Not in Kansas (city) anymore!

We've returned from our trip to visit Kevin's sister with a pitstop on the way home to see his brother. We got to meet little Emma who is beyond adorable! We had a great time & as we parted this morning for the day we both said "gah, it's over." It was a really relaxing & easy trip!

I also got to finally meet a friend I made through a fitness forum & that was excellent as well! It was a short visit but well worth the time we had to chat!

I will do a proper update when I get more time & the photos loaded that we took. Here's one of Kevin & his niece Paige (who refers to him as her "buddy.")

Still engaged!

Sounds odd doesnt it? Well, maybe not for those that have endured the bridal registry process! lol Kevin was a trooper & I even let him scan the items we wanted! He did sneak one in there when I wasnt looking. I turned around at one point & he was zapping a martini shaker! lol Oddly enough, we'd use it & even found a better one to add to the other registry!

We were mostly practical but added our bedding & a Dyson vacuum which are pricey selections. But it's our wedding right? While we both maintain our own homes, it's the first (and ONLY) marriage for us both! So why not register just as a younger couple?!? For those that are FB friends, you can stalk the registries. We are set up at Macy's & also Bed, Bath & Beyond (who were BEYOND awesome!) Alot of our items will replace things that are worn out but some stuff we really need! It'll be fun to see what folks get us :) Just 8 weeks from today is my bridal shower! So so exciting!

The weekend was a good one overall. Aside from the registries, we did look at wedding bands. Mine is easy...white gold band with channel set princess cut diamonds (not all the way around though.) Kevin wants white gold or tungsten (really durable) but would like a little bling. He's uber picky though & a custom ring will be very pricey so he'll find something that still suits his style. He's a little more metro than most men ;)

This week is a short one for me! Actually today is my Wednesday as we prepare to head to visit Kevin's sister & FINALLY meet little Emma! She's grown so much already but still is so tiny! This is our only vacation for the year so we are looking forward to it!

I'm not busy at work either so I'm trying to catch up on blogs. I won't lie. I'm so so far behind! My apologies!!!

Have fantastic week all!

All things wedding!

Okay, so at this point in the game, it's going to be alot of wedding talk. Maybe more than there has been already. I guess that makes you warned! lol

Tonight, Kevin & I embark on the process of the bridal registry! We're off to Macy's tonight then Bed, Bath & Beyond tomorrow. We talked about Target but I hear their return policy, well, sucks for registries!

I am getting so excited with my shower coming up in a couple months. For some reason (I think I mentioned this,) it's all becoming more real now! We are just about 6 months away! I did a mock up of the reception invitations online & just need to show them to Kevin to get those ordered. It actually is more of an announcement with reception card & RSVP. I hope folks like it! I am getting those from Ann's Bridal Bargains. They were recommended by a good friend!

There's a couple blogs that I read too that are in the wedding planning process too. One is Jenn at Eating Bender & another is Mara at I Made Dinner. Check them out if you are interested in following their planning too! Mara's flowers for her bridesmaids are STUNNING! Anyway, check out those lovelies!

After the invitations, I get a bit of a lull until November when I call the Luxor to book for our cocktail hour after the wedding. Kevin's Mom is also working on a "meet & greet" dinner for Friday since we aren't having a formal rehearsal. Oddly enough, for the destination stuff, we can't book that stuff until a few months out!

Life in general has been good! I certainly have no complaints!

Have a FANTASTIC weekend & make today count!

Moscato & Taco dip!

It was a tasty night in my world! I met with my best friend & my soon-to-be MIL to discuss details for my bridal shower (okay, just saying that makes me giddy!) I think I mentioned yesterday that I want the theme to be a surprise. My bestie loved it & was excited to get started on the invites already! If she thought it would be a flop, she'd speak up so I'm excited!

