get in shape, girl!

at pretty much every wedding i have attended, i have noticed the significant bridal weight loss--the complete shedding of what i like to call "wedding weight." so about the moment T proposed, i decided that i, too, would change my name from Fatty McButterpants prior to becoming Mrs. Thurston Howell.


sadly, i was unable to locate my sister's "Get In Shape, Girl!" cassettes and workout gear and was, thus, forced to hire a trainer to get me in shape for my upcoming nuptials. my wedding planner referred me to Matt Hayes and i am now a (semi-)willing participant in his Bridal Boot Camp, which is, how do you say?, kicking my ass. (and, ideally, shrinking it as well.)

i see Matt twice a week and am also meant to hit the gym the five days that i don't see him. i've been trying at that, but, well...

see last night i was sure i'd head to the gym right after my other personal trainer, the one for my psyche (read: therapy). but then at about noon, my friend the Car Wash King called me to see if i wanted to have dinner. since Thurston is in a darts league with his college buddies, i'm a darts widow every Monday night and am always happy for a plan. however, i knew i was supposed to be on the treadmill and/or rower for a 1/2 hour minimum. but then the CW King suggested DB Bistro Moderne. how can a girl refuse?

i can tell you one thing, i sure enjoyed last night's meal a million times more than i would have enjoyed my cardio. (does lifting a fork repeatedly count in any way as "reps"?)

my meal (cut and pasted from the db menu. you think i have time to invent food descriptions? nope!):

• appetizer: TOMATO TARTE TATIN with Goat Cheese Frisée, and Black Olives
• main: THE ORIGINAL db BURGER (rare, because that's how i roll) Sirloin Burger filled with Braised Short Ribs, Foie Gras and Black Tuffles, Served on a Parmesan Bun with Pommes Frites

• cheeses: Ossau Iraty (France) A firmly textured cheese with a nutty, fruity and slightly tart flavor; Selles sur Cher (Loire, France) Soft and charismatic, with a flaky and creamy texture; and another one, but i forget which.

everything was ridiculously delicious, from the amuse bouche (olive tapenade with little bread rounds) to the petits fours. and, while the CW King went on an extended bathroom visit (read: text messaging sojourn), i chatted with my waiter and mentioned that i had met the fiancée of the sous chef at Mrs. Doctor's bridal shower and bachelorette party. about three minutes later, the chef/fiancé came out to say hi. very exciting for me, since anyone who had any hand in that spectacular dinner is clearly genius. as i told Jolie and Lola, even the vanilla ice cream (which the King generously let me try) was sublime. if you have a spare $120 lying around, i highly recommend you hit up DB Bistro. so worth it!

and so much more delicious than water from the gym water fountain!