Dear My Gym,

Meet the new Goldilocks. I feel like her when I shower at my gym.

Some moms join mommy groups, some join social elite clubs. I'm not allowed in either of those, so my social network is my gym. And really, I've probably violated some code with that as well. I love the gym. I love everything my gym is. It's got everything I need. And in recent months, my luxury needs have been compromised. It started with a couple of uh, interactions about getting a lane in the pool to swim in. And really, it's not that I MUST have a lane, I'm just desperate to get into the water because I'm standing there in my swimsuit, and the pool windows into the cafe. People are trying to eat. And my pasty white and dimply thunder thighs are greeting them. Gross. Then my beloved steam room was under repair for almost a month - in the dead of winter, y'all. And then, the showers are starting to get to me. If I wanted bizarre water pressure, heat, or even working at all problems with my shower, I'd go home to shower. After a good work out, less my steam, cuz that's broke, my only solace is a nice hot shower. Instead, I feel like naked Goldilocks cutting in and out of each shower stall : this ones too hot. this one's too cold. this one's juuuuussstt right...nope, wait, that stings - the water pressure hurts me.

I put up with it for a while. And then a friend mentioned her new gym. This gym is uh, huge, and beautiful. And word on the streets was that all the showers worked. It's a new gym, and our gym took a fairly good hit, losing many to the newer and bigger bad boy known as Lifetime. I'd put off going to Lifetime for well over a year because I do like my gym, I feel the need to be loyal to it, and I knew I'd be suckered right into their sales pitch.

So, we went on a tour and they gave us the pitch and a seven-day pass. Ricardo and I worked out there one day and made our decision. Still, I took notes.

1. The steam room is twice the size of my gym's. Still a steam room is a steam room. I'm pretty sure I'm the only one who steams at Lifetime because it's intense and there's very few things I'm really good at. Outlasting anyone in a steam room is one of them.
Pro - It seems very well taken care of and brighter and bigger.
Con - It's bigger which allows more people to infringe on my steam - increasing the potential for more weird steam room encounters.
Con - It's brighter. I'm not used to that.

2. Who put Great Wolf Lodge in Omaha? Lifetime, that's who! It's indoor and outdoor, and the kids would have a blast here.
Pro - a bit more for the kids to do in the pool.
Con - the kids were not impressed. I don't know why but I suppose I've ruined them with vacations to waterparks.
Con - there's very strict hours on when you can play in the pool. Parents are restricted too.

3. The showers are pretty and consistently work. Because I checked every stall that was vacant. Consistent pressure and heat. Marble floors!
Pro - They are cleaner and bigger and have doors instead of curtains. I don't know why but that just seems better. I'm starting to get swayed into the luxury of this place. I take an extra 20 minutes and try to use all the hot water for the entire facility, but eventually relent and get out.
Pro - there is an attendant at all times cleaning the vacant showers.
Con - there is an attendant at all times cleaning the vacant showers.
Con - I slipped and almost busted my ass on the beautiful marble floors.

4. There is a separate pool for lap lanes. It's separate from the recreational swimming. Which should help preserve my very own lap lane I please.
Pro - I don't have to fight kids' swim lessons and other swim classes.
Con - There's three lap lanes. I'm used to fighting over whether we're cut down to two or three lanes anyway.

5. The kids room is fantastic. They have a McD's play-place-like area, a sports court and computer section.
Pro: It accommodates my kids age a little better.
Con: In order to put the very cool kids area in the gym with the Great Wolf Lodge and the lap lanes and the marble floored locker room, we're adding up some serious square footage. And we haven't actually even gotten upstairs to the actual workout facility. The only two times I walked to the kids room to check it out, all I could think of is, "Nobody puts Baby in a corner."

6. In the locker room, there's cool, hip music playing. It's like I'm at the Gap or Express or something. I like it. It's upbeat and fun. And yet, no one looks happy in here. Interesting.

7. The workout facility is huge. There's no track, only treadmills. The spinning room, also huge. It's like a warehouse store for workout. And you know how you need to just run in and for a quick grab to get a fifty-pound bag of potatoes, but you have to walk allllllllll the way to the back, and then carry the fifty-pound bag of potatoes back up to the register? It's the same for this gym. You can't just run in for a quick workout. It takes you an hour just to get to your destination.
Pro: There's plenty of room. No one gets in your way.
Con: There's too much room. If you were looking for someone, you'll never find them.
Con: Ricardo and I like to run on our indoor track.

But what the deciding vote was, had nothing to do with what each gym has to physically offer. After being wooed by kids computers, a frikkin waterpark in the gym, a play place and a sport court, Lucy summed it up: "I like our gym. We have friends there. Everyone knows us there and they care about us."

So, we will stay at our gym. Because we are taken care of there. And because Lucy and Max said so. It's one thing to know that your kids are taken care of when you hand them off to go have some personal time all just for you. It's another that my kids understand that too. So, Thank you Prairie Life. You're stuck with us for a long while.

That's how I roll.