the MOT-B

mom and i @ the mother's day 5k ~ 2011

i can't remember exactly, but on our 2nd or 3rd trip to our new church the pastor told a story about the Mother Of The Bride. aka the MOT-B. i thought it was ironic since Chris and I were recently engaged, and my mother was so excited to be the mother of the bride.
the story went something like this. the MOT-B did lots of planning and prepping for her daughter's wedding, and wanting everything to go perfectly. the day had arrived, and as the bride heads to walk down the aisle with her father, the bride walks through the reception area grabbing bites to eat, and taking drinks, as the bride hasn't eaten all day. she reaches her father and they walk down the aisle, the bride is mixed with nerves and an all of a sudden full stomach. once she reaches her soon to be groom, she looks over at her mother and throws-up all over the place.
the lesson - you can plan and plan, and things will still go wrong.
i told this story to my mom, and she immediately held onto the title "the MOT-B". now my mom isn't anything like the mother of the bride described above. in fact, she has made it clear many times that this is day is all about Chris and I, and that Chris and I are the boss! (thanks mom!)
well i'm super excited to have my MOT-B arriving in Denver tomorrow to go over all things wedding!!!! i seriously can't wait to have her here all to myself, for her to get to know Chris more, for her to see us as a couple in the comfort of our own home.
the main events are wedding dress shopping and attending a bridal fair! in addition to a couple of caterers, invitations, flowers, music, etc...

Not this Year

Unlike some years in the not so distant past, I was not alone this year for my birthday. This year Chris planned a fun date night. It started with dinner at Corridor 44 along Larimer Square. This restaurant had an awesome atmosphere and has tons of champagne to try! So Chris and I got a champagne flute (or flight?, I can't remember what they call them) to share!

Cheers!

After dinner we went over to Lannie's clocktower Cabaret Show! Chris and I have talked about going to this show in the past, so it was a pleasant surprise. Chris went all out, and got us front-row VIP tickets! The show itself was 2.5 hours of pure entertainment. So funny, and just over-all a blast. The burlesque dancers were cute and had lots of personality, and at one point in time both Chris and I were up on stage! ...him tossing marshmallows into a girl's mouth on a unicycle, and me receiving burlesque dance instructions on how to "shake it"!
During the one intermission a magician came out and did a card trick just for us. He had both Chris and I select a card from the stack of 52 cards. I put my card back into the pile, while Chris was instructed to tear his card long-ways. The magician then ripped the card in two more spots, giving me one of the torn-up pieces to hold on to. Then, right before our eyes he put the card back together! Once he completed that he came back to my card by saying "You selected a card..." after going back and forth a little about how he was going to predict what card I selected, he finally goes "What if I told you, your card is somewhere on you, in an impossible place? ...how about you like on your right forearm." At that moment he walks away, I lift my arm from the table and pull up my sleeve and see a stamp on my forearm that reads "9 of hearts". ...which you guessed it, was the card I selected at the beginning of the trick!

How'd he do that?!

after the show with my pink feather boa!

The Denver clocktower has lots of significance for Chris and I. Behind the clocktower is a little park area with grass, where Chris and I sat and got to know one another on our second date. It's also where he took me to propose in November. It's in the heart of downtown, right on the 16th Street Mall, and beautiful. It's one of the historic buildings in Denver, and just...pretty.
I've definitely had memorable birthdays in my past, along with some birthdays I would rather just forget. But this one will always be near and dear to my heart, as I shared it with my future husband. And we had a great time, full of lots of laughs and happy memories!

Looking Back

birthday cupcake from Cathy...don't mind if I do!

Today is my birthday.

Today I am 32.

I treated myself to a breakfast burrito this morning, and while eating it at my desk I took a trip down memory lane.

I've stated in the past that my birthday is a big deal to me, and it's important that I make it special for me. I've also stated that one great thing about this blog is the ability to go back in time and experience the past, if for anything to remember. So this morning, I took myself back. I've come a really long way.

