New Blog and BIG news!

Since I was doing more blogging about health and fitness and not so much about the wedding, I decided to start a new blog focusing more on health and nutrition. If you want, you can now follow me at lavidasana11.blogspot.com. It means "the healthy life" in spanish. I've also just posted some big news on there, so you should definitely read it because I need some motivators!

Weekend Update

Weekends always go by way too quickly, especially when it's jam-packed. Friday was a fairly relaxing night. LC and I watched Get him to the Greek. His pick, not mine. What a ridiculous movie.

Saturday I woke up early and started my day at The Bar Method. Great class and no crazy ex-girlfriends. Always a plus! After bar, I met LC at the local gym that I belong to. I've decided to dump the gym and pass my membership over to him. It just makes sense, and he's already gotten more use out of it in the pass two days than I have in the past two months! The rest of the day, we just relaxed and I started reading the book, Crazy Sexy Diet by Kris Carr. So far so good! Not going to go into too much detail about the book until I'm completely done with it, but I love it so far.

Last night, we had a date night and took advantage of Chicago Restaurant Week. One of my favorite times of the year :-) Many restaurants around the city offer a pre-fixed menu for a certain price. This year, we went to Duchamp in Bucktown. It can best be described as a French inspired, neighborhood bistro. For my first course, I had steak tartate. It was the first time I'd ever tried anything like that and it was different but good. We also shared a sauteed scallop with mushroom herb risotto. During the main course I chose fettuccine with herb pesto, roasted red peppers, grilled fennel finished with goat cheese. It tasted like a bit of heaven in my mouth. So amazingly flavorful. LC had the beef tenderloin with mushroom bordelaise, bacon wrapped asparagus and mashed potatoes. Also an amazing meal. We both really liked the atmosphere and the food and service were phenomenal. We will definitely be going back there again.

Today we made it to church, brunch at the Bongo Room, and grocery shopping at Whole Foods. All in all is was a productive little weekend. Tomorrow, I'm starting my week off with hot yoga! I'm in need of a good stretch session.

What's Your Passion?

Last night, while I was doing the blog thing, one of my favorite bloggers did a post about The Hedgehog concept. This was the first time I had ever heard of it and it couldn't have come at a better time. It involves these three elements that come together in the middle: What are you deeply passionate about? What you can be the best in the world at? What drives your economic engine?

That got me to thinking, what I am truly passionate about? I could think of things that I like to do or that I like to talk about, but are those things really my passion? And if so, how can I turn it into a career? So I asked LC what he was passionate about. He thought I was asking him a trick question :-) I re-worded my question to be, "If you could do anything in the world, no matter the amount of money, what would it be?" His response, "I'd open up my own brewery." LC and his father both love beer. His dad actually brews his own with a home brew kit LC bought him a few years ago for his birthday, and he has made some very tasty brews.

Sometimes it's hard to look at ourselves as others view us. I decided to ask my sister today what she thought I was passionate about and her response was fitness, nutrition, blogging, family & friends. I liked her response and I know that she was being completely honest with me. I do feel that I am passionate about fitness and nutrition. I truly believe in staying active and eating as healthy as possible. I'm always telling her about new healthy recipes or going on and on about how much I love bar method and my helpful tips for running. But on the other hand I love to eat, and not always healthily. I'm a sucker for Chicago-style pizza, I'm not a size 4, and some days I'd rather lay on the couch with LC and watch movies than work out. So does this mean I'm still passionate about eating healthy and working out? I don't know, I'm still trying to figure it all out.

How about some Cheese to go with that Wine?

I'm so happy that tomorrow is Friday, it's not even funny. This week has been weird, crazy, and disappointing. First of all, I can't remember the last time I worked a full M-F (this has been the slowest week of my life). Also, my mom has been feeling sick the past few weeks and no one can figure out what the heck is wrong with her. Her illness has been lingering on and off for the past year and not one doctor, out of the many she has seen, has been able to give her an answer. She's hopeful though that they're getting close to an answer and hopefully a cure. After all, she has a wedding to help plan :-)

