Geez...Another YMCA story

Ok...There's so much I wanna blog about but I just think the stories would get so complicated! But here's one that I just have to tell. Again, it's about the Y.
Let me set up the story......
Last Saturday was my grandaughter, Natalie's first b-day party. Well, I'm divorced from "Ricky" , Natalies grandpa. Whenever my daughter Sarah (natalies mother) has any get-togethers, I'm surrounded by ex-inlaws AND the exhusband "RICKY" and Ricky's current wife "VICKIE" But it's okay. I love my ex mother-in-law "Sonja" and father-in-law "DICK". So here's a list of characters to help keep you straight. HA HA HA HA
Karen- me
Sarah- my daughter
Natalie-my grandaughter
Ricky- the evil ex husband
Sonja-ex mother-in-law
Dick-ex-father-in-law
Vickie-my ex husbands current wife

So we're at the party for my little grandaughter Nattie and I'm being oh so pleasant to all these ex's.... NO REALLY!! I WAS!! I started discussing joining the Y and Sonja says to me..."I'll bet that's alot of fun". Of course I have to tell her about the "not so normal class" and my friends Mary and Joyce. Sonja was literally in tears laughing and so I think, what the heck and I ask her to join the class. All of a sudden Vickie says, "I wanna go!" Now, do you remember who Vickie is?? My ex-husbands CURRENT WIFE. I am seriously at a loss for words at this moment. What does one say at a time like that? Something like "sure...I'd love to drown you...I mean have you? I thought it a little weird that I was gonna go with my ex mother-in-law but as I said earlier, I really love her alot. I know others would find that strange that we'd "hang out" but what do I care? But now to go with Ricky's Vickie? That was beyond weird!! But I thought she was just shooting the bull and really wouldn't go. GUESS WHAT? She called me tonight....SHE'S GOING. Tomorrow. Thank God it's the "not so normal" class but the "fairly normal" instructor lady is the same instructor every night.
To add to this, when I went to the "normal" class on Monday and "fairly normal" Dorothy and "fairly normal" instructor lady was there, a discussion started in the pool about women who have 3 plus marriages and their inability to ever be satisfied and always looking for excitement. (Needless to say, I looked away and started whistling a quiet little tune.) Wait till they get wind of who we are. Ex-wife, current wife, current mother-in-law,ex mother-in-law.
After some thought,I believe the Wednesday class is best suited for me. And my ex mother-in-law and my ex-husbands wife.

Normal vs Not So Normal

So tonite I returned to the YMCA for my second class of aquacise. Well, my friends Mary and Joyce didn't show up....I wonder what they had so pressing that would keep them away from their commitment to weekly exercise!! Hmmmm.... But anyway, I met a new woman named Dorothy. Seemed fairly normal. Then a mother and daughter came in a little late.....they too seemed fairly normal. Then it finally hit me. Mondays are for the "normal" people and Wednesdays are for the "not so normal" people. Why, Mary and Joyce didn't have anything pressing to do tonight. Their class isn't until Wednesday. And me? I'm just riding the fence as far as what day I should be there. I'm liable to fall off on either side and most likely you'll hear about my Wednesday nights at the YMCA.....................

Mrs. Toni Bierman

As you can see, I'm not a photographer!! My daughter was married last night This is a picture of Toni, Jake, Julian and Lucy. The Bierman's.

YMCA

As it states in my history,I'm 49 years old. And let's just say, I haven't exercised for about 30 of those years. Let's be totally frank and say I haven't exercised in about 30 PLUS of those years.
Well, I joined the YMCA!! (When I say that, it makes me wanna break into dance and start doing hand motions like the Village people) Thanks to my buddy Corie!!! (Who by the way, really is good for me...makes me do things I don't necessarily want to do but probably should)
This past week I started aquacise class. It's for "beginners" which was right up my alley because remember, nothing for 30 years.There were only 2 other women in the class, Mary and Joyce, who by the way ,have been taking this class for 2 years. Let me just say, I was by far the smallest of our group and well, THAT says alot. And I really am not trying to be mean.....Maybe I'm trying to be a little humorous at their expense....(which is mean I suppose) OKAY!! OKAY!!...at times I can be mean!
Anyway, it was a bit disheartening to think they've been taking this class for 2 years and that is the result???
Mary and Joyce didn't talk much. As a matter of fact, I'm not even sure Joyce could talk. The most I ever heard her do was respond to Mary with a grunt. At one point, I really was beginning to think I was in the class "Aquacise for the disabled". Joyce also had a hard time floating while holding on to a "NOODLE". Those things hold anyone up. Seriously! NOT JOYCE. I saw her fall off the noodle, go under water , come up coughing but keep in mind WE WERE IN SHALLOW WATER!! JOYCE WAS DROWNING IN 3 FEET OF WATER!! Now before you think I'm just being mean, when I left the Y at the end of the class, one of the employees called me to the side and said " Hey Karen, next week will be better.There will be some others in the class that you can relate to...more like you" I swear!! And I didn't say a word to this employee.
But the bottom line is, I enjoyed the class. I really feel like I did something good for myself. And I really do love the water. I even enjoyed Mary and Joyce. And although I use what I can for a joke alot of the times, I have a soft spot for people with any kind of disability. Like Mary and Joyce!!

