Meeting a Photographer

Our wedding is in a small pretty rual part of Virginia so there really isn't much around when planning a wedding. I have relied a lot on the internet to find vendors for our wedding. I was searching the web for information and came across a photographer Michael Escalera. I took a look at his website and fell in love with his type of photography. He takes a more journalistic approach to pictures versus simple taking a bunch of posed pictures.

I had emailed him in January to find out if our date was even available. He emailed me back with in an hour and told it was. He sent me a price list and all the other packages he offers which I thought was really great. After that I some what but photographer on the back burner until I could get things more finalized. So this past Saturday, my mom and I went to meet him at his home and it was AMAZING!!! He was so incredibly nice and easy to talk and the best thing he made you feel comfortable. Being comfortable with a photographer I think is a very important thing.

The Weekend to Register

This past weekend I started my registry for our wedding. My mom and I traveled to Roanoke to Bed Bath and Beyond to begin a registry. At first I was a little sad that Brian couldn't be with us to take part in the fun of it, but really who is kidding men hate that crap. I would ask Brian questions about sheets and towels and his response would always be "it doesn't bother me what color towel I am using nor does the color of our sheets bother me" which I am sure every guy thinks about.

So here me and mom were at BB&B trying to figure out what to do. Let me tell the service there was great, we were offered drinks and snacks which was a shock to us. The girl Ashley was such a great help when we had questions to ask. As the day went on I saw all of these brides and grooms walking around the store together, it did kind of make me sad, but then I would see the same couple and they would be doing nothing besides arguing, so I was sitting there thinking maybe it was better that Brian didn't come with me... He really hates to shop!!! We spent 3.5 hrs picking out everything from towels to new bedding. It is fun but at the same time it is so stressful. I am pretty sure that we covered everything. We started a small registry at Target as well.

So for all of you brides out there who are arguing with your future husbands about going with you to registry if I were you leave them at home!!! Take a girlfriend with you and make it a day...

Opps... Weight Watcher's Continues

I haven't posted about my weight loss in a couple of weeks. I hardly have time to breathe these days. Well, I have started going to the gym on a regular basis. I started going on March 7th. Since then I have been 10 times. I know that doesn't seem like a lot but it is for some one who never did anything but eat. Last time I blogged about the weight loss was week 9 things have changed since then check it out!!

Ending Weight: 145.2
Fifth Week: +.2
Ending Weight: 145.4
Sixth Week: -1.0
Ending Weight: 144.4
Seventh Week: -1.6
Ending Weight: 142.8
Eighth Week: -1.0
Ending Weigh: 141.8
Ninth Week: -0.4
Ending Weight: 141.4
Tenth Week: -0.6
Ending Weight: 140.8

This left me at still needing to lose -0.6 to hit my first 10%. At this point I was totally stressed out and frustrated. So after the WW meeting on Monday, March 20th Emily and I stayed after to talk to our leader (who by the way ROCKS) about Exercising and eating. It seemed like as soon as I started working out the weight loss came to a stand still or at least in my book not larger enough losses. According to our WW leader I was not consuming enough food for the amount of exercising I was doing. I am allotted 20 pts a day to eat while on WW and that is exactly what I was eating. Along with those 20pts per day you can earn activity pts for the amount of Exercising you do, so on average I was adding 3 to 4 activity pts each time I worked out. The problem was that I was only eating 20pts and not consuming any of those extra pts, I think I was doing it out of fear of gaining weight. So my WW leader told me to eat 22pts 3 times last week so that is what I did. I really enjoyed those extra two pts. You would be surprised at what you an consume on 2 pts. On Monday, April 27th Emily and I were so ready for weight watchers this week we just knew that we had lost. We pull up to the church were the meetings are held only to get there and the meeting was cancelled. So my brilliant idea was well lets go back to my house and weigh ourselves there. (I have a WW scale at home)! Ever time that I have weighed before a meeting on my scale it is dead on with what the scale at WW says. To bad there was NO meeting because Emily and I both did pretty well. By my scale at home I lost -1.6lbs which makes my total weight loss at 16lbs and I hit my first 10% if 15lbs. Emily once again rocked the scale with a -3.2 loss! Knowing my luck I will go to WW on Monday jump on the scale and will have gained 5lbs. :)

The Stress of Being a Bride....

Here it is 6 months till the big day and the only thing that I want to do is cry! It is crazy I see that TV show Bridezilla and I think I would never act like that, but the sad part is that I am turning into that very slowly!