After not working out for 9 days, going on food tastings, and eating Lou Malnatti's, I stepped on the scale Monday and saw that I had gained two lbs. Lovely. So off to Bar Method I went. Monday was a great class. It was taught by the owner, whom I've never met before, and she definitely kicked our butts. It felt great to workout after taking such a long break. I went again on Tuesday. Also a great class, but at the end of the class I noticed someone who looked really familiar to me, and then the instructor called out her name...it was LC's crazy ex-girlfriend. Chicago, is by far the biggest small city. I was under the impression the girl moved to Spain, what's she doing back in Chicago? And is she staying? And why is she at my Bar Method Studio, I was here first! These are thoughts all going through my mind in one split second. I told my mom about it and her response was, "Oh honey, you won, you're engaged to him". So not the point. The girl hates me and it just makes for unnecessary awkwardness. So we both saw each other, knew who each other was, and turned away. So on Wednesday, I'm back in class again. This time I made sure to check the sign in sheet for who was registered for class and her name was not on there. I could rest easy. Until about 5 minutes before class I heard her tell the instructor her name. Are you kidding me right now? And in a half empty room, she has the balls to sit directly in front of me. And I did I mention the room is full of mirrors? Weeeeeeird. So for one full hour there we were, the fiance and the ex-girlfriend, working out together. I will say that it definitely motivated me to work harder and I am determined to kick her ass at Bar Method for as long as she keeps going. I called my mom and told her I saw her again and her response this time, "Is she stalking you?" ha!

And last but not least, I have been on 3 interviews in the past month. Two internally and one outside my company. I like the company that I work for and I would like to stay there, but I can honestly say that I do not like my job. This past interview was for an internal position and it was a job that I wanted so badly. It was my shoe-in to the advertising/marketing side of the company. I prayed to God every night that I would get this job. The man who interviewed me even wrote my current manager an e-mail on how much he liked my personality and my work ethic. And then today I get an e-mail of rejection. It was nothing I did wrong, they just chose someone who had more experience. Heartbroken. But on the up & up, I came home to flowers, wine, an inspirational card, and cheer me up cupcakes. That put a smile on my face. So, thank God tomorrow is Friday. The weekend never looked so good and so well deserved.

Happy Homecoming

Last Monday, I got the best Valentine's gift ever...LC came home from his 6 month deployment! For a girl who doesn't believe in celebrating this Hallmark holiday, I couldn't have asked for a better gift. Since he's been home, we've been doing nothing but wedding planning and catching up with his family and friends. We registered at 4 different stores, did our food tasting (sooo good!) and met with the pastor who's marrying us. I'm having a lot of fun planning our wedding, but this past week has been so busy with wedding stuff, I'm looking forward to a date night that doesn't involve the talk of bar packages and meal options.

I love having him back home, but I'm not going to lie, it's been a big adjustment for me. For the past 6 months it's been me, by myself, coming and going as I please. No one else to clean up after except for myself. And if I want to eat cereal for dinner, I'm more than okay with that. Also, we only have one T.V. which means I had to sit through the slam dunk contest as well as the NBA All-Star game. However, it is nice to have someone to cook nice meals for, go on date nights with, and make Saturday morning brunch for. I'm truly happy and can't wait for our wedding. I pray that there will be no more deployments in our near future. Since LC and I have been dating, we have yet to spend a full year in the same city/state. Hopefully, this will be our year.

Pics to come! I tried uploading them tonight & my internet was being really slow and/or I was being really impatient :-)

Home Sweet Home

The Vince Lombardi trophy is back where it belongs, and I cannot be more thrilled!

The Green Bay Packers are SUPER BOWL CHAMPS!!!!!!!!! I love Aaron Rodgers. So much so that I frequently tell my fiance, that Aaron will one day his children's stepfather. What? That's all I got for today :-) I'm also self medicating myself through this week (aka lots of wine nights). FI comes home sometime next week!

Holy Snow!

Chicago got pounded with a shit-ton of snow this week. It started on Tuesday night and I left work around 4 pm. Luckily, I didn't have to take the bus home. I had heard horror stories about people getting stuck on buses that took Lake Shore Drive. I read a tweet where a person left work at 3 and didn't get home until after 9pm!!!! A commute that should take about 45 minutes tops ended up taking 6 very long hours.

It was so windy that when I went to turn the corner heading north on Michigan Ave, it was physically impossible. The wind simply wouldn't let me get home. I had to turn around and take the alley. I woke up around 9pm from a much needed nap and seriously looked like a white tornado outside. I thought to myself, we definitely won't have work tomorrow...

Wrong. As soon as I woke up on Wednesday morning I called our company weather desk. "Company name here" will be open February 2nd for regular business hours." FAIL. Off to work I trudged. I was in at 8am and then I got sent home at 10:45am...what a waste of time.

Here are some pics that I took on my iPhone of the Great Blizzard of 2011.

Michigan Avenue the night of the blizzard

The same view the next day...

