Recurring Series – Page 122

A Weekend in Pictures: The Wedding Edition

My brother is officially a married man! This past Saturday, he married his high school sweetheart, Jenny, and it was a beautiful day. They had been dating since they were 15 and 16, and had been through numerous ups and downs – including a horrible year that had Jenny in and out of the hospital, due to Crohn’s Disease – and I never had any doubt in my mind this day would come.

It wasn’t a day without its own set of frustrations and drama but what wedding day is perfect? All that matters is the two of them and the love between them is evident.

The day for my mom and I started early (before 6AM) as we wanted to sneak in a run before all the craziness. After that, it was quick showers and then driving over to the salon for hair and make-up. I had been worried that my hair and make-up wouldn’t keep since I was getting it done so early (8AM for hair, 9AM for make-up) but I needn’t worry. My hair stayed put (and curled!) throughout the day and night and my make-up only required a few sweeps of a make-up brush to blot out any oil.

I also wore fake eyelashes for the first time in my life. Weird at first, but then I got used to them. But boy, when I took them off at the end of the night, I think my real eyelashes cried, “Hallelujah! We can breathe!”

I was really happy with the job the stylist did at the salon. He kept my make-up very dramatic so that when it started fading, it would look more natural. And it totally did! (Salon Solstice for any locals. Ask for Jayson. He’s the bomb-diggity.)

My mom’s hair turned out fabulous as well! A half-updo, with some pretty curls.

Doesn’t she look 35 here?! Hard to believe she has two children in their mid-twenties!

The next few hours were spent on the couch, watching TV and reading blogs. I didn’t do anything since I didn’t want to mess up my hair. We left around 2:30 to go to the hall. We helped put together wedding favors and make sure the hