Day One of the Cleanse

Over the weekend, I wrote about my upcoming juice cleanse.  And, I am now in the thick of it.

I haven't had coffee since Sunday morning (it's Wednesday!), I haven't chewed anything all day and I feel surprisingly good.  Sure, I may have almost passed out in the shower, but that's getting ahead of myself...

I woke up late this morning because I had a dentist appointment.  I was hungry!  Seriously hungry.  Which is very odd for me.  I have a routine of coffee on the way to work and breakfast at the office.  I chalk my hunger up to running later than normal.  I drank the suggested hot water with lemon juice and felt much better.  I made it through the dentist appointment and to the office without too many stomach grumbles.

And, once I got to the office, the juicing began.

10:00 a.m. - Juice #1.  Ah, the famous Green Juice.  The first sip was awful but I got used to it after a few more.  Not bad, not great.

12:30 p.m. - Juice #2 - Pineapple, Apple, Mint.  I wasn't really hungry yet; I just felt like I needed to drink it when the co-workers started eating lunch and I wanted to stay on track time-wise.  Amazing!  This juice is delicious.  It's refreshing and has the perfect level of sweetness.  Yum.

3:00 p.m. - Juice #3 - More Green Juice.  I was feeling a bit hungry.  This tasted a bit better than the first on but it's still a bit weird. It's not bad, just strange.  It definitely tastes green.

4:30 p.m. - Juice #4 - Spicy Lemonade.  This was a bit spicier than I expected.  Like the green juice, it got better as I kept drinking, but the first sip was a bit overwhelming.

5:20 p.m. - Exercise: 20 minutes on the treadmill (doing intervals) and 20 minutes on the elliptical.  About 30 minutes in, exhaustion hits.  I feel sweatier than normal; even my hands are slick.  I finish my workout and head to the shower.  I decide to do two things that will hopefully substitute for suggestions on the BPC site: leave the exhaust fan off in order to create a very steamy room and use a body scrub to exfoliate.  Just as I was getting ready to rinse off the scrub, I had to turn off the water and sit down.  I felt extremely light headed and needed a few minutes to catch my breath.  Eventually, I was able to finish my shower.  Afterwards, I laid down for a few minutes and felt better.  Weird.

6:30 p.m. - Juice #5 - Carrot, Apple, Beet.  Ick!  Tastes like dirt.  Those are my first thoughts.  It does get better...  Are we noticing a trend?

8:00 p.m. - Juice #6 - Cashew Nut Milk.  I needed to get this one down so that I could have two hours before bed.  And, I was super excited to finally get to try the one juice that is universally loved.  Everyone is right about this.  It is sweet and satisfying.  A perfect end to a day of juice.

10:00 p.m. - Bed!  I'm also super excited for this part.  I'm exhausted!

Anyone out there done the BPC before?  How did it go?  Any advice for making it through?

Making Flowers

I'm hoping to get a lot of wedding project work done this week, while the FI is out of town.  One of my main goals is making some clay flowers.  I have been practiced here and there, but haven't made much progress towards my inspiration bouquet.

But, I think I'm finally getting the hang of it, and finally made one rose that I'm going to let dry.  It isn't perfect, but I've realized that perfect may be a bit beyond my skill level at this point.  Plus, I've realized that it might be unnecessary to have perfection when its very hard to find a "perfect" real flower.

So, without further ado, here are a couple pictures of my first finished rose:

I'm hoping to make a bunch of the roses, plus some other flower varieties for my bouquet, the corsages and bouts.  Once I'm feeling a bit more confident in my skills, I'll write up my tips for making these flowers out of clay.

Preparing for a Cleanse (of the Juice Variety)

I'm going to start a juice cleanse on Wednesday, a BluePrintCleanse to be more specific.  (Their Renovation cleanse to be even more specific.)

Renovation Cleanse from BluePrintCleanse

This is their "gateway" cleanse and I'm super excited to start.  I've been reading a lot of online reviews and it seems like a great way to get a jump start on healthy eating.  It'll give my body a reset of sorts.

Everyone I've told thinks I'm nuts; and, the guys at work are planning to plot my mood over the week (they're very supportive/helpful of any odd endeavor - that's a slight dose of sarcasm for you).  But, honestly, I don't think this will be super difficult.  I've done a number of fasts over the years, they kind where I'd eat nothing and drink only water and herbal tea.  Now, that was a difficult way to detox, IMO.

So, today, after my waffle breakfast (it was the FI's last morning in town before his first of three work travel weeks), I've been trying to cut out some of the items they suggest: caffeine, meat, dairy, sugar.  I made fish with a bit of brown rice for lunch and am planning on a vegetable and fruit filled dinner.

