McFatty Monday

Let's see where we're at today...

I'm up by just over a pound from last week. This should come as no shock seeing as last week we had 3 snow days in a row giving me a 5 day weekend! Yes, I loved every minute of it, but I took advantage of it and ate too many things I shouldn't have.

Let's recap, shall we?

• Oreos. I tend to polish them off pretty quickly. It's an issue.
• Phil and I celebrated his news of a permanent job with steak, twice baked potatoes (with broccoli), and shrimp.
• Lots of soda. Not enough water.
• Friday night's dinner was laughable at best...corn dogs and shrimp. Enough said.
• Saturday we ordered pizza and wings for lunch.
• Sunday was a big mac combo. Once the pastor mentioned a big mac at the beginning of the service, I knew I was done for.

This week was horrible food-wise and I didn't get to the gym. Nope, not once. I am attempting to make this week better and try not to eat any fast food in the process. I was hoping to get to the gym today, but my back is really on the fritz since I did laundry and my wrist has been hurting all day.

I am starting to think that maybe changing my gym membership to include the pool might be worth it. I just bought a brace for my knee and with all of the back issues I've been having, it's starting to sound more appealing.

I am hoping to get things back on track and in order. I have just over three weeks until the wedding and I need to make sure that I can still fit into my dress since it's already been altered!

Bargain Shopping

I love a good bargain, but do you know who loves a bargain even more than I do? Phil. He was raised, as was I, to shop around for the best price, use coupons, and wait until it is on sale to buy. These are great principles and we hope to be able to continue them in order to save money.

This week we were able to find a couple of good bargains at one of my favorite stores Target. I love going to Target. The store is always clean and it's pretty easy to find what you are looking for. Because I love Target so much, I also know that they put all of there clearance items on the end cap of the row. Often times, you will find me looking at things in the aisle and walking down the row of end caps looking at all of the clearance items.

Yesterday I was able to find this tablecloth on clearance. It is super cute and looks great with the color of wood we have in the dining room. We were able to find it for $10.48 and the listed price was $14.99!

I was also fortunate enough to find this duffel bag to be able to pack up a bag for the gym and have it ready to go! I'm hoping this will help to motivate me and get me there more often. This was a steal for only $7.48 and the listed price was $29.99!

I know it might not always be fun to wait for things to drop in price, but it can really pay off big-time. I'm still learning to exercise patience with waiting for certain things, but when we get great deals, it makes it that much easier for next time.

What you do bargain shop for the most?



28 Days to Go...

There's exactly 4 weeks left until we are married! We have been able to get things in order so there is not that much left to do at this point. I have been blessed with support and help from so many family and friends and all I can say is thank you!

This week I was able to get the favors finished and packed up! We also went to the post office to pick up stamps for thank you cards and bills, paid off the florist and picked out the parents/grandparent's flowers, and had a friend help me almost finish the centerpieces! As you could imagine, it's definitely been a great week and I can contribute that to the insane amount of snow days we've had this week!

All in all things are moving along smoothly and I really have no complaints. I am enjoying these last few weeks of preparing for the wedding, but I can't wait to marry my best friend. He is such an amazing man and I love him so much.

Hopefully I can finish the centerpieces this week and be able to do a "test run" on the programs.

Being Productive

Let's just put it out there...I work part-time.

I feel so blessed that we are able to have me work part-time and that I get the opportunity to have more free time. It has been especially great with planning the wedding. I have great availability to be able to meet with vendors, go to dress fittings, and get all of our DIY wedding projects done.

There seems to be only one major problem....

I am exhausted at the end of my workday.

In fact, I am exhausted right now and I have been since 8 o'clock this morning! This leaves me wanting to go home, take a nap, and lounge around all afternoon and evening because I'm tired.

I get off of work every day at 12:30 pm. I go home, eat lunch, and run any errands that I can muster to do in the freezing cold (which usually isn't much).

We had a great sermon this past Sunday on being the best you can be to set a great example for everyone. This got me thinking that the best me is one that is productive and doesn't sit on the couch all.the.time.

Yesterday was the first day that I put this into practice. After work, I had my final dress fitting to go to. When I came home I allowed myself to go on the internet for a little while to catch-up on things, but made myself get up and get stuff done for a while.

I managed to get the gifts from the bridal shower out of the bags, threw away the mass amount of tissue paper that was there, folded up the gift bags, organized the gifts, spot cleaned the couch, vacuumed a bit, and worked on my centerpieces.