I clicked on each January for the past years that I've blogged. 2009, 2010, 2011.

2010 to 2011 was obviously the biggest physical change. It was interesting reading some of my posts from 2009...when I first started to really working out. How some of the classes that I consider "easy" now were so difficult.

Then looking at 2010...what a big year that was for me. Starting off in Savannah, yearning for so much change, that I had no idea required so much discipline.

Then last year.

Who knew that celebrating my birthday last year that this year I would be engaged, and planning a fall wedding?!

Seriously, who knew? I really wish I would have known!!!

Then I read this.

I still feel like I have so much more I need to do. And obviously we are always moving forward, always changing...even though there are times when we want nothing to change. But the truth is we can't change change. We just can't. It's gonna happen.

I try hard to only write things in my blog that I know will happen. Things that I have control over. Why write something, write a plan, or a promise, to not follow through? I try hard to only write down my actions, to write what I am already doing. Not what I want to do...because what's the point in that?

I'm getting off topic here...I have lots in head. But today I want to relish in the fact that going forward I will no longer be spending my birthday alone. That I've come so far in the past few years, and that I still have so far to go.

My friend Angela recently stated this as her facebook status: "Love is..." and I wrote "Truly being happy with yourself to love someone unconditionally." We don't expect other's to put a condition on the love that they give us, why should we expect any less from ourselves? I've stated many times that you have to be happy with yourself alone, before you can be happy with yourself in a relationship. And looking back at what I wrote in the past, it feels good that I was happy. That I came to terms with my life and what I had at that moment. Because even though I wanted more, I appreciated what I had. And now this year's birthday celebration will be even more special!

the planner bride

I've been thinking about a wedding post update for a while now. Mainly because I have so much to cover, and more questions to ask, and thinking about how I just want to come out with it all. And that got me asking myself "what kind of bride am I?"
I am the planner bride.
I can confidently say that I'm on top of it. I know that the next nine months are going to fly by, and I want to make sure I'm part of it all. I'm cherishing this time and my mind is in over-drive planning this day that in the not so distant past I thought would never come. I think the fact that all of this change has happened has made me appreciate what I now have. It's crazy to think about all the details that they are seriously keeping me up at night.
At first the big question was whether or not there was even going to be a wedding. ...my father at first voiced his wishes to have the wedding in Albuquerque with a Catholic ceremony, or he wouldn't helped with the cost. Thankfully since then, he has come around, and is ok with the wedding in Denver with a Methodist ceremony. Most recently my mind is consumed with the wedding dress. The bridesmaid dresses, the gifts, the flowers, the music, the order in which things will go on the day.
Overall though things are good.
While I was in Albuquerque for Christmas my mom and two of my bridesmaid's came with me to try on wedding dresses! This experience was exactly what I wanted. Which was to give me a direction for what I want. Above is my favorite one that I tried on that day. And I'm going again on Saturday to try on gowns here in Denver.
The other major accomplishment that we got done in Albuquerque were the wedding favors. We're doing something with clear glass/plastic Christmas ornaments. So, the day after Christmas my mom and I got up early and went shopping, and got 130 ornaments, some ribbon, and some candles(for the reception) for $70! So the favors are done!
The rest of this month we'll be taste testing and interviewing three different caterers, along with more dress shopping. My mom is coming up at the end of the month to meet us with one of the caterers, continue the dress hunt, and to go to a bridal fair!
Next month we'll be going hotel shopping for our guests to stay at, along with registering.
I think I feel so prepared because of the time Chris and I spent talking about our wedding when we drove back to Denver from Kearney for our Thanksgiving visit. We pretty much spent that 5 hour drive going over all the details and the timeline in which they need to be completed by. We discussed our vision, and what we want for our day.
Our colors: royal blue, silver, with coral accents. My favorite flower is the bird of paradise, and I want that accented in the bridesmaid bouquets along with the center pieces. The over all feel to be romantic and elegant, not tropical.
It was important for me to get married in a church. Because even though I'm technically not practicing a specific religion I've always envisioned myself getting married in a church. For a long time I always thought I would get married in the Catholic church I grew up in, but then shortly after I moved to Denver the church was remodeled, and now it just unattractive, and I knew after seeing it remodeled I wouldn't get married there. So, once Chris and I got engaged I Googled church options, and found this Methodist church. I called and they had our date available, I made an appointment to go check it out. They have this adorable little, intimate chapel, with stained glass, and even though this was the only placed I checked out, I knew it was the one. The other perk, is that it's close to where our reception will be held! That next Sunday, Chris and I went to our first service there, and we really liked it. We then set up an appointment to meet up with a pastor to marry us. We met with the secondary pastor, who honestly I wasn't really impressed with. So after a few more Sunday services and being introduced to the head pastor, Chris asked if he would marry us. He advised us to call the church office so that they could check his availability, and now he is officially going to marry us! This was a big relief for me, as I want our ceremony to have lots of energy, and this pastor will definitely provide that!
Slowly but surely everything is falling into place.
Now the details: I know October 5, 2012 will be here before I know it. Our ceremony is going to be held at the Broomfield United Methodist Church, following will be the reception at The Chateaux at Fox Meadows. I have set up a wedding website, but that isn't quite ready to be shared (I'm waiting for Chris to ask his groomsmen to be his groomsmen!).
More and more I'm getting a clear vision of it all, and I know a huge weight will be lifted when my dress is selected, along with the bridesmaid dresses! Because seriously this is something I just can't get enough of at this moment!
Honestly I take comfort in knowing that in less than 9 months I'll be married. It seems like just enough time. For me, I can't help but think that if I were to be engaged for 13+ months, that time would just drag. But since this is already less than a year a way, time is going to go by so fast. But I still have enough time to put attention on all the details and not feel rushed. Especially since we do have all the big stuff out of the way.
I know that everything else will just fall into place!