We discussed the menu & are going to offer up 3 choices. Turkey schnitzel, turkey salad in a lettuce bowl or turkey salad on a croissant! I should comment about the restaurant. It's also where I will be having my reception. Can you guess what their specialty is???



I decided on banana cake too!! They have the BEST cakes along with tons of other pastries!

BTW, what's Moscato you ask? It's a really tasty sweet wine that has the bubbliness of champagne! Kevin's Mom & I tasted some at Olive Garden a while back & I happened to find it at the store. It's so so good! I might have also had some Pinot Grigio & Rosato too. The dip for the record was a 7 layer taco dip. Soooo tasty. And yes, that was dinner!

I'm just vegging out at the moment watching More To Love & will sack out here shortly! I finally got to open the upstairs windows again now that the humidity has lifted! It was brutal for several days there!

Hope you've all had a fab day where you are & my apologies for being so behind in blogs. My downtime lately at work has been consumed with all things wedding! Which makes me very very giddy!

Happy almost hump day!

Catch up time!!

Okay, are you tired of me disappearing? Ha! Well, how about a recap? Again....

Wedding
Things are moving right along. My bridal shower date is set & the venue booked. We are holding my shower at the same location as our reception. Yep, it's that good & they are just awesome! Kevin & I went registry shopping to see what we liked & found some great bedding that we'll register for. We've not officially done that yet but will in the next couple weeks before shower invitations go out. And the theme for the shower is already decided but I've told Kevin's Mom that I want that to be a surprise. It's the only surprise in the whole planning process that I get :) She said it's fun & will make me laugh but it's totally "us." Can't wait!

I spent 2 hours today working on the address lists for the reception & shower guest lists. Oyvay, why didnt anyone tell me that wouldn't be fun? We've also narrowed down wedding invitations & I found a reception invite online that we'd like to somewhat recreate for our needs. Gotta love having a printer that's a good friend of the groom ;)

I have to say that I had a TOTAL "I want my Mom" meltdown last week with the shower stuff. Kevin & his Mom (along with my friend) were AMAZING. They really allowed me to vent & let the worry go. The happiest time in my life is sometimes really sad too. It's inevitable.

But onward we go...just about 6 months until the big day!!!!

Fitness:
Spot on in this department! Workouts are ON, cardio is going well & I'm like Donkey Kong with my Weight Watchers program. I was down almost 5 pounds this past week but that was partly "monthly" bloat & partly the same few that I fluctuate. But it's okay, I just want it to be gone forever! I really advocate for the WW program. It's so easy, realistic & really sometime that you can do for a LIFETIME!

I think that covers it plus my laptop is acting wonky (pics wont upload either) so I need to reboot. Hope everyone is doing FAB & your week is off to a kickass start!

Running gadgets!

Are you a running in need of a gadget to hold your goodies on a run? Check this out:

Marathon Val's Spibelt Giveaway!

ps..I promise to blog for real..soon! lol

Giveaway!!!!!

Okay, I'm not doing one but I found a great one!!! I LOVE me some goat cheese!

Never had it? Check out I Made Dinner for Mara's giveaway!

There's a few ways to enter & win!

Fail!

Okay, so it's getting late & I realized that I never blogged today. I'm sitting here working on wedding stuff. Really just focused on a photographer. It's the last big piece & I think I'm going to end up with someone FAR more pricey that I anticipated but I was referred to this woman by a friend. Her pics are really edgy & different. So I'm really considering going with her. Check her out: Wendy Bunch Photography What did you gals pay for your photographer? I'm so curious...okay nosy :) lol

Today was a decent day. We trained this morning (old program still) & did a fast clip on the treadie. Food's been great but something seems to have well disrupted things internally (TMI?!?) I took some Phazyme & waiting for it to "pass." OMG, I crack myself up! Bwahahaha!

