La Mariposa

      Kimmy always valued good health.  Eating right, no smoking, occaisonal drink and excercise...Having Cody was no problem.  We still walked regularly and did some running - Kim hated running, but I could talk her into it and we had a nice time...running through the desert, where Cottonwood Elementary currently stands, to get to the wash behind it, which has a nice path along it.
      Even after we had Autumn, I bought Kimmy a double jogging stroller and she bounced back amazingly quick - and I picked up whatever the latest home excercise machine was for her too, but I always liked to run...gave me that sense of freedom...
      Kim never liked the whole excercise club thing.  When LA Fitness was opening, I asked if she'd like a membership, but she said no.  She did not really want to excercise around other people and felt that mostly exhibitionists went to places like these.  She felt places like this were more of a 'meat market'. It was too, well, 'glitzy' for Kim.  And I've always been a garage workout kind of person, so I could understand that.
      But, her friend, Rachel, worked at a private club called La Mariposa, on the northeast side of town.  We'd been there before, for friend's weddings, like Kayla, who Kimmy worked with at Ventana Animal Hospital and I knew it was way out of my price range.  Rachel got us a deal, as a friend of an employee, and I was able to get Kimmy in there...she made the most of her membership.
      At the time, I was working for the soul-sucking company, Kohl's, neary a ethical bone in their corporate structure, and I was putting in 70-80 hours per week.  So, I felt obligated to help Kim out with her small request to join La Mariposa.  Rachel had gotten her a great discount and Kim took all of her classes.  When I could, I would take a lunch hour to join her.
      Once, and I mean once, Rachel and Kim talked me into taking Rachel's spin class.  She kicked my *ss!  Every time she said to tighten up the bike's resistance, I would fake it and Rachel would call me out on it.  I was hurting by the end.  On Friday's, La Mariposa hosts a 'Happy Hour' with a food buffett and open swim.  The bambini loved it.
       Today, we tried to do some swimming.  I took the bambini to Viro's for lunch,

   And then to Clements Center...to find the pool is closed on Friday's and Saturday's.  What kind of anarchy is that??  Two busiest days of the summer week and the pool is closed!  Then, I went back towards home to Purple Heart Park...their pool is just plain closed.  Rita Ranch, the red headed stop child (though named afte brunette Rita Hayworth)...did not merit the money to keep the pool open - why can't our city government balance a budget like our Vail School District does?  So, we continued on to the pool next to the Reid Park Zoo...and found a long line, like I used to encounter pre-internet days, for rock concerts...just then, my phone rang...my friend, Mike was calling to see if we'd join him and his wife, Rachel and their kids, Sarah, Ellie, Luke and Gracie at La Mariposa, where Rachel still teaches fitness classes, for Happy Hour...
   We had absolutely nothing else going on this lovely Friday night and off we went!  It had been many years since we were last there.  For me, fond memories of meeting Kimmy there and working out together...weddings, receptions, swimming and happy hours spent together.  The surprise was, Autumn's reaction.  'The catepillar club...I hated that place', she said as we approached.

             "No one watched us.  No one cared.  Tonio got hurt on the teeter toter and I had to help him.  Mom would stick us in there and leave us there until you'd come to save us!"  I'm sure it was not that bad.  Tonio remembers nothing.  Nothing...he's got that skill like his old man.

         None the less, Tonio and Autumn had a great time swimming and eating a lot of great food!!!  We had a great time catching up with the Franzen family.  It's such a beautiful setting...I told Rachel and Mike that I was so glad to be able to have Kim be a member there for a year...and wished I could have had her there longer...she loved to work out there, where she could remain ambiguous and not be bothered.

       It was a good night...we went home and Aut and Tonio watched a Pooh bear movie, while Cody and I chose another Jason Statham movie, "Lock, Stock and Two Smokin' Barrels"...

Jake Green: There is something about yourself that you don't know. Something that you will deny even exists, until it's too late to do anything about it. It's the only reason you get up in the morning. The only reason you suffer the blood, the sweat and the tears. This is because you want people to know how good, attractive, generous, funny, wild and clever you really are. Fear or revere me, but please, think I'm special. We share an addiction. We're approval junkies. We're all in it for the slap on the back and the gold watch. The hip-hip-hoo-f-in rah. Look at the clever boy with the badge, polishing his trophy. Shine on you crazy diamond, because we're just monkeys wrapped in suits, begging for the approval"

This one is from "Revolver", starring Jason Statham as Jake Green which Cody and I watched last night...

Anyway, it was nice to revisit one of Kimmy's favorite places...with it's pond, where Great Blue Heron would land at dusk...and the excercise facilities, where she could anonomously work out...and the pool, where we attended happy hours, Cody took swim lessons, and we relaxed...together.

     When we just went to say good night to Mama, Autumn asked me which one I thought was Mama.  I told her, the Big Dipper.  She said 'yeh, that makes sense.  It's always the brightest!'....

                  Love,
                        Dave