Good Friday morning!
RANDOMNESS #1 - I don't know if I've told you this already, but I am now a member of a gym.
I know.
It felt awkward just typing it.
My Body Flow/Body Pump teacher moved from the Civic Center to a local gym to teach the classes I've been sporadically attending the last couple of years, so I followed her.
And while I love my Body Flow/Body Pump teacher (one of the most amazing, interesting women you would ever want to meet), you can visibly tell I am out of my comfort zone when I walk through the door.
I don't belong.
I am in the minority.
I am a "normal" 52 year-old woman in a sea of "not-so-normal" hard bodies.
But because I am 52 years-old, I decided a few years back not to be intimidated by stuff that doesn't particularly pertain to me and mine any longer.
Which means, when these "not-so-normal" hard bodies have three giant nine-plus pound babies and live to tell about it 22 years later, then we'll compare Body Mass Index numbers and Body Measurements, etc.
Not today.
Not tomorrow.
Not ever, really.
Because by the time the hard bodies reach 52 years of age, I am pretty sure I will have retired from the gym.
That's my introduction to Randomness #1 today. You will find the actual Randomness below!
During Body Flow Class Tuesday, we were instructed to lie on our stomachs on the floor.
Put our arms behind us.
Lift our heads and shoulders.
Reach and hold our right ankle with our right hand, and our left ankle with our left hand.
When this position was achieved, we were told to pull our upper body up even more while holding onto our ankles.
Our stomachs were still on the ground.
I describe this to you because I want you to picture it in your head.
This is not a natural human position.
Ever.
In any circumstance... whatsoever... as long as we all shall live.
The closest I can come to ever having seen it before is when someone sky dives and they "assume the sky-diving position."
And even then, those people are not holding their ankles.
Sorry. I digress.
My body rejected the position within 15 seconds, and I felt my left ankle slipping out of my left hand.
As my ankle freed itself from my hand, for some unknown reason, my brain told my hand to grab it!
"No matter what happens, GRAB THAT ANKLE," my brain said.
So I twisted and contorted my body trying to re-grab my ankle.
But my ankle was having none of it. It was free. It wasn't about to be captured and pulled over the top of my head again.
No, sir.
As you can imagine, I was now in a great deal of pain.
Pain from my foot which hit the floor like a brick when released.
Pain from my shoulder and neck from trying to re-grab my wayward ankle.
Pain from the right side of my body because my left side had rebelled... and kind of run away.
Pain from my face when I released my right ankle and just let everything HIT THE FLOOR.
I've had to accept some hard facts the last few weeks.
My body no longer flows.
It lurches, creaks, pops and sometimes makes noises I can no longer identify.
I informed Mike, "I think I pulled the left of me."
"What does that mean? 'I pulled the left of me.' What part of the left of you?"
"All of the left of me. And get this. I think the right of me is having sympathy pains."
He told me to take two Advil and call him in the morning.
RANDOMNESS #2 - Roxie played in her third basketball game last night, and while we are still only one or two baskets away from victory (we haven't won a game as of today's date), our team is coming together very well.
With a tournament Saturday, Monday and Tuesday, I think we may have some wins under our belt when I post next week!
Pictures like this make me think someone on the floor shouted, "Assume the position!"
I show a lot of pics of the girls with the intimidating "game face," but I never want people to forget how pretty they are when they aren't trying to snatch a ball from an opponent's tight grip or running 90 miles per hour down the court trying to demonstrate the perfect lay-up.
These Chicks are the whole package.
Pretty Kesley.
Perfect Profile Roxie.
Relaxed and Smiling Mallory.
Kelci and Meagan are doing the "concentrating on the sidelines" thing.
As is Cam.
And because it is the Season of Basketball, I have Action Shot No. 1.
Action Shot No. 2.
And Action Shot No. 3.
You're welcome.
RANDOMNESS #3 - Austin/Josh Update (2/3 of an Empty Nest) - The Boy/The Man moved to Jacksonville yesterday. (He'll be back Sunday.)
Josh has been (and will continue to be) living in Hanceville Monday through Friday until next August.
So it is happening.
The nest is kinda, sorta two-thirds empty.
This, as you can imagine, makes Roxie's heart sing.
When she left this morning, I kissed her and told her, "Daddy and I are going to devote 110% of our time and energy Monday through Friday to you... and only you. We want to just soak you up the next two years before college."
And this is the look I received.
She is beyond thrilled!
I love it when I can make one of my kids' dreams come true!
Blog Linkage - Go to www.kathleenssugarandspice.com and check out yesterday's post entitled "Browned Butter and Sage Mashed Potatoes." This isn't a super easy recipe, but it certainly looks super good.
Pinterest Stuff
Spouse Christmas Traditions
1. Cider Sippin’. Okay, I actually prefer hot cocoa, but “cider sippin’” sounds cooler. For this one, you get a babysitter and go out Christmas shopping for the kids. But you go somewhere special (just the two of you) and get some hot cocoa together. While you sip on your cocoa and enjoy the time alone, you can go over your children’s lists and make a plan of attack for the shopping.
2. T’was the Night Before Christmas. The next day will be majorly focused on the kids, so make a tradition the night before for just the two of you. It could be as little as five minutes, but come up with a tradition that works well for your relationship. Maybe you have a special “toast” and share your favorite memory from the last year, or maybe you exchange a special gift or letter.
3. Stocking Stuffers. Get together with another couple that you both enjoy spending time with. Enjoy an activity, dinner or treat together and then split up. Guys and Gals. Collaborate together as you search for some fun stocking stuffers for your spouse. Sometimes getting ideas from someone else can be helpful!
Weekend Happenings - The following is a short and sweet numbered list of my weekend. I didn't divide it into "People" or "Days." Everything runs into everything else this weekend.
1. Basketball tournament.
2. Thanksgiving No. 1 at Grandmother's.
3. Cooking for Thanksgiving No. 1 at Grandmother's.
4. Josh coming home.
5. Austin coming home.
6. Dreamland Barbecue with friends Sunday night for dinner.
Hold on! The holidays are here!
Have a fascinating Weekend-Before-Thanksgiving weekend. I'll be back Monday with more basketball pics, Pinterest Stuff, Thanksgiving No. 1 pics and more, more, more.
Take care, and I'll talk to you next week.
Sincerely,
The Enchanting and Non-Flowing Belinda
P.S. I didn't mention it before, but when Mikie and I went to Pepper Place Farmer's Market last week, I bought three new succulent plants.
I'm usually undecided about the succulent.
I look at the arrangements.
I love the colors.
I like the name.
I go back and forth about if they look artificial or not.
And then I usually walk away not knowing how I really feel about the succulent.
I am ambivalent.
Or, I WAS ambivalent until I spotted these "rust-colored" succulents at a funky little nursery located beside Pepper Place.
I was drawn to the "rust-colored" succulent.
For some reason the almost-dead coloring of this hanging succulent speaks to me, and I am no longer sitting-on-the-fence when it comes to deciding whether or not I want to invest money and time into caring for a few of these plants.
One week old today... and still alive.
