The urge to get in shape didn't immediately strike me. The dress had to be ordered and shipped from China to a warehouse in the U.S. and then shipped to our local bridal store. I didn't see the dress again for a while.

About six months after Joe proposed, my cousin Taylor and I were talking about working out. I knew I needed to get my body into shape if I wanted to really look good in a strapless, and she very sweetly reminded me about the required bikini-honeymoon photos. "Make me happy to look at those pictures." She told me sternly.

She and I went to the same university, and tuition included the gym fee.




We dabbled for a while before committing to a weekly routine. The first time we went, we ran a mile on the treadmill. It started out positive, us talking big and stretching like pros. I felt pretty confident. I was older and wiser and I had a goal in mind! 

Aha, so we meet again Mile!

About 2 minutes later: Why the heck *gasp* am I doing *wheeze* this again? Curse you, Mile!

All the horrible memories of public school PE came flooding back to me. My side was cramping and I could feel the asthma tightening my lungs. I was re-living all my past experiences. It was bad. I wanted nothing more than to leave the Rec Center and never go back.

Thankfully, Taylor is extremely hard-headed. She's competitive and has a will made of iron. She had determined that we would work out, and work out we would.