I don't understand why every family member has to put their two cents in on ever decision that we make together. I had everything planned out from the church to the reception site, but now I want to change the reception site. The reason behind changing the site is that I don't think that is going to be able to hold our guest comfortably. My father would like for us to have a sit down dinner and we are leaning towards that one minute than away from the idea the next... I just can't seem to communicate with the country club, they never give me a concrete answer on anything which really makes me mad.

So needless to say this "sucks" I thought this was supposed to be fun and exciting well really it isn't!

Weight Watchers Week Nine

Another week as gone by in the WW world. It was a pretty good week. I lost once again which is always better than gaining:

Here is where I am at now:

Starting Weight: 155.2
First Week: -4.2
Ending Weight: 151.00
Second Week: -1.4
Ending Weight: 149.6
Third Week: -1.8
Ending Weight: 147.8
Fourth Week: -2.6
Ending Weight: 145.2
Fifth Week: +.2
Ending Weight: 145.4
Sixth Week: -1.0
Ending Weight: 144.4
Seventh Week: -1.6
Ending Weight: 142.8
Eighth Week: -1.0
Ending Weigh: 141.8

Left to go to hit 10% : 1.6lbs

One more thing to mention is that I joined the Y tonight after work, so I will be at the POOL at 515 in the morning for a nice swim.... :)

Wedding Dress

I went and picked up my dress on Tuesday, which I was very excited about. The best news came when I tried on the dress. In January when I bought the dress I had to buy it in a size 12, which I wasn't very happy about at the time. On Tuesday when I put the size 12 dress on and lifted my arms up it fell off, that is a great feeling. So my bridal consultant Jan who is the best went and got me a 10, I put that on and it is a bit big too, I am not at an 8 yet but give me a week or two and I will be.

When I started Weight Watchers in January my goal was to be in a size 8 dress by my wedding and on Tuesday I changed that goal to a size 6! I will the happiest bride if I do it. Wish me Luck!!

Weight Watchers Week Eight

So another another week has gone by in the weight loss world! Last week when I blogged I said that I would be joining the YMCA on Saturday, well I didn't make it up there. It was a very busy weekend. Brian came in on Thursday, a week early :) and then my brother, his girlfriend, and her 4 year old son came for the weekend. So I really didn't have any time to do anything. All though I didn't make it to the Y I did run 2 miles on Saturday morning outside and managed to lose some more weight:

Here is the break down:

Starting Weight: 155.2
First Week: -4.2
Ending Weight: 151.00
Second Week: -1.4
Ending Weight: 149.6
Third Week: -1.8
Ending Weight: 147.8
Fourth Week: -2.6
Ending Weight: 145.2
Fifth Week: +.2
Ending Weight: 145.4
Sixth Week: -1.0
Ending Weight: 144.4
Seventh Week: -1.6
Ending Weight: 142.8

Left to go to hit 10% : 2.6lbs

I am glad to report that both my weight loss buddies are doing great!!! Velvet has lost 18.6 lbs... WAY TO GO VELVET!! Emily lost -2.4 lbs this week!!

The other exciting event is that I am going today to try on my wedding dress and praying that it is already to big and I am going to have to exchange it!!

You know you Got a Good Man....

So just a quick blog on how wonderful Brian is! He has to be one of the greatest ones out there and I am the lucky one who got him! Yeah Yeah people said you are rockin' the cradle I just say get them early and you can train them well! Just kidding, he really didn't need much!!

Me and Brian's wedding date is set for September 23, 2006 and yesterday while on the phone with him he told me that he wanted to move the wedding date up and he thought he couldn't wait till September to get married. I about cried when he told me that. How many men do you know that would say something like that. :) We aren't moving the wedding date to much going on during the summer not to mention my weight goals, I think I would have to starve to death if we moved the wedding.

With that said I know I have found Mr. Right. Let me tell you it feels so good to be loved all the time!!

Weight Watchers Week Seven

Well, Monday was weigh in day! I thought once again that I had gained weight but I didn't I actually lost. I was in a really bad slump for some reason, I couldn't get myself motivated to do anything. On Monday I actually thought about giving up on the whole weight loss thing. Then I sat back on Monday evening after weighing and thought about everything that was going on. See Brian is gone once again and he won't be back till March 2nd! I just calculated that I have spent only 25 days with Brian since December 13th when he took his first trip. It has been hard. This last trip has been the hardest. I knew that I couldn't quite. I baby-sat on Saturday for Velvet and I was shocked when I saw her! She has lost a lot of weight and she looks so GOOD!!! I knew that I couldn't give up knowing that she said that she was trying to lose the weight for the wedding (that isn't her only reason). Then David's Bridal called and my dress is in, and that is what kicked my butt into gear again! One really big motivator for me is that my friend Emily joined weight watchers with me and I want to keep her motivated as well. She lost 1.5 lbs her first week! Go Emily!!

