Hello LilyOnTheLam.Com Readers:
This month marks the tenth anniversary of my living in Tampa, Florida. Even though I am 908 years old, I am still surprised at how quickly ten years went by. I usually live 2-5 years somewhere, then pick up and move. But I am still here. Now six of those ten years I was traveling for work constantly, which definitely delays getting tired of a city.
Growing up in the Midwest, I am not a fan of winter. While the redneck level makes me sad. The bizarre crimes that occur in Florida make me sad. The hurricanes and torrential summer rains make me sad. What doesn't make me sad is 70 degrees in winter driving to the beach in my convertible. So I put up with living in (to quote NBC's 30 Rock) "America's Australia" (as in penal colony) to have palm trees, the Gulf of Mexico and warm weather.
When I left Minneapolis to move to Tampa, I was leaving behind my favorite gym Lifetime Fitness. I had a trainer named Bridget. I called her Bridgy-Bo behind her back. Every now and then she would hear me say it and she would make me pay heavily - in lunges. I hate lunges. If I ever have any knee issues, I am going to blame the lunges.
Bridgy Bo was the only trainer ever to get me to run on a treadmill for more than two seconds. That is a serious accomplishment because I hate hate hate running. Now the runs were never horrifically long, but still I consider it a great feat.
Lifetime Fitness was gorgeous and had many locations around the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota. One location was like a gigantic super center with outdoor pools that had a lazy river going around it, a restaurant and huge supervised kids center. It was a parents' dream. Intertubing down the lazy river I had to remind myself that this was a gym!
Right as I left Minneapolis, my favorite grocery store ever - Trader Joe's- started opening locations in Minnesota. It was like a giant kick in the rear leaving to move to a city with no Trader Joe's. Sigh. I would say I wasn't bitter but I don't like to lie to my readers.
There was no Lifetime Fitness in Tampa either. There was "Lifestyles Fitness" (which is now LA Fitness). My brain couldn't form the word "Lifestyles" so for the first three years I lived in Tampa, I kept calling it "Lifetime Fitness." I think it was out of sheer sadness at missing my Minnesota gym.
But a mere ten years later (it took 2 years to build the Eiffel Tower), Trader Joe's finally opened in South Tampa in March 2014. And now on Saturday, April 12, 2014, Lifetime Fitness will open near International Plaza in the Westshore area of Tampa, Florida.
Proving that life will eventually deliver to you what you want, if you're willing to wait long enough.
Tampa, I hope you're ready for a deluxe gym! Welcome Lifetime Fitness!
This month marks the tenth anniversary of my living in Tampa, Florida. Even though I am 908 years old, I am still surprised at how quickly ten years went by. I usually live 2-5 years somewhere, then pick up and move. But I am still here. Now six of those ten years I was traveling for work constantly, which definitely delays getting tired of a city.
Growing up in the Midwest, I am not a fan of winter. While the redneck level makes me sad. The bizarre crimes that occur in Florida make me sad. The hurricanes and torrential summer rains make me sad. What doesn't make me sad is 70 degrees in winter driving to the beach in my convertible. So I put up with living in (to quote NBC's 30 Rock) "America's Australia" (as in penal colony) to have palm trees, the Gulf of Mexico and warm weather.
When I left Minneapolis to move to Tampa, I was leaving behind my favorite gym Lifetime Fitness. I had a trainer named Bridget. I called her Bridgy-Bo behind her back. Every now and then she would hear me say it and she would make me pay heavily - in lunges. I hate lunges. If I ever have any knee issues, I am going to blame the lunges.
Bridgy Bo was the only trainer ever to get me to run on a treadmill for more than two seconds. That is a serious accomplishment because I hate hate hate running. Now the runs were never horrifically long, but still I consider it a great feat.
Lifetime Fitness was gorgeous and had many locations around the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota. One location was like a gigantic super center with outdoor pools that had a lazy river going around it, a restaurant and huge supervised kids center. It was a parents' dream. Intertubing down the lazy river I had to remind myself that this was a gym!
Right as I left Minneapolis, my favorite grocery store ever - Trader Joe's- started opening locations in Minnesota. It was like a giant kick in the rear leaving to move to a city with no Trader Joe's. Sigh. I would say I wasn't bitter but I don't like to lie to my readers.
There was no Lifetime Fitness in Tampa either. There was "Lifestyles Fitness" (which is now LA Fitness). My brain couldn't form the word "Lifestyles" so for the first three years I lived in Tampa, I kept calling it "Lifetime Fitness." I think it was out of sheer sadness at missing my Minnesota gym.
But a mere ten years later (it took 2 years to build the Eiffel Tower), Trader Joe's finally opened in South Tampa in March 2014. And now on Saturday, April 12, 2014, Lifetime Fitness will open near International Plaza in the Westshore area of Tampa, Florida.
Proving that life will eventually deliver to you what you want, if you're willing to wait long enough.
Tampa, I hope you're ready for a deluxe gym! Welcome Lifetime Fitness!
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