goals and also puts you in a bad mental state.

Water is also cheap. The bottled water is so overrated. When we eat out, we always ask for tap water (unless we are outside the US).

Taking steps towards being fully hydrated are simple. For example, you could begin replacing your non-water beverage intake with water. If you drink 4 cans of soda, cut to 3 and replace that 4th one with the equivalent water. Another simple first step is to create a routine wherein each morning, the moment you wake up, you drink a glass of water. Viola! you've increased your water intake.

Over hydration is also a risk. Listen to your body. Do you need gallons of water? No. (unless you are racing accross a hot environment). There are plenty of formulas out there to help you gauge how much water you should be taking in. Find out how much you should be taking in and be sure you're doing it.

Blondes on Boats

There was a blonde driving down the road one day. She glanced to her right and noticed another blonde sitting in a nearby field, rowing a boat with no water in sight.

The blonde angrily pulled her car over and yelled at the rowing blonde, “What do you think you're doing? It's things like this that give us blondes a bad name. If I could swim, I'd come out there and kick your butt!” ;)

Have a great weekend!!!

Certificate of Documentation

We finally received our "Certificate of Documentation - (COD)" from the US Coast Guard!! YEAH!! Now the boat is offically ours. It might seem like I'm making a big deal out of the COD. Well, I am.

Basically, the COD is the boat's title. It is the overriding ownership papers in the United States. It's not necessary to have a boat registered with the US Coast Guard, if you stay in US waters. However, anytime that you travel into international or foreign waters it is necessary. If you don't the COD and you travel outside US waters, it's the same as traveling to a foreign country without a passport or any other type of identification. Not a situation I want to ever be in.