The Weather Changed

I love the early morning walks. Slowly but surely we've been working our way up to 3 miles which a neighbor assured me is the distance from our villas to the Arbor Club and back. Friday it was pretty nice but still warmish and humid. The dogs were trying to lick the dew off the grass on the return home. I figured I was going to have to cart water for them from now on.

Saturday morning, I dressed as usual in shorts and t-shirt but the temperature had dropped about 20 degrees from yesterday. Rather than go back and change I decided we'd just add a little jog here and there to the walk to warm up. Worked like a charm. And we made it all the way to the Arbor Club. Easy. Of course we started pretty early for a change (like 6:15 AM) so it was dark all the way but there was also a lot less traffic. The pups were still eager to walk by the time we got home - I guess the heat and humidity really takes a lot out of them.

Saturday afternoon I went to a West Coast swing workshop at 1:00. I dressed as usual in shorts and t-shirt but when I stepped outside, I found the temperature hadn't risen much. Back inside to change, this time into slacks and 3/4 arm length top. Funny how I now find 70 to be cool. It didn't take me long to become acclimated to Florida's weather. Naturally, I opened all the windows and doors to let the breezes blow through. Fantastic!

You're a beautiful woman

Last night I heard those words for the first time in my life. They are really powerful. Of course, I don't really believe it but it's wonderful to hear. I think Robert Heinlein said it best, "A man does not insist on physical beauty in a woman who builds up his morale. After a while he realizes that she is beautiful - he just hadn't noticed it at first." Although, I think Den spends more time building up my morale rather that the other way around.

We went to a dance last night at the Arbor Club here at On Top of the World. This picture isn't from that dance but from one at Oak Run. Tomaura was playing and they are really good - head and shoulders above the other live bands that play at the various dances. We both dressed up a little, he was all in black while I had on a flirty little black and white dress. Quite a few people came up to us at various times throughout the evening complimenting us on our dancing or saying how nice we looked. This is so completely new to me I hardly know how to respond. I think Den is more accustomed to it. He seems to take it in stride anyway. I always tell the women (and it's always a woman) that he's the one responsible for making us look good on the dance floor. He is, after all, the leader. But as a dance teacher told us the other day, it's a partnership. The woman can't be passive, she needs to take an active role in the dance and I think I do.

While I may not be beautiful, Den makes me feel beautiful. What more could a woman want?

My New Passion

Well, it's nearly October and I've had the full complement of ballroom dance lessons - intro to fox trot, waltz, cha-cha, samba, bolero, salsa, merengue, East Coast swing, West Coast swing, two-step and rumba. One each month. The little group of singles I hang out with has been going to four or five dances a week lately although not all of them are ballroom dances so I've been getting a lot of practice. Then lo and behold I've acquired a "primary dance partner." He's way more experienced than I and we dance very well together.

Last week USA Dance, Ocala chapter, hosted a dance exhibition in the shopping mall just outside Belks Department Store. We were trying to get more people interested in ballroom dancing. So here my partner and I are just getting ready to do an East Coast swing. Perhaps one day I'll get someone to take a video of us dancing. He's a wonderful leader and he makes me look better than I am.

Ballroom dancing is so much fun and it's really great exercise. What more could you ask for?

The Morning Walk

I got a little wet. Took a gamble and lost big time. Sheesh.

It was pretty dark when we (the dogs and I) left the house for our morning walk so I couldn't see the clouds. After we got out from under the trees near home, I noticed a lot of cloud cover but since I could also see some stars I figured we'd be okay. Not this time. We got, oh, about a mile from home when it started misting, so I figured we should turn around and head back. Then I heard the rain as it moved toward us. It was a downpour. Yikes. I tried to take cover under a tree but, while it helped some, I still got drenched. And had to walk home soaking wet, water dripping in my eyes from my hair *shudder* - cold, wet t-shirt. I'm just glad I decided to wear a bra this morning. LOL Oh yeah, and puddles everywhere. I'm not sure my tennies will ever be the same.

I guess I'm pretty lucky that I've only been caught three times in the rain since I moved to Florida. I was lucky the first two times because I was near houses and could take refuge on someone's porch. This is the first time I've been caught out in the open with no place to hide. Oh well, it's not like I'll melt. And after all, it is Florida so it's not all that cold either. *grin*

The Son-in-Law from Heaven

Stefan has to be the best husband and father in the world. My step-daughter, Stephanie, is so lucky and I think she knows it! These two people have been a real blessing in my life. They are not just beautiful on the outside as one can see from the picture, but they are truly beautiful inside.

Next weekend is their anniversary so I asked Stefan if they had anything special planned for it. He said no but he had remodeled their daughters' bathroom this weekend while Steph was at the beach with some girlfriends. She had been talking about updating the girls' bath for a while and he had a good idea of what she wanted so he decided to surprise her. On top of that, he let the oldest girl, Riley, help. Since she's only five, you know how much "help" she was. LOL But what a great memory for that little girl. *sigh* If girls look for men like their fathers, I think he's setting the bar really high.