Tomorrow may be a bit more difficult, as I'm going to attempt to go without my morning coffee.  This will probably lead to a withdrawal headache, as I have a serious caffeine addiction.  But, I figure that I can get through with a bit of tea if it becomes super necessary.  As long as I am ready to go without by Wednesday, I think I'll be okay. 

It seems like just preparing for the cleanse will get me a head start on the healthy life path (and, hopefully, a little bit of weight loss).

I'll add more thoughts and my review once I get underway with the drinking of all the juices.

Have you tried the BluePrintCleanse?  Any of the other ones out there?  Or, maybe made your own juices?  If so, was it awful?  Or, was it an ok experience that you'd recommend to others?

Simple Words

Over the weekend, I started the (surprisingly painful) process of designing the text for our invitations.  Since the paper for the invites is already kind of complex, the FI and I agreed that the words themselves should be simple.

So, I started scouring the interwebs for inspiration.  There were a bunch of invitations I loved (and still pine for), but I tried to stay focused on ones with simple formats and straightforward text.

I love this one because it's simple and beautiful.  But, would that simplicity stand up as well without the embellishments of the flowers and monogram?  I wasn't 100% sure.

Banner and Branches by Alethea and Ruth via Minted

The next one is even simpler; I like the clean and modern look of this one (a lot).  I think that this would translate pretty well without the circles.  But, our text needs to fit in a pretty small area and I still didn't think this was IT.

Modern Circles by Stelie Designs via etsy

Finally, I found one on weddingbee that I thought would work perfectly.

DIY Invite by Capricorn79 via weddingbee

I found a few fonts I liked on dafont and got to work.  I moved the names over to the left more and tried to make the overall shape more of a square...  And, very quickly, my work on this invitation was stopped.  Why?  Because after about one half second of looking at it, the FI told me he hated it.

Seriously, my FI has some surprisingly strong opinions on fonts and formatting.  While I'm drawn to the idea of our names in curly script, he would prefer something a little plainer.  I believe his requirement was something like "no flourish should complete more than 30 degrees of a curl on itself"...  What does that even mean?  Engineers!?!

Additionally, the angled writing bothered him.  He would prefer it to be flat, straight across the page, all orderly like.

So, another inspiration needed to be found.

DIY Invite by theoddbride via weddingbee

Excluding the WE DO in the corner, this was exactly what I'd been looking for.  It really doesn't get much simpler than that.  I like the informal feel that comes from the first names and numbers in number form (instead of spelled out).

Another mock up later and I tried it out (pasted it on a picture of my invite prototype).  I'm pretty pleased with the results...  There will definitely be some tweaks, but it's a start.

Personal Picture

Most of the lines will end up about even with the end of the word "wife".  So, it looks almost centered with our actual information on it.  The fonts are Geosans Light and Honey Script Light (FI approved BTW).

Now I still need to decide on color of ink.  Should it be black?  Or, blue to match the paper?  Should our names be different than the body like in the inspiration?  Plus, I'll need to make few samples and probably let the FI make any fine tunings that only he would notice.

Did you design your invitations?  Or, did you find something you loved on one of the invitation websites?  Or, did you go old school and visit a paper store in person?  (Do people still do that?  They must because the stores still exist.)

Topical Weddings

I promise that this is not a post about destination weddings in tropical locations with a misspelled title...

Last Saturday afternoon, I started reading the first book in the Hunger Games.  Come Tuesday night, I had finished the entire trilogy.  It was a great set of books, which I thoroughly enjoyed.  Apparently, I'm not alone.

Last week, before starting the books, I saw a weddingchicks.com post on Hunger Games wedding inspiration: 

from The Wedding Chicks

Then, this week, there were two more on greenweddingshoes.com:

from greenweddingshoes

also from greenweddingshoes

Besides falling in love with the braids and wishing my hair would start growing at hyper speed, I got to thinking about literary weddings.  First, I have to admit that there is no book, movie, song or poem that I like enough to base my wedding on (this is also the reason I am lacking in the tattoo area).  So, the idea of someone with a passion strong enough to incorporate into their wedding makes me 1. a little bit jealous and 2. wondering a bit on how it would be done.

I can totally understand how someone could use a classic for their inspiration.  They are long existing favorites and well-known enough that people would probably "get it".

Alice in Wonderland is a great example.  Such a fun story that almost everyone knows.  And, there is so much in the book/movie to pull into a wedding.

from loretablog

Lord of the Rings is another classic that would easily lend itself to a wedding theme.  It might not be to everyone's taste but it seems like it could be fun.

from offbeatbride

But, something new, like Hunger Games?  At what point would a bride need to decide on a theme like that in order to make it work for her wedding?

