I just had to share this hysterical photo with you. It's actually my friend Katie and her sweet beagle after a run. But I can totally relate. Can you?
Monday, September 28, 2009
I Want To Be A Princess
I may have officially gone crazy.
I am a terrible runner. My family jokes about how slowly I run. But I actually like running (or at least the idea of running.)
I have always wanted to do a half-marathon.
I am seriously considering doing the Disney Princess Half-Marathon in March.
Have I lost my mind?
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Something I Had To Share
I recently saw a link on Twitter to a family's blog. Their story has touched my heart. I cannot get them off my mind. Their faith through all the struggles has been absolutely unbelievable.
Read the blog here. And I do mean read it. Read it all. You will be so touched. And be sure to have Kleenex nearby.
I am amazed by all the people who have stumbled upon the blog and have left comments, even though they have never met the family. One left this comment:
"My name is Tim and I am a pastor at a church in Indiana. How my heart breaks for your tragic circumstances. My mind can scarcely comprehend the tragedy that has been yours to endure. I wanted to share a poem my grandfather wrote in a circumstance like yours. He also lost his wife while she gave birth. During her funeral he wrote this beautiful poem. Eventually, my grandfather married again to what was to be my grandmother. Tragically, my grandfather died of cancer when my dad was four. The tragic death of his first wife and the traumatic death of he himself left the living family members in disbelief and shock. How would they continue on in the face of such loss? My dying grandfather consoled his wife with this promise: "The Lord will take care of you." How true his words are. My prayer is that his words and poem will encourage your hurting heart.
He Maketh No Mistake
My Father's way may twist and turn,
My heart may throb and ache,
But in my soul I'm glad to know,
He maketh no mistake.
My cherished plans may go astray,
My hopes may fade away,
But still I'll trust my Lord to lead
For He doth know the way.
Tho' night be dark, and it may seem
That day will never break,
I'll pin my faith, my all in Him,
He maketh no mistake.
There's so much now I cannot see,
My eyesight's far too dim;
But come what may, I'll simply trust
And leave it all to Him.
For by and by the mist will lift
And plain it all He'll make,
Through all the way, tho' dark to me
He made not one mistake.
by Rev. A.M. Overton
P.S. My church is praying for you
This poem...well, I have no words. It has touched my heart deeply. The whole story has. I hope it touches you too.
Read the blog here. And I do mean read it. Read it all. You will be so touched. And be sure to have Kleenex nearby.
I am amazed by all the people who have stumbled upon the blog and have left comments, even though they have never met the family. One left this comment:
"My name is Tim and I am a pastor at a church in Indiana. How my heart breaks for your tragic circumstances. My mind can scarcely comprehend the tragedy that has been yours to endure. I wanted to share a poem my grandfather wrote in a circumstance like yours. He also lost his wife while she gave birth. During her funeral he wrote this beautiful poem. Eventually, my grandfather married again to what was to be my grandmother. Tragically, my grandfather died of cancer when my dad was four. The tragic death of his first wife and the traumatic death of he himself left the living family members in disbelief and shock. How would they continue on in the face of such loss? My dying grandfather consoled his wife with this promise: "The Lord will take care of you." How true his words are. My prayer is that his words and poem will encourage your hurting heart.
He Maketh No Mistake
My Father's way may twist and turn,
My heart may throb and ache,
But in my soul I'm glad to know,
He maketh no mistake.
My cherished plans may go astray,
My hopes may fade away,
But still I'll trust my Lord to lead
For He doth know the way.
Tho' night be dark, and it may seem
That day will never break,
I'll pin my faith, my all in Him,
He maketh no mistake.
There's so much now I cannot see,
My eyesight's far too dim;
But come what may, I'll simply trust
And leave it all to Him.
For by and by the mist will lift
And plain it all He'll make,
Through all the way, tho' dark to me
He made not one mistake.
by Rev. A.M. Overton
P.S. My church is praying for you
This poem...well, I have no words. It has touched my heart deeply. The whole story has. I hope it touches you too.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Our Island Adventure, Part Two
As promised...here are some of the beautiful views of St. John!
If you ever make it to St. John, you have to stop in at this little hole-in-the-wall bar called Woody's. They have "the best happy hour in the world." And they just might be right about that. From 3-7 (I think), they have $1 domestic beer and $1 well drinks. Let's just say we didn't have to spend a lot of money there to have a great time. :)
Back at our resort, hanging out at the Sunset Grille...
And with one of the best bartenders in the world - Bobby!
We had such a wonderful time on our honeymoon...I'm ready to go back!
I never understood what a big deal the honeymoon is...until I went on mine. It was such a great time for the two of us to have "us" time. I panicked a little the day after the wedding because I didn't feel "married". By the time we got back from the honeymoon, I definitely did. I loved spending every moment of every day with my sweetheart.