Do I Feel Sexy?

Lately I've been having some interesting discussions with a male friend. He's a fellow ballroom dancer who is way better than I am but he still says he enjoys dancing with me. We also spend a lot of time on the phone, talking. He has a way of asking questions that makes me think, and then think again. Now, I don't normally spend a lot of time on introspection, so I don't usually come to the same conclusions he does. He thinks he knows me better than I know myself. *eye roll*

A few weeks ago, he started suggesting I should make more of my looks by wearing make-up. I don't wear any and have been quite comfortable this way. My mother didn't wear any and it just seems normal to me. I think I look okay without it so I haven't given it any thought in a long time. Plus, since I have little experience with it, I'm not very good at applying it. But, I decided to give it a try - a little foundation, blush, light brown eye shadow and mascara - still trying to keep it as natural looking as possible. Went to a dance and quite honestly I didn't feel any different. I asked him that night when we were talking on the phone whether he noticed my make-up. The slight hesitation before he answered told me he never noticed. LOL To my way of thinking that just proved my point, but of course he answered, yes. *snort* Sure he did.

Well, anyway, I did the make-up thing again for the next dance I attended and surprisingly got asked for a date. So now I'm thinking, hmmm, maybe this stuff really does work. The problem is that I've been raised to look beyond the surface of a person, so I rather hope that other people will too. Um, did I mention I'm an optimist? Well, I thought the date went well, but he must not have thought so because I haven't been called back for a second one. At least I had a good time. *grin*

So last night this friend and I were talking about west coast swing and he wanted to know if I would learn some of the sexy moves in west coast swing. I'm thinking probably not because I don't like to see that overt sexuality on the dance floor. It seems inappropriate to me. You know, take it to the bedroom but don't do it in front of an audience. I'm not an exhibitionist. I'd prefer to be seen as a classy lady rather than a sexy one. Now if I was dancing with a special someone at home, yeah, I could do that. I'd love to do that. But while we dance really well together, this friend has made it clear he doesn't have romantic feelings for me and quite honestly, since both of our spouses died recently, neither of us is ready for a relationship. So friends we are, just friends.

But all of this got me to thinking about women who get involved with controlling men. I've always thought I wouldn't be vulnerable to it, but I've begun to see how, with his subtle questions designed to make me doubt myself, I started changing my behavior (wearing make-up) and questioning my self-image (wondering about my "sex appeal"). However, I think if you see it happening it is possible to avoid the trap. And after all I've experienced in my life, I refuse to allow a man to erode what self-confidence I do have.

While it might be splitting hairs, I would have to say that while I don't feel sexy (and never have) I do feel very sensual. I like to touch and be touched. That's probably why I enjoy ballroom dancing so much because you are always touching your partner. I just realized that's why I love the moments when I'm dancing that I can close my eyes and trust my partner to lead me anywhere and everywhere. *sigh* Oh yes, I may not be sexy, but I am sensual.

PS for my reading buddies out there: That's probably why I enjoy Nalini Singh's changelings so much, I love the idea of "skin privileges".

That's What Friends Are For

Earlier I blogged about how sick my furbaby, Sandy, was. He's requiring some hand-feeding or he just won't eat so there was no way I could board him in a kennel. That's not even considering the pill he has to take at least an hour before eating and the other pills he needs twice a day. Well, I ended up cancelling a trip I'd been looking forward to for a year so I could take care of him.

Every year, Lori Foster and Diane Castell sponsor a weekend for authors and readers to get together and visit. It's much more laid back than the large conferences like RWA and there are lots of opportunities to just sit and chat. So at the last minute I cancelled my (non-refundable) airline ticket *sigh*, rental car reservations and the hotel room. I let the girlfriends with whom I'd planned to meet know I wouldn't be there. While not really depressed I was extremely disappointed.

Ironically there was a big fundraiser for Animal Adoption Foundation, as well. Lori Foster edited an anthology, Tails of Love, and all proceeds from the sale of it went to AAF. I'd known this was coming and was looking forward to getting all the authors to sign my book. I already know many of them, love their work and I count a few of them as friends. Still, Sandy - my living, breathing tail of love - came first. When I emailed Lori, she said she'd send me one of her copies that would be autographed by all the authors if I'd send her the price of the book. Of course, I jumped on that and sent a little extra donation for AAF.

Yesterday I got the book ... but it wasn't from Lori Foster. My girlfriend, Karen, bought the book for me and walked it around to all the authors and got their signatures for me. Many of them were personalized. Wasn't that sweet! And in the same post, Lori Foster returned my check and said all her copies were gone.

Everything works out for the best.