Incentive to Get to the Gym

Last weekend I decided I needed a more summer-y yarn project. It's Florida in June, over 90 degrees and 90% humidity. I've lost just a bit of enthusiasm for working on my magic scarf, and even the socks feel wrong. Who wears socks in this weather? Certainly not me. So, I got out Sexy Little Knits and picked out the bandeau bikini. (Far right on the third row of pictures, if you follow that link.) It is a little daring, but not so outrageous that I didn't think I could wear it.

It's crochet rather than knit, and I've enjoyed going back to my roots for a bit. The Cascade Fixation yarn is pleasant to work with, the speed of crochet is fun, and quite frankly it seems I was really ready to start a new project. I've been cruising along and making significant progress. And then I got far enough along that I could see the lines of the bottom. Uhm... This might not be something I could be comfortable wearing after all. So, I got out my current bikini bottom to compare...

It's not the height that matters; I'm not done with the rows or the waistband yet. But, look at how much more dramatic the cut is. I know it's less than half an inch or so, but when you consider how much of my rear already shows in a bikini - the droopy part... And what you can't see in the photo is that there is alot more give in the commercial bottom than in the one I'm crocheting. So, it actually covers alot more on my body than this one will...

I don't know about this. I'm fairly comfortable in my body, but my toosh is one area that I wish would improve. And my time at the Y doesn't seem to do all that much for my glutes. They just don't want to cooperate. Do I finish it and see? Or do I rip it back, save the yarn for the socks I originally intended them for and avoid wasting hours more of my life? Crochet may be faster, but it's not that fast. (And this does require a tiny little hook. The one I use with thread for making doilies!)

Or maybe I come up with a back up plan. Finish it, try it on, and then decide whether to add edging that would expand the coverage a bit. Maybe I could modify the pattern that will be used in the waist band to get myself a bit more yarn on the sides...

My Family Tree

This is a Loquat (aka Japanese Plum) tree that grows in the front yard at my in-laws. I've decided this is our family tree. Symbolically speaking, of course.

Several years ago, Alex took his Dad to my parents' home. I don't know where I was, but I wasn't there. I don't remember why they decided to go to see my parents, but I know it was primarily just to visit and show his Dad their home and my hometown. I find that important. Alex's relationship with my parents is strong enough that he would choose to go visit them, even when I'm not around. That visiting my parents (nearly an hour away) is high enough on his list of things to do that it beat out all the other ways of entertaining his father during a brief visit. And I. was. not. there. This is a relationship, a friendship, that doesn't depend entirely on me. Oh, I know it is inextricably tied to his relationship with me, but it is clearly not just about me.

And my parents were people his Dad liked enough that he wanted to spend part of his precious time with his son, a son he doesn't see often enough, visiting with them. They have a friendship independent of the marriage of their children. When Alex's parents came to visit in May, my parents came to our house to see them. (And to party with them. The police were called... I wish I was kidding.) By the end of the night, they were making plans to celebrate Alex's birthday down at his parents. And the fourth of July. Alex and I hadn't even thought yet about what we'd be doing for his birthday. But, let us be clear, that was as much about an excuse for them to hang out as it was about us.

So, the weekend after Alex's birthday, we found ourselves and my parents at his parent's house. (No cops this time. But only because their neighbors are more understanding.) And at some point during that weekend I walked outside and saw the Loquat tree. This tree grew from a seed Alex's Dad brought back with him from my parents' house. During that first visit several years back, my Dad gave him some fruit off their tree to try. He kept the seed and planted it - and it has clearly thrived.

I stood there, looking at the healthy, growing tree and listening to our family on the back deck. Our parents who have come together to form a unified family around us, laughing together because they genuinely enjoy each other. A young couple where each already loves and values the parents of the other. Already a family full of sharing and connections. And I marveled at how very, very lucky I am to have such a great family tree.

And then I spent some time envying his Dad his green thumb. Really, who can just wrap up a seed from a fruit, bring it home days later, and grow a tree?

A Ritzy Weekend

We were puttin' on airs this weekend. Alex's firm held its Spring Retreat at the Ritz Carlton in Naples. I learned why "the Ritz" is an adjective, as well as a noun. It was beautiful, even by ritzy hotel standards. We had a view of the beach and grounds that got your attention. (And so did almost every other room in the hotel.)


I was also incredibly impressed by how they designed the grounds. Rather than putting in a bunch of plants that happened to be flowering, without regard to how they'd survive the weather, and then pulling them out in a few weeks to be replaced with something else, they'd planted drought-resistant, sun loving plants that could live there for years. And some of them clearly had. (You don't get Plumeria this big overnight!)

However, what really set it apart was the service. Every single staff person I interacted with was unfailingly friendly. Not just courteous or helpful, though they were that too, but friendly. They made small talk, met your eyes, talked and acted like they had absolutely nothing else to do but visit with you. They asked about our last name, and then told us who the Bulgarians were that worked there and how we could find them. They carried our bags and introduced us to the next person who would help us, but then paused a second to say a genuine goodbye and make sure we had what we needed. And they weren't looking for a tip - the firm took care of that in advance, and the bell boy assured Alex "oh no, we're taken care of" when he reached for his wallet. The rooms and grounds were gorgeous, and we definitely felt the luxury. But, the hotel wouldn't have been so clearly set apart without the service... Not that they could command the prices they charge without the luxury, too. (I am really glad we didn't have to pay for this trip, despite being assured that the firm got a "great deal.")


Of course, being who we are, we didn't aspire to any great pretensions. We are who we are. And that means taking on the beer run for all the guys (and many of the girls) hanging out in the ocean. Yep - he walked from the hospitality suite, through two floors of the Ritz Carlton, past the pools, down the boardwalk and across the beach with his shirt full of beer without any self-consciousness at all. That's my boy.


And that's how we spent our weekend, toes in the sand and in the water. Plenty of time to enjoy nature.



And an early morning walk on the beach just to see what I could see.

It was lovely. Our first real beach excursion of the year and more than a bit of pampering. And that being said, it was awfully nice to come home.