I was a the store at lunch & was finding myself being judgemental towards a man with his overweight daughter. She was picking out a bunch of crap food. I'm so not against an occasional yummy treat. I make no secret of my love of the HFCS-to-the-max candy corn so I'm not food snob. But this girl was clearly not in need of the 3 boxes of Poptarts jammed in the cart. I think more than anything it made me sad. I was a big kid but not because my parents let me eat that crap. Ah well..that's my beef of the day!

Anyone watching More to Love? Some of these girls are amazing, confident women yet some are just not ready to be comfortable with themselves yet. I'm all about self-love & confidence but gosh some of them are just NOT good examples of that. AND I just have to say that I'm finding Luke-ol-boy to be a bit of a playa playa! Anyone feel me?

I think that's it for the night. I'll leave you with a hot piece of, er, baseball player!



Yes, yes, I'm a Chicago girl & love me some White Sox baseball but who doesn't love a little Derek Jeter?!? Okay, you can't really tell that's who it is but it is...trust me! lol

Have a FANTASTIC night all & I'll see you on the flipside :)

No pressure!

Ah the joys of Monday & preferring to just stay in bed when the dreaded alarm goes off. BUT I still got up (okay, Kevin made me!) & got myself to the gym! Sadly, my fun shoes on Saturday night left me with some raw spots on my feet so there was no running today. We rode the bike & did some abs!

I'm in search of a new training program for us too! Any ideas on where to find a good one? I'll be looking at fitness sites shortly.

This weekend, I rejoined Weight Watchers & I swear I just love Kristy (our leader.) I swear they remember you & are just as encouraging as ever! I learned something too! Did you know....

....for every pound you lose, you relieve 4 pounds of pressure off your knees!!

Isnt that crazy?!? I am still at over 100 pounds lost. My poor knees, right?!? That's what I love. Forgive the expression but I always remember this... "You can fix fat!" Perhaps it's a little rude but it is what it is!

We had a good weekend, enjoyed some goodies, watched some UFC, & tried to keep cool! It was crazy hot here this weekend!

I think that's all I've got for the moment! I'm moving along with wedding planning though & we've finalized a shower date! And I've booked my DJ for the reception! Gotta love when things fall into place!

So....what have you done to feel good about YOU today?

Game on!

Happy Thursday! It's almost as good as being Friday, eh? I've been trying to entertain myself today but both Twitter & Facebook were on the fritz. Bizarro!

So, I've been reading blogs, thinking lots & bantering with friends via email. I do have some work to do with union reports coming due so I've been working on that stuff too!

My happy news is that we've confirmed our travel dates to go see Kevin's sister & her family. Namely their new daughter Emma (the little one that I posted around July 4th!) Super excited about that. It'll be our longest trip to date with 4.5 hours in the car (until we stop overnight.) But we'll have one day that is almost 6 hours! It should be good folks! lol

Back to me.....we knocked out our training this morning, added ab work & took out the 20 min cardio blast. Our legs were a bit tired & since we plan to run in the morning it was a good idea.

I was looking at old training journals this weekend & was floored at the amount of cardio I used to do. But you know what? I enjoyed it. I did 30 minutes on training days & 45-60 min on other days with 1-2 days off a week. Maybe that's what my body needed to maintain (which is where I was in my weight loss journey.)

I'm really struggling, I will be honest, about the extra weight. I think it's affecting my running with some aches & pains. I feel like it NEEDS to go for me to feel better. I've debated going back to Weight Watchers. I'm still a Lifetime member & just need to get back to goal to be in good standing (meaning I dont have to pay.) I still get their emails & they had a good deal on the monthly pass they offer (it would be $20 for the first month & then is $40 after that.) BUT I need to commit to weekly meetings again but I feel a bit of shame about being heavier. I'm NOT the first Lifer to have this happen & certainly wont be the last either! And I know that mine was a result of contest dieting..NOT overeating or binging. It doesnt really matter though...they dont ask. You know what they say? "It's great to see you again, Heather! Are you still running?" Yep, they remember me! So we'll see what I decide but I NEED to take ACTION!

