In Glee Heaven!!!

Who else is SOOOO glad Glee is back?

I got so excited that B actually agreed to watch it with me.  Big night...

...we also had a big weekend down here in the QC.

After 3 weeks of bathroom demolition, which meant living in our guest bedroom and having a toilet in our dining room, we finally have our apartment back....at least until the guest bathroom renovations start in another week.  Sigh.

Our dining room, finally put back together.

We also had our first engagement party.  My mom says this means B and I are officially engaged.  So basically we're out of the wedding closet, woohoo! 

The theme of the party was bbq, bluegrass and brews.  We had tons of friends and family there, it was pretty awesome to have so many people celebrating with us, especially those that came in from out of town.  It was a super fun night, but I did feel like I needed it to last a few more hours so I could actually catch up with everyone.  Thank god our wedding weekend will be two nights, otherwise I'd need an 8 hour reception to have enough time with everyone. 

So Cheesy Yet Cute

B had tons of family in town for the party, including his mom, dad,  brother, sister, aunt, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews.  I spent Saturday with a bunch of the family waiting in line for...wait for it...Jessica Simpson.  It was a labor of love..B's niece was DYING to see her.  I have to say, she looked pretty good:

Hope you guys had a great weekend, too!

Help A Fellow Blogger Out

Hi friends...my college roommate and fellow blogger is working on a cookbook.  She is in the final stages of her proposal and has asked for help filling out a quick survey about cook book preferences.

If you have 2 minutes (it's quick, I promise) would you mind filling out the survey?  Just click here.  Thanks in advance!

Image via

Also, I am entering a giveaway for free LeCreuset cookware.  The giveaway is being hosted on the great blog, Naturally Caffeinated Family.  You can check out all the details & enter yourself here.

Thanks for your help, hope yall are having a great day!

Looking for Healthy Recipes & Tips! (The second part of "getting serious about getting in shape")

I'm on a "get healthy" kick, which I've mentioned before.  In fact, in a previous post, I discussed how post-it notes are going to help me whip myself back into shape.  For the record, I did do a 4.5 mile loop this morning - half walking/half running - but still.  1 post-it down, 20 to go - whoo!

Okay, so fine, I'll get back in shape, but I know I need to be a LOT better about eating healthy too or I'll never lose the dreaded double chin.   This Sunday, for example, I managed to house a cheese danish, fried chicken, a cupcake and lots of sweet tea - and that doesn't even include dinner.  No veggies, fruits.  Yikes.

I am NOT someone who can cut out foods - I'm like a little kid in that respect, the more I tell myself I can't have it, the more I want it and become determined to have it.  So moderation is big with me.

I'm going to have to break up with Chick-fil-a for a while :(

If I were still single & living in NYC, I would simply order out less and cook super simple meals - a veggie burger + steamed veggies for dinner, maybe chicken & veggies.  I'd definitely not keep much dessert in the house and would avoid fries at all cost.  Unfortunately, living with B complicates things.  He needs more than just chicken + veggies.  He wants tater tots, fried, bread, always a starchy side. And don't even get that boy near a veggie burger, things get ugly!

So I'm soliciting advice - what do you eat or cook when you want to "get back in shape".  More specifically, what are some healthy things I can cook that my picky "roommate" will like?  :)   Keep in mind we don't eat red meat in our house, nor do we do anything that is strictly vegetarian (I know, you must be thinking.."what the hell do those guys eat"..we manage, I promise, its just not always healthy).

What are you favorite healthy foods, meals & recipes?  Please share!!!

Major Monday Fail

So much for starting my fitness kick on the right foot...

I slept through my alarm.  BOOOO!

I've got an 8am car appointment tomorrow, so tomorrow morning's out for a workout as well.  I guess I better try and squeeze in a run tonight and tomorrow after work!

This pic pretty much sums up how I feel about all of this!

Getting Serious About Getting Back in Shape (Part I)

This is a little embarrassing to admit, but one of my first thoughts after we got engaged (after the excitement and tears, of course) was "oh crap, now I have to lose some weight!"   I gave it some thought, promised to get back into an exercise routine and then threw back several glasses of champagne.

We spent the next week celebrating and haven't slowed down since.  So not only have I not gotten back into shape, I've actually gained weight, ahhhhh!

I always gain weight in the summers and lose it during the winter - there are just so many more distractions & reasons to eat more, drink more, exercise less during the summer, I guess.  Ranch Theckla, anyone?  Yup, happened during the summer.  That terrible month when I ripped 2 pairs of "too-tight" jeans, yup, that was during the summer too.  This summer has been no exception - my skirts are tight and I'm pretty sure I saw a double chin waving at me in the mirror recently. 

I've decided that starting tomorrow I am going to make a greater effort at getting back in shape.  Research shows it takes 21 days to make a habit.  I know this is true, because when I lived in New York, my roommate and I put 21 post-it notes on the fridge, counting down from 21.  Everytime we went for a run, or hit the gym, we pulled off a post-it note.  The goal was to consistently get up early and exercise, missing no more than 2 consecutive days (supposedly if you miss more than 2 days in a row of whatever habit you are forming, you get out of the routine and have to start over). 

