Killer Gymnastics

Well, I'm able to sit and type this posting which means that I survived another week of "Killer Gymnastics."  To be honest, I had to gather the courage to go back.  Not only was I sore, but I was very intimidated and hesitant to "get right back on the horse."  (Is that even the correct phrase?) 

Anyway, I reluctantly called a cab and headed to the fitness center.  To my surprise, this class was much better than last week.  My very creative use of the couch and pillow mountains (and I learned I'm not the only one who uses household items to practice gymnastics!) came in handy as I practiced bridges during the week...  well... I was somewhat able to practice.  Seems that everytime I flipped upside down, a 50 pound dog came and attacked my face...

Speaking of that 50 pound dog... I was looking through my phone and came across the following photo of Leo that I took on our ride home from Connecticut, right after his adoption...

Ugh!  They grow up so fast!  :)

We haven't had time to wear the homemade bandanas, but those will definitely be showcased this weekend during our long walks around the area!  I will let you know how they do generating funds!  I have some small flyers to hand out also, directing people to my Avon Walk website where they can make an online donation.

In other fundraising news, I received an offline $20 donation!  $395 and growing... just 94 days left!

To make a donation, please visit:

www.avonwalk.org/goto/scummins

Thank you for all of your support this far!

 

"Beginner" Gymnastics

Do you see the image of Shawn Johnson to my right?  Yeah.  Last night I figured out I'm not her. 

I signed myself up for an Adult Beginner Gymnastics class through a community education program in NoVA (NoVA is the fancy abbreviation for Northern Virginia).  Anyone who knows me knows that I've always wanted to learn how to do a back handspring.  When I saw the listing for Beginner Gymnastics I figured I'd start at the bottom and eventually get to where I could learn this supernatural human trick.  Is this making sense to everyone?

So, with handsprings in the way back of my mind, I paid the fee, took a taxi to class (I don't have a car anymore, remember?) and well...

Have you ever really wanted to learn how to do something that required training/assistance/special help?  Scuba diving for instance.  You should probably know how to swim before you attempt diving hundreds of feet into the ocean, right?  Basically, last night's gymnastics experience was comparable to being thrown into an ocean without knowing how to swim or use any of the gear. 

I'm alive.  That's the good news.  Gymnastics is no joke.  There are various mats and devices that assist these wannabe gymnast people (like myself) to do back walkovers, handsprings, front tucks, etc.  I just wasn't aware I'd be using them already.  I will continue to utilize homemade "Pillow Mountains" while practicing in the privacy of my own apartment...

While my gymastics classes aren't over (there are 9 left!), I do know that my quest to become the next Dominique Moceanu or Shawn Johnson is officially over.  Sorry.  You won't be seeing me in the Olympics anytime soon.  This, of course, means that I won't be asked to compete on Dancing with the Stars or any other reality TV shows either.  But maybe this means I'll be able to do a few miles of back handsprings during the Avon Walk... hmmm....

***

Speaking of the Avon Walk, I received a few donations already - from Leo's Godmother & Godfather, (Peggy & Ron) and Pam (thank you).  Leo & I traveled many miles on Sunday.  Many, many, many miles.  I have to be vague about the exact number because my new pedometer calculated that we walked about 13 miles in the hour and a half we were out.  (That doesn't exactly make sense, does it?  We are pretty amazing, but...)  Turns out I had to set the "stride" setting so that it can provide a more accurate count of my mileage.  Oops.

The rain kept us inside on Monday (no, I wasn't afraid we were going to melt!) but we needed a day to recoup and prepare for Killer Gymnastics. 

The link for online donations may be found below.  Remember,  I can't walk if I haven't raised $1800!! 

To make online donations, visit www.avonwalk.org/goto/scummins.   

Until next time!