Weddings and Workouts

Oh, hey. It's me. I didn't forget about you.

Things have been quite busy lately. Brad and I are the most popular newly-engaged couple ever to walk the planet... Maybe not exactly, but we have had abnormally busy social calendars lately. Every night this week it's been something. Lots of dinners out and happy hours. Tonight is my first night this week, where I can go home and do what I need to do...workout and go to the grocery store. What fun.

Wedding planning is well underway. We have a place, a bridal party, a photographer, a cake, and a harpist. The cake maker and harpist are relatives. Relatives = FREE (or close to it), which is perfect for us, since we're on a fairly petite budget. The next items on my to-do list are the dress (the fun part!) and the caterer (the most expensive part...). Oh, also, we need to go cake tasting so that I can tell my cousin what kind of cake we want and what we want it to look like. I've had lots of extra time at work today, so I've started some research on catering. Brad's cousins said they had an idea to keep costs low, so he just needs to call them and find out what that is.

I also need to work on the small tasks like applying for a passport and going to the lady doctor to get myself on the pill. We do not want babies making themselves on the honeymoon (TMI?).

Next weekend we're having our engagement photos done. I'm really excited! :) (I might even make myself an appointment at the MAC counter at Nordstrom so I look all pretty-fied.) Our friend, Michelle, has offered to do them for us. She was already booked for our wedding day :( so unfortunately she won't be able to shoot the Day of, but I'm excited to hang out with her and her hubby next weekend! (We were at their family cabin when we got engaged!) I'm also excited to get the photos done so we can get the save-the-date announcements sent.

A few weeks ago, Brad and I made the joint decision to get our booties in shape. We've been getting at 4:45 every morning to work out before going to work for the day. While it sounds pretty nasty, it hasn't been that hard to get up (except for this morning. I slept in). I feel more awake at 5am than I do at 7. We've been doing the p90x program (you know, the infomercials that play at 2am). It promises to leave you ripped at the end of 90 days. We're almost at Day 30, and I feel like I've gotten fatter. However, I did not take any "before" pictures, so I really couldn't tell you if that's true or not. I don't think I've done the best job of sticking to the diet, but I haven't been eating candy and french fries for every meal either. I've been sticking to the lean meats and lots of veggies, but I'm still eating my fair share of carbs (complex carbs! the good kind!). The first phase of the diet is meant to lean you out fairly quickly by eating less carbs/fats and more protein. It's hard. But I've noticed a change in Brad, even though he says he feels fatter, too, so I'm hoping the same is true for me. Thankfully, if we don't look exactly the way we want to in 90 days, we'll still have another 75 until wedding day.

Day 2

Today is Day 2 of getting up at 5am and working out. It's not terrible...

I haven't been TOO tired (probably because of the quick nap I catch in the car on the way to work while Brad drives...and the dozing on the train ride home...). I've been drinking lots of water, and staying on top of the accompanying diet. The first phase of the diet consists mainly of proteins. It's for cutting down on the current body fat. Which is fine except that I practically live on carbs normally. For the last two days I've been craving toast, tortilla chips, muffins, rice, potatoes, popcorn, anything that would fit under the carb category. I can have carbs, but just one serving a day. I can't wait until phase 2 (in 3 weeks...) when I can add more bread and popcorn into my snack options. mmm...

The workouts are pretty intense. Brad and I are both having trouble moving our upper bodies today. And tomorrow we'll add legs to the list of complaints (today was what they call "jump training"). Tomorrow's workout is more upper body weight training and abs again. Ugh.

Anyway, that's enough of that. Workout talk is boring.

Brad and I are finally getting started on the actual planning of the wedding. This week's goal is to choose a few venue options to show my parents. Last night we did some research on places in the South Sound, and it looks like there are quite a few cute options. One place in particular, looks pretty amazing, and the price is reasonable and includes everything we would need (minus the caterer). They didn't have the date we wanted available, but there were a few other days that could work as options. I want to try to take a look this weekend.

With the 5am wakeups and the evenings doing wedding planning, I can see myself becoming very tearful fairly quickly...and not in a good way...