For example, would the couple have to know the theme before starting anything so that they could pick the venue, colors, stationary, etc. to go with the theme?  And, if so, how in the world could they pick something so topical unless the wedding is in the very near future?

Or, could this kind of wedding only be pulled off with a David Tutera My Fair Wedding type intervention?  Would tons of time and money be needed for a quick turn around after the couple decides to throw out their plans and start over with something completely new?

And, finally, with something so modern, would the couple be concerned about looking back in a few years and wondering what in the world they were thinking?

Boy that's a lot of questions...  But, as someone who had a very difficult time picking any kind of theme (and, who still can't figure out if there are "colors"), I'd love to hear how someone pulled off this kind of themed wedding.  Anyone out there who did this?  Or, hoping/planning to in the future?

Some Days...

...  You wake up, after a week of being sick with a cold, and realize that your only clean bra is dark purple and your "dark load" never quite made it into the laundry either (so, most of your shirts are light in color).

And, other days...

...  You look out your office window and realize it could have been much worse of a work day:

personal pic of a truck trapped in the mud by our maintenance men this morning

(Although, even after the truck is finally rescued, I will still be left with one burning question: Why in the world were they driving that truck though the grass in the first place?)

Elephant Shoes, Shoes

I've been putting off a lot of my accessory decisions (jewelry, bouquet, etc.) until I could find The Shoes.  I feel like they will set the tone a bit beyond what the dress may already be saying...

So, how in the world do I pick just one pair when all the wedding blog world is covered in beautiful shoe inspiration?  Seriously, before getting engaged, I didn't realize that so many pictures would be taken of my shoes.

First, I noticed an abundance of fun, high-end designer, colorful shoes like the following (all of which I love!):

Randall by Badgley Mischka via zappos

Wainscott Heels via anthropologie

Isabel by Jimmy Choo via Nordstrom

I could go on and on... and on.  But, after months of searching for the shoes I saw in wedding blogs and checking out every shoe website I could think of, I realized something - while so many of the shoes I saw were lovely, I couldn't wear them to my wedding.  

Why not?

Well, for one thing, I don't usually wear heels.  I can wear them, walk in them, survive a whole day in them if necessary.  But, I tend to think of them as uncomfortable and mostly suited for short time periods, like a nice dinner and the theater.  A full day of walking, standing and dancing in 3" heels?  Probably not going to work out well for me or my ankles.

But, even if I abandoned everything over 1.5 or 2 inches, I still had a major issue: our wedding, pictures and reception are all outside.  No matter the height, even the tiniest of kitten heels are probably going to sink instantly into the grass and soil.  Not only would this make it more difficult to look graceful walking, it would also probably ruin my precious new shoes.

So, no heels?  Ok, what about wedges, espadrilles, or chunky heels?  No problem

Ericka by Nina via zappos

Silk by Bella-Vita via zappos

Mixed Media Heels via anthropologie

Wedges just don't appeal to me the same way as some of the other options and espadrilles don't seem quite dressy enough for what I'm envisioning (even though I really love those Bella-Vita ones).  And, even with chunky heels, my feet are probably still going to be screaming by the end of the night (or, even by the end of the ceremony if I pick the wrong ones).

Then, I went really out of the box...  I searched etsy for ballet flats and found these:

Satin Slippers by uku2 via etsy

I LOVE THEM!  Unfortunately, I know from past conversations that the FI absolutely hates ballet flats.  So, although these are fun and colorful (and, most likely very comfortable), I probably won't go this route.  Shame because they can be customized into almost any fabric I could find.

What in the world am I left with?  Well (drum roll please)... sandals!  They can be can be colorful, sparkly, simple, elegant and definitely comfortable.  So, I set upon zappos to find some pretty sandals.  These are my current faves:

Filippa by Loeffler Randall via zappos

Daisy by Bouquets via zappos

Dahlia by Bouquets via zappos

Did you know from the beginning what kind of shoes you'd wear on the big day?  Or, did you search, change your mind and search some more?

Loss

At some point in the wedding planning, maybe when the guest list was finalized or when the Save the Dates were sent out, I created this picture in my head of everyone whom we invited, sitting at the round tables, drinking, eating and watching the new hubby and I dance.  (To be fair, this picture may have been made up mostly of the people in my family with the few I know from his added to the side.)

Once I had that picture in my head, it was hard to imagine any of those loved ones not being able to be there.

Then, that perfect picture was shattered by a death in my family over the weekend.

My uncle passed after a period of illnesses and hospital stays.  It wasn't unexpected, but it still was a shock.  After getting weekly and, more recently, daily updates from my mom, after all the prayers and warm thoughts, it was hard to believe.