Well, off to the Y I go for my beginners walking class...this ought to be a hoot too!!

DISFUNCTION AT IT'S BEST

Well, It's 2 am and still not asleep. (even after a sleeping pill) And I have to get up at 5:30 for work. A very demanding job at that.
I have been having some lung problems lately and quit smoking 3 weeks ago. I've smoked for 35 years but I DID quit. Until tonight. I have asked Mark to not keep cigarettes in the house due to the fact I tend to wake up at night and want to smoke. I asked him to not "hide" them in the house simply because I know where all the hiding spots are. Well, I found them. I smoked them. I am disgusted with myself. I see 2 problems here. 1) They shouldn't have been in the house. 2) I ran out of patches and wanted to get more but Mark said I shouldn't rely on them.
Bottom line is I chose to smoke them and I know that but dammit...I'm addicted. THEY CAN"T BE IN HERE!! IF THEY WEREN"T IN HERE I WOULDN"T HAVE SMOKED THEM!! AND I shouldn't listen to what others say about relying on the patches. They work for me amd I should have just bought them tonight!
Another issue...My daughter tells me yesterday she is getting married this coming Saturday night...Thats right. Today is Wednesday. So I'm a little distraught over this. It's not a shotgun wedding in case anyone is curious about that but there are extenuating circumstances that I'll get into later. So that is keeping me awake I think.
My job is driving me crazy right now and I can't take off so I can't even help the daughter with the wedding....not that you can do much in a couple of days anyway.
I'm on some higher doses of Prednisone for the lung thing so more than half of my clothes don't fit...have nothing to wear to the wedding! Oh and did I mention broke so buying a new outfit for this is out of the question? HA HA HA .boy oh boy.. Yep...Doctor bills and medicine ate up a whole lot of my check.
I'm stressed!! REALLY REALLY STRESSED!
So I guess I'll finish this cigarette and try to go back to bed. I guess I'll stop at Walgreens on the way to work and pick up some nicotine patches. Should have listened to my own head.

My Buddy Corie

Corie is my co-worker at the city health department and has been assigned as my "official buddy" by upper management. NO...THIS IS NOT A JOKE!! We are all assigned "buddies". Tax dollars at work my friends.
We celebrated Corie's birthday last week and I wanted to share with everyone these ice cream cone cupcakes I made. I thought it would be cute to bake these since Corie loves ice cream. I'm not a cook or baker as you can see from the pics. BUT.......they were made with lots of love for "MY BUDDY" Corie. HAPPY BIRTHDAY CORIE! (even though it's a little late)

Kitchen Grout and Sheet Music

This weekend was and is "clean up" time. I have been trying for 3 years to get our first floor cleaned up. Mark works with alot of tools and has them everywhere!! And I mean everywhere. He would never allow me to move them because "I need them for work". He finally relented and we are moving everything to the second floor in a "tool room" for him. My living room, which is huge, is empty and it looks wonderful!! FINALLY! After 3 years!!
So I have my big empty living room, with only 4 things on the wall. A picture of Marks parents and 3 framed pieces of old sheet music. Hence, the title of this blog.
I noticed a week ago that the kitchen floor looked kind of "dingy" so I started scrubbing the grout. Little did I know, the grout between the tiles isn't really brown but a nice light gray. I didn't finish the floor a week ago...that's alot of work!! I started to do a little more tonight and I have about a fourth of the floor finished. The rest will have to wait for another day but....while I was scrubbing the floor I had all these thoughts about my life.
I am truly grateful for the things I have. Today I was able to go to the grocery store and buy food. I went to Big Lots and bought a toy for my grandchildren to play with. I went out for lunch . I went to Wal-Mart and bought a couple of new shirts. I went out in the back yard this morning in my pajamas, with a cup of coffee and watered my flowers. It felt like a cool fall day and it was wonderful. My life is comfortable and I am content.I am blessed. That was not always the case. There were many, many times that I didn't think I could take another day. I'm glad I made it thru so that I could enjoy my framed sheet music and cleaning my grout.