ritorna me

Almost two months later and here I am with a wedding, honeymoon, and another production of Godspell under my belt. It's hard to believe that Joshua and I have almost been married for two months... crazy! I have written one thank-you note so far. Bad Megan.

There is so much bouncing around in my brain that I hardly know where to begin or how to connect it all. A disjointed blog post is better than no blog post, no?

It's summertime in Asheville which is unceasingly beautiful. The garden is in full swing, hopefully ready for harvesting at the end of July. Fireflies are out every evening, summer storms boom through the mountain passes, and daylight fades at 9:00 p.m. Right now Joshua and I are house-sitting for some friends. I'm typing this on their Mac that I am trying not to covet while semi-watching The Mirror Has Two Faces-- an old Barbra Streisand movie that probably no one owns besides me. We went for a walk this evening after dinner and passed a man walking his dog... and his cat. The cat just follows along... the guy said the two are inseperable. An amusing highlight to the day. So far our house-sitting adventure has included the Great Hamster Escape and Recovery, a lynx with digestive trouble, and my first experience driving a hybrid car (I'm a fan).

I've decided to write a manifesto (according to Webster: a public declaration of intentions, opinions, objectives, or motives) and once I'm through with the first draft I'll post it. I was telling Joshua at dinner that the point is not to create a set of expectations to live up to or not live up to (such as a New Year's resolution, 101 in 1001, etc.), but rather to create a set of ideals to shape your life and give it direction and intentionality. Since I love lists, I figure a manifesto is right up my alley.

A new gym just opened in Asheville called The Rush, open 24/7 and very, very nice. Joshua got us a membership last week and today was my orientation, which is a complimentary session with a personal trainer for every new member. I got my butt kicked with strength training... and I imagine tomorrow I am going to be able to feel it. But I am super excited about having a gym to work out at again, especially because The Rush has a pool (salt-water cleaned, a plus) and I've always wanted to swim since it's the best cardiovascular excercise for you.

My mind is still scattered, and I'm off to work on the manifesto. More later.

*Gasp*

Joshua and I just totally gasped out loud at the television at the conclusion of tonight's Biggest Loser episode. Shellay, the unfortunate victim of tonight's elimination, looks completely foxy now! They always show a comparison to when the contestants first arrived at "The Ranch" and where they are at now, after the episode is shown where they were eliminated. This was a moment that left us both gaping.

Sign me up for the Biggest Loser.

Not.

So I do have a few unwanted pounds that I would like to shed. Especially before winter arrives and brings with her all sorts of delectable, creamy, heavy, rich foods that are perfect for the cold months. (They are also perfect for insulating the body with a nice layer of fat.) Last week during the "Trainer Tips" segment of the show, Trainer Jillian told us that if we just did jumping jacks during every commercial break of the hour-long show, we would burn 300 calories. Can you believe that? Neither could we. Until we tried it tonight.

When is the last time you tried to do jumping jacks for three minutes?

Maybe this was a sorry revelation of my sad cardiovascular state, but that junk is hard. I am not fit for a workout with Trainer Bob or Trainer Jillian. There would be nothing left of me afterwards.

So there were two kinds of gasping tonight. Megan gasping in awe of Shellay's rockin' new size 10 body, and Megan gasping for air as she neared the three minute mark (after several attempts at cheating) and begged for the show to come back on. Lovely.