I wish that I loved working out. I wish I was one of those people that wakes up with the rising of the sun and jogs for six miles before a full day of work. I swear to myself as I pass these people in my car when I have to be up at the ungodly hour of 7am because they woke up specifically to exercise, and therefore, they are better than me. Every few months or so, I convince myself that I can be one of the elite fitness buffs, so I set my alarm early and lay out my gym clothes. My semi-conscious self, however, feels differently and somehow I wake up having hit my snooze button for over an hour.
Today, I had to take a friend to the airport very early, so I convinced myself that I will go for a morning walk and even believed that I would enjoy it. At 8am, the last remnants of cool air are quickly dissipating as the suns slowly creeps up to full force. I walk around two of our 10,000 lake/swamps, trying not to squish what appears to be the Great Migration of Centipedes brought on by last night's rain. By 9am, I've given up all hope in not completely sweating through my clothes as the humidity wraps me up like an awkwardly damp towel after a shower. I finally call it quits about 9:30, proud that I was able to be consistently outside for that length of time and dying to take a cold shower. The walk wasn't a total loss however: I saw 2 alligators, 20 turtles, a river otter, and a collection of weird as hell swampy birds that I couldn't identify again in a line-up.
So what's a Florida girl to do? I've tried the gym route, and I just don't seem to go. I love biking and walks but during these summer months I'd rather hang out in a steam room because at least there I'd probably sweat less. I'm continuing to creep on the pounds the longer I live here and I'm still searching for the best way to work it off. **Update: I just got the Zumba game for Wii, I will keep you posted on my successes/failures.**
After working so hard this morning of course I felt I deserved a reward. Today, I got Kilwin's ice cream, not once, but twice! I must first explain that ice cream is one of my top three food weakness (Big Cheeze-Its and popcorn are the other two), but it is especially hard for me because I am lactose intolerant. My supreme love of all things dairy combined with my inability to properly digest it results in some very interesting evenings, so it's a good thing I don't have a roommate. Kilwin's ice cream is definitely worth the sacrifice.
From their website I learned that Kilwin's first started in Michigan in 1947, but now can be found all over the country, and there are a large number of locations throughout Florida. I have always considered Marianne's in Santa Cruz, with homemade ice creams of over 75 unique flavors, to be the absolute best ice cream I have ever had, but Kilwins is definitely my second favorite.
Their shop is reminiscent of old time soda shops and candy stores, with fudge and fresh candies in the displays that draw any newcomer's eye. They have very high standards of quality and everything that I have tried there has been fresh and amazing. The rich, gourmet ice cream and homemade waffle cones are definitely the top selling-point of this store, in my opinion.
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| I've spent hours staring at these Bear Claws in their display. |
I was dragged to Kilwin's in Celebration forcibly by two separate friends on two separate occasions, imagine the odds! Well, of course when I was forced into their shop, a shining beacon of yesteryear with the scent of fresh waffle cones beckoning future victims to also become addicts to their ice cream. The first visit I got two of my favorite flavors: Toasted Coconut and Celebration Mud. Toasted Coconut has a coconut base with bits of toasted coconut pieces, while Celebration Mud is (vanilla?) with chocolate shavings and a swirl of caramel. Yum! Very rich and delightful.
Well, a slight stomach ache and a lactose-induced nap later, another friend suggested we get ice cream. I had to force myself to eat dinner first (damn mothers and their dinner first lectures!) before I rushed over for round two. My second stop was Cinnamon Crumb Cake and Butter Pecan in a fresh waffle cone. The former is Cinnamon ice cream with crumb cake pieces while the latter has big chunks of pecan. This combination rials a Sommelier's wine choice with a meal, if I do say so myself.
I finished the evening in a rocking chair in front of Celebration's lake, admiring a baby alligator on the prowl for dinner. The weather was cool again after a long afternoon of rain, which made the out-of-doors actually tolerable.
A day started with exercise and ending with ice cream is definitely a good day!
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