Thoughts on Food Blogging...

My husband is yelling at the tv because his FSU Noles aren't playing well. At all.

So I decided to blog about something entirely different. :)

Now that my wedding is over, I find myself less intrigued by wedding blogs. There are some I keep up with because of the great photography, and others I keep up with because I have developed a sort of connection with the bride-to-be. But mostly? I'm moving on.

What has been catching my eye? Food and fitness blogs. And when I say food blogs, let me be more specific. I am loving blogs that focus on eating "real food", "natural food" and "healthy food."

This idea of "real food" is something I"m trying to focus on. Rather than grabbing whatever is convenient (or free in my case!), I'm trying to make a concerted effort to eat more "real food". Today, my food looked like this:

Breakfast: Nutrigrain bar (not exactly "real") and a vegan cranberry nut muffin.

Lunch: Baked potato (albeit with too many toppings), salad, green beans, and a whole grain roll. Oh yes...and that piece of apple pie.

Dinner: Spinach salad, small bowl of chili with Mission tortilla chips. And two glasses of Cheap Red Wine.

Now that I've listed my food...does anyone really care? I find myself so intrigued by what people eat during their day. And food bloggers are usually so good about taking pictures of everything they eat. And I've also heard about a study that found that people who take pictures of their food tend to eat healthier (I am sure because they are trying to impress someone!).

But...I just don't know if I have the discipline to take a picture of everything I eat, let alone upload it to my computer, and insert it into my blog post. You'll notice that this post is glaringly empty of photos. (Sorry!)

What type of blogs do you follow? Are there any other food blog lovers out there? How do you feel about this phenomenon of food blogging?

Still Trying To Be A Runner...

I really want to be a runner.

I am not naturally a runner.

I suck at running.

But...there is just something about it. I want to be a runner.

So tonight I decided to try out our gym's "Outdoor Running Club". Tonight's group was for "Intermediate/Advanced Runners." I am neither. However, I cant' make it to the "Beginning Runners" group on Thursday, so I decided to give it a try.

Hmm. Probably should have thought this one through a bit more.

I showed up and met up with the other runners. There were four of us, and the running instructor. One of the girls just ran the Chicago marathon. That should have been my first clue.

I did fine through mile one. Mile two...got much harder. And after mile two...I had to walk. And since this was a running club, I was the only one walking. Joy.

The running instructor stayed back to run/walk with me while the others went ahead. He talked as I gasped for air and kept me distracted during the rest of the run. He told me how he only has 70% of his lung function...yet I was the one gasping for air.

Perfect.

The run lasted four miles. Any other day, I would be proud of myself. But when comparing myself to "real" runners...it was humbling.

I'm not going to give up. I want to be a runner.

Now I just have to tend to these massive blisters on my feet...

Anyone else have some tough days on their way to being a runner?

A Few Ceremony Details...

Our ceremony was...beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. Here are a few of the details.

We decided a day or two that we needed more candles in the church. My mom and sister bought out Wal-mart's supply of candle holders and candles. They looked so beautiful, and no one would have guessed they were a last minute idea!


We took Communion together during the ceremony. This was one of my favorite moments. We had a friend sing one of our favorite worship songs, "Because of Who You Are". It was absolutely beautiful. This was such a reverant time.



Check out the beautiful aisle runner, made by Super-Crafty Sister!

The aisle looked SOOOO beautiful.

And our homemade programs turned out so well! I can't wait to share the details of these with you...

Stay tuned! More to come!

We Have Some Goodlooking Friends!

The men...looking dapper as always....


I love this photo. You can see the raindrops that had started falling!



What a goodlooking bunch of guys. :)

And now for the ladies!

Aren't they beautiful??? And remember - those dresses were just $40!

Loved their bouquets! So simple, so cheap - and so beautiful! Just two hydrangeas!

Much more to come!

(All photos courtesy of Audrey Snow!)

Becoming a Bride!

Time for some more photos!

It was time to put on my dress. (The dress in the background here is my mom's.)


Note: my hips are too large to put my dress on by stepping into it. Hmm. This became a serious issue when it came to the day of the wedding. Hair and makeup were already done. How to get into a giant white dress without messing everything up?



Answer? Have at least seven bridesmaids ready to help. And practice holding your breath. I seriously thought I might suffocate at one point. I love this photo of my "big" sister standing on a stool to help me get into my dress!



A group effort!

And we're in!

Adjust. Adjust. Adjust.

Finishing touches by my sister...

And voila! Ladies and gentlement, we have a BRIDE!!!

My friend/bridesmaid Katie approves...(isn't she the cutest?)

And it looks like Mom approves too! (How beautiful is she??? I love this photo!)

Shoes on...

