Wedding Planning

Once upon a time, a year and a half ago, when we first got engaged I was organized and gung-ho.  I made story boards.  Now, I reflect on exactly how different the wedding has turned out, as we are 1 MONTH away.  Yes, be scared.

Alright, I have no idea why I had to change the picture format, but they're low quality.  Sorry. 

Well, what's changed?  What's the same?
-  The colors are largely the same.  Pink is now the focus, rather than orange, but close enough.
-  My bouquet is *supposed* to be similar to the 1st photo.  We'll see.
-  Cake and bridesmaids dresses?  Nope.  Nothing like that.
-  Got that exact Kitchen-aid mixer at a shower!  Rock on!
-  My dress is similar to the pictured dress.  Not exactly.  Ok, not really at all, but I see the elements.  (Sorry, not gonna elaborate since Chris reads.)
-  And...all those little details?  Yeah, not so much.  Most has changed.  It was a nice idea, though.

Mission Patio: Complete

We had a LONG weekend once Chris got home from his test.  Friday night, I drove over to where we used to live to get his favorite Chinese food, and we watched Hurt Locker.  Both were great.  But that's about as much energy as he had left.  That and the ability to enjoy the beer that his work had given to him.  (Thanks guys!)

Saturday, up early, I walked Harper about 3.5 miles while Chris and Matt got rolling on moving the gravel into the pit we had dug last weekend.  As soon as I got back, I started helping...and making coffee, and picking up bagels, and various other ways to spoil those breaking their backs.  Don't get me wrong, I certainly transported a lot of gravel, and tamped a lot down!  Along with tamping my big toe...that HURT.  We then went to obedience class, Matt went home, I got my first facial EVER (Erin at Antoinette is WONDERFUL for anyone interested), and then it was back to work.  Well, after I stopped at TJ Maxx to get a pair of jeans that actually FIT.  Guess jeans for $30 that look amazing.  SCORE.  I now do not have to fear that Chris is going to de-pants me in public.  He was finding it way too tempting with the jeans hanging off my rear like a plumber. 

Back to work.  That night, even though it was FREEZING and getting dark, we cut the 4x4's to surround the patio.  Incorrectly.  But we didn't know that at the time.

Sunday.  We laid the sand, the brick, re-cut the 4x4's, fixed the brick, swept the sand between the bricks to stabalize, and VOILA!  Patio.  Chris is STILL barely moving because he's so sore.  I, on the other hand, ran 7 miles yesterday and lifted.  Ok, I RAN 3.5 and walked the dog.  Still.  We're pretty pleased with how it turned out.  Though, of course it could be a bit more level, and if there's a next time we'd do a few things differently.  Proof of our labor:

GOOD LUCK CHRIS!!!!

P.E.

Yes, fear should be struck in the hearts of all men.  Chris is taking the Professional Engineering exam tomorrow, so he is home studying before he drives to Delaware for the test.  And by studying, I probably mean working on the patio and cleaning.  The man is an unstoppable force of nature.

I should not be floored by how much work he's put in.  I did take the bar a few times (in a couple states) and can feel the pain.  Actually, much of our courtship was spent in libraries studying for the FE/EIT (engineer in training) exam and the PA bar together.  This time, he's been on his own.  And...I've been a single doggy-mommy.  He studies a minimum of a couple hours a night and pretty solidly on weekends.  We don't go out much at all.  I was requested to limit my activities, even, so that he wouldn't be left alone with crazy dog-lady.

Needless to say, I think he's ready.  He's a smart cookie, has worked hard, and deserves to pass with flying colors.  Good luck!

Sick Puppy

We have the most energetic, happy, "sick" dog that you'll ever see.  For about a week, Harper had been very congested, sluggish, and puking at random intervals.  Last night, after cleaning up the family room floor, I was fed up.  We suspected it was just allergies, but decided to go visit the vet.  The vet pretty much agreed that it was allergies or a virus, but also that she may have developed an ulcer from the "stress" of the drastic weather change.  My 6 month old has an ULCER.  Ridiculous.  How stressful can the life of a dog be?