If I do..this should go on my fridge! hehehe



Now please dont mistake what I'm saying today as whining. It's not. It's just my reality. I've been eating well, dropped a few but it fluctuates. I feel like eating intuitively without counting somehow isnt really going to get me where I am comfortable. That was my realization the other night. Something must be done. I'm the ONLY one that can do it & I know what/how to make it happen.

So with that said.......GAME ON!

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Before I go, I wanted to send you to a new blog by a my friend Krys called Musings from Mom School! You'll love her writing style, wit & like me....yesterday I realized I forgot to take my vitamins! hahaha! Check her out when you get some time!

Wordless Wednesday (courtesy of Nike Women)

Sadness

I know many of you read the blogs that I have linked to the right. If that's the case, then you know of the passing of Meghann's sweet dog Abbie & also that of Andrea's precious Winston. Both of those really broke my heart as a pet lover & I cuddled with my little guy more that night. Okay, we all know cat's so it was kinda forced :)



But one tragedy that you may not be aware of is the death of Jen's Mom. As you can imagine, reading about this REALLY hit home for me after just going through the 3 year anniversary of my own Mom's death. My heart broke & I can just remember than hurt & pain all over again. You can read about the tragedy here. Her Mom sounded like an amazing person with a heart of gold. My continued prayers go out to Jen & her family.

I just had to share these sad stories because somehow the blog community has an amazing bond. So share some love, say a prayer, send some comforting thoughts, etc.

Spare time?

Got a few extra minutes that you need to waste? Help my friend Lisa out & answer her little survey!!

You'll find out what color my wedding dress is if you do ;) LOL

Back in the saddle!

Okay, it's Monday & while I'd rather be home resting from the busy weekend, I'm not. I'm in the office watching an auditor go through our files to ensure that we've paid state taxes properly. No biggie right? Well, it's not other than the fact that I knew the auditor in my college party days! hahahaha

Let's talk about the weekend, shall we? We spent 2 days in Champaign, IL with Kevin's brother's family. Had a great visit, drank some beer, had some good food, did a mini-baking session & took the paddle boat out for a bit (think Flintstones peddaling!) Good times!

Saturday we left there & were (very last minute) headed to the White Sox vs. the Yankees game! So fun! Thanks to Kevin's roommate for the tickets (he got them from a customer..that we actually sat with.) We had a great time watching the Yankees get spanked 14-4!!!! Take that with a little love from the boys on the South Side!

Yesterday we had a Welcome Home party for Kevin's friend who's been working with Operation Iraqi Freedom in Kuwait. He's safely home now! It was a good time & I definitely had too much wine. Couple that with not enough food & I was NOT getting up for the gym this morning!

What else?!? Workouts have been spot on lately & my eats have been okay. I had a couple days of mindless munching but really that compared to full on binges that I've had in the past & it really wasnt a big deal IMO.

I did hit a point the other night after doing that though when I realized that I just can't keep certain things in the house. Does anyone else do that? It's not that I wolf it all down right away. Heck the candy corn was in the house for a week without me even touching it but once I start picking it's all gone shortly thereafter. It's a very different mindset from when I was binging but I still feel like it's a bit disordered.

I'm also frustrated with not being able to really get this extra weight off. I really struggle at counting calories again but wonder if I just need to do it. I'd actually count points since that's easier but I am still protesting I think. I have been eating well & just sticking around the same weight regardless. We talked about it while walking yesterday & Kevin thought maybe I could talk to a nutritionist. I'm not sure since I really have a good knowledge of nutrition but we'll see.

Gosh, I'm totally rambling right now. I just want to get back to where I was pre-contest. Nothing unhealthy. I'm not cutting out any food groups, etc. No low-carbs, no-carbs BS.

I hope you all had a great weekend! Will definitely be getting back to daily blogging. Some purpose....some nonsense....but always honest & just me :)