Wabash Avenue, on my way home from work Wednesday 10:45am

Chemical Peels & Bar Method

Lately, my face has been less than "perfect". Growing up, I've always had clear skin, but within the past few months it's been giving me some problems. I blame it on stress. A few weeks ago, Living Social was running a really great deal for a chemical peel. So impulsively, I purchased. I have never had a chemical peel before and I was very nervous going into the appointment. I did not want to come out of it looking like Samantha from SATC when she gets her botched chemical peel done.

So, this past Thursday I had my first ever chemical peel, hoping that this would help clear up my skin. I got the the medspa and filled out my paper work. She had me lay down on an exam type bed and she cleaned my face. Then she applied some topical cream that smelled absolutely awful. I could barely breath. Then came the chemical peel. It tingled. It almost felt like someone was pouring a lot of astringent on my face. The whole process took about a half hour tops. I barely noticed any change in my face except for the fact that it was very pale. I picked the perfect weekend for my face to peel off, because I ended up having to stay in all weekend due to a sinus infection and general cold. By Friday, my face just looked like it was sunburned. My boss sent me home early. Not because of my face (I think) but because of my illness. Saturday my face was dry. And by Sunday it started flaking off. Today my face is still dry and I'm not entirely satisfied with the turn out so far. I have noticed that some fine lines from my forehead are gone, but my face is STILL breaking out. So my verdict on the chemical peel: I should have seen a dermatologist first. I'll be paying one a visit in the near future.

This weekend, I also got notice that my bridesmaids' dresses are in. I'm going with my sister this weekend to pick up hers and I can't wait to see them!! I'm positive they'll look fabulous but all of a sudden nervous that the color might be too much. Nothing I can do about it now. I can't believe the big day's in 5 months! AGHH! So much to do!!!!

I've finally began working on some DIY projects. That's the great thing about these bitter cold Chicago winters. Lots of indoor time. My table "numbers" are almost complete. Pics to be posted shortly. And I've FINALLY decided on centerpieces, which is a huge accomplishment for me.

Today, I've finally started my 6 month commitment to The Bar Method! I haven't done this class in about a month and it felt oh so good tonight. Just what my body needed after not working out all week. I'll be feeling it tomorrow. I literally missed going to this class and I was looking forward to it all day today. I've never felt this way about any workout except for maybe running outside on a nice day. Tomorrow is February. LC comes home in February :-) I'm crossing my fingers and praying for THE BEST Valentine's gift of all time.

Next Stop, TEXAS!

The Packers are going to the Superbowl. What a great day for a Packer fan living in Chicago :-) The whole city ate their words last night. Go Pack GO!

Best play of the game last night:

And a picture of my love:

SUPER BOWL BABY!!!!!!

MIA

I've been absent yet again. And one of my resolutions/goals was to blog more. FAIL! I've been super busy wedding planning and interviewing for a new job. I have two career things going on right now. One position is with my same company just a different role and the other one is a job at a completely different company working in sales. I'm most excited about the position at the new company. Stay tuned!!

I'm also in the process of working on my first DIY wedding project: Table numbers/Chicago Landmarks. So far they're turning out just as I wanted and when they're done, I will post pictures on the blog. I hope everyone's new year is going great! So far, no complaints. Just counting down the days until my love gets home!

Happy New Year

My New Year's Eve is not at all what I expected it to be. My BFF and I went to a house party, hosted by a guy, played some beer pong and I ended 2010 with my first ever (and only) keg stand which lasted 3 seconds.

Needless to say, I woke up in 2011 with a slight headache but nothing a good brunch and bloody mary couldn't cure. My sister, her friend, and I went to a restaurant/bar to watch the Rosebowl. Sadly, my Badgers did not win. There's always next year boys.

After the game was over, my sister and I went to see 'Black Swan.' Amazing movie. There are no words. Natalie Portman did an awesome job in her role, as did Mila Kunis. I enjoyed because of the ballet and fact that it was a psychological thriller. LC told me that he wanted to see this movie, and I was really surprised that he'd want to sit through a ballet movie with me. After seeing the movie, now I know why! A graphic girl on girl scene in this movie, but it definitely plays into the whole story line. If you haven't seen this movie go watch it.

So far 2011 has been great. I skyped with LC for awhile. He comes home soon. Tomorrow marks the 6 month mark until our wedding. I have a lot of things to do. I'm almost done with our table numbers. That was my first DIY project, so look out for those because I'll be posting them soon.

So Long 2010...Bring it 2011!

