22: Five Things Friday Vol. 3

Five Things Friday: just five things I’m thinking about or things that made my week, or things that I otherwise feel like sharing.

Here’s a reminder to sign up for the 4th annual Secret Santa Mug Swap 2019, if you’re interested to spread a little holiday cheer during the holiday season. I’ve been hosting this swap for the last four years. If you want to read a little more about it, click here. Registration is open until Sunday, 11/24!

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Does your Health Insurance have an “incentives program”? We are with Blue Cross Blue Shields and they offer Online Health Coach Challenges (e.g. recording your exercise or “mood days”) and then they send a monetary reward to your “My BlueⓇWellness Card” that you can use for medical expenses (pharmacy or OTC items). I just finished another challenge and have earned $130 in rewards this year. Every little bit counts! 

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I ran by the beach last weekend and oh man, do I miss living closer to the beach. There’s just something about looking out over the water and smelling the salty air when you exercise.

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As I mentioned on Wednesday, Christmas is only 5 weeks away. Can you believe it? I definitely start working on my to-do list. I’ve done some work on it “in my head”, but I need to get organized and get things on paper. Do your exchange gifts for Christmas? I love giving gifts (doesn’t have to be anything big or expensive at all) as a token of appreciation, love, and friendship.

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Talking about Christmas, who’s sending Christmas Cards this year? If you’re still into the old fashioned snail mail Christmas Cards and you’ve been around here for a while, you know I do my annual Christmas Card Roll Call around this time. Come back next week to sign up, if you want to get a Christmas Card in the mail this year. Or, let’s exchange addresses, if you’re also into sending cards this holiday season!

TGIF! 

I am doing NaBloPoMo this month. 30 blog posts in 30 days. Come join me. #nablopomo2019

  1. I love the idea of a mug swap. If I don’t make it in this year, I will next year. I think we are doing a gift swap with a few of the neighbor kids. That will be fun! I miss the beach too! Driving 2 hours to the “Texas Beach” is nothing close to growing up in the Pacific lol. Have a great weekend!

  2. You are so right about the beach! I am looking at it as I am typing these words. It’s so peaceful and has a very calming effect. Although I don’t run on it (Achilles), I do enjoy our daily walks on it. Have a great weekend!

  3. Man, five weeks to Christmas is just not that long! I did order my Christmas cards yesterday though so I’d be ready to start sending them out as soon as December hits!

  4. I love that idea of a mug swap! So fun!! If I can get it together in time, I’d absolutely love to join.

    And I can’t believe christmas is so close! I was hoping to get a head start but haven’t done anything yet, whomp. Will likely start just after thanksgiving (never in stores but but Yay for online shopping!). I miss the beach too. It brings such a sense of calm ❤️

  5. I just looked into my health insurance program yesterday and I am able to sign up for classes and get the course fee back. Just need to find one near me.
    Also looking for what to signing up for the christmas card exchange.

  6. We have a similar incentives program through my company. There are different challenges and you get points for things like getting a flu shot, filling out a health profile, doing trainings, etc, and then you can order things with your points. I always get amazon gift cards since I use amazon so much. It’s a nice little perk! The company also contributes 50% of your health club or other exercise fees up to $600/year. So I use that for Paul’s swimming lessons as they are not cheap!

    I’m not huge on gifts… We talked our parents into forgoing gifts for us kids and instead they just focus on the grandkids. We usually sponsor a family instead of getting my parents a gift. All of us kids are adults so we don’t feel like we ‘need’ gifts anymore. Phil and I don’t exchange gifts either. Instead we celebrate birthdays by going out for dinner at a fave restaurant or something like that and we view our vacation spending as a ‘gift’ to each other. Gifts are dead last on our love languages, so we are well-paired! ;)

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