It's only Wednesday??

Have you ever had one of those weeks that seem to last and last and last...?? Obviously I have or I wouldn't be asking you dumb rhetorical questions. I swear to you, it should be Friday and I'm still having a hard time convincing myself that I still have another two days to go before the weekend. I bet you're all dying to know why my week has seemed so long, so let me relieve the anticipation for you and begin with Monday.

Monday marked a milestone that a part of me has been excited for and another part of me has been dreading - Nathaniel became close enough to 6 months old that I didn't feel guilty fibbing a week or so and putting him in my gym's daycare. So I had to say goodbye to my "I can't work out because my baby isn't old enough to go to the daycare" excuse and I dug out my musty-smelling gym clothes and headed out. My good friend and personal motivator, Bri, gave me strict instructions that I was to meet her at the gym at 9:00 sharp and we were to begin a new exercise program that would kick my flabby butt into shape.

Now, on a completely serious note, the first thing she informed me of upon my arrival, is that a good man in my ward and neighborhood had been killed in a motorcycle accident early that morning. Though I didn't know him well, I was shocked and devastated. It took only a few moments for the shock to pass and the tears to start falling. I can't say I was completely focused on the workout that followed because I could not stop thinking of his wife and six young kids. Even throughout Brandon's cancer scare and chemotherapy last year, it was never even a possibility in my mind that he might not make it. Bad things like that simply don't happen to me or people I know...they just don't. I live in such denial this way. It really hit me that morning that things like that do happen, and you never know when. The first thing I did after walking in the door from the gym that day was to wrap my arms around Brandon (who had the day off work) and tell him over and over how glad I was that he was still here. My love and prayers go out to this family whose lives will never be the same.

I had every intention of conquering the world (which in this case simply means the laundry) after I got home from the gym that morning, but after hearing such shocking news, I simply spent the rest of the day enjoying my family and friends. Our good friends Kurt and Amanda came over that night with their fun kids and we enjoyed some cheap Little Caesar's pizza (can't beat 5 bucks!) while Kurt hooked us up on a few household projects with his fabulous trade talents. The kids enjoyed their pizza on the tiny platform of their swing set and loved every minute of it. How cute are these kids??



Tuesday I got another serious butt-kicking from Jillian Michaels (you know, the tough-love trainer from Biggest Loser) who gave Bri and I orders via her new book. Let me just take a moment to say that Bri is the best personal trainer I could ever ask for, even if she's not technically a personal trainer. She's knowledgeable, motivated, and isn't embarrassed to do (and make me do) the ridiculous exercises we have to perform in our very public gym. She knows just when I'm being a wimp and need to pushed harder, and just when I can't take anymore and need to be cut some slack. Tuesday's workout was hard and I seriously had to use some serious concentration to keep myself from puking and passing out. I came home that day so sore I could hardly move. I managed to make the kids and I some lunch, lay Nathaniel down for a nap, and then I vaguely remember threatening the kids with their lives if they woke him up before passing out on the couch. That night we enjoyed a visit from Brandon's mom and step-dad who brought Andrea's kids to mess up our house instead of theirs' (just kidding). The kids had fun playing with their cousins before going to bed much too late...again.

Today was a most needed day off from the gym, thank heavens. I can't even lower myself onto the toilet without whimpering in pain. Please tell me there's someone out there who is a bigger wimp than me. And since it was a rainy day, I participated, once again, in my favorite rainy day pastime of eating fast food while the kids play on the playland -- we've had this discussion, right? Bri and I took the kids to Chick-Fil-A and the two of us promptly ate what I'm sure was more calories than we burned off in our 3-4 hours at the gym that week. Counter-productive? Maybe. But much more enjoyable than doing a crab-walk past cute, buff guys in tight pants at the gym (and yes, we really did have to do that). When the kids got bored with the playland, we moved the party to my house and played until it was so late I was forced into only having time to have hot dogs for dinner. How am I ever going to lose weight. Seriously.

Now I'm sitting at my computer at 10:00 at night, when I should be cleaning up the mess the kids made or working on that formidable mountain of laundry I was supposed to conquer on Monday. Oh well, life's too short to worry about how bad our clothes will stink tomorrow. I think I'm going to bed to ready myself for yet another humiliating whipping from Jillian Michaels tomorrow. She's so brutal...even in book form. You can make fun of me all you want, but I'll be the one laughing after I post a picture of me looking smokin' hot in a bikini**

**The "smokin' hot in a bikini" picture will not be posted for a good 10 years, after I receive all my desired plastic surgery.