from the desk

Green and Gold

Posted on: Thursday, February 16, 2012

Next Thursday Kyle and I are going to a military ball. I would tell you more about it, but that is really all I know about it. Oh, and I'll be eating the chicken. I don't know what this ball is for. I don't know what will be happening there, where it is, what time it starts. Sigh. BUT, despite all that mystery, I finally know what I will be wearing! I got this gold dress before I went wedding dress shopping. I bought it online, a risky move, because I loved it so much, and hoped that even if it wasn't the dress for my wedding I could maybe wear it to another occasion. It is a beautiful dress, and a bit too long (because I am short), and a little bit too big in some places, so I didn't think I would be able to wear it without getting it altered. Fast forward four months to February, and I am panicking about finding a dress and going to this stupid ball. After not finding a dress after a whole Saturday afternoon browsing the premium outlets in Round Rock, I decided to try on this gold dress again. To my excitement, I didn't fit as badly as I thought it had! Any dress I would be able to find in the next week would likely be too long anyway. I will make it work!

dress: Blue Velvet Vintage

clutch: ModCloth

earrings: ModCloth

The dress came with a gold shawl for the shoulders, but I might add a little black cardigan or bolero jacket. And you probably noticed, the ensemble is missing shoes! I've been online shopping all day for some shoes, and I haven't yet decided on a pair. This morning I was leaning towards these blue pumps, but I have since decided on green accents, so perhaps a black shoe would be best. With green it's hard to tell online exactly what the color is. Any suggestions? Here are some I'm looking at.

top left: endless.com

bottom left: endless.com

top right: Ruche

bottom right: endless.com

Wednesday Wedding: Work Out

Posted on: Wednesday, February 15, 2012

First off, I apologize if I made you think of the LMFAO (LFMAO? LOAMF? Just kidding. I know it's LMFAO. *bows head in shame*) song with my post title. Because that's what happens to me when I read it. Every. Single. Time. Sigh. PS- you probably shouldn't actually watch that video.

I probably should have just deleted that whole intro, many apologies, but onward to the point of this post! Working out is not restricted to pre-wedding routine, and that's not my main motivation for working out, but I imagine it is probably on many brides' to do lists. Wedding planning is stressful, and working out is one of the best stress relievers. I actually like working out, but that doesn't mean some days I would rather not. Or some days it is hard to make it happen when you put in the workout video, and have to pause several times because a cat knocks over your water, spilling all over the coffee table, or a cat tries to attack an invisible something on the ceiling and crashes down to the floor, prompting you to follow it around and make sure its leg isn't broken, or a cat jumps up on the kitchen counter once again, or a cat just wants to cuddle with you in bed longer than usual. And that was just today. The hardest part is probably starting out, and then keeping going. Getting it in your mind that you're going to work out today, and tomorrow, the next day, and the day after that. My philosophy about working out is that it should be enjoyable, if not always during then at least afterwards. I don't own a scale. I work out for stress relief, health, and the good feeling it gives you. I like to push myself, and whether I have a 12 hour work day or only a few chores around the house, it's nice to accomplish at least one thing all for myself each day.

one of those pesky cats

I'm not pretending to be an expert or anything, but here are my suggestions/tips:

1.Find a workout that you like and are comfortable with. You don't have to run miles if you don't want to; you can work in cardio in other ways. You don't have to go to a gym, or even outside your house. You don't have to spend a lot of money on expensive, bulky, odd shaped, torturous-looking equipment that requires a lengthy instruction manual. I generally use workout videos in the comfort of my living room, with a couple hand weights and mat for 1-2 hours a day, but if I had friends that wanted to go to a free or reasonably priced gym, I would probably join them in addition. When I say comfortable I don't mean never breaking a sweat, you should be peeling your wet clothes off when you're done and ready to hop in the shower. I mean that your surroundings should be conducive to your productivity, somewhere you don't mind sometimes flailing around and looking not your most glamorous. Slide your coffee table against your couch, clear some space, and don't freak out if you accidentally hit your ceiling fan doing jumping jacks once or twice; you don't need much other than a little room and a proper pair of shoes.

2. Keep it up! Get into the habit of working out at least five days a week so that it is a part of your routine and your lifestyle. The days you miss a workout for whatever reason will begin to seem odd to you; your body will actually miss it.

3. Focus on yourself, and draw motivation from your life and your goals. I don't care much for those "inspiring fitness pictures" you find on Pinterest. A stranger in a bikini that I'm supposed to believe is working out has nothing to do with me or why I work out.

4. Have some options. Even if you find a workout video or routine you really like, you may eventually get a little bored with it, so I like to have some options. I imagine shaking things up every once in a while is good for your body too, working it in different ways and hitting different areas.

5. Wear comfortable clothes that you can move in. Because you will, or should, be doing a lot of moving. I wear these great bottoms from Old Navy, an oversized t-shirt with the neck cut wide, and of course, my Vibrams. Many are skeptical of these weird toe shoes, but I think they are wonderful. I do not like big clunky shoes, and these just make you feel light, and like you want to jump around and get sweaty.

6. Don't see it as a chore, but really an opportunity. It honestly makes you feel great, short term and long term.

linking up for Wedding Wednesday!

PS- Our wedding is in exactly 4 months!

Carrot Cake and Good News

Valentine's day was pretty relaxed around our house. I cut out some paint sample hearts to put up, and baked my first double-decker cake! Kyle made a delicious dinner of chicken paprika for us, and we enjoyed it with a bottle of sangria while watching Something Borrowed. We don't have chairs yet to be able to eat at the table, but it was awesome to have lots of space for cooking!

My favorite part was discovering this little message Kyle left on the cake recipe I left out. :)

Kyle got home a little early, and then beat me badly at Words with Friends, as usual. Ouch. Also I just learned how to take screen shots of my phone, though I had accidentally done it before and been very confused.

And then it was time to ice the cake!

For the cake recipe I used (minus raisins), visit smitten kitchen.

In addition to our little Valentine's Day celebration, I got some good news early yesterday morning. I found out I was accepted to UT Austin's Masters in Social Work program!!

via

I wasn't expecting to hear anything for another couple weeks, so it was a bit of a surprise. I was also worried since one of my recommendations arrived late. My Baylor application is just being submitted, so I've got a while to wait to make any decisions, but this is very exciting news! I hope everyone had a great day as well! :)

Happy Heart Day

Posted on: Monday, February 13, 2012

I hope everyone had a good weekend and has a good Valentine's Day tomorrow! I'm excited to bake this cake and make some little decorations for it. I even got this shiny new cake stand to put it in! Plus, husband is going to make us a tasty dinner!