I cannot fully blame my current state of exhaustion on the weeks worth of horrible food and sedentary lifestyle that accompanies all vacations. I can also blame Angie. She is a machine! A true powerhouse of a woman. I would guess that she is in her early to mid 40's and while she is tone and muscular she is not the thin rail of a trainer that looks like Jillian Micheal's. Angie looks like a real woman and if she was not shaking her ass at full speed yelling out instructions into her Britney Spears micro-phone you'd never have picked her out of line-up to be a trainer.
When I say she is a machine it is because long before I drag myself into Zumba at 9am she has already taught two other classes. Step, followed by a Pilates/Yoga fusion, then Zumba...which she then cools down from by teaching the senior aerobics class...she then takes a lunch break and drives to a different gym and teaches all of the classes there as well. When you ask her how she can work out for that long without exhaustion the only answer she can come up with is "REDBULL Baby!" I really like Angie, but she has not taken to me the way she has some of the other girls in the class. I can only imagine it is because I am odd and have since my high school days lost my ability to dance well. Oh well, at least the Saturday instructor who is big into show tunes and bollywood dancing can tell that I have a background in it somewhere. Even if it is hidden under a nice layer of blubber which disguises the graceful movements that I FEEL that I am making. Either way the intense hurting Angie bestowed upon me as a Christmas present makes me eager for next Wednesday and a rematch. I can only pray that one day my body can be aligned with hers in poise, grace, energy and straight COOL!So picking up from where my last blog left off, dinner with the Meeker's was a huge hit. Coq Au Vin and Salad Nicoise was superb...but the magic of that night did not end there. Before leaving my mother's phone rang. Normally she would not answer it at a time like this, but she was awaiting a call from my brother so that she could pick him up from work. It wasn't my brother but my Mom's dear life long friend Renee. She answered to to inform Renee that I was home and she should come to visit me...this was met with Renee's wonderful news that her son David was home visiting her as well. At the time that my mother and all of her girlfriends had their babies, I was the only girl. David is just slightly 2 months my senior...and I haven't seen him since we were around 13. That's 16 years! WOW!!!! Anxious for a long awaited reunion, my mother and I rushed home and waited for them to arrive.
The past 16 years has done both of them well. Renee still looks the same to me as she did all of those years ago! You'd never guess that she was now a grandmother. And David...Wow...David is now a man. It is a weird feeling to gaze upon a man that in all accounts you would pass on the street because he is now a complete stranger to you, to stare at him and recognize the sparkle of mischief in his eyes. To be thankful that that sparkle is still there. To look at a man that you are certain that you have probably bathed with in your youth and grin sheepishly at the thought of it. To see a man that your last memory of, can only bring you to think of a short, slightly chubby boy dressed in a black t-shirt of some rock band and the walk that you shared with him at sunset, near the pier 16 years ago. Wow! David had grown up! He was married with a daughter... but to look at him with the Bud Light bottle in his hand and only the porch light to illuminate his face, I could once again see that boy that I had so loved like a brother.
That evening was one of the best that my mother and I had shared in quite sometime. I can only imagine that one of those great nights lingers in our past before my fathers diagnosis of cancer and eventual death. It had been so long since either of us had laughed. Truly laughed, the kind that only comes from the depths of your soul.
The next morning Marc and I woke up to go to his parents house. I had homework that was due...and Marc thankfully got to have a nap. Although, I will admit that I was completely jealous at the time, I was glad that he was afforded the chance to shut down for a few hours. Upon completion of my homework we left and headed to the grocery store. I had been to the Food Lion everyday since my arrival and this was becoming an annoyance. We fetched all of the supplies needed to make salad for 40. I am not sure if the head count on my father's side of the family is actually 40, but I know I am close. And if I am wrong I would say that it is higher as the birth to death ratio is extremely off.
Of course there was one thing that I forgot. I tasked my mother to invite the family. I love her more than anything but planning, organizing and expediting are not her strong points. It could infact be her extreme lacking in these areas that has made me great at them. After making 2 large bowls of salad and preparing to turn the oven on cook the bread I realized that everyone was late. Not just the normal family members who cannot for the life of them be on time for anything, but EVERYONE. After a few phone calls we learned why everyone was late...they all had made other plans. Work Christmas parties, children's band concerts and babysitting plans kept everyone away except my grandmother and my aunt. Even though I missed out on quite a few relatives, it was nice to sit with two women whom I love but rarely speak to.
Friday we went with Marc's parents to see Invictus. I don't really have anything nice to say about this movie, so I will move on. Once we returned to their house Marc and I asked Kim to meet us at LaHacienda. To say that it was pouring outside is an understatement, but we journeyed out risking our lives for Margaritas and great company! It was wonderful to see her as usual...and to meet her new fella!
Saturday...ended our stay with one of my families traditions. When my cousin Taylor was around 3...still quite little...but just old enough to be into Santa my family began the Seafood Christmas Dinner so that Taylor and her younger sister Austin could be at there house to welcome Santa! So every year all 14+ of us would gather in Papa's barn...and more recently my Uncle Ted Shop Kitchen for a seafood feast. Every year we have crab legs, shrimp, blue crabs and a variety of sides like fries and cole slaw...but the kicker is the oysters! I LOVE oysters! We always have more oysters than we can eat. I think that they judge how many to buy based on fat I am...but we can still never finish them all. However I can put a huge dent in the pile.
This is my bucket of the ones that I ate...and this picture was taken before I was done...but right around the time Jeremy told me to stop eating them because I was making myself sick. He's new to the family and I don't think he really believed the stories of me and oysters. Marc also got to meet a few family members that he had not yet met, and even got to witness my Aunt Ree sing Randolph the Bo-legged Cowboy. He had a really good time and has even decided that he will keep me around for at least another year so that he can get an invite next year.The next morning we had the LONG drive back to Nashville, but we are glad to be home. Back to healthy eating, back to the gym, and back to walking the pups! Merry Christmas Everyone!
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