Here We Go - Cruisin! Part III

I love my journey! Okay, where was I? Oh yeah, continuing on my adventure. Okay, I went on the cruise, rode the banana boat, fell off of it and got back on it, and then went parasailing. Whew!

The cruise ship had a variety of clubs and musical shows to check out. The fun part was dressing up and looking cute. I wore a dress that I've never worn and probably won't get a chance to wear again (where would I go in Charlotte that requires dressing up?) Let's be honest, the best part was dressing up and taking pictures.

Second island destination: Nassau. We decided to forgo a beach excursion. We didn't want to pay the ships $65 ticket price just to be dropped off/picked up at the beach even if it was a private island. I was baked enough. Besides, as soon as we walked off the boat and down a cute little walk way, taxi drivers approached us. Rodney, a charismatic driver gave us a good vibe so we decided to take a 2 hr tour of Nassau with him.

Rodney took us, and several other cruisers, all over Nassau. We toured the middle class/million dollar homes and to the poorer areas. I sat right up front with Rodney because I love to talk and interview folks. Rodney never tired of my questions. It was crazy riding in front on the left side of the vehicle in a city with no obvious traffic laws, but Rodney was a gem. In fact, he had me already moving over to Nassau and even showed us the area that I would be living in if I decided to teach there. (What he didn't tell me that the cost of living was so high!) As a side note, did you know that Nassau didn't have taxes and the government covered healthcare costs? This excursion was truly about learning a little about the culture and sightseeing. What I found interesting was that I could count the number of folks that had natural dred locs. Most women had relaxers or wigs (wigs in that heat, really?!)

I've already decided that I'll be relocating somewhere outside of the U.S. when I get older. Hmmm...maybe Nassau will be in the running. I can't relocate until Dove goes to college and I've got my Master's Degree, etc. and etc.

We toured the absolutely astounding Atlantis. I can only dream of staying there right now. (Lawd, let me work hard as a writer and sell some books so that I can lounge at the Atlantis for a few days.) The rooms start at $499 a night! Other than that, we walked around Nassau finding the perfect souvenirs and t-shirts. My mom has this obsessive thing for t-shirts.

So, back on the ship the guy that my mom marked as a loser kept popping up. I didn't know his angle, but whatever it was my mom wasn't having it. Then a guy slid over to me and said, "You know, you have some sexy legs. I've been watching you all day...you had on some orange shorts, right? I wanna dance with you..." Okay, corny! I couldn't help but to squeeze through the crowd and lose him. Can you say, "stalker!"

Now, here's what you've been waiting for. (Ha! You didn't even know that you were waiting for something, did you?) I've been dancing and working out trying to wear a two-piece bikini by my birthday. I tried it on in the room and had Dove take a picture of me - and I chickened out. Then I kept on eating and getting a round belly. And, the days were passing by. Finally, I decided to wear it regardless of what I looked like. So, I put it on and went to the upper deck to ride the giant water slides and take pictures in my bikini. My first bikini ever!!!! (Ha, I waited until I was 40 to wear a two-piece so no judgement!)

Uhm Yeah, there's a certification for that!

Yeah, about this turning 40 thing and the bucket list...uhm, somewhere in between those two things I decided to teach dance fitness, i.e. Zumba. It's one of those things where you start the sentence with, "See, what had happened was..." I say that because I was never one to always dance (unless in the club back in the day) or attend any type of fitness class on a regular basis (not on your life, unless it was in my living room) or desire to teach (well, it was that one time that I thought I could teach African dance after taking an African-robics class). But, that's all in retrospect. We're talking about the here and now.

Yep, a year and a half ago, I walked into a Wednesday night Zumba class taught by Sara Bremer, not really knowing what to expect and I was hooked. It kind of put me in some kind of hypnotic trance or the music must have had some hidden messages delivered to the subconscious mind because all of a sudden I said, "I can do this. I'mma teach Zumba!" (I'm still wondering where that voice came from 'til this day!) I took a Zumba certification class and told Angie Acosta of Queen City Dancing Queen, "Okay, I'm certified, but I want to teach with your group." Yep, you know how the story went because I'm teaching with Ang and the QCDQ posse.

Yeah, about that... Uhm, here's the thing. I was supposed to be just teaching and having fun - but that is work! Learning choreo, being consistent, remembering stuff -did I tell you that as I've aged, my memory is starting to suck! Yeah, and now I'm accountable to lead groups of people all the while having an aging memory issue - and an getting AFAA Group Training Certification.

Hold up, what was that? Get a what? An AFAA Group Training Certification. Wait, who said anything about that? I just wanna dance! (You mean to tell me there's a certification to teach dance, too?) Yeah, who knew that I had to take that test. Fast forward and rewind back to last Friday - all day from 9-5:30. Certification Day. All. Day. Long. Here's the other thing...after spending the whole day going over muscles, figuring out what strength and stretch exercises to do for the practicum part of the test and breezing through a study workbook for the test and etc, and etc. - we start the test the last hour of the day. Someone should tell AFAA that college students have the agility and adaptability to workout all day and mentally exhaust themselves and still take an exam and someone should also remind AFAA that most of the participants were well beyond the collegiate age group! (Let me just say, I am not sure if I ate enough brain food because I was mentally exhausted by the time I took that test.) Side Note: The instructors for the day were absolutely wonderful and did their best to instill information into the participants.