By seven o'clock, I was exhausted! It felt good to get things out of the way and not just wait until Phil comes over to help. I mean, he works over 40 hours a week and has a 2 hour commute each way to work!

I am hoping to be able to keep this up and organize my apartment and have it all ready for him to move in after the wedding.

Does anyone have any tips on staying productive and awake when you don't like coffee?

McFatty Monday

It's been a while since I've done a McFatty Monday post so I thought it might be nice to have an update.

I haven't done much in the way of exercising/dieting for months, so I didn't really have much to write about. The holidays did me in and just the fact that it's freezing outside does not make me want to eat right and go to the gym. I just want to stay inside, sleep, and eat.

After months of not going, we signed me up for the gym that's 5 minutes away from my new apartment and I finally went to the gym last week! Granted, it was only one time, but it felt good to get back into the gym and work out. I'm hoping to be able to make it a regular practice again.

Yesterday, Phil and I went to the mall and we walked so much. We ended up having to take a break because my knee started acting up, but I was still being more active. My goal is to take it all in stride and really try to enjoy this journey instead of dreading it. That's the only way to make it healthy and last.

Wedding Wednesdays

If I have learned anything during the wedding planning process, it would be to be flexible.

Everyone goes into planning their wedding with at least one thing they have in mind that they think is a must, but with planning your wedding, so many things can change.

For example...

I thought that having a three tier wedding cake was the only thing that I wanted. Not two, not four, but three. After meeting with our cake lady, we've decided that a four tier might be our best option...depending on how many guests we have as the final count.

I also thought that my dress had to be strapless. Nothing else would do. Oh, and I didn't want a veil. Needless to say, this didn't work out and I'm ok with it!

I had always envisioned my groom standing at the altar with a black tux and white vest/tie/shirt. Phil didn't want to wear all white, so he's going to be wearing an aqua tie, no vest, with a white shirt.

These are all things that I'm happy about and was thrilled that I was able to accept these changes as they came along. Being flexible has made planning the wedding fun, rewarding, and mostly stress-free!

My constant thought is that no matter what, the most important thing is that I am marrying my best friend. All other things are secondary. As long as the pastor, my groom, and a couple of witnesses show up and we are able to get married, I will be happy with that. Our marriage is more important than any one day. The wedding is just a big, fun day to show our love and commitment and we will be able to look back and say that it turned out perfectly because we love each other and got married...even if things don't go as planned.

Snow Day...again!

Today we were fortunate enough to have another snow day. This is the second of the year and I must admit that with the wedding coming up, I absolutely love snow days!

I was super busy yesterday with appointments for the wedding (hair trial, make up trial, and picking out the cake) so I didn't get around to actually finish picking the wording for our ceremony. Since it started snowing right as we were finishing up with our cake appointment, Phil's mom suggested that I stay over at their house so that I didn't have to drive home in the snowy conditions.

I woke up this morning and school had been cancelled! I was able to leave Phil's parents' house around 11am and got home safely. After making and receiving a number of phone calls, I was able to sit down with the binders the pastor gave us, and pick out the wording for our ceremony. I couldn't believe how many choices there were or how we would like part of one and part of another. So, I sat there piecing things together until I got something I knew we would both like and emailed it to our pastor.

I think the best thing about snow days is that I feel like I can have time to lounge around, but also get things done all in the same day without having to rush anything. I made all of the phone calls I needed to make and was able to take care of things in a relaxed mode instead of trying to get through things while being stressed.

 I know tomorrow won't be another snow day, but I am thankful to only have to work two days this week since Friday is the ski trip for the grades I teach and I was able to "opt out." I'm hoping to go next year, but I didn't want to chance any injuries with the wedding 5 1/2 weeks away.

Wedding Wednesday

DIY Unity Candle

Phil and I debated whether to have a unity candle or unity sand as part of our ceremony. At first, we thought that unity sand was better, but after a lot of research we decided on a unity candle. Once we had decided to have a unity candle, the next step was to find one that we could both agree on. Phil had set a budget of $30 for a unity candle set and was less than thrilled to find out that we would have to spend even more money on a unity candle holder. So, I decided that there must be something I could do to make it less expensive...I'd make one myself!

I saw this one online and wanted to imitate it.

After looking online on how to personalize candles. I came up with this...

And the close-up...

I am thrilled with how it came out! The same unity candle online would have been $30 and I spent a total of $5.50 to make this one! I can't wait until Phil can see it. I love being able to personalize things especially when we can save money doing it ourselves!