I cannot believe just last week I celebrated Christmas. Honestly, where has this year gone? Santa was really good to me this year. I got a Flip video cam from my parents, along with some B&N gift cards for my Nook, Lululemon gloves, and other little things. From my sister, I received a super cute apron and Julia Child's cookbook, 'Master the Art of French Cooking'. I can't wait to try it out. I've recently taken an interest in learning to cook different types of foods. I've also found that cooking relaxes me and it's something I'm good at, baking on the other hand, is a different story.

My grandparents live in Arkansas and they only come during Thanksgiving for deer hunting season. That is when we do our big family Christmas with my aunt, uncle and cousins. So this past weekend was very low-key filled with lots of good food, relaxing, and quality time with the parents and sister :-)

*my mom's gluten-free chocolate cake. Turned out sooo good!

As much as I enjoyed my time off and the holidays, I'm glad they're over. Christmas is one of my favorite times of year, but I wasn't feeling it so much with LC being gone, and my family knew it. I tried to be in good spirits but it was really difficult. But now that Christmas is behind us, this means I have about a month and a half until he's back home!

Tomorrow I'm going to a house party with my BFF, Dani (she's also one of my BM's). It's been a while since her and I have spent NYE together and I'm looking forward to it. I'm loving our plans because I hate going out for NYE. I think it's so over-rated, over-priced, and under served. Pass.

2010 wasn't the greatest of years and I'm looking forward to leaving it in the past. I have a lot to look forward to in 2011 and begin a new chapter in my life as a wife. I'm not one for making resolutions, but I do set goals for myself each year. Within in this past year, I participated in my first Bank of America 8k Shamrock Shuffle, two 1/2 marathons, visited New Orleans for the first time, and started planning a wedding. The first of my Best Friends got married and another one had a baby. On the flipside, I learned who my true friends really were which resulted in losing a bridesmaid and someone who I thought was a friend. My mother suffered from random neurological symptoms, was tested twice for multiple sclerosis, and remained a "medical mystery" for months. She was finally diagnosed with celiac disease, which was actually a relief considering what it could have been.

In 2011 I plan to: get married (I'm giving myself a freebie!), visit St. Lucia (another freebie), pay off a credit card, run another 1/2 marathon, talk myself into running the Chicago marathon in 2012, visit NYC during the Christmas season.

Have a safe and happy new year everyone!

So, I've been Thinking...

Since my semester ended a few weeks ago, I've been doing a lot of thinking. About the wedding and what I really want to accomplish in my life. The small wedding details are falling right into place. It's hard to make decisions about centerpieces and wedding decor when I've never really been one of those girls that's envisioned her wedding. There's so much to choose from and I'm an indecisive person as it is.

I've also been thinking a lot about school and what I really want to accomplish in my life. I really like what I went to school for. I can honestly say that I enjoyed all of my classes and I did well in them. I also enjoyed the experience I had in PRSSA and meeting the wonderful people that I did. I have no regrets about school and what I got my degree in. What I do regret is taking a job that I didn't really want to do in Chicago, just because it was in Chicago. The job I have now is the same job that I had directly out of undergrad. I hate it. I don't think I've given myself a fair chance to do what I really love doing; PR/Advertising. So, I've made the decision to not take anymore classes this semester. I want to take these next 6 months to focus on the wedding and look for a new job. Hopefully I will find something that I enjoy doing and then I will know for sure whether or not I want to continue on with school.

Bar Method

Source

A co-worker of mine has been talking about this fitness class she's been going to, the Bar Method. They have a couple of different studios located across the country. It's a fitness class that's meant to lean and sculpt your body. I've been wanting to try it out for awhile now but wanted to wait until I was done with my class. So, tonight I found it to be the perfect opportunity. It's a great class and the nice thing about the studio is that it's a 5 minute walk from my job.

When I got there, I filled out all the paperwork and they showed me around the studio. I went to the locker room and changed. They require you to wear yoga pants/capris and socks. We first worked on our arms, then our legs, and abs. Within the first 5 minutes of the class, I was thinking in my head, "I am no longer friends with H.D." (my co-worker who suggested it to me). I never knew you could get a workout just by using 2 and 3 lbs weights! It's a class that practices isometrics so you hold a lot of the poses for a long time and pulse up and down for many repetitions. It was hard but I loved the way it worked out my body, very low impact yet effective. I've worked out with a personal trainer a few times before and to be honest with you I'd rather spend my money on this. (It's $20 a class).

What Now?

