November blahs

Why November?

This month is usually my most blah month of the year.

Marching season ends around the last weekend of October (this year was a slight exception, but for the most part it ended in October), so my mornings are free again. This is a good thing, right? However, I find it is harder and harder to get motivated to get out of bed and get moving in the mornings.

This year, because of the pain with my knees and the extra pounds I'm carrying (again), I decided to return to the Rec Center at 6 am daily. Last Friday I went to the Rec Center and re-newed my membership, got a locker rental, and vowed I'd be there bright and early Monday morning to do my exercise: 25 minutes of walking back and forth in the 4' deep instructional pool.

Sunday evening I got my gym bag together with everything I'd need. Two towels - one to wrap and dry with and one to stand on by my locker. No telling what's in the carpet there and my Crocs hold water so my feet don't dry before I put my socks on -- ick! Shampoo, body wash, scrubber, comb. Good to go. I put my shirt, bra, socks, and sneakers into the bag and set my swimsuit, jeans, Crocs and sweatshirt to put on first thing in the morning.

Monday morning: I returned to the pool. I did my 25 minutes of exercise. I showered and went to work.

Tuesday morning: I was there before opening again and got my exercise in and was at the office shortly after 7 am.

Wednesday morning: I was there before opening. My legs are definitely telling me they aren't happy, but I'm still going to the pool and walking.

Tonight I get to have MRIs on both knees. Yippee. I plan to continue with my weekday pool walking until the doctor tells me otherwise or I have surgery.

Tomorrow: I'll be back at the pool -- walking.

Thanksgiving is lurking around the corner waiting to pounce on me. I hate it. This year we're obligated to go see my in-laws. Don't get me wrong. I love my in-laws. It's just the crowding and stress I hate. They are living on very limited income with an 89-year-old father-in-law (hubby's grandfather) who is in poor health; 69-year-old mother-in-law, 68-year-old father-in-law, 56-year-old brother-in-law (hubby's uncle), 55-year-old brother-in-law (hubby's other uncle), 47-year-old adult child (hubby's older brother), 55-year-old sister-in-law (older brother's significant other), and 44-year-old adult child (hubby's younger brother) -- all in a 2-bedroom trailer home with addition of 3 more bedrooms and 1 more bathroom. Then you add in the visitors for dinner: me, hubby, our three kids, younger brother-in-law's 3 children plus married daughter and her husband, uncle (who doesn't live there) and his 2 1/2 year old ward and it becomes a nightmare. When the kids were younger it wasn't so bad. However, the youngest, outside of the 2 1/2 year old, is 13 years old and 5'6" tall and weighs 160 lbs. We just don't fit into the space, but mother-in-law insists she wants all of us 'together' for a meal. *sigh* Ok. I'll take my audio books, headphones, and Kindle to ignore them until it's time to eat. I don't need to listen to my nieces and nephew snipe at my kids and my kids annoy them...I just hope the weather is nice enough we can kick the kids out of the house for a while before dinner!

Then after Thanksgiving comes the anniversary of my dad's death. Then reminders of all my other family members who died between Thanksgiving and Christmas in years past.

I hate November. Can't we just fast-forward to December 21st please???