holiday break 2011

I have lots of things that I love. About my life, about Chris, and about our lives together. One of things I love is the fact we both work in corporate America. A perk to this is that we both only take 4 days off from work and get a week and a half off. Granted this isn't a full 2 week break, but it's pretty darn close, and I'll take it!
Chris and I decided back in July that we would spend Christmas in Albuquerque. This was a big deal, because never had I brought a boyfriend home for the holidays. ...actually lets change boyfriend to fiance! I was super excited to share my crazy and loving family with him.
Then in October/November we decided we would save some money and drive. I've always flown home for Christmas, just because the weather is such a risk. And over the past 9 Christmas' only 2 have had bad road conditions. One of those two were this (last) year! In addition to the stress of the weather, I always stress when I go home (fiance or not). I want everything to go good, and to make everyone happy. What I hate the most about this self imposed stress that I put on myself, is that it always turns out just fine. Even though I know it'll be fine, I still stress out and have a couple of freak out moments.
Once the drive down was complete (we did hit some snow-packed and icy roads south of Pueblo and north of Trinidad) all was great.

Christmas Eve was spent at my cousin Kari's. She did a great job hosting, as this was the first time in probably 20 years the Christmas Eve dinner wasn't at my Aunt Patti's. We had lots of great food, and Chris was a fabulous addition to the festivities.

I planned a special date night for the two of us, to go up the Sandia Peak Tram, then dinner in Old Town. Sounds fantastic right? See the sun set in Albuquerque...as the city does produce some pretty majestic color, then have a nice dinner...

Well due to high winds, we experienced a stay much longer atop the base of the tram...about four hours! So no nice dinner was had. But overall still a fun night.
The last night we were in town, I had planned our 6th Annual Girl Cousin Dinner at the Melting Pot! Such fun as always with these girls!