What do you think?

To Do List

I feel like I've been so busy lately. The wedding is less than 7 weeks away and I've been running around taking care of errands, teaching, and trying to hang out with friends when there's a chance. It just feels like it's been non-stop even when I have time to relax. I still have a list a mile long of to-do's that is constantly in the back of my mind.

I need to...

1. Go to the gym. Seriously, I feel like crap lately with the lack of exercise. I want to feel great and not be winded walking up the stairs at work.
2. Finish the centerpieces. They've been sitting in my guest room for a month now and need to be done.
3. Tie ribbons to the favors. Again, in the guest room...
4. Finish organizing the apartment. This is something that needs to be done preferably before the shower (that's coming up soon!) and before we get more stuff!
5. Meet with all of my vendors. We have appointments to meet with the pastor for the ceremony and with the lady making our cake, but I need to meet with the reception coordinator again.
6. Make the programs. This can't be done just yet, but once the ceremony is finalized, we can make it happen!
7. Read. I need to read the novels my classes are reading 4th quarter ahead of time. Three classes equals three books.

That's just the short list. I'm going to take it all one at a time and knock them out!

What is on your to do list?

48 Days and Counting...

Oh my gosh...only 48 days until the wedding! There's still somethings that need to be done, but overall, everything is pretty much taken care of.

I was on TheKnot.com today and decided to read the message boards...you know, just for fun...and realized how many women are planning their weddings and are so stressed. I always thought planning your wedding was supposed to be fun. Sure, there will be some stress involved because not everything is going to go your way, but these women were writing as though this is the worst thing that has happened to them! Ummm...seriously? This is your wedding--at the end of the day, it's all about you and your fiance getting married. Flowers, the guest list, music, invitations, programs, etc., are all secondary. No one is really going to look back 20 years from now and say..."Wow, her food really sucked!" People don't remember the details years from now, instead, they remember the memories they created of that day.

I love the fact that the wedding is getting closer. Yes, there are still things to do, but at the end of the day, I can not wait to leave the wedding and reception with my husband. That will mean more to me than any amount of money we could spend to make the day "special."

2011 Rocks!

Despite the days seeming to pass by slowly, this week has been awesome! I've accomplished a lot this week and have been blessed in so many ways.

This week...

• My classes went back to their regular routines!
• My hair and make up trials are scheduled.
• We also scheduled a meeting with our pastor to do the ceremony details.
• I found the base for the pillar candle used in the unity candle part of the ceremony.
• I went to my dress fitting with my future MIL.
• We paid off our wedding bands and picked Phil's up from the store.
• I get to pick up my wedding ring today!
• I found a new jacket that I can wear when I'm more dressed up.
• We won a tv!

Today, we were also lucky enough to have a 2 hour delay because of snow which means I only worked 2 hours! I'm going to find my dad a tie to wear to the wedding, pay off the honeymoon, and pick up around my apartment.

I can't wait to see what unfolds this weekend!

It's Coming Soon!

I must admit that I loved every second of our winter break from school. Phil was able to take a couple of days off to have an extended holiday and it was nice to be able to spend that extra time with him.

The wedding is officially less than two months away! Of course, I am ecstatic and couldn't be happier. Things are coming along well and planning the wedding is still fun. Unfortunately, I am having one major problem. I am so excited that the wedding is almost here that I can't seem to get to sleep! I lay there thinking about the wedding so excited and all of the things that need to get done soon that my mind is racing and keeping me up. I try to get to bed and get some rest, but I lay there wide awake and am exhausted the next morning.

I'm hoping to be able to wind down a bit more before bed. Today I made sure to relax a little more and not put things away right before bed so that I will not be distracted with thoughts of "what more can I get done?" Hopefully, that will help.

I'm off to try to get some much needed sleep so I can be awake and alert tomorrow in the classroom. Have a good night!

Bring on 2011!

2011 is finally here! Last year, I thought 2010 was going to be the year, but I have a feeling that this year is going to kick last year's butt!

2010 was a great year. I earned my bachelor's degree, got ENGAGED, started my teaching career, and moved. I grew spiritually, emotionally, and lost 11 pounds. I learned more about myself and my relationship than ever before and was able to better handle the ups and downs of life.

I'm going to miss 2010, but I know that God has so many blessings for 2011...starting with getting married in just 56 days! I seriously can not wait!

Here's to 2011. May there be plenty of laughter, faith, and love this year and may God bless every single one of you.