As I've said before, I'm a lucky girl. :)
Back at our resort, hanging out at the Sunset Grille...
And with one of the best bartenders in the world - Bobby!
He introduced me to the wonderful world of Ting. If you're ever in the islands, try it. It is a carbonated grapefruit juice that is SO good.
We had such a wonderful time on our honeymoon...I'm ready to go back!
I never understood what a big deal the honeymoon is...until I went on mine. It was such a great time for the two of us to have "us" time. I panicked a little the day after the wedding because I didn't feel "married". By the time we got back from the honeymoon, I definitely did. I loved spending every moment of every day with my sweetheart.
As I've said before, I'm a lucky girl. :)
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Our Island Adventure, Part One
Our honeymoon began bright and early - we had to get up at 4am to get to the airport!
Here we are in the Tampa airport, waiting for our flight to leave...
We flew from Tampa to San Juan, Puerto Rico. When it was time to board our second flight, they walked us outside and we saw this:
Seriously...propellers?? Neither of us had ever been on a plane this small! And check out the great location of our seat - right next to the propellers!
We made it safely into St. Thomas, took a taxi to our hotel, checked in and were able to get right into our room. Isn't it beautiful??
The view from our balcony...
And the view the other direction...
We took a walk around the resort, and it didn't take long until we saw iguanas...EVERYWHERE! Here they are, all over the hill leading up to the resort!
On our exploration we found a little restaurant that would become our home base for the week - Coco Joe's! It was a great place right on the beach, very laid back and casual. We loved it.
The next day, we set out to explore the town. As you may remember, when we were in the islands, Hurricane Bill came dangerously close! But it never affected us - at all. Lucky us!
Here we are on our walk into town...
And at a restaurant we found in town. Yummy sandwiches and, of course - Corona!
We ended up back at Coco Joe's that night for dinner...look, we match! :)
The next day we spent some time at the beach. Here's my husband, on the way to the beach, with one of the gigantic iguanas...
Here we are in the Tampa airport, waiting for our flight to leave...
We flew from Tampa to San Juan, Puerto Rico. When it was time to board our second flight, they walked us outside and we saw this:
Seriously...propellers?? Neither of us had ever been on a plane this small! And check out the great location of our seat - right next to the propellers!
We made it safely into St. Thomas, took a taxi to our hotel, checked in and were able to get right into our room. Isn't it beautiful??
The view from our balcony...
And the view the other direction...
We took a walk around the resort, and it didn't take long until we saw iguanas...EVERYWHERE! Here they are, all over the hill leading up to the resort!
On our exploration we found a little restaurant that would become our home base for the week - Coco Joe's! It was a great place right on the beach, very laid back and casual. We loved it.
The next day, we set out to explore the town. As you may remember, when we were in the islands, Hurricane Bill came dangerously close! But it never affected us - at all. Lucky us!
Here we are on our walk into town...
And at a restaurant we found in town. Yummy sandwiches and, of course - Corona!
We ended up back at Coco Joe's that night for dinner...look, we match! :)
The next day we spent some time at the beach. Here's my husband, on the way to the beach, with one of the gigantic iguanas...
Isn't he good looking???
We also laid out by the pool, and saw these critters...there must have been about 20 of them right below the pool deck!
But this was the view from our lounge chairs!
That night we decided to check out a local spot - Paradise Point. It's a restaurant/bar with live music on the top of the mountain. Isn't it lovely?
But the not so lovely part? We had to ride one of these to get up there - yikes!
But it was definitely worth it.
The next day we decided to venture out to the island of St. John. We had to take a ferry to get there...
I can't wait to show you how beautiful the island was! Here's a sneak peek from our taxi...
More to come soon!
We also laid out by the pool, and saw these critters...there must have been about 20 of them right below the pool deck!
But this was the view from our lounge chairs!
That night we decided to check out a local spot - Paradise Point. It's a restaurant/bar with live music on the top of the mountain. Isn't it lovely?
But the not so lovely part? We had to ride one of these to get up there - yikes!
But it was definitely worth it.
The next day we decided to venture out to the island of St. John. We had to take a ferry to get there...
I can't wait to show you how beautiful the island was! Here's a sneak peek from our taxi...
More to come soon!
Thursday, September 17, 2009
The Last Teaser Photo - A Very Special One
And one of my favorites.
Me and my Daddy.
As many of you know, I just might have the most wonderful Daddy in the world. (If you haven't gotten to know him yet, check out his blog at http://poorweddingdad.blogspot.com/)
He is the Daddy every child wants to have. Or every adult wishes they had.
I didn't always understand how wonderful my Daddy is. I went through my rebellious times. But he loved me through it all. And in retrospect, I see that more clearly than I ever could at the time.