*Flashback photo*

Long and short of it is that she's on antacids and is to be fed "GI friendly" foods.  Meaning chicken and rice made in low-sodium chicken broth.  You'd think this dog had died and gone to heaven.  She went from not eating to WOLFING the food down.  How we're ever going to get her back on kibble is to be seen.  She is SUCH a fan of chicken and rice, that she is now scavenging the counters at all times.  And even managed to score herself a loaf of freshly baked bread.  GRR.  This morning, the dog was BEYOND energetic and happy.  Apparently, her stomach really was upset.  However, I might prefer puppy with a tummy ache to the bread-stealing mad woman we now have!  ;)

What is Exercise?

I can't even convey how upset I was when I injured my left knee.  And then my right knee.  And I saw my dreams of 125 pounds at my wedding and a 10 mile race on May 2nd go up in smoke.  And then an amazing thing happened.  I just realized that these goals are not impossible to reach.

In my head, I had taken a month off from exercise.  March 9th-April 9th.  Nothing.  Nada.  Zilch.  In my mind, I saw the pounds piling back on, and my newly toned muscles withering away.  I continued to eat rationally, and maintained my love affair with CalorieCount.com     And....the weight continued to come off.  Probably 8 pounds since "I haven't exercised."  But the reality is, I have.

I always say that walking my dog doesn't count as exercise.  This might be true if I had a purse dog (no offense to those of you that do) that only required a traipse around the yard.  But the "non-exercise" of walking my dog is about 4 miles a day.  What else didn't I count?  Home renovations.  We're not talking about sewing some pillows or slapping up a coat of paint, either.  (Both of which I really enjoy doing, but didn't happen this month.)  I dug foundations.  Moved dirt.  Planted flowers and a garden.  Dug up fence posts.  Lots of HEAVY lifting.

Throw in that I was still even doing an occasional aerobics class or yoga video, and you realize that I was completely deluding myself.  I might not have been getting my miles in on the treadmill, but I was EXERCISING.  This morning I went to the gym for my first "serious" run, and ran a 5k in pretty decent time, without much pain.  So now the challenge is...do I still try and train for the 10 mile race?  Chris votes that I don't.  He thinks my knees won't hold up, and I'll be limping at the wedding.  A friend that is an avid runner thinks I can do it, as long as I get in 2 long runs before then, and just plan on walking when necessary.

The question is:  When is it too much of a challenge? 

Renovations with Animals

Ah, the satisfaction of putting in a hard day of manual labor.  Seeing the visible progress of your work.  Anticipating that after being dead tired...the animals will still need baths. 

Monster was never terrible when we were doing interior renovations.  For the most part, he stayed out of the way.  He might come in to check out what was going on, but was never impeding to the process. 

As I type that, I am hearing Harper running up the stairs to investigate something.  I question the cliche "curiosity killed the cat", because in our house?  He's not the one at risk.  This weekend was productive, but did involve both a cat and a dog that were very eager to "help".

Since we have so much free time, we have many outdoor projects started.  No, of course we're not consumed by getting married in 40 days, and of course Chris is just fine working full time, then immediately coming home to study for his PE exam on Friday.  But just to keep ourselves entertained, we've surveyed for a fence, started the garden, are continually planting more flowers, and then the biggies: building a patio, levelling the yard and re-seeding, and building a brick liner around the flower beds. 

Goal #1 for the weekend was to dig out the base for the patio and lay the gravel....it didn't happen.  We finished digging, but Chris and I are both barely mobile at this point.  It's hard work!  We used the dirt to level the front, and to build up an area in the back which, ultimately, will be another raised bed, with a retaining wall.  Monster and Harper?  They enjoyed helping with digging and moving the dirt...  Oh the mess.

  

The Great Hair Debate

With the wedding coming up, opinions have been expressed on my hair.  Not in terms of the style.  Color.  Hadn't really considered that this was a decision that needed to be made, but so be it. 

I am a chameleon.  My hair color has changed FREQUENTLY throughout the years.  It has been hot pink in high school, my natural mid-brown, dark brown, red, and, most often, blonde.  My mother VASTLY prefers me as a blonde.  My fiance, while he generally likes brunettes, and hates red hair, has been approving of both blonde and a dark auburn.  The question is...do I stick with the natural brown or change it up?  Here I am in various states:  (some of these are really horrible pictures...bear with me)

Brown, current, natural color (ouch...before I lost weight)

Very blonde.  Believe this is my mother's choice.

Fairly red (sorry Hannah looks crazy)

 

Strawberry blonde

Love this middle ground...but so hard to get right!  (this is my sister-in-law's bridal luncheon)

I can't decide.  Help!