+ I went to a new zumba class today. I dropped AB off at theater camp down the road from the studio when the class was about to start, so I had no excuse not to go. I checked the schedule online to be sure it wasn’t Silver Sneakers senior zumba and it wasn’t, but the average age of the attendees suggested otherwise. I was the youngest by a good 35 years. Normally I go to the evening class at the same studio where everyone is more or less my age. I zumba through that class with a negative cloud of comparison over my head. The others at night are so good. Given that I’ve had no body parts replaced yet and can move without pain, I left the morning class feeling good about my performance. Three older ladies from church were there. Martha, who has a reputation for being quite stern with the children and didn’t move so much as a toe during any dance sessions at VBS, can in fact move her hips. I will no longer fall for her stiff facade.

Less than two hours later, I lost my Grace and Coordination crown when I fell down the stairs while carrying a laundry basket and landed hard on both knees. I’m sporting two large bumps and hobbling like I’m 78 years old. I fit in quite nicely with the old ladies at the next morning class. Maybe I can get some good recommendations for knee surgeons.

+ Annabelle is entering the stage where she gets embarrassed by her parents’ behaviors. What a delight this is! I’ll sing no louder than a whisper in public and she flaps her arms and practically melts through the floor. If I display too much enthusiasm, she says, “Mooooom! Someone might seeeeee!” All that makes me do is have! more! enthusiasm! for the new flavor of chips.

+ Christopher casually shared that he doesn’t think Taylor Swift and Jason Kelce’s relationship will last. He doesn’t believe it is the real deal, the fairy tale love story of America. The shock of hearing that he had an opinion nearly blew me off the bed. He seldom has opinions on the potential relationships of our real-life friends! Now here he is, becoming a reporter for People magazine.

+ When I was pregnant, the one and only gift I wanted from Grandma was that she crochet a baby blanket. We didn’t know the gender, so she got a variegated yellow and green yarn. She brought it to the hospital and delivered it to Sesame in person. Annabelle has had it since her second day of life. They were inseparable for years. We left Memere Blankie at the Stone Mountain hotel when AB was a few months old. Housekeeping didn’t put much effort into returning it, but a sweet grandma who worked there heard my sob story and searched the hotel until she found it. As she’s gotten old, Annabelle hasn’t been quite as attached to Memere Blankie. She’s always around the bedroom, but she moved from being in the bed to being folded on a shelf. She’s never too far away. About a month ago, Memere Blankie went missing, I was distraught. We tore apart AB’s bedroom and the guest room. I searched the linen closet and unfolded every blanket we own to see if she was caught inside. I looked under all the beds. I even looked in every suitcase because the last time she was seen was the day AB and her friend were packing for their pretend trip to Germany. One could argue, and I do indeed argue, that it was a one-woman search party. Christopher operated under the motto of “she’ll turn up.” Annabelle was worried that the blanket wouldn’t be found so she didn’t want to look too hard and be disappointed. I believed in action! She won’t turn up if we don’t search! Weeks passed and no sign of the precious blanket. I convinced myself she had either been thrown away or donated by accident. I planned on visiting every thrift store in town to find her. On Thursday night as we did our bedtime chat, I told Annabelle we should pray specifically that we find the blanket the next day. Friday morning, I was searching the closet and looked in a little unicorn suitcase. There she was, rolled up and as beautiful as ever. Annabelle had put her in the bag to take as her carry-on luggage on the big pretend trip to Germany. Thanks to the power of prayer and my frantic searching, all has been righted. I offered to keep Memere Blankie in my room but Annabelle said no thank you. Ever since, the blanket has been back in the bed instead of on the shelf.