Top 5 Wedding Planning Tips

Friday, we meet again. Lately I have been really into looking at my wedding pictures. Probably because I got my bathing altered by the lady who saved my wedding dress today...who knows. It got me thinking about planning our wedding. I had so many amazing people around helping with whatever we needed. These are the Top 5 Things I was so glad people encouraged me to do and that I actually listened to! 

1) It is about you and your fiancé. 
It is NOT about mom, dad, brother, sister, grandma, grandpa, friends, cousins, etc. In everything you do for the wedding be sure it is telling your love story. Yes, of course these people are a huge part of your life. You want them there and to help prepare for the big day, but do not let that get in the way of telling your story. 

2) Don't be afraid to say "no" 

People are going to offer opinions, whether you ask for it or not. You do not have to listen to them. People will want to wear certain things (Bridal Party), or not wear certain things. But ultimately it is your choice so don't be afraid to tell them no. *IMPORTANT: Be respectful!!!

3) Remember that it is just ONE DAY! 

Something probably will go wrong. The cake might fall on the way there, your cousin might get sick and cannot stand up the morning of...GOOD NEWS that does not render your marriage license null and void! At the end of the day you are MARRIED to your best friend. One Day is so small in the grand scheme of things.

4) Stay on budget! 

If you're like me your budget will double. The best way, I found, to keep costs low is to keep the guest list small. I know it is hard - but you can do it! This day is about your love story - not about if your Mom's friend's sister gets to come. Or even your dad's business partner. If you don't know them and they haven't played a part in your life they don't NEED to come.

5) Don't Stress. 

Easier said than done, I know. But here is a practical way to do that: Forget tradition. You don't have to be traditional at all. You can dance up and down the aisle. You don't even have to have an aisle. You can wear pants, or polka dots! It's ok. The day is to tell your love story!

What do you wish someone would have told you when you were planning your wedding?

Getting to Know me!

A few people (Lora & Christine) had this Get To Know Me on their blogs recently. It reminded me of MySpace surveys. I used to LOVE MySpace surveys. So just for old time's sake...

1. Favorite pet I ever had

Maybe my old dog, Sally. She was really cool. I sang a Gloria Estaphan song to her the day before we put her down. Very moving. 

2. Favorite food I’ve cooked

Ice Cream with Saunder's hot fudge and chocolate chips. 

3. Teacher who changed my life, and why

The teacher who taught the class I met Philip in. because I met Philip in that class. Thanks, Jacob

4. The best paid entertainment I’ve ever seen

CARRIE UNDERWOOD NO CONTEST

Them legs, though. 

5. Favorite hobby activity that makes me get lost for hours

Pinterest 

6. My greatest skill (past or current)

Backing up in a straight line. But only on a really good, clear day. 

7. The best advice I’ve ever been given

"Don't worry about liking him, just be his friend, and if something happens - great. If not you've got a really good friend out of it" - My Dad. Re: Philip

8. My favorite flower – purchased

lillies. or something pretty. 

9. My favorite flower or plant – personally grown

Poison Ivy. 

10. The most favorite gift I’ve ever gotten – what and from whom?

this is so hard. I am a gifts person. Any thought that goes into a gift makes me want to cry. The gift of life - from my mother. 

11. My most suspenseful moment

Any and every time I am on an airplane. 

12. My most unexpected achievement?

yoga. I am not good at being athletic or strong. or anything. but I have been making some nice progress in that area. 

13. My favorite paid employment, ever

meh.

14. The favorite dessert I’ve ever eaten

Frozen Yogurt with all the fixin's

15. The most scared I’ve been by a bug or critter

When there was freaking snake in my basement!!!!

16. My favorite household chore

I like the very last one I have to do that day, but only when it is over. 

17. Favorite item no one knows I own?

why would I keep this a secret?

18. The prettiest shiny object I’ve ever owned

My engagement ring. it's perfection. 

19. Favorite outdoor smell

bonfires.

20. Favorite song I ever danced to and with whom?

My wedding song Best Friend- Jason Reeves. 

I can never remember the name of this song. I just had to ask Philip. I am the worst. 

21. The favorite place I have ever traveled to where I’d spend my whole life if I could?

Charleston, South Carolina without hesitation. 

