Answered Prayers...

I can not tell you how many times I've looked at these faces and prayed that time could just stand still for a moment. Just this morning as I knelt beside my daughter's bed as she peacefully slept, I looked at every freckle on her little nose, I kissed her forehead and I just wished the clock would stop for a little while so I could sit beside her bed and just watch.

Unfortunately, children wake when their Moms reek of coffee and their brows furrow in anger knowing it's time to get ready for a long day at school. What I once thought were the sweetest, most perfect little lips will part and the odor that seeps out will confirm that children DO gargle with sulfur before bed. Words will pass over those perfect little lips that I never intended to teach my children but just for that moment...before they wake...

Unfortunately, time did stand still today-it was just a few hours late during Lady F's aerobics class. Now, despite what some people think, the name Lady F isn't intended to imply I call her a bad name. Her name actually begins with an F so that is why I call her that-those of you who take her classes can feel free to call her the bad word if you need to do so-she may have earned it.

If you were in class today and wondered why the HECK I kept checking my phone any chance I could...it's because I had hoped some teacher was desperately needing to get in touch with me so I could rush out of class and say, "OOOPS, sorry, I've been called in to work!" Guess what? That didn't happen. When I saw "Lady F" and "Tall T" on the elliptical BEFORE class I knew something was wrong with them we were in BIG trouble. Some of the runners decided to go catch a quick mile before class, who does that?  I chose to walk around aimlessly until class began.

Once it started, it didn't let up. That's when God decided to answer one of my prayers...time actually stood still. I'm not kidding. I wondered if I was the only one who had been 'chosen' for this time warp-it was really weird and scary! No matter how many REPEATERS we did, no matter how many CRAZY STEPS she ordered us to do, the clock didn't seem to move forward. I had hoped it was a nightmare and I'd wake up at any minute but what seemed to be 3 hours of high impact shock to every body part I lug around-didn't seem to advance the clock much. Maybe Lady F's clock runs on 1-Miss-sa-sip-peeeee, (deep breath) 2-Miss-sa-sip-peeeee......who knows?

But the GREAT NEWS is this...
Friday I was not terribly surprised that my doc put me on blood pressure meds. My bottom figure was over a hundred in his office-it should be 80 or lower. Anyway-I've been on meds all weekend and it has hovered in the 90's-Sunday after Zumba it did get down to 89 on bottom so it must be true-exercise IS good for your blood pressure. Yesterday it was 132/93 and this morning right before class it was 118/90. When I left Lady F's class, I went straight home and checked it again...the lowest it's been in YEARS!!!  114/85-yes I was exhausted but I can't believe that it has finally been confirmed....LADY F is really really good for me. Granted, it's still out of the 'normal' range but going from 100-110 on the bottom (prior to meds) to an 85 after an intense workout-I'm super excited!!! So looks like more exercise is in my future!