Apron Strings

Re-energized after a great kickboxing conditioning class, I came home and read 3 chapters of L. Frank Baum's "Santa Claus" to B, showered, heated water for tea I never made, checked Facebook, basically did everything BUT sign into my blog. But, I'm here now and ready to silence your cries for more blogging.

Training is going well although, like most of you, it's been just about the last thing on my mind during this holiday season. Motivation is hard to come by so it's a good thing my dedication is like iron. The past two weeks I would rather have had a root canal than go to the gym (and felt this way every day) but once I dragged my sandbagging self into the building I was glad I did. I made it through the two hard weeks and now with the impending holiday and joy that accompanies the final week before Christmas I'm finding it a little easier to get my butt into some spandex and make the 5 minute drive. It also doesn't hurt at all that the gym is decorated from treadmill to free weight in Christmas glory.
Quick update: I've lost 13 lbs so far, still haven't had my body fat or inches taken yet though. I've stopped spinning due to a neck and shoulder problem that's been plaguing me. I've been running instead, 3-4 miles each day, and I have to say it's doing wonders for leaning out my legs. Weight training is going well, my shoulders and back have started to develop nicely and abs are starting to come in. I have never had a flat stomach before and I'm thrilled to pieces! I can't wait for bikini season!

So, on to matters of the home.

Bea made the decision to have her ears pierced yesterday and made the following observation on the way home: "Now that I have earrings in I feel different." Me: "Different how?" Bea: "Older. Like 10 or 20."
I will admit I almost vomited from anxiety as she was having it done. But she was so sure of her decision and so totally trusting in the girls who were doing it that she didn't bat an eye during the preparation leading up to the piercing. When one of the girls asked her if she was ready she clenched her fists, squeezed her eyes shut and say "Yes!" The girls, one on each ear, squeezed their guns at the same time and Bea jumped and yelped but then it was over just that fast. She jumped up and ran to give me a big hug. For the next 3 hours she worked off a ton of adrenaline and nervous energy by talking to Nenu, Papa, Gram and Pap while simultaneously jumping from the couch to the chair.
It's day 2 now and she hasn't complained about the pain once. Whenever I catch sight of one of the cubic zirconia glinting behind her tangled nest of hair my heart jumps a little and I think "What did I do!?"
In other news, Bea came home with a Christmas ornament made in school with a photo of her face on it and I noticed that she has my cheek bones!!! This is big for me, people. So far all of the beautiful parts of B's face and all of the admirable qualities of her personality have been attributed to Davey, so when I noticed that, without a doubt, yes, those are my cheek bones, I had a quiet little mental celebration. Merry Christmas to me.

Also, Merry Christmas to you, because I have decided to set aside a little time each day for blogging. Now, don't celebrate just yet since with Christmas fast approaching there will most likely be a little lag before my next blog. But you just go a head and have yourself a Merry little Christmas anyway.