22. The most significant change I’ve had to go through and how it made me better

Losing my dad 2 weeks after getting engaged. I'm not sure it made me better. 

23. Favorite environmental sound (rain, thunder, etc.)

Rain.

24. Best time I’ve had playing with a pet

I'm not a giant animal person. 

25. The favorite picture I’ve ever taken?

i don't have one!
What are some of your favorites? Answer a few. 

Stoner moments

It's an obvious observation that I am blonde. I have been a brunette before and it was a scary and unfortunate time. 

Anyways, I digress. I am blonde and that leads some people to believe that I am stupid, ditzy, ya know things like that. Sometimes people are right, I can be an airhead, but other times I am really smart. I am a deep thinker. I get these thoughts that are just like - mind blowing to me. When I share them with others - they sometimes laugh. 

They say I sound like a stoner. One who smokes weed. So I wanted to get your opinion are these thoughts stoner thoughts or am I just appreciating life's little wonders?

cameras.

I really do not understand how cameras work. How can you point your phone or camera at something and then suddenly there is a copy of it on your screen!?!? One second it is in the air and the next - it's digital! Let's say I point my camera at my keyboard

Now that image is in my camera. Whoa.

birds flying in a v

A few months back I was driving with Philip and I noticed some birds flying in a "V" formation. I noticed the bird in the front suddenly moved to the back and a new front bird "stepped up". I know that this is something that birds do. Something about getting tired and letting other birds lead the way. but HOW do they know??! Who taught them this? When did this start!?! Who was the first bird to be like "Yo, I have this awesome idea to get us to Florida..." I. Don't. Get. It.

Whoville Snowflake

My favorite Christmas movie is How the Grinch Stole Christmas with Jim Carey. It is hysterical. This year when I was watching it I had this thought. Ya know at the end when the perspective gets zoomed out and you realize Whoville is on a snowflake?? It just keeps going and going out and out. It made me think about God. How big He is. How small I am. How there are so many people, and so many snowflakes, and He knows me by name. And how many Whovilles there are out there! 

yawn

What even is a yawn??? Why, when you're tired, you shot your mouth open!?! Why? What is that accomplishing? Why do we yawn when someone else yawns? Why am I yawning as I type this? I need answers. 

Alright those are my thoughts. I started writing my little revelations down so that I could remember them. When I get more I will let you know. We can marvel at them together.

What do you think? Do I just have the munchies? Or am I a deep thinker?

5 Things On My Wishlist Right now

It's Friday! Friday! I woke up signing Rebecca Black this morning. This is how you know it is going to be a good day. Today I am going to share with you 5 Things on my Wishlist right now. Another appropriate title would be "Things I Keep Bugging my Husband About" I asked Philip to help me come up with this list and he had no problem spouting off things. hehehe

NUMBER ONE.

Everything. Single. Thing. In the Calia line By Carrie Underwood

NUMBER TWO

These Canvas shoes from Target. I had them in my cart yesterday and I just said "no" but I can't stop thinking about them. In case you're wondering I'm a size 8. (wink)

NUMBER THREE

I use this Lavender oil every single day and we're almost out

NUMBER FOUR

My nose ring! I have a stud in right now but I really want a ring. This is me about 3.5 years ago. I had to take it out because it got all messed up but my stud is healed and ready for a hoop! Every time Philip asks me what I want to do I say "Go to Ann Arbor and get my hoop!!!" Subtle.

NUMBER FIVE

 I want to go down to Florida to see a Spring Training game SO BAD! We have so many good friends in Florida and pretty much every single one of them has offered us a place to stay if we want to go to down and see a game. I bring it up every other day, at least. I understand that we shouldn't and it would not be wise. However it doesn't mean I don't want to!

And, more froyo. But I think I am getting that tonight <3 Have a safe and wonderful weekend, you!

What is on your Wishlist right now? Anything Similar to mine? I'd love to know!

March Goals

Recap of Feburary Goals: 
First {Luke 6:36}
1. Finish 2 books - Nope. I could not get into any of the books I had started.

2. Read my devotional from Creative Jayne! - I feel so terrible about this but we had our church family challenge this month so Philip and I did those devotions together. I am half way done and I am so excited to finish!

