Merry Christmas!

Yes, I realize it's just the sixth day of October, but last week, Big Joz went out and bought my Christmas present! Bless his heart.

Did he purchase round-trip airline tickets to some nice faraway exotic land? No.
Did he book a week for me at some swanky spa resort? No.
Did he plan a romantic weekend getaway for just the two of us? No.
Jewelry? No.
Perfume? No.

He bought me a NordicTrack elliptical machine.

"With the brightly lit Grafixx™ Hi-Res display, intensity boosting StrideMax™ Incline Ramp, 8 Workouts and more, you have all the features you need to get the body you want." Yeah...but don't you have to use it??

OK. I tried. Actually, I tried four times over the weekend. And each time, I failed. After a couple of minutes of the pre-programmed "weight-loss program #1" when the resistance went to "3", I tuckered out. Completely out of breath and starting to break a sweat, I removed my body from the demon which threatened to kill me. Literally.

Last night, Big Joz asked me if I had "run" today. Is he crazy?? Does he want me to die??? Actually, no, he doesn't. Truly, he was being very thoughtful. I've whined and fussed to him for months now about being overweight, my ankles hurt, my feet hurt, my knees hurt, my clothes don't fit, and wishing I could change things. Bless his heart...he listened.

So now, I have this new great big monster-looking thing in my family room. I can watch TV under the ceiling fan while I work out. I can also plug in my iPod and listen to my eclectic mix of tunes. The monster claims to have a personal fan on it, but after two minutes on the thing, I can blow more air than it can.

But I'm not going to fuss at Big Joz. He just wants me to be healthier so I can be around for lots more years! Bless his heart.