I think I can... I think I can...

I have never been an athletic soul. I was always the personality person who was good at school and band and clubs... My sister Natalie was always the athletic one in the family. She played basketball and enjoyed volleyball. Now she runs.

I've never run in my life. That's not exactly true... I tried out for track in high school. I figured a full-figured gal like myself would do really good at the FIELD part--you know, shot put, discus, etc. I think I could have done that part really well, it was the miles of running we had to do with the TRACK people that killed it. I lasted a week if that! After that, if I did anything it was WALKING.

Last fall, Brett and I decided that we finally wanted to get serious about taking care of ourselves. Long story short, in November we joined our gym and I joined Fit Camp. Fit camp is set up like a light version of The Biggest Loser. It lasts for six weeks and is designed for a small group of about six people who meets each day with a trainer for an hour workout, plus we keep food diaries, discuss our nutrition issues, etc. It was absolutely fantastic. Because the class was so small, we were able to try all areas of the gym--spinning, machines, water, drills in the gym, pilates, etc. I learned that I actually LOVE water aerobics, can handle machines twice a week, and of course, I still love to walk. And, after six weeks of torture, I was actually able to do it without much pain. Pretty cool, huh?

Okay, back to the reason for this post.

In the past year or two, Natalie has gotten really good and runs 5K, 10K, etc. So after her adventure in Kansas City last year, I heard about the Music City Marathon here in Nashville. Silly me, I called and sort of teased and taunted her--and of course that meant she took me up on my offer. She would run the 1/2 marathon if I would walk it.

So... I realized this morning that it is now the 28th of January. The event is at the end of April. I guess I'd better get on the stick since I haven't walked more than two miles together yet--let alone 13!

This morning, Riley and I went out for our usual walk, only we decided to go on an adventure. We walked and then took a turn here and another turn there and then went up a street and back down another just having a jolly good time. He loves to run and play. I just try to keep up. Anyway, two hours later we arrived back at the apartment. When I checked it out on Google Maps, we had walked a little over 5 miles. It took two hours, and we were pooped by then, but I don't think I've ever walked five miles together. So... I think I can. I think I can... I just might be able to put together 13 whole miles with three more months of training (and Riley pulling me along!) What an accomplishment THAT would be!

Hello... Let me introduce myself.

Greetings!
I'm Melanie. Welcome to my corner of the web.

To my friends, I hope you will drop by often to see how things are going--especially since I seem to be lousy at managing to keep up with my correspondence duties. I promise, the desire to talk is always there--it's the ability to actually get it done that I'm bad at! Yet, for some reason, you seem to love (or at least like) me in spite of myself... :) As always, thank you for that!

To those who happen to wander by on your web journeys... Welcome to you as well... Come on in and stay awhile. Hopefully you'll find something interesting to read or learn some new tidbit of information that will lead you to other great adventures.

A little bit about me would probably be helpful.
- First, amazingly enough, I can't find any decent/recent pictures of myself. I'll work on that since I think pictures are 1/2 the reason for blogging.
- Second, I'm happiest in the kitchen baking or watching movies. Music is my coffee, so I often have it on in every room. I'm a reformed Diet Coke addict. My only Must See TV is Bones on Fox. Technology is wonderful--as long as it works appropriately. I'm not overly patient when it chooses to disagree with me. I enjoy a good debate as long as all the parties are open to opposing points of view, and I love to play devil's advocate just to see what happens. Oh, and my favorite dessert of all times is a really really good dark chocolate cake with a chocolate ganache frosting and chocolate shavings as a garnish.

I'd also like to introduce the other characters in my world...

First, there's Brett, my husband extraordinare... He's a friendly computer guy who manages databases for a living. He's also a big movie and music fan, enjoys sports, and makes me laugh with his uncanny sense of humor. He's also pretty good in the kitchen, remembers to surprise me with flowers every now and then, and keeps me honest and on the straight-and-narrow most of the time!

Then there's our buddy, Riley Dog. Many people ask what kind of dog Riley is... When we got him at Animal Control, he was barely seven pounds and was the size of my foot. They told us he was a Beagle/Jack Russell mix.


A year and a half later, he's over 50 pounds and much bigger than any Beagle or Jack Russell... So we've chalked his pedigree up to a mix of hound or terrier or pointer. Anyway, he is often referred to as "His Royal Highness" because in his mind, the world revolves around him! :)

And there's my favorite munchkins... My sister, Natalie, has two lovlies--Allison and Emily. The stories that come from their adventures cause much laughter usually, so you might hear more than one or two tales about them.

Well, thanks for stopping. Hope to see you again soon!