THIS PAST WEEKEND

We didn't go out of town. The kids (well, all but my daughter, Jayme) and grandkids came to our house. We had fun just playing in the pool and hangin' out. Sat. night the guys grilled dinner. They did a great job, the food was YUM!

Today back to work. There was a drug court graduation and that is always interesting.

Then it was off to the doctor who advised me the reason my eyelids are swelling is because of a viral infection...yuck!

In a couple of weeks I'll go to Bham to meet my daughter for the wedding dress fitting--it will need altering. My mom (hopefully) will get to go, too. It's hard to believe my baby girl is getting married.

The pic above is of Ralph with Abbi (on left) and Brayden (on right) in our pool.

"Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back

Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation),

there is one elementary truth,

the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans:

that the moment one definitely commits oneself,

then Providence moves, too.

All sorts of things occur to help one that would never

otherwise have occurred.

A whole stream of events issues from the decision,

raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents

and meetings and material assistance,

which no man could have dreamed would have come his way.

Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it.

Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.

Begin it now.

By Goethe

THE BEACH

Last Thursday evening Ralph & I went to Gulf Shores and stayed until Sunday, June 20. It's always nice to get away from home and all the chores that can keep you up and moving when you think about them.

I read A LOT and Ralph rested a lot. We didn't take the boat out, however, cause we didn't know which boat landings were open. Most in Gulf Shores were closed. We didn't really see any oil or "tar" balls either. But, another set of friends stopped by Sat. night and, as the wife is a beach wedding planner, she said that when she got into the water to cool off she had a film of oil on her.

We visited the Hot Air Balloon Festival with some friends and that was a bust. We saw no balloons as we weren't there at the right time.It was hot! And a lot of the vendors sold the same inventory. After the festival, we went with our friends, Rex and Brenda, and ate at Wintzell's then we went to the beach to see how it looked. It looked pretty good.

When we returned home yesterday, though, we both got in the pool and that was nice.

Farewell to Bellydance

I recently retired from bellydance. I became burned out. I'd been involved with it since 1998. I met some great women (and men) in bellydance. But, it was time for a change. Even so, any great change or loss in our lives does bring some grieving and sadness. In time, I know this will change.

Despite the sadness, however, I feel freedom in letting go of something that for years I held on to even when I realized I was becoming more and more tired and that the joy of dancing was ebbing. While I do feel "free" I do regret letting go to the extent that I won't be as involved with the lives of some of the women I was teaching as before. That part makes me sad.

I've had some great hobbies in the past that I was very passionate about at different times in my personal growth: once it was music (I played flute), then getting my college undergrad degree, then bellydance, and finishing my master's.


But now it's on to something else. For years I told myself, "If I ever quit bellydance I'll . . .". My list looks something like this:

"Things I've Always Wanted to Do"
1. Develop my drawing abilities.
2. Learn to sew.
3. Return to musical endeavors (flute)?
4. Learn to hula hoop for big people!
5. Learn to rollerblade
6. Develop my writing abilities.
7. Work on becoming a personal trainer for women in their midlife.
8. Sky dive (at least once before I'm 60...I have a while for this one!)

So, while I'll remain active physically, I may devote a few years to some of the above. I'm sure out of this list, or maybe even from something totally unrelated, I'll find my next passion.

In the meantime, I'm just gonna rest a while.....yeah, right!

A NEW experience!

For those who know me you won't be surprised to hear me say that I'll try MOST things at least once. I do have my own bucket list which includes things such as: sky-diving; para-sailing (thanks to BP that may be a while); hula hooping for grown ups; and pole fitness classes, etc.

Last night I and a friend, Danielle D., had our very first pole fitness class at Detour Studios on Old Shell Road. Again, those who really know me aren't surprised at this tidbit because I'm into the whole "creative expression" type of activities...I mean, I DO teach bellydance! lol! That in itself is not the "norm" for a lotta women around my age. I've always wanted to learn some pole techniques because I've heard it is GREAT for FITNESS. And, as you all know, I like to workout and I like being fit.

When we arrived at the studio last night we were both a little nervous--not sure what to expect. I somehow had this notion that we'd be the only novices in the class and I was SURE I'd be the oldest....BUT THAT WASN'T THE CASE!

All 11 women in the class were there for their first time (with one or two exceptions). And I being the big "5-0" was pleasantly surprised to find that there were a few women much older than me and, of course, a few that were the same age or younger. Once in the class we just all had fun encouraging each other and cheering each other on!

We all learned a very short routine which included some pretty strenuous spins around the pole...well, strenuous for "me". lol! My bellydance training helped a lot with the choreography of the steps--my biggest issue was "letting go" enough to allow myself to just "swing" around the pole while lifting my legs off the floor in some pretty poses!

Our instructor was really good (Azur) and she was really patient with us. Detour provided a warm, welcoming atmosphere for us to let loose, have fun, and learn something daring!

Is it a good workout?? Heck, yeah!!! I'm so sore today I can barely move...but I plan to do it again! lol!

Would I recommend you doing it...WELL, YEAH! You'll love it. Maybe Danielle and I will see you there!

Because I was behind a young woman the other day and noticed that not only were her pants TOO tight but that she was wearing bikini underwear (you could tell!) I thought I'd repost this blog from last October when I was butt watching at the ACE Hardware Show in Atlanta. Two of my coworkers were with me behind this woman the other day and one remarked that "no matter how many times you blink, it's still there." lol! We should ALL look at the rear view before going out and about. Ya think?!

PANTS TOO TIGHT!

Because I was behind a young woman the other day and noticed that not only were her pants TOO tight but that she was wearing bikini underwear (you could tell!) I thought I'd repost this blog from last October when I was butt watching at the ACE Hardware Show in Atlanta. Two of my coworkers were with me behind this woman the other day and one remarked that "no matter how many times you blink, it's still there." lol! We should ALL look at the rear view before going out and about. Ya think?!

HARDWARE & BUTTS

OK, so while at the ACE Hardware show in Atlanta I got really tired of all that walking so I planted myself on a bench and just watched people go by. I came to the conclusion that few people leave their homes (or hotel rooms) before checking their "rear view" in the mirror.

Here's what I decided:

1. NO one looks good in polyester pants that are too big and require a belt to hold them up which ends up making the pants "bunch" at the waist creating "balloon butt" in the back.

2. It should be OUTLAWED for any woman to EVER, repeat EVER, wear light colored stretch pants without a very long top...why? In two words, "scary CELLULITE"! All those bumps are positively...well...ewwww!

3. Wearing tight pants of ANY kind should be against ALL rules if a woman isn't wearing a LONG top and isn't wearing a thong. Panty lines make an already ample butt look like it's divided, not into two parts, BUT INTO FOUR parts! This is NOT pretty.

(still shakin' my head on this one...)

I guess you all can tell I had a little too much time on my hands at this hardware show...lol! But, puhlease...

....before you leave the house CHECK YOUR REVIEW!