Rooted in Mississippi

Which explains why I am so quiet, both here and on Face Book! I have started spending more time at the gym; swimming and doing the elliptical. I figured out that the elliptical gave me the biggest bang for my buck, so I am doing it for an hour, three times a week. Although the scale has stalled in the last few weeks, I have dropped another pant size…so that is REAL progress. I am officially in the same size pants that I was in before I got sick, so I consider that real progress!

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I had a great time at the Sarha Saeeda “Journey through Egypt” workshop in New Orleans last weekend.  I learned a lot, met some really nice women, reconnected with some others and had a blast.  No matter how many workshops I take, I am always looking forward to the next one.  I wish I could go to Mira Bets in Huntsville, but it is the same weekend as Share-A-Stitch in Nashville!

I decided to share a couple of photos that other people took at the workshop.  The first one is me dancing with Paige, who is too cute and so young!  If you follow my blog, the outfit should look familiar!  The second one is me bowing at Sahra’s feet after she presented me with my certificate of completion.

By the way, I am less than ten pounds from my goal weight!

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I finally signed up for membership at the Northeast Jackson YMCA. I have gone in to ride the stationary bike and meet with the trainer, but I have not made it any classes.  I am still very attached to Butterfly Yoga and love their noon classes.   But now I have access to this well equiped little gym and to the Y’s indoor pools!

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We have this awful looking, weathered camp chair out back. We do sometimes sit out there, but the chair is in sad shape.  Omar the cat used to like to sharpen his claws on it, when he was not using it as a hammock.  I willingly admit that it is an eyesore.

Recently, Princess has taken to hopping up into the chair. If I open the door, she will jump down and go “protect” whatever hole she is currently digging.  So the only way I have been able to capture her image, is through the glass of the back door.  It makes for a less than fantastic photo, but she is just so darn cute, I could not resist sharing.

Ann-Marie, I hope you appreciate these!

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Today my little car finally rolled over 80,000 miles!  Sadly, I was not at the wheel to watch the odometer turn, it was a mechanic.  My brake light was coming on intermittently, so I popped by my favorite place, The Tire Depot on Lakeland.  It could have been something as minor as low brake fluid, but that was not my luck.  I ended up having to get all new brake pads and rotors.

Oh well, it was cheaper than a car payment!  I have never had a vehicle this long and I am actually sort of attached to it.  It has many merits, the most important of which is that I have owned it free and clear for a long time.  Plus, I am used to it and when little things happen, like smacking my mirror on a post, it is not a crisis moment.

I look forward to driving it down to New Orleans next weekend for the Journey through Egypt belly dance workshop.

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This weekend was my 25th high school reunion. I was amazed at how much some people changed, while others seemed to have hardly aged a day or were clearly recognizable.  I am very glad that I went, and hopefully I will be much more relaxed the next time we all meet.

My friend Paige and I actually went for a drink before the party to calm my nerves. I swear my hands were shaking at the event on Friday night. Thank goodness she drove us both, or I might have chickened out along the way.  I was a mess and a huge bundle of nerves, I can only imagine what nonsense spewed from my mouth.

The next day, after visiting with my mom, I spent some quality time with my favorite high school teacher and convinced him to come along with me to the big reunion on campus. I was much more at ease on Saturday. My only real regret is that I missed seeing several friends who did not attend. Maybe in another five years!

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Most of these are from today, when we introduced two new dog toys into the mix.  My favorite photos are the first two; where Princess is looking on while Rudy slays the dragon, followed by a photo of Roscoe with his lamb, looking back longingly at the action. Princess plays with the toys too, but not to make them squeak.  She picks them up, then does her best imitation of a bucking bronco, followed by a vicious head shake.  One day I will catch her in action when I have the camera easily accessible.

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Don’t you hate it when you wake up in the wee hours of the morning after having a bad dream and your head is filled with specific concrete images and/or dialogue? I must be feeling more stress than I realized about my upcoming high school reunion!  It will be the first time in twenty-five years that I have seen most of my classmates.

On the positive side, I am almost finished with this issue of CQMagOnline and I found a home for the panties from the previous post!  Woot, woot!

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There is a chain of salvage stores in Mississippi called Hudson’s. Well, depending on which Hudson owns the store, it might be called Hudson’s Salvage, Hudson’s Treasure Hunt, or Dirt Cheap. They buy their stock mostly from insurance companies or other third parties, often after bankruptcy or corporate reorganization.  When I first moved to Mississippi, I really missed the shopping in Atlanta.  One day, I was traveling on the coast and saw a sign, “Macy’s stock now 70% off.” I wheeled in and had my first Hudson’s experience.

Hudson’s is very hit or miss.  If you do not like to search for your size or look over every garment for imperfections, this is not the store for you.  If you like bargains, it can be nirvana. I have gotten dance shoes, cocktail dresses, furniture, and even high end cookware there.  Right now, they have stock from Target, Tuesday Morning, and the Home Shopping Network among others. The problem is, you really have to look over what you buy.  They try to cut out tags, or at least mark through them with a laundry marker, so that no one will buy something there and try to return it to another store.

Anyway, I found some wrap tops that were perfect for belly dance at the store in Pearl.  Then, as I was walking out, I spotted some cute underpants.  The packaging had been torn and the brand Xhilaration marked out, but the tags and hangar said medium and they were in perfect condition, so I bought them.  As with virtually anything I buy at Hudson’s, I tossed them into the washer immediately.  When they came out of the dryer, I realized my critical mistake…they were a Children’s size M!  Only me, right?

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