He is strong. Compassionate. The hardest worker I have ever met. There is nothing my Daddy can't do. He is brilliant. Incredibly intelligent. He is a man of integrity. I have never known anyone so honest and true. He would go to the ends of the earth for his daughters. (He has four.) We have always been his top priority - with the exceptions only of his God and his wife. Christ has always been first in his life, his wife a close second, and the rest of his family a very close third.
I remember dancing with him when I was little, standing on the tops of his shoes. I remember him carrying me into the house when I would fall asleep in the car. He has always been the greatest father anyone could ever imagine. I can only hope to be as good a parent as my parents have been to me.
So...back to this photo. My parents bought me a beautiful necklace to wear at my wedding. I love this picture of my Daddy, putting the necklace on me.
What makes this photo even more special. Well, do you remember me mentioning that mirror? I had hoped to get a copy of the photo (and I will try to remember to get it), but it is the same mirror that my Mom got ready in front of when she married my Daddy. I have looked the pictures of her, reflected in that mirror for so many years. And now, that bride is me. I love it.
I'm a lucky girl. I have such absolutely wonderful parents.
How were your parents involved in your wedding?
Patience Has Never Been My Strong Point...
And it seems that I haven't outgrown my impatient trait.
I want more pictures.
My extraordinary, amazing, wonderful photographer told me it would probably be 4-6 weeks until I got my photos. Completely understandable, and far better than many of my friends - some of who didn't get their photos until almost a year after their wedding! (I can't even imagine.)
This Saturday marks 5 weeks. I'm trying to be patient. But I'm so excited to see those photos!!!
Anyone else struggle with impatience when waiting for their pro photos?
I want more pictures.
My extraordinary, amazing, wonderful photographer told me it would probably be 4-6 weeks until I got my photos. Completely understandable, and far better than many of my friends - some of who didn't get their photos until almost a year after their wedding! (I can't even imagine.)
This Saturday marks 5 weeks. I'm trying to be patient. But I'm so excited to see those photos!!!
Anyone else struggle with impatience when waiting for their pro photos?
Happy Birthday, Husband!
Today is my husband's 27th birthday. But he doesn't look a day older than 18. :)
And this is the face he would make at me if he heard me say that. But he knows it's true. Hehe.
(Yes, this is a sneak peek picture from our honeymoon - more to come, I promise!)
Happy Birthday, Husband! I love you!
Monday, September 14, 2009
She Kicked My Butt
Who you may ask? My "wellness coach", as she is called by my gym.
Last week, she nearly broke my heart. I had a fitness assessment and lets just say I have a lot of work to do. I am at a "healthy" BMI, but barely.
I feel like my metabolism has hit a wall - any other women in their mid-twenties feel this way?
Today she gave me a workout to do 3 times a week for the next 4 weeks. Then I have a different workout for the next 4 weeks, and a different one the 4 weeks after that. Once those 12 weeks are done, I rotate the three workouts, three times a week.
After one night, I am already so sore.
Here's the workout:
Balance, Stability, Core (3x week, 1-3 sets, 12-15 reps, moderate rest period)
Total Body - medicine ball diagonals
Legs - squats on Bosu
Chest - DB chest press on stability ball
Legs - lunges with front foot on blue balance pad
Back - standing row (on core board or on one leg)
Legs - side lunge to balance
Shoulders - DB overhead press standing on Bosu
Legs - Single leg squat
Biceps - DB curls standing on one leg
Legs - hamstring curls with stability ball
Triceps - DB kickback w/ one knee on soft side of Bosu
Abs - plank - lifting arm/leg
No wonder I'm tired! Between this regime 3 times a week and training for my 5k on October 3rd (did I mention I'm running the Race for the Cure?) I should start to get in shape!
How did you stay motivated to workout post-wedding?
(PS: There will be more wedding recaps coming - sorry they are so sporadic!)
(Oh and PSS: You can now find me on Twitter! www.twitter.com/august15bride)
Last week, she nearly broke my heart. I had a fitness assessment and lets just say I have a lot of work to do. I am at a "healthy" BMI, but barely.
I feel like my metabolism has hit a wall - any other women in their mid-twenties feel this way?
Today she gave me a workout to do 3 times a week for the next 4 weeks. Then I have a different workout for the next 4 weeks, and a different one the 4 weeks after that. Once those 12 weeks are done, I rotate the three workouts, three times a week.
After one night, I am already so sore.