Halle Berry

This morning, on the way into work, I decided to stop in Starbucks for my double-shot w/whip mocha.

I like Starbucks. The drinks always taste the same.

So I order like a normal person, and go stand over by the button-pushing barista to wait for my hot and tasty beverage.

I'm standing quietly and pretend to look interested in the discount "out-of-season" mugs on display, when the lady barista says (very loudly, in an almost yell) "It must be hard walking around looking like Halle Berry!" I turn, and she's looking right at me.

I smiled and stuttered, 'uh...i guess. ha.' (That 'ha' was a very dorky guffaw that sounded more like HUH!!')

That response of mine perfectly displays my lack of grace at accepting compliments. And my knack to be awkward in most situations that involve interacting with strangers.

Me = NERD.

Insane-isitis

I’ve been engaged for 1 week and 10 hours. I’m already going crazy. Weddings on a tight (or non-existent, even) budget can drive a person batty.

I just need two things to be happy. 1) A place. And 2) a date. After that, I can work on all of the other things. Like save-the-dates, and invitations. Both of which will cost us little money (thanks to artistic, graphic designing future-in-laws).

Last night I had a bit of a meltdown. After talking to my parents who are all “we’ll have money, but we don’t know when,” my blood pressure was slightly higher, but no tears were shed. Then they told me not to worry and everything will work out. I only have 5 months here, people. FIVE. Most people do this in 12. I have less than half of that amount of time. Then I get home, and talk to Brad and he tells me to calm down, everything will be fine. I fell apart.

Everyone, stop telling me I’m panicking and freaking out. You haven’t SEEN panicking and freaking out, but if you keep saying that to me you will! You’ll see it. In a big way!

Tears were shed. Incoherent mumblings were present.

I’m not crazy. But I feel like I may be headed in that direction.

I just want to check one little thing off of my massive to-do list. Just one thing. Why can’t I have that?

I’m not crazy.

I’ve just come down with a slight case of pre-wedding insane-isitis.

Inner Workings

I find it interesting that during the first year or two of our lives, all we want to do is get up and move. We strain and pull and stretch to achieve an upright position. And once you're up you shake and wiggle on uneasy, untrained muscles. But you do it. One day you're up and crawling, running, walking. Triumphant.

As a grownup, all I want to do is lie back down.

Budgetizing

Now that we’re engaged, Brad and I have decided to have the wedding at the beginning of summer. This coming summer. Like 5 months from now. It seemed like such a great idea; short engagement, pretty June wedding, the rest of the summer to relax and spend the weekends on the motorcycle and on camping trips. Pretty amazing, right?

Then I looked up a copy of the miles-long Wedding Planning to-do list; the one that no one tells you about until after you get engaged…yeah.

Panic.

At the beginning of this week, I talked to my parents about a potential budget. Their response: “Oh, we don’t have any money right now, but we will. Brad said you guys were planning to keep it small, and pay for it yourselves. We do want to contribute, though.” You will…like…tomorrow? ‘cause that’d be good. And he said WHAT!?

More panic.

Surprisingly, inside of all the panic and anxiety, and OMG THERE’S A 3-PAGE LIST OF THINGS I WAS SUPPOSED TO HAVE DONE 4 MONTHS AGO!!, the little gerbil powered cogs in my brain got to turning.

I Googled stuff. I found lots of advice on inexpensive wedding ideas. And my soon-to-be sister-in-law graciously saved all of her wedding planning materials for me (she married Brad’s brother last summer). Including a DIY Wedding Planning book.
One of the pieces of advice I found (the one that really stuck out), was this: “DO NOT GO INTO DEBT. Save. Save. Save.” It also mentioned that if you really cut back on expenses, you’ll be surprised out how much money you can save from now until the wedding day. I’ve been thinking about that ever since.

This morning, I opened up my budget (the one I keep on my work computer, to play with when I don’t have anything else to do, and helps me look like a good busy little worker bee) and did some rearranging. If I scrimp and stop going out for coffee and lunch and buying food that just goes to waste. I can save upwards of a few hundred dollars a month…according to my excel sheet. And when I bought my house, Brad offered to contribute some money each month to go toward mortgage (since we’ve always known it would be his house too someday). So that money will also go toward our wedding saving fund. In the short time between now and our goal wedding date, if my calculations are correct, we can save a couple thousand to go towards honeymoon and last minute expenses.