Nikki, me, Cheryl, and Kari

New Year's Eve was reserved for just Chris and I. With all of the traveling we do, none of it has really been for the sole purpose of just the two of us. And that's what New Year's Eve was for. We traveled away for just us and no one else. We went up to Estes Park, CO (about an hour and fifteen minutes away) and got a private cabin! Talk about getting away and relaxing, that's what we did for 2 nights.

We did travel out on New Year Eve's day. We went to a winery, and walked around the town and shops. Then off to one of the best meals either one of us has ever had. We had dinner at Twin Owls Steakhouse. And oh my goodness, I'm still salivating over this delicious meal! My meal was pinon crusted chicken with mushrooms, grilled veggies, and white cheddar whipped mashed potatoes with green chiles! For the most part sounds like a pretty basic meal, but wow oh wow the flavor was amazing! So if you are ever in this small mountain town, you have got to go check it out!
Overall my holiday break was great. I got a lot of accomplished with the wedding...that update is coming up next!, with some quality time with my future husband. Not too shabby.
Here's to the rest of a great 2012!

treadmill 15min/elliptical 25min

2011 year in review

1. What did you do in 2011 that you'd never done before? Found true love
2. Did you keep your new year's resolution, and will you make one for next year? No, and yes.
   
3. Did anyone close to you give birth? Yes, my friend Sarah.
   
4. Did anyone close to you die? Sorta. My cousin's grandma, and my fiance's great-grandmother.
   
5. What countries did you visit? Just my own, and lots of new states: Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, and Arkansas.
   
6. What would you like to have in 2012 that you lacked in 2011? A more challenging job with higher pay.
   
7. What dates from 2011 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? 5/21 the date I met Chris. 11/21 the date Chris proposed.
   
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Finding love.
   
9. What was your biggest failure? Not losing 20-30 pounds.
   
10. Did you suffer illness or injury? Yes, I got super sick in January. I hurt my back in November followed by a weird 24 hour bug thingy.
    
11. What was the best thing you bought? A new nice king size bed.
    
12. Whose behavior merited celebration? Um, my own?
    
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? Some people on Facebook, which is why I blocked their news feed.
    
14. Where did most of your money go? Mortgage and bills.
    
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? Getting engaged!
    
16. What song will always remind you of 2011? "Brighter than the Sun" by Colbie Caillat
    
17. Compared to this time last year, are you? a) happier or sadder? Happier. b) thinner or fatter? Fatter, by about 8 pounds. (sad face.) c) richer or poorer? Richer.
    
18. What do you wish you'd done more of? Gym time.
    
19. What do you wish you'd done less of? Honestly, I don't know.
    
20. How did you spend Christmas? In Albuquerque with my family and my fiance.
    
21. Did you fall in love in 2011? Yes, I did!
    
22. What was your favorite TV program? Probably Dancing with the Stars.
    
23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year? I don't think so?
    
24. What was the best book you read? I've read lots of books last year, and unfortunately I can't think of the best one.
    
25. What was your greatest musical discovery? Couldn't tell you.
    
26. What did you want and get? My future husband.
    
27. What did you want and not get? A weight loss.
    
28. What was your favorite film of this year? I'm gonna say Breaking Dawn part I
    
29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I put together a birthday dinner at one of my favorite restaurants: Vesta Dipping Grill, then had a huge dance party with about 30 of my friends.
    
30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? Losing those last 20 pounds!
    
31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2011? Good.
    
32. What kept you sane? Chris
    
33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Reese Witherspoon
    
34. What political issue stirred you the most? No comment.
    
35. Who did you miss? My friend Tina...who I unfortunately didn't get to see at all last year.
    
36. Who was the best new person you met? Chris.
    
37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2011. That all of the good thoughts and happy vibes you put out there in the world will come back to you/prayers are answered.
    