Here's the workout:
Balance, Stability, Core (3x week, 1-3 sets, 12-15 reps, moderate rest period)
Total Body - medicine ball diagonals
Legs - squats on Bosu
Chest - DB chest press on stability ball
Legs - lunges with front foot on blue balance pad
Back - standing row (on core board or on one leg)
Legs - side lunge to balance
Shoulders - DB overhead press standing on Bosu
Legs - Single leg squat
Biceps - DB curls standing on one leg
Legs - hamstring curls with stability ball
Triceps - DB kickback w/ one knee on soft side of Bosu
Abs - plank - lifting arm/leg
No wonder I'm tired! Between this regime 3 times a week and training for my 5k on October 3rd (did I mention I'm running the Race for the Cure?) I should start to get in shape!
How did you stay motivated to workout post-wedding?
(PS: There will be more wedding recaps coming - sorry they are so sporadic!)
(Oh and PSS: You can now find me on Twitter! www.twitter.com/august15bride)
Friday, September 11, 2009
And We Danced...and Sang...and...
I cannot tell you how important it was to us that everyone had a great time at our wedding. At one point I even pouted to my new husband about how few people were on the dance floor.
Our ring bearer (turned bear bearer) was bustin' a move...
And picking up some pointers from the pros.
And all too quickly, the end of the night came. Our last dance song? No question about that one. "Don't Stop Believin'" by Journey. Several of our married friends have used this as their last dance song, and...well, we had to continue with the tradition.
So we all sang, and fist pumped...
Our friends picked us up...
And although we're not Jewish, they couldn't resist this tradition.
I shouldn't have worried.
Our guests danced the night away.
Our ring bearer (turned bear bearer) was bustin' a move...
And picking up some pointers from the pros.
And all too quickly, the end of the night came. Our last dance song? No question about that one. "Don't Stop Believin'" by Journey. Several of our married friends have used this as their last dance song, and...well, we had to continue with the tradition.
So we all sang, and fist pumped...
And belted out the lyrics at the top of our lungs...
Our friends picked us up...
And although we're not Jewish, they couldn't resist this tradition.
Honestly, being on that chair scared me to death! We had such a great day, and I was so worried they were going to drop me and ruin everything! But they did just fine. Whew!
We had so much fun at our reception! (As you can probably tell!!)
My Husband, the Sportswriter
It is almost 8pm on a Friday night. A fierce thunderstorm has been raging outside. A perfect night to be sitting on the couch, watching TV. Which is exactly what I am doing.
My husband? He is at a high school football game with clipboard in hand, waiting for the storm to clear so the game can begin. Such is the life of a prep sports writer.
So I will sit here on a rainy Friday night, watching "Say Yes to the Dress" and stalk Weddingbee.
Yes, I'm still wedding obsessed.
Any other recent brides still find themselves loving everything weddings??
My husband? He is at a high school football game with clipboard in hand, waiting for the storm to clear so the game can begin. Such is the life of a prep sports writer.
So I will sit here on a rainy Friday night, watching "Say Yes to the Dress" and stalk Weddingbee.
Yes, I'm still wedding obsessed.
Any other recent brides still find themselves loving everything weddings??
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Having Second Thoughts About Your Dress?
I sure did.
Because I wanted to keep my dress a secret until my wedding day, I never showed you pictures from my fittings. But I have several. More than several. I made family members take pictures of me at every fitting. And then after the fitting, I would stare at the photos and fret. Would he like it? Would I feel beautiful? Would I still like this dress in pictures 20 years from now?
I obsessed.
I know I'm not the only one.
So to all of you who are having second thoughts about your dress, it's okay. It's normal. Just remember, there is a reason you picked your dress. For me? My mom always says she knew it was the one because I danced in it. Everytime I put it on, I could help but sway a little.
And I kept referring to it as MY dress. And it was.
So here are a few of the carefully hidden (yet often obsessed over) pictures of the many fittings I had of the dress. The first one is from the very first time I tried it on. We made a few modifications to the shape of the dress (it felt too foofy to me, so we tapered it in), but all my obsessing was worthless. I felt so beautiful that day. And you will too.
Because I wanted to keep my dress a secret until my wedding day, I never showed you pictures from my fittings. But I have several. More than several. I made family members take pictures of me at every fitting. And then after the fitting, I would stare at the photos and fret. Would he like it? Would I feel beautiful? Would I still like this dress in pictures 20 years from now?
I obsessed.
I know I'm not the only one.
So to all of you who are having second thoughts about your dress, it's okay. It's normal. Just remember, there is a reason you picked your dress. For me? My mom always says she knew it was the one because I danced in it. Everytime I put it on, I could help but sway a little.
And I kept referring to it as MY dress. And it was.
So here are a few of the carefully hidden (yet often obsessed over) pictures of the many fittings I had of the dress. The first one is from the very first time I tried it on. We made a few modifications to the shape of the dress (it felt too foofy to me, so we tapered it in), but all my obsessing was worthless. I felt so beautiful that day. And you will too.
Have you had any second thoughts about your dress?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)