Whew!

Planning a wedding and finishing up grad school really has taken a toll on me. I'm overwhelmed. Today Adam started acting overwhelmed as well. He's usually not like that at all, but he's stressed out with his new job and the wedding planning-plus his family is in town and he's been spending a lot of time with them and I think he's ready for the Honeymoon :)
When I got engaged a year ago I though that planning a wedding a year in advance was a genius idea, but now I wish I'd been married months ago! I am honestly tried of thinking about this wedding and every single detail that it involves. Don't get me wrong, getting married is amazing, but I just wish you could buy a wedding in a box or something...or I wish I was filthy rich and I could pay someone to do everything for me.

On Friday I finished up grad school, they said they'd mail my diploma once my final grades are submitted and everything. After Saturday I'll be married. I don't know what I'll do with myself after I don't have those two things to worry about all the time. Maybe I'll just pour myself into training for the half marathon in October and blogging of course :)

I've put a couple of pictures of my bridal shower below. It was such a nice time. I'm not used to being showered with gifts and it was quite nice.

Oh, and I still haven't gained any weight! Take that!

Adam and his nephew Desmond.

The spot where Adam asked me to marry him.



Bridal Shower



Bridal shower.





Yep!

Just a quick post to share my weight and the my healthy breakfast this morning. I lost 1.6 pounds this week! As a reward I had a breakfast of whole wheat blueberry pancakes, scrambled eggs and turkey bacon (14 points). I'm on my way to my bridal shower!

Gym lovin'

Yesterday I was off work so I went to the gym twice. It was awesome! I love having a day all to myself. There's a lady at my gym who likes this one machine, I happen to also like the machine too. She likes to take long breaks while she's working out. Most of the time she'll take a phone call or she'll read on her Kindle. Instead of letting someone else use the machine she just stands on it and leans against the handles. UGGG! It makes me so mad. Sometimes she'll leave her stuff on the machine while she goes outside to make a call. I can't stand people like that. Get off the machine!

Tomorrow is my bridal shower. I'm so excited. I can't believe I'm getting married in two weeks! I have no idea what the shower is going to be like. I have been left out of all the details because my family wants it to be a surprise. I'll make sure to get lots of pictures and post them this weekend.

I've worked really hard this week with my diet and exercise. I really want to lose a few more pounds before the wedding. Every single pound makes a difference once you get under 200 pounds. I see changes in my stomach after just losing a small amount. My dress is a little fitted in the stomach area so I want that to look as good as possible!! I've been avoiding sodium at all costs and making sure I get my water in.

I hope everyone had a good week. Please share with me something you did this week that you're proud of!

Back in the Game

Today I'm back at 179. 179.4 if you're fancy. I lost all of the weight from last week and a little extra for good measure. I worked my ass off this week. I went to the gym 6 times and ran over 25 miles. I averaged over 12,000 steps per day. It felt great. I had a meeting with my Weight Watchers leader today and she said that the next 18 pounds is going to be the hardest and I should really mentally prepare myself. Although I've known this all along it felt real coming from her and I need to constantly remind myself that I'm in this for the long haul.

I bought a few new things this week. First an new Avia bra. I got it at TJ Maxx for $12. It's one of those that has the removable cups and I really like it so far. It's a nice coral color and doesn't get wet no matter how hard I sweat. I also bought a couple tanks from Old Navy. I got them on sale for $5 each. They are super comfy, but I don't recommend them for hard workouts because they don't dry quickly and become rather transparent. I also ordered this top from Lululemon. It had the best ratings and it looked like the best fit. I really liked the feedback from my last posts about the tops and I realized that support is the best thing to look for, not cuteness! Yes, $42.00 is a lot to spend on a tank top, but I'm going to wear it all summer and when I have nice workout clothes I want to go to the gym more.

This is my favorite picture so far from the shoot we did last weekend. My eyes are a little Renee Zellweger (squinty if you didn't get that reference) and I look a little wide since my dress is puffed out, but I love the barn in the back. 

I hope everyone is having a great weekend!

Really?

Came to work today, this is what I saw. Really? THREE FREAKING BOXES OF DUNKIN' DONUTS and three tiny containers of fruit. This is my life. I had two donut holes and some of the fruit.

Before work Adam dropped me off at the gym so I could run while he went to the doctor. He had to have his yearly physical. He's always complaining about his nose and throat (he has weird complications due to a deviated septum), but when he goes to the doctor he doesn't even talk to her about it. Geeez.

I signed up for the 4 Bridges Half Marathon in Chattanooga, TN in October. I also reserved my hotel room. My friend Tracy will be running with me again. If anyone is planning on running please let me know. I'd be so happy to meet you! I run like a turtle, but I get it done.

I bought a new sports bra and tank top a couple days ago. Right after I started running I realized that I hate to run in tank tops because my arms rub. Both the top and the bra are really cute. I'll post pictures tomorrow.

Here are some of the pictures my friend Maegan took of us on Sunday. I love them.

My co-worker is from Wisconsin and on her last visit she got me and chunk of cheese shaped like a cow. The outside is wax and the cheese is inside. I had a few bites last night, it was really good.

I hope all of you are having a good week. Tomorrow is Friday! Also I hope all these large pictures didn't blow up your computer.

A weekend in pictures

On Friday Adam I went to get our marriage licence! We are officially licenced to wed in the state of NC. Friday was a great day for us as well because it was also the anniversary of our meeting 8 years ago. We went to the Grove Park Inn where we met and stood in the very spot where we saw each other. It was amazing.

On Saturday I went to Weight Watchers and gained 1.6 pounds. No idea why, but I was okay with it. I have a good feeling that all that weight will be gone this week.

On Sunday we hiked all day in Tennessee with the dogs. It was amazing. One of my goals for the upcoming months is to focus on living and not on the scale. I have been thinking about the scale almost every day for over a year and I need to worry about my life and how much better it is now that I'm not obese.

On Sunday we went to the North Carolina Arboretum  our friend Maegan is trying to build a portfolio of pictures so she can start a photography business. We volunteered to have new pictures taken since I've lost a lot of weight since our last pictures. I was dying to have some pictures where my face was slimmer!

Overall I had a great weekend. Ate lots of tasty food and got in alot of exercise that didn't involve a gym. I hope everyone is having a good Monday!

For better or worse

Today I went to the gym and then met my mom for a late birthday lunch. My mother informed me over lunch that she didn't think my wedding cake was large enough so it was upgraded to the next size. Geeez. A couple of days ago I ordered over $1000 in BBQ and sides. This wedding is going to make everyone gain a few pounds for sure. It makes me so happy to see how happy my Mom is over wedding planning. My sister didn't have a wedding so I think my Mom is overly excited about mine, which is a great thing. My Mom and Dad only live about thirty minutes from me and it's so nice to have them near. Adam's parents live in Pennsylvania so we only see them once a year.

For the entire day I've been very bloated and not feeling so well, I'm sure it's from the alcohol and weird food I had over the weekend. Alcohol messes me up for days. I think it will be Friday before I feel better.

I have been searching for days for races to run this summer, but I'm not thrilled about any of them because of 1. HILLS and 2. HEAT. I finally figured out that I hate both of those situations so much. I still have the half marathon in October to train for so maybe I'll take it easy over the Summer. I really wish I had another activity to get into this Summer.

For the first time in my adult life I'm very excited to purchase a tank top to run it!! I've narrowed it down to a few choices. Let me know what you all think :)

These are all Luluemon tops. I've decided to splurge...because I no longer feel horrible looking in tank tops!