3. Do yoga 3x/ week I did this! We never started and finished the 21 Day Fix and I still went. 

4.Deep clean another room in my house (blogger's choice)  not so much

5. Plan 2 date nights for my husband After I wrote this we decided to do the 21 Day Fix so we didn't go out to eat and then we got busy. Ultimately I failed.

Onto the Next!
1. Finish 2 books
2. Read my devotional from Creative Jayne! 
3. Do 21 Day Fix again
4. Take measurements for my eShakti dress
5. Blog 4x/week

What are your goals for this month? How was your February? 

21 Day Fix Review & Results

WE DID IT! We finished the 21 Day Fix! We each had a few cheats, we're only human! This past Saturday was rough for us. Sunday our church had a Pizza Palooza to end our Family Challenge month soooo we just went ahead and ended it a meal early. I forgot how much I like Pizza!

Read about our halfway point here

Here's what I learned on the 21 Day Fix

1) Pizza is so good but after having it, it wasn't as good as I remembered. I felt heavy and kinda gross after eating it. Instead of the light and energetic feeling I had during the 21 Days.

2) Eating healthy isn't that hard.  As long as healthy food is kept in the house and bad food isn't eating healthy is pretty easy.

3) Healthy food can taste really good! My most favorite thing was a fruit smoothie! If I saved both of my fruit for the day...even better! Roasted Veggies are actually really good. My taste buds never really "grew up" from when I was a kid until this past month. Who woulda thunk that food that isn't a bagel can be delicious? 

4) How to cook. I am pretty sure I cooked more in the last 21 Days than I did my entire marriage combined! I had no choice but to cook. After I added some variety besides all kinds of chicken...I really think I did well and I gained a lot of confidence in my skillz.

5) I get hungry when I work out. There were more than one days when I had eaten all the food I was allowed and I was still so hungry by the end of the day. Days when I went to yoga and did the workout were the worst. 

Results

So I have to confess we never took our measurements. whoops. I just kept forgetting. So I probably won't know how "successful" I was in that aspect.

Mary: 

Weight Lost: 8 lbs

Inches Lost: The world will never know!

Biggest Lesson Learned: I am stronger than I think I am. In 2 ways - by the last day I was barely using the modifier (holla, Kat!) and I had upped my weights to 5 light and 10 heavy from 3 light to 5 heavy! Second way - I can excersie self-control and make much better food choices!

Would you do it again? YES! Next week I will be starting round 2

What would you change? I would 1) measure myself & take front/back/side pictures 2) follow the eating plan 100% as far as cheats..but I think I will eat when I am hungry if it isn't too late in the day

Are you happy with your results? Fa Sho! I think my arms are much more toned and I don't think I'll ever have a 6-pack.  I have more energy and I can't wait to keep pushing myself and be more active.

Philip:

 

Weight Lost: 10 lbs

Biggest Lesson Learned: How important a diet is along with working out consistently.

Would you do it again? Yeah I would do it again, I think the 21 Day Fix is a great way to reset some bad habits that have been created so that I can start creating better ones.

What would you change? The one thing I would change would be making sure I’m pushing myself even harder each and every workout. I feel like I could have put a little extra into each one and I bet I would have seen even more results if I would have done that.
Are you happy with your results?  visually I would have liked to see more results, but I think the health benefits and the resetting of bad habits is much more important and I’m very happy with those results. I’m ready to take a lighter body and start to build muscle on top of it

Would you want to do the 21 Day Fix? Do you think we accomplished what we set out to do? I do! Let me know what you think!

The Ugly Duckling.

Yesterday while driving I told Philip another story about when I was single and didn't have anyone ever even remotely interested in me. even a little bit. until I met him. and he looked at me with all sincerity in his voice and said "did you trick me? because I never had that problem. I had to beat the girls off with a stick. and yet somehow we ended up together"

to which I replied "You're the only one who saw my worth!!!!!!!"

As funny as I found that conversation, and I found that hilarious, it is so true! I almost never had dates to dances, I never got asked out, I had 1 boyfriend but it was very, very short lived. No boys were ever into me. As much as I hated it at the time, I am glad now. 

Philip said he was just curious why no one was ever interested in me. 

So I came up with a few reasons

Ultimately I am just glad that Philip found me when he did. He's the best and he makes me want to be my best. 

Did you ever go through an awkward phase? Did it take you 23 years to finally be done?