38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year. "I've never seen it, I found this love, I'm gonna feed it, You better believe, I'm gonna treat it better than anything I've ever had, Cause you're so damn beautiful."

stolen from emily (again)
jog/run 30min

Nutrition

sunset from atop Sandia Peak Tram

You have to find and feed the right nutrients for everything in your life. In this particular instance I'm not talking about food. I'm talking about love.
I'm trying to not beat myself up about not losing 30 pounds last year or for only going to the gym 146 times. Or for not completing any of my new year's resolutions. Or even the change in my blog.
Writing in my blog to keep track of my workouts has been something I've done for the past three years! I gotta say this is going to be a hard habit to break. But change is good. Especially the change over my life over the past two years. My blog definitely has served the purpose I wanted it to over the past three years...keeping me accountable with my workouts and my life in general. And well, I feel confident that I no longer need that accountability in my life anymore. Which I guess is my main motivation for no longer doing the write-a-blog-for-each-workout- thing anymore.
I am realizing my shift in priorities. And need to do the appropriate action because of the new priorities in my life. My friend Sarah was quick to point out that "you were busy starting a completely new life. Now just integrate fitness back into it now that you and Chris are solid." And she's right. Love is obviously important to me, and true love takes time. And I have spent the past 7 months feeding that love and making sure it was right for me. I had to water it, and nurture it, just as if I was taking care of anything else in life. And not to say that I won't be doing that for the rest of my life (especially now that I am getting married!), but the beginning is when the foundation is built, and that is what is going to keep us going strong for the rest of our lives. Exactly like creating the habit of working out or eating healthy, or creating any new relationship. You can't expect to workout once a month and have that turn into a habit or expect to lose any weight. Just like you can't spend one evening with someone once every month or so and expect to fall in love. You have to spend quality time creating all aspects, especially when it has to do love.
And because I have done that, I'm working hard on not giving myself a hard time for not working out as much or for not losing any weight, because what was creating is so much better than that. I have found a love that will last me the rest of my life, I have found my future husband! And for me that is so much better than fulfilling my new year's resolution. Because what I got was something that wasn't entirely up to me, but about someone new in my life.
And now I have a new challenge ahead. I need to work on finding a balance. Because I do want to put more focus on my weight loss, because I do want to be thinner for my wedding. I also need to focus on my growing relationship with Chris, along with planning a wedding. Three big things, that all need a lot of attention in the coming months.
It's a lot of pressure wanting to do it all...lose weight, spend time with Chris, plan a wedding, cook, and keep a clean house. Along with my other relationships and other miscellaneous items.
Although not a bad problem to have this will be my challenge for 2012.
I do have plans in place for all of the above, and once I get something going, I'll definitely share it.
All of these are things I have thought about, and I've probably thought about writing these blogs about my love and my wedding, way before they were even a possibility, and I feel it is truly a blessings that I can finally write about them and have them be true, and have this be my life!

dance jam 60min

a new year: 2012

image

happy 2012 everyone!

a new year, a new blog...some changes and some updates!
the year that i have dreamed of my entire life is ....here! it is happening. i'm planning my wedding, and i'm getting married! so much still needs to be done, and the countdown is almost to 9 months...
one of the biggest changes that has to do with YOU...the blog...is no more blogging only when i workout. this wasn't an easy decision to come to, but life is changing, so things must change. i have lots going on and so much to blog about. and i have a blog post in mind entirely just for this subject.
the blog will now be a normal update blog...i'm not too sure how i'm going to incorporate my workouts into my blog, but i still want that to be a focus, i just don't know how.
normal life updates, wedding updates, weight loss updates.
i have plans in place for all of the above, and i can't wait to blog about it all!
i've had some questions/comments in regards to the blog name. the name will change, as i have thought about this. but the actual change won't happen until after we are married. just know that it is coming.

our christmas and new year's was great. we were in albuquerque with my family. and got quality time everywhere, including wedding favor shopping completed!, in addition to my first time ever trying on wedding gowns!!!
new year's was definitely more initimate, and some much needed time just chris and i. chris got us a cabin up in Estes Park, CO where we stayed for two nights and relaxed and just hung out.

i wish all of us a healthy, happy, and blessed new year! i have a feeling that 2012 is going to be fantastic!!!