We decided that this weekend, we will go to the bank and open a joint savings account (our first account in both of our names!). That way we can each contribute to the account each month without one person being in charge of it all. We like to share.

Other things on the agenda for this weekend:
-Check out my parents’ backyard to see how if it’d make a good ceremony/reception site.
-Find swatches of the exact color scheme I’m thinking of.
-Check out the church as a backup ceremony/reception site
-dress research (mine and bridesmaids)
-Talk to remaining potential bridesmaids and ask if they actually want to be one
-Go through all of the magazines Becky (future sis-in-law) and cut out/save the bits I like
-Research
-Research
-Research
-Find time for house cleaning and laundry
-Organize
-Pull out all of my hair.

B. S. = Brad Smith

This is Brad.

Isn't he cute? (He's on the left...obviously.) We have been together for just over 2 years, and before that we were friends for 2 years (2 years and 6 months, if you want to be exact).  And before that we knew each other in Sunday School. When we were 5, but neither of us remember. But my mom was our Sunday School teacher and she says she has memories of us (with our younger siblings) sitting together at a table sharing crayons.

On New Year's Eve, he asked me to marry him. And then he handed me a box with a pretty little piece of jewelry in it... how could I say no?

He'd planned it all out. Propose, in the snow, and drink champagne, under the Blue Moon. 

Here's the whole story:

On Thursday (New Year's Eve), I had to work. He had told me a day before that I needed to get off work early, and he'd pick me up outside of my office building at 2:30. To my knowledge, we didn't have plans for New Year's Eve, we were invited to spend the weekend at a friend's cabin, but there was a wedding we were supposed to go to on New Year's Day, so the plan was to go to the wedding, and then head up to the cabin right after.  He'd told me that he'd pick me up early from work, and then we'd drive down to Puyallup where I would drop him off at the bachelor party, and then go wait for him at my house. I was annoyed. First because I didn't know why I needed to get off early to go drop him off at a party, and second, because I'd already packed a massive bag with my weekend gear (including bulky snow clothes), and dropped it off with him so that I wouldn't have to lug it with me to work on New Year's Eve. Why would I need to pack the huge bag, if I was just going home anyway?  I whined.  And then I got 3 phone calls at my desk. One from my mother, and one from each sister.  All of them telling me to stop being a brat and just do what Brad said. I whined some more, and went along with it. 

On Thursday, at 2:30pm, I headed downstairs to await my knight in shining Protege. He picked me up, and we drove in the opposite direction of where he said we were going. He said he'd forgotten something at his house, and we needed to go back for it. As we pulled off the highway onto an exit not going to his house, I was sure we were going to the cabin early. We met some friends at their house, and we all drove into the mountains together in a car crammed full of food and snow gear.

At 11:15, that night, Brad asked me if I wanted to go for a walk. We got all dressed up in our winter wear, and started toward the door. He had to go back for his jacket. After I was outside, he had to go back for his gloves. I waited on the front step. The cabin sits upon a large chunk of land, with a field, barn, and old chicken coop, just behind the house. We hiked through the 2 feet of snow on the ground out to the field, and sat in the big open space looking up at the glimpses of full moon through the clouds. It was snowing.

Brad started to tell me why the full moon that night was also called a Blue Moon, and when I started to add in details and telling him I'd read all about it online, he shushed me and told me to stop interrupting.  He gave a little speech about how the Blue Moon is special and rare, and so am I.  When he pulled the little box out of his pocket, I started to cry. And he asked me to marry him. I nodded.

Then he pulled a special bottle of champagne out of the sleeve of his coat (not sure how I didn't notice that), and two little glasses out of his pockets. He'd bought the bottle of Champagne when he was in South Africa during college, and had been saving it for a special occasion. We sat for a few minutes outside, and then went back to the house where everyone was waiting with cheers, congratulations, and more champagne.

A few minutes later and it was 2010.