Ouch.

After a lot of talk, excuses, and other well-honed avoidance techniques, I bit the bullet and joined the gym. My mother, who through diligent attendance at weight watchers is rapidly approaching smaller sizes than her youngest daughter, helped foot the bill for three months plus an 8 week group personal training class. "Beach Body Blast" it's called. I e-mailed the front desk at the office that I would be leaving for 1.5 hours for lunchtime workouts at least twice a week for awhile. In my world that is huge...I put it on the calendar. It will happen.

I roped a friend into joining it with me. She says that she isn't fishing for a beach body, just a wedding body. I said that I'm not fishing for either, just the one that I had the last time I fit into my favorite jeans! She also warned me that this group trainer is particularly "enthusiastic" about fitness. Ruh-roh.

In an effort to prepare ourselves for this couch-to-boot-camp-drill-sargent world that we just PAID to join for 8 weeks, we hit up the regular group class today. It was messy. Cardio, Core, 'N More. I think I provided the "'N More." Pretty sure I got out-squatted and over-lunged by Grandma Moses in the second row, and my friend and I both caught some sideways looks for even showing up as newcomers given the small amount of coveted space for giant steps, balls, weights, and other instruments of torture. Wouldn't it be nice if I were more like my puppy or my horses in that the less I exercised, the more energy I built up? So that when I got to the class after not having gone for ages I just couldn't contain my pent up joy at getting to exercise and took a few wild spins around the room (tail up & farting if I'm like the horses) just for kicks before settling into the squat routine? Alas, such is not the case.

Nevertheless, I did it! I'm one foot forward now. And now I'm lightheaded and wobbly armed as I type this post and prepare to dig in to three or four more hours of legal work. I get to write a "Motion to Quash"! And also a reply motion where I'm engaged in a verbal battle with the opposing counsel which I thoroughly enjoy. I'm also supposed to write some interrogatories, serve some disclosure subpoenas, make an insurance claim on behalf of an estate, write a contract, AND tighten up a DE-401. One step at a time, and that's just at the office!

When I get home I have to take care of 13 horses (my 7 and the neighbor's 6) and write a grant for the garden food pantry project. I'm supposed to drive to the bowling championships an hour south and hit the after party as well, but I don't see that happening. At least I'm learning to cut a FEW corners here and there.

Speaking of cutting...before I go I need to let you all know that I may have successfully cut the budget proposed for finishing my riding ring by 2/3rds today!! After a 1.5 hour meeting with a couple of contractors and mi padre and a phone call to the engineer, I think I opened their eyes to miraculous possibilities for a fraction the price. Included in my estimate (yes, the one at 1/3 the cost of the original and thus within reach!) is even an immediate solution to mud-stopping-riding woes in the form of a small amount of sand poured on top of scraped off topsoil in my small paddock. I could be up and on and teaching again in a week. And after my ass-busting workout today, I'll have some empathy with my out of shape ponies....