So yesterday after work I took the first step into looking at joining the YMCA. I went up there and got class information and pool schedule. The membership is $34 a month and that includes classes, pool, and if you want a personal trainer. I was hooked due to the fact that I know nothing about lifting weights and toning. So I am going to go on Saturday to join the Y and start up Monday morning. You know I figured if Velvet can handle a full time job and be a mom 2 small kids and still fines time to work out almost every day I know I can too! Thanks Velvet for showing me that when you put your mind to things you can do it! I am thinking that once the weight loss journey is over for me, Velvet, and Emily we should be on a Make-Over Story on TLC! What do you think Girls?

Here is the break down:

Starting Weight: 155.2
First Week: -4.2
Ending Weight: 151.00
Second Week: -1.4
Ending Weight: 149.6
Third Week: -1.8
Ending Weight: 147.8
Fourth Week: -2.6
Ending Weight: 145.2
Fifth Week: +.2
Ending Weight: 145.4
Sixth Week: -1.0
Ending Weight: 144.4

Left to go to hit 10% : 4.2lbs

I changed the left to go because the big number was to discouraging. :)

Weight Watchers Week Six

Last night was weigh in night! I jumped up on the scale knowing that I didn't do very well, I just had that feeling. So last night I had gained .2 lbs. That isn't really anything at all but still it is a gain. I looked back on the week and realized that I had not tracked any of points for the week nor did I hardly drink any water. I also started to workout more and I was not eating my activity points which I found out that I need to eat them. I have set another mini goal which is I want to have lost 15lbs by March 2nd this is when Brian returns from his final trip. So I have 5.2lbs to lose in two weeks. I am pretty sure that I can do it.

Here is the break down:

Starting Weight: 155.2
First Week: -4.2
Ending Weight: 151.00
Second Week: -1.4
Ending Weight: 149.6
Third Week: -1.8
Ending Weight: 147.8
Fourth Week: -2.6
Ending Weight: 145.2
Fifth Week: +.2
Ending Weight: 145.4

Left to go: 30.4

Weight Watchers Week Five

My goal last week was to lose -2.6 lbs which would make it a total loss of -10lbs before Brian got home. Last night was great. My friend Emily came a long as my guest to see what WW was all about. It was great to have her there. One of my old co-workers joined me for the meeting as well.

This past week I began to exercise. Emily and I decided that we would do something different last Friday instead of the same old thing just sitting around. We met for dinner at the Texas Roadhouse where we both had salad, salmon, and a sweet potato. That is a pretty well rounded meal. After dinner we hit Adventure World for a night of roller skating. Yes that is right I did say roller skating, it was a blast! According to their website you can burn up to 336 calories an hour. Emily and I hit the rink for 2.5 hours. We plan on doing it again.

So would you like to know how I did this week? Check out below!!

Starting Weight: 155.2
First Week: -4.2
Ending Weight: 151.00
Second Week: -1.4
Ending Weight: 149.6
Third Week: -1.8
Ending Weight: 147.8
Fourth Week: -2.6
Ending Weight: 145.2

Left to go: 30.2

So I did it! And thanks to Velvet for this great idea, I just ordered my Ipod Nano!!!

Finding a Reception Site

Saturday, February 4th I went to two possible reception sites for our wedding:

1. Thorn Spring Golf which is located in Pulaski. I met with Rick Dalton who is the head chef there and with Ed Winebender who coordinates the events. The layout of the rooms were great. We would have one room for food and tables the other room which has hardwood floors would have the DJ, a few tables, and a bar. If the weather is good we would also have access to the patio which overlooks the golf course. It is great. The Chef seemed very knowledgeable and was very easy to talk to.

2. Nesselrod on the New which is located in Radford. It is a bed and breakfast with beautiful garden and a gazebo. I wasn't very impressed with it. It is a beautiful place but very expensive.
Our wedding will probably be between 150 and 160 guest and if it were to rain the day of our wedding the Nesselrod can only hold 75 people comfortably inside.

After today I think we have decided that an outdoor wedding is out of the question.

We are most likely going to have the reception at Thorn Spring Golf Club.