Trying to hold back the tears so I don't mess up the make up! Not an easy task when my soon-to-be sister-in-law had started the water works! I love this girl!!

Happiness!

And then it was time to begin the bridal portraits...so why not start them off with one of my favorites? :)

Did anyone else have trouble getting the dress on? What a funny time that was...

(Oh and thanks for all the comments on the body image post - much more to come on that soon!)

Running Update! And A Bit About Self-Image...

I keep meaning to fill you all in on my latest progress with my newest hobby of running. I was waiting until I found a picture from my 5k, but I decided I have waited long enough.

I don't have a precise time for my 5k (no chip), but it was about 36 minutes. Maybe 37. Not great. But not terrible.

I've actually run a total of 12 miles over the past week! This is huge for me. The week has looked like this:

Tuesday - 5 miles (57:32)
Thursday - 3 miles (32:27)
Saturday - 4 miles (45:15)

Yes, I'm slow. But I'm so proud of how much distance I've covered! I had planned to run 6 miles today, but started outside (because it was a beautiful 75 degrees here today!) and ran 3 miles outside and then one on the treadmill inside. I hadn't hydrated at all during the day (I ran at 4pm and all I had to drink all day was 2 cups of coffee and a giant diet coke. eek.). But I love that I can say, "I only ran 4 miles." That's awesome!

What has changed my attitude toward running - or at least, what has pushed me to run these longer distances?

The Galloway Method. I first heard about it on Angela's blog: www.ohsheglows.com. If you don't follow her yet, you must start. It is seriously one of the best blogs I read. She wrote about this method - basically you run for a few minutes, then walk for a minute. This works so well for me. I used to think that walking meant I was giving up. Now I know it is giving my body time to re-charge. And I can push myself through those few minutes of running so much faster because I know a walk break is coming! So my overall time is actually often faster than if I had jogged/plodded the whole way. This has been such a liberating thing for me.

I have always had issues with my body. I still do. I feel like I am always at war with my body. But this week, when I have been running, I have felt in awe of my body - amazed at what it could do. I'm hoping I can start to transform my body image to reflect this more often, rather than getting down about how my body looks or feels. If I am in awe of my body, I will treat it better, feed it better, and I am certain my whole self-image will improve accordingly.

Do you struggle with body image? Are you in awe of your body, or at war with it?

I Will Love You Forever

I saw this picture today on Happily After All and tears sprung to my eyes. I have no idea who this couple is, but I love this photo.

This is what I promised my husband on August 15th - I will love him forever. Even when we are old and gray, I will love him. This picture hits me especially hard, because my husband has a habit of kissing me on the forehead. And I love it when he does. I love the idea that fifty years from now, he will still be kissing me on the forehead, so full of love.

Mama Said There Would Be Days Like This...

Today is one of those days I wish I could just crawl back into bed and start over. Ever have one of those?

So to cheer myself up, I thought I'd share a few more wonderful photos with you. Nothing brightens my mood like looking at wedding photos - especially my own! :)

Enjoy!

(All photo credits are to the talented Audrey Snow!)

My Beautiful Bouquet

This is one of my favorite wedding photos. I LOVED my bouquet, and I love this shot of my dress. Beautiful!

Ode To My Husband

Well, maybe not exactly an "ode". (What is an ode after all?)

But let me tell you how wonderful my husband is. He took the day off work today to take care of me during my procedure. He sat with me in the pre-op type room, making me laugh and calling me "poopy pants" the entire day. (Yes...I was having a colonoscopy...) He was there when I came out of the anesthesia. He drove me home, led me to the couch and watched me sleep for almost two hours. He always takes good care of me, but today he really outdid himself. I'm a lucky girl.

So in honor of my husband, I want to start the professional photos with a few photos of him!

The Moment You've All Been Waiting For...

We have professional photos!!! Almost a thousand of them!

I can't wait to share them with you. I just have to figure out the best way to do that. :)

In the meantime, I'm having a rough day. I'm having a colonoscopy tomorrow, and if you know anything about having a colonoscopy, the day before isn't easy.

But I can't resist the urge to share at least one professional photo with you!

Happy Birthday Ashlyn!

Today, my Littlest Sister turns 12!!!!

I can't believe it. I still remember the day she showed up at our house, all smiles and wonderful baby rolls. She was only 5 months old at the time, but already so full of personality. A few months later, she officially became a part of our family through the amazing gift of adoption. Here is she is at the adorable age of 2...

And here she is at age 12!

I can't imagine life without her. She was a Maid of Honor at my wedding, and is quickly become more of a friend than a baby sister. She is growing up WAY too fast!

Happy Birthday, Ashlyn! Your "broham" and I love you and we can't wait to see you tomorrow! :)