Halfway through the test, I looked down at my answer sheet...(sigh) there were a lot of C's marked. Oh well... Let me just get back to dancing when things were not so complicated. Hey, I've got an idea! Maybe someone should make some music that subconsciously teaches all the muscle groups, nutrition, energy sources, fitness risks and benefits, etc (the etc. is everything you should know for the AFAA certification) and that way, while we're exercising our bodies our minds are getting plugged with information. Yeah? Yeah? You like that idea? It's yours, consider the first one free. If you make a million off of it, then I charge 20% for the idea. Good luck!

The Good, Bad and Ugly

As the months creep by and the magical age is coming closer and closer, I've discovered a few more things about life. Some of it is good, and some, well...are less desirable.


The Good -

*The more I work out (dance fitness), the younger I feel. I can shake, pop and drop it with (or even more so) than some of the youngsters. Once I get started, I channel Beyoncé and just go for it.

*Unless I'm looking through rose-colored glasses, I don't look quite 4o. And, according to reactions from others, I don't either - unless that's the learned habitual response, "Oh, you don't look 40...you look like you're only 38." (Thanks, a lot, but I'll take it.)

The Bad:

*Although I can dance with the best of them, my body is growing more stiff daily. The regular stretches doesn't cut it anymore. That old chant we sang as kids now rings true, "My back aches, my shoes too tight, my booty shake to the left and right..."

*Yeah, something is going on with my eyes. While at the grocery store, I noticed that I couldn't quite focus on the ingredients without moving my hand backwards and forwards to get the right distance and only then did my eyes re-adjust for the right focus. Hey, I've always had 20/20 so this phenomenon is quite odd! I blame it all the squinting while using these darn computers!

*Three weeks ago, I felt sick. It could have been something that I ate, but it happened again. Now, I'm looking at the commercials about the little purple pill. Yep, not only did my body reject dairy at 35, now I have to deal with a little acid reflux or indigestion (or whatever they want to call it this month!) This is not fair, acid reflux is not for the almost 40!

*And, a while ago I found gray hairs in places that I would rather not discuss. But, now I've discovered hair in places that it shouldn't be - for a woman. What is it with the few strands of hair popping up on my chin. What in the heck is that about? Now only do I have to wax my upper lip, but life would be completely unfair if I have to do that for my chin, too!

The Ugly:

*I have succumbed to the realization that everything on the market that promises to reduce stretch marks - doesn't. Years of trying to erase the proof of motherhood has ended up in realizing that it's not going anywhere! Yep, some things I found will stay with me the rest of my life.

*I'm needing naps...well, not just naps, but longer naps.

*If women reach their peak at 35, what happens when we reach 40? Please don't tell me, I'd rather be in denial because I'm not even married yet. I want to be krazy wild for once in my life - when my husband comes into my life - not just sitting on the couch looking at each other without little desire to do anything else.

*Oh yeah, it was something else...oh right. Uh, I found that I'm getting more forgetful. I used to not use a calendar, information was all programmed in my mind (except phone numbers, I never remembered them too well, esp. from dudes in case I didn't want to ever call them back.) But now, I find myself forgetting where I put things, grasping at words in regular conversation, names, and...what what I saying?

Hey, don't rush me!

Apparently, there's a conglomerate out there that wants to rush me into turning 40. Yep, I said it. A few months ago, I opened my mailbox to find an invitation to a magazine for women 40 and over. "Welcome to your forties," it read in big bold letters. It was a nice gesture, but not something that I was looking forward to.

What the heck? I'm not forty yet -- no where near it! As a matter of fact, how in the world did this said magazine find me? Who knows my secrets? Who spread the word about my age before I gave permission. Who chops do I need to bust to get some answers???

I told my good friend about it and she found it hilarious. Yep, funny that a magazine found the nerve to welcome me into the forties. Who does that? And, why didn't they send her one?

Well, here goes...

I am about to embark on the unmentionable, the unthinkable...telling my age. The secret of all secrets. This is something that women just don't do. Why? We all want to stay eternally young. But here I am, admitting it...I'll be turning 40, the Big 4-0 this year.

Gosh, in my 20's, forties seemed ancient. Shucks, even in my 30's, it still sounded kind of old. However, time kept creeping up on me and I'm caught turning "the age." What's a girl to do? Invite you to join the journey with me.

I want to share with you my thoughts, triumphs, challenges and goals for reaching the young age of...well, you know. Since it is the start of a new year, this is a perfect time to start this new phase of my life. Besides, I can mask my resolutions as goals.

Here are a few that I can think of:
1. I want to finally fit in a bikini and be sexy. When I turned 35, I wanted to wear a matching bra and panty set from Victoria Secret's without the jelly rolls. Well, I was close, but no cigar. But, this is the year!! I can feel it! I've done it all - Jenny Craig, Special K, the Master Cleanse, Power 90X, Tae-bo...some things I'll retry and others I'll just drop.

2. Vegan and 75% raw. I'm already a vegetarian, but this dairy is killing me (lactose intolerant). Besides, I know what they put in the milk and stuff, yuk. And, bloating and gas...well, that's just not cute at all.

3. Finish my manuscript. I have one book published, a non-fiction titled, Up From Rock Bottom. I want to try my hand at writing fiction. I've been working on a little sumpin' sumpin' and this year I want it completed.

4. I want to take care of me. Yes, travel, massages, facials, pedicures, etc. I need to pamper myself every now and then. Well, it would really be nice to have someone to "pamper me", but since I'm still single I've got to do it myself.

Okay, how is that for starters.