For my birthday, my wife got me (well, us really) a Wii Fit. For those of you living in the stone age that haven’t heard of it, or seen a commercial for it, the Wii Fit consists of a balance board and a game disc, which challenges users in various fitness and balance games and tests to increase overall fitness, flexibility, and strength. I was fascinated with it from the very beginning, and my wife has been looking for it for months in anticipation for my birthday.

My first day went pretty well…I jumped onto the balance board, did a few basic exercises so the board could calculate my BMI and my weight, and got started. I was very disappointed to see that I fell into the category of obese, but was not completely surprised. Years of sitting at the computer have left me in less that perfect shape, I guess the fine folks at Nintendo just reminded me of such.

The exercises range from Yoga poses and aerobics to strength training and balance games…I think that the games are the most fun, with the exception of the rhythm boxing, which I unlocked tonight. I really feel like I am getting a great workout in only a few minutes, and it is so much fun, that I may actually take a class or two at the gym! As you put time into the various activities, you are able to unlock more Yoga poses, more strength training exercises, and more games. I can’t wait to unlock snowboarding – it looks great!

We figure that on our days off from the gym we can use the Wii Fit and of course continue to play Rock Band, and between the two, we should be in shape in no time at all. My goal is about 40 pounds by November, and I really think that it is attainable. I guess I will just have to switch to light beer this summer on the boat!

I’ll keep you posted on my progress, and when I feel up to it, maybe post some before and after shots – but I have a ways to go before that happens!

A torrential downpour hit the house last night – it seemed to come out of nowhere, and then all of sudden was upon us. We didn’t have time to take down the tarp which sat over the gazebo, nor take the sheets off the line, so needless to say, these items temporarily disappeared. We lost power to the house for a good couple of hours, and the gardens my mother-in-law spent countless hours on is in disarray. Other than that though, no one was hurt, the cat made it in before the storm, and the damage seemed pretty minimal for the amount of wind that ripped its way through the yard.

Since the power was out, my wife and I lit a few candles and played some Yahtzee before heading to bed. Playing board games by candlelight is definitely an interesting experience, and with the thunder and lightning outside, it made for a romantic evening – yes, board game night can be romantic.

My wife’s cat, Gizmo, passed away this weekend while we were at the cottage for my birthday. We still don’t know exactly what happened, but he was eating, then all of a sudden he was paralyzed. Jenn’s mom took him to the vet, but it was too late to do anything. They did an X-Ray on the cat, and said it looked like all his organs had been pushed to one side of his body, yet there were no broken bones or signs of a confrontation with another animal. It seems as though no one is able to tell us exactly what happened.

My poor wife…she was having a great weekend with me, planning birthday events, seeing old friends, boating, and then her mom called with the bad news. I have to say, Jenn was quite a trooper about the whole thing. She cried a little, then kept it together for the rest of the weekend. I thought that she would be a total mess, but that was not the case. As soon as she got home and saw her mother though, the waterworks started up again, which was to be expected.

Now understand that I am not by any means a cat person. My ex-girlfriend left her cat behind when she moved out, which was about 6 years ago, and I only feed the thing because I don’t want to be responsible for a death, nothing more. Jenn on the other hand, loved her cat very much, and I feel for her. I would feel the same loss for a dog if I had one.

Her cat, Gizmo, was a funny little guy. He would constantly rub his head against your feet if you left them out for him to do so, and he was possibly the softest cat I have ever pet. Jenn and her mom found him on the side of the road as a kitten, nursed him back to life, and Jenn has loved him ever since. He loved to play, run around the yard, and yap at people, constantly. He was more like a dog than a cat, which is why I think I tolerated him.

Jenn, I feel your loss, and I am sure that Gizmo is in a better place.

Well, even though I have been celebrating the entire month, yesterday was my actual birthday. My wife took me down to the cottage for the weekend from some birthday festivities, which was fantastic. I always have a good time at the cottage, but especially around my birthday. There is something about people taking the time to say “happy birthday” that really warms my heart. I was able to do everything I wanted for my birthday including seeing friends I hadn’t seen in a while, enjoying a beer at the Sand Bar, looking at a full moon over the beach and lake, and boating across the Bay to Lester’s for some live music.

All in all, I couldn’t have asked for a better weekend. I have posted some pictures from the weekend to Facebook. I hope you enjoy them.

I decided that I should put together a short video of some of the great times we have had thus far at the cottage this summer. It has been nothing short of fantastic, and I really appreciate all the great people and great times that my wife and I are privileged to be a part of. I’m sure that this will only be the first in a series of these types of video as my wife loves taking pictures of the festivities, and there are always opportunities to catch some great moments on film (well, digitally anyway).

So without further adieu, here is my first homage to all that with is the Eau. I hope you all enjoy watching it as much as we did creating the moments.

WARNING: There is one picture on the risquée side of things, but nothing too bad. If you are easily offending by someone being mooned, then please move on.