I got a text message today from a co-worker of mine at the base. "Call Kenny ASAP". Right away I get sick feelings in my stomach. I HATE when people add ASAP to their text messages because I always think the worst. So I called Kenny and this how the conversation went:

Me: Hey, "A" told me to call you, what's up?

K: So you know how you were supposed to be going to the "Deid for a month??

Me: Yeah...(what's going through my head: they're sending me for longer and I won't be home when LC gets home and we will have to postpone our wedding!! Dramatic I know)

K: Well, you're not going anymore. They already have active duty crew com in place

Me: Okay. So the smallpox vaccine that's blistering and itching on my arm, that was for nothing?

K: Yep!

Military life is pretty sweet (sense the sarcasm). I called my mom and told her the news and she said to me, "Well don't unpack just yet, you never know!!" She definitely knows how this works. But for now, orders have been canceled and I have enrolled in an online Intro to Nutrution class that's required for the program I'm applying for.

What does this mean for me? Well, I pray that the holidays go by quickly. I hate being in Chicago when LC's not here during Christmas time and with this deployment I was supposed to be going back to WI this Saturday and staying until I left at the end of December. So I would have been with my family and friends. The city is utterly depressing and everything reminds me of him. There are certain Christmas songs that are off limits. This is the hardest part of the year. It also means that I will forced to make NYE plans, because it's simply not acceptable to sit home alone on NYE (wise words of my younger sister). So back to real life I go again. School, work and Oliver.

Well, I've made it through another semester of AP II. It would feel really great to be done, except for the fact that the program I'm interested in applying to next year requires Anatomy and Physiology with a Cadaver lab. FAIL!! I'm actually really excited about the cadaver part!!! Not so excited that I just took TWO classes that aren't required!!!!

Anyhoodle, I'm taking the next semester off. I'm deploying at the end of the month and will be gone until February and the new semester starts in the middle of January. I don't really want to put myself through the game of playing catch up and I have some big things I need to focus on, such as wedding planning people!! I'd also like to get some volunteering done to help strengthen my application and maybe look for a part-time/fun job for extra cash and for my sanity. The job I'm at now is just really unsatisfying and not very challenging. My boss is a whole other story...The other day he asked me if Christmas Day was on December 24th or December 25th. There were crickets. He also gets paid a lot more than I do.

So now that I'm free from school, I plan to spend my free time catching up on sleep, playing with Oliver, planning this wedding, and reading for fun along side a glass of vino :-)

7 (ish) more months to go-The Dress...for my BM's

We just passed our 7 month marker! I feel like we've done a lot in the planning process but also that we have so much left to do.

Things we've checked off of our list:-Ceremony venue & reception hall
-photographer & e-pics (first session)-DJ
-Transportation (We're taking a trolley from the church to reception)
-My Dress & shoes :-)
-MOH Dress
-BM Dresses :-)-Flowers
-Honeymoon Booked! St. Lucia, here we come!!

Things we have left to do:
Too many to remember...

So, here's the scoop with the bridesmaid dresses. Awhile back, I wrote about shopping for BM dresses with 3 of my girls. After this shopping trip I was torn on what to do. It didn't help that the girls looked great in almost every single dress. I wanted the dresses to be knee-length and easily wearable again, either to another wedding or some sort of function. I fell in love with a few dresses from LulaKate, however the price was more than I wanted each girl to spend. So, I asked my bridesmaids how much they would feel comfortable spending on a dress. Most of them gave me a general answer of, "Whatever you like, it's your day we'll pay whatever." With the exception of one, which I appreciated for her honesty. She gave me an amount that was well under what I was asking them to pay. So I thought about it a little more and I decided to go with the nicest, best looking bridesmaid dresses. And the best part is that they got to pick their own skirt that would best flatter them.

I went with two different styles of LulaKate dresses. The Maggie and the Pearl. Each girl will be alternating styles. I let my sister pick which one she wanted to wear because she is going to be my maid of honor and I put my friend, Rachel, in the line up of where she would fall the wear the Maggie since I knew she would feel most comfortable in a one strap as opposed to a strapless. Everything else just fell into place.

The color of the dresses will be passion, which is a shade of purple. Each girl can pick out whatever shoes they want, as long as they're silver.

Above is an example of the color...

And here's an example of the two styles together...

The girls are very excited for their dresses and I can't wait to see how lovely they will all look in them.

Happy Friday!