Weight Watchers Week Four

Yesterday was Monday which means weigh in day. So far my journey has been very successful. There is something I learned this week which I would like to share with you. First be very careful when are at a restaurant and you see the word "salad" to many people including myself when I see the word "salad" I think it has to be healthy. Not always true is what I found out. My discovery came when we decided last Friday night to go to O'Charley's for dinner. I had remembered a website which contained dozens of restaurant points conversions, so I looked at O'Charley's trying to figure out what I could eat for dinner. For the beginning I was going to get one of their signature salads, southern fried chicken salad and what I discovered next will shock you like it shocked me. Below is the nutrition information for the salad:

Southern Fried Chicken Salad - w/Honey Mustard Dressing - 1 order(1803 cal/85 g fat/10 g fiber/173 g carbs) 41 (42.5)

That right there about made my jaw drop! After seeing that I realized that I could eat my favorite meal at O'Charley's for a lot less points than eating the salad. I got the buffalo Chicken sandwich with Low Calorie Ranch which was 11 pts and a side order of mashed potatoes instead of fries which were 4 pts, I took about two bites of the potatoes. So be very careful what you order. My advice would be to review the website before you go out to eat! They say planning your meals is a great way to lose weight.

Here is might up to date journey on my weight loss:

Starting Weight: 155.2
First Week: -4.2
Ending Weight: 151.00
Second Week: -1.4
Ending Weight: 149.6
Third Week: -1.8
Ending Weight: 147.8

Left to go: 32.8

The Dress has been bought

Saturday the 28th was my trip to David's Bridal to find a wedding dress. I will have to say that is a very stressful thing to do. I am very grateful for the team of girls that I took with me. I don't think that I could have done it without them. My dress is an A-line gown with corset bodice, organza skirt, and metallic lace appliques. If Brian reads this he will have no clue what all that means.

I tried on about 10 different dresses, and no this wasn't the first one I tried on. I can't remember which number it was. I knew it was the dress when I walked out of the dressing room and my mother started to cry while Brian's mom held back tears too. I continued to try them on one by one until I narrowed it down to 3. I then tried one each of the top 3 again and when I got to the dress I bought I didn't want to take it off. Along with the dress I got a cathedral train.

So now everything seems very real! I will keep you posted on the upcoming events!!

The Date has been set

Brian was home this weekend for a couple of days before leaving again this morning. While he was home we officially picked a date for the big day! We will be married on September 23, 2006. I can't wait I am so excited. My first run at trying to find a dress is this Saturday. Please keep your fingers crossed.

Weight Watchers Week Three

Well, I weighed in last night. My weight loss for week 3 is -1.4 lbs. This puts me at a total loss of -5.6lbs. I wish it had been more but oh well! At least I lost it. My goal this week is to start exercising. I want to walk/run 4 times a week for 45 mins. Velvet wants to me run in a 5K run with her. If I don't start running now, they will have to have a life support team waiting at the finish line. Don't get me wrong I would love to be able to be in good enough shape to run with her.

Starting Weight: 155.2
First Week: -4.2
Ending Weight: 151.00
Second Week: -1.4
Ending Weight: 149.6

Left to go: 34.6

Weight Watchers Week Two

Today I am starting my second week of weight watchers!!! Last night I had my first weigh in, I lost -4.2 lbs in one week!!

So now i am down to 151.0 lbs...

Weight Watchers Week One

So, I started weight watchers on January 9th like I said I was going to do! Yeah for me! I weighed in at 155.5 lbs, which is a lot for my height! This week I have really begun to watch what I am eating and saying NO to the bad stuff. I will weigh in again on Monday, January 16th! My goal will be to weigh 115 lbs on my wedding day! That will be a total weight loss of 40lbs!

Luckily I have established a support team, Brian who is and always will be my cheerleader, Mom who has started watching what she is making for dinner, and Velvet to share ideas with and to challenge one another. I know that Velvet can do it and I am sure she is going to look wonderful in our wedding.

Appointment for First Dress Fitting

I have made my first dress appointment at David's Bridal . It will be January 28th. The following folks will be going with me:

Velvet: to keep me in line :)
Mom: Couldn't do it with out her, even though we can't agree on anything
Shirley: so to be mother-in-law want her to be a part of it too

I have be instructed to only listen to Velvet :)

Weight Loss Count down!!

On Monday, January 9th I will be joining weight watchers so that I can start losing weight for my wedding which will be in the fall of 2006. I am hoping that this time I can keep the weight off and really change the way I do things. I have 8 to 9 months to lose 25-35lbs I think i can do it!

Wish me luck! Maybe I will post my weight on here when I start. That will really motivate me to get my butt in shape!