When I was young, I spent a few weeks each summer with my aunt, uncle and cousin.  My uncle, a lawyer, was a little intimidating but a warm and interesting man.  He would take all of us to restaurants where I tried new things, like escargot, and learned a bit about fine dining etiquette.  He had a horse farm, where my cousin and I would go to ride.  He drove nice cars, had a beautiful house (that I thought was a mansion when I was little) and seemed to know people everywhere we went.

Coming from a family where few people had gone to college, my uncle gave me a look at what kind of lifestyle I could aim for if I was willing to put in the time and effort.  I will always be grateful for those times and the early motivators for studying harder.

As I got older, I stopped making my annual summer visits.  I still saw my uncle at our family Christmas dinner.  He was a quiet presence, usually seated in the breakfast nook, watching sports and talking with whomever stopped in to get some appetizers.

Now, things will definitely be different.  My aunt may sell their house and move to the farm.  So, even if my aunt still plans on hosting them, family Christmases will change dramatically.

And, the wedding picture has changed a bit.  An additional picture on the "in memory" table.  One less family member seated around the tables.

It's the kind of event that makes me take a step back and feel gratitude for my family and friends (and maybe even the co-workers who drive me crazy every day).  It's the kind of thing that reinforces the need for a point of view shift every once in awhile.

Have you lost anyone important to you while planning your wedding?

Weighty Issues

The other day, I wrote a bit about my approach to losing weight.  What I skipped over in that post was the WHY part of the equation.

While I quickly ended with something about looking great in a wedding gown, that doesn't get to the heart of the matter.  To be honest, I'm thinking I will be pretty happy with how my body looks in a wedding dress no matter what happens over the next six months...

I'll refer back to this picture, circa my dress shopping days:

one of my favorite dresses (personal pic)

I am not a tiny girl (remember the scary weight of 200?), but I like my overall shape.  I feel very lucky to have an hourglass figure.  My measurements may be about ten inches higher all around than the ones from the ones in the rap songs, but it usually works for me.  (I'm going to leave all of my opinions on my ridiculously sized chest for some other day.)

Sure, I think that the upcoming wedding is a great reason for me to try to tone up and look the absolute best that I can - but, if I remain at my current size, I'll be okay.

So, why try to lose weight?

Reason One - When I'm not exercising regularly, I feel like this:

from ionpsych

ALL THE TIME.  

I feel tired and moody.  I mope a lot.  And, forget about wanting to be touched romantically...  Please don't even think about it.

When I am working out and eating a (relatively) healthy diet, I feel more like this:

from wikipedia

I feel strong.  I feel alive.  I marvel at the things my body can do.  I feel happier, more confident and sexier.  It's an amazing contrast.  Unfortunately, when I've stopped working out for any significant amount of time because of life circumstances (schedule conflicts, work, school, getting sick, etc.), I don't usually realize why I feel like crap and have a hard time getting re-motivated.  I'm hoping that the looming wedding date will keep me going even if I hit a few bumps along the road.  Already signing up for our first 5K of the season (April 21st) should help for the next couple months anyway.

Reason Two - When I look at pictures of myself (especially in profile), I see this:

from Washington Dept. of Fish and Wildlife

See the resemblance?

from our e-shoot with Rodger Obley

I can't believe how ridiculous my chin(s) look and it drives me crazy.  There are so many photos from our e-shoot which I love except for the chin issue.  Luckily, I know that my chin shrinks when I lose a bit of weight...  So, that is my true goal: shrink the bullfrog!

I'm thinking that another 15 to 20 pounds will cure my bullfrog-itis.  I also think that that's something reasonable, accomplishable, whatever.  I just need to get it done!

Are there any specific problem areas driving your pre-wedding workout regimen?

Six Months of Nightmares?

I have heard about brides having wedding nightmares.  I totally expected them...  at some point.  But, already, they are occurring with an increasing regularity.

Last night's involved both the DJ and baker being no-shows.  I was freaking out, asking the event planner what could be done on the day of.  To add to my torment, I realized that I hated my wedding band.  I guess I had let the FI pick it out for me and it was AWFUL.

Other recent nightmares have included being late, realizing my dress isn't ready/doesn't fit and having forgotten important items somewhere.

I have been surprised at how many variations of things my mind has come up with, especially so early in the process.

So, my question is, do all brides start having these dreams so early?  Will I really spend the next six months with less sleep as I work my way through every imaginable worst case scenario?  Will the nightmares lessen if i start working on my wedding related projects with a bit more gusto?  (That's my own theory anyway.)