Outdoors

Do you spend a lot of time outdoors? I don't spend nearly as much time outside as I should. My normal day consists of sleeping (indoors), driving (indoors), working (indoors), cooking meals (indoors) and so on down the list. Up until recently I'd guesstimate that only about 5% of my day was spent outside. That's, admittedly, incredibly pathetic. But I've come to realize that this needs to change. The payoff for being outside is great, both physically (normally when you're outside you're engaged in some sort of activity) and mentally (improved focus and concentration).

I've increased my time outdoors in the past year in a couple ways. First, when we moved we inherited a lot of yard. And, more specifically, a lot of yard that requires a lot of work. So we end up spending a few hours each week outside tending to all our plants weeds. I've also started a Couch to 5K program, so for the past few weeks I've been running outdoors three times a week. But even with those increases, I still need to find ways to spend more time outside. I've decided, since I don't have a built in love for the great outdoors, that having some good stuff to look at will help. So the first step in luring me out of the house and into the sunlight was a bit of shopping.

Who doesn't love Ikea?! It's got loads of outdoor furniture options. We needed a lot of it (we hope to have friends and family over often), but didn't want to spend a ton, so we opted for two sets that each include a table, a bench and two chairs. For just $99 per set! And because our yard can get hotter than H-E-double-hockey-sticks with its complete lack of shade, we also picked up the biggest umbrella they have. It's more than 13 feet in diameter. Awesome, right?! Ours isn't black though. We picked up the white version figuring it'd reflect the heat better than the black version. My hope is that between the patio furniture and the wall of birdhouses that I've finally found a source for (duh, Michael's -- thanks Mom!), I'll have tons of great stuff to see and sit on while outside. Now to get that grill fired up...