So guess what?  Yup, the post-its are back!  I've got to get back into a work-out routine and hopefully this is the trick that helps me do it.  Not only do I want my clothes to fit, but I want to feel better.  I definitely have more energy when I get up early and exercise, I just need to do it more often!  

I'll keep you posted on my progress in new fitness friday posts! 

Remembering September 11

B and I have been watching several documentaries about September 11 leading up to today, the 9th anniversary of the devastating attacks on New York and DC.  It is almost unbearable to watch the stories of the heroes and survivors and relive what happened that day; I find it impossible not to cry both in sadness of the tragedy and in awe of the bravery that so many exhibited.  The stories of those that survived are amazing and the stories of those that didn't are reminders to the rest of us how precious this life is and how much each of us should be grateful for each day, each moment, each memory. 

Living in New York after the attacks made the attacks more personal in a way; I babysat for a little girl whose father died in the World Trade Center, I knew many others who had been in or near the towers that day, and simply living in the city itself made you realize how everyone was affected that day and the city was forever changed.  You didn't think about it every day, but you were certainly reminded in little ways of the impact 9/11 had on New York.

I am not really sure why, but watching the stories of survivors, and especially the memories of those who lost loved ones has been a lot more difficult for me this year, more so than any other.  I think being engaged might have something to do with it; thinking about those who lost loved ones is harder because it forces me to think about what it would be like to lose B.  Not that I didn't have loved ones before, but I guess I just respond to the survivor stories - especially the testimonials of the wives of people who were on the planes.  Ugh I get chills just thinking about it.

Today, I've thought a lot about those that died in the attacks, those who were affected by them and of course, those that continue to be affected by them.  This has caused me to reflect on the many things I have to be thankful for.  Here are a few of those things (in no particular order):

• Parents who love me and have always supported me unconditionally; they have gone above and beyond in many ways and have enabled me to have many of the things I take for granted.
• A wonderful, loving and thoughtful partner in B.  I told him last night that I am beyond grateful I got a second chance with him and look forward to a lifetime of memories.
• My health and the health of my friends & family
• A wonderful and diverse network of friends, who have been there through good times & bad and shared in laughs, tears & much fun over the years
• The ability to live a fairly carefree life - without fear or major hardships
• The freedom to be independent as a woman
• Good food, including chick-fil-a, truffle french fries, popsicles and peanut butter
• Good wine
• The fact that we live close to most of our family, especially my brother & his family
• My education

There are so many other things for which I am grateful and thankful, but it would be impossible to list them all here!  I am sure many of you have had similar thoughts today; it is hard not to reflect on all the good things we have in our lives, especially on this day.   We will never forget 9/11. 

It's Been A While...

At dinner with friends recently...

...since I last posted on this blog at least! I feel like I've been on overdrive the past few weeks, working late during the week and being beyond over scheduled on the weekends.  It's hard to complain about any of this really - being busy at work is a good thing for a small business, and its great that we've got lots of friends who want to do lots of fun things.  But I do feel bad that I've been neglecting the blog!

So...what are the latest updates?  Well, there aren't many - wedding planning is the first thing to go when we both get busy - but we've still made a little progress:

We met with a great florist, who does great work and had some really unique glass pieces that would be great for the museum.  I'm excited by her work and I really liked her, but we're going to meet with a few other florists just to make sure she's the one.  She charges a fee for her initial consultation, which makes it really hard to compare her to others, but I guess when you're a sought after florist you have the luxury of charging a price for your ideas.  I'm hoping that meeting with other florists will reassure us that this particular florist is going to give us the most bang for our buck and bring the most interesting ideas to the table.  I'll keep you posted!

I'd love to incorporate moss into bright, fun floral displays...

I bought my dress (!!!?!?!!).  I was really beginning to worry about the dress thing because I was LOVING every dress I tried on.  I mean honestly, I probably could have been happy in about 10 dresses, maybe more - they were all gorgeous and I loved each for very different reason.  But when I put this one dress on, I really did have that feeling - I just knew.  It was the only dress that really made me feel beautiful, and like a bride.  And I knew B would feel the same way.  We brought my dad in for the final decision, there were tears, and we celebrated with champagne after - it was great.  I can't wait to put it on again for my bridal portraits - c'mon spring!

We've got our save the dates and hope to have them in the mail within the next month or so.  We've actually had them sitting in our dining room since late July, but I've got to add the finishing touches and then address them by hand (ouf).  We also need to have our website up.  The save the dates are a little non traditional and didn't allow for a lot of text, so we put the date & directed people to the website for more info.  Thankfully we still have a lot of time, but I think they're so cool I'm eager to get them out!

We're also in the process of meeting with caterers.  I only bring this up because in the course of this process, we got the devastating news that we will not be able to have a french fry bar.  The museum won't allow a fryer.  Makes sense I guess...but devastating nonetheless.
 
Sorry for the laundry list...I hope to be back to more regular posting soon...