TGIF and ONE MORE WEEK OF SCHOOL!!!! The school thing has been kicking my butt this semester, but I think I've finally got it figured out after months of pondering my likes/dislikes and what makes me happiest. For the time being, I've decided to not take any classes next semester. I need to focus on wedding planning (7 more months today!!!) and this deployment will set me behind a few weeks in the semester...not really the best way to start out.
So, school's almost over and the weekend is here.

Plans for this weekend:
1. Playing war/being a weekend warrior for the Air Force


2. STUDY, STUDY, STUDY!! (And a Starbucks skinny vanilla latte!)

3. Spinning & Yoga Sculpt!

That concluded my weekend plans until I saw the commercial for this...


It releases Friday at midnight...and will be in my possession on Saturday! I can't wait! Eclipse was by far the best movie so far in the series.

What's For Dinner-Weeknight Edition

This week has been crazy busy for me. I've had to study for 3 tests in one week. Did I mention it's for the same class?? Our teacher is letting us retake two of our lowest tests so I should really be thankful to him. Tonight is the first night that I've been able to workout all week and it really helped. I also set aside some time for a quick trip to the grocery store and to make myself dinner. I've been craving something very flavorful. Something warm because winter is officially here in Chicago (and has no signs of leaving anytime soon) and something comforting and soothing to the soul. Tonight I bring you what I like to call a squash & turkey mashup bowl. It was so simple, quick and so so tasty that the first bite got an official, "Hmmm!"

There is no official recipe, I kind of just threw stuff together that sounded good. I baked a small butternut squash, cut it up and mash it in a bowl. Then I cut up an apple and some green beans, pecan halves, put a little bit of olive oil in a pan (just enough to coat it) and put the apple, green beans and pecans in the pan along with some cinnamon. I let it cook up and then added some left over turkey to the pan. Sprinkled some seasoned salt. After the turkey got warm, I poured a splash of red wine into the mix and a little bit more olive oil. Let it cook and then added pure maple syrup and poured the whole thing in with the squash. HEAVENLY!! And the whole thing probably took about 20 minutes tops.

Now, Oliver and I are sitting here watching Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice. Our favorite thing to do on Thursday. He can be such a good t.v. watcher.

I saw this commercial and got really excited! Not because of the flawless models parading around in lingerie, but because this commercial was filmed at the Milwaukee Art Museum and in Chicago...my two fave places!!!



Good job VS marketing team! Didn't Adriana Lima just have a baby?? I will never understand.

Weekend Recap

I'm back in the very windy city, after a long weekend in WI. The weekend was a lot of fun and very relaxing. Two things I was in desperate need of. I drove home Wednesday after working and a long cardio session (gearing up for yummy food). I stayed at my sister's house because she lives closest to where we were planning on going out that night. We met some of her friends out at a restaurant in Milwaukee, called Hinterland. From the outside, it looks like a fancy wine bar. But inside, it's very cozy and perfect for a cold, rainy fall evening. I had the pork chops with butternut squash and red quinoa. It was the perfect kind of comfort food. After dinner, my sister and I parted from her friends and met up with some of my girls at Cafe Lulu. It was wino Wednesday, which means 1/2 price bottles of wine which equals one happy Maria :-) We drank wine and danced the night away to 5 card studs. What a fun band!!! They were a "Vegas Style" live band that sang music from the 70's and 80s. They wore wigs, white button shirts, and aviator sunglasses. They were a riot. If live bands weren't so expensive, I would have definitely booked them for our wedding.

I started off Thursday morning with a little 2 mile run, along with strength training and big flights of stairs. Thanksgiving day was held at my parents house. My mom did most of the cooking because she has to be gluten-free. I was a little worried about this because I've had some gluten-free products and could definitely tell a difference in the taste. But everything was magnificent and more! I could not tell a difference between the gluten free stuffing vs. the stuffing from last year. I could, however, tell a difference in the pie crust. It wasn't a bad different, just not what I was used to.

Friday, my mom and I met with the florist for the wedding and went over ideas and price quotes. Flowers are expensive. Even coming from a woman who works out of her home. I could not believe the price that I was being quoted for my bouquet. I quickly texted my friend who just got married, and she paid the same price for hers. Unbelievable. Especially because they will end up going to waste at the end of the night. I'm excited to see how they turn out though. It's hard for me to grasp the fact that I won't see the finished product until the day. It makes me a teensy bit nervous.

The rest of the weekend included taking the puppers on long walks so that he wouldn't be so crazy inside, football (WOO HOO BADGERS!) and spending quality time with the family. Now it's back to the grind and time to finish out the semester strong. 3 more class and 3 more tests! I never thought I'd see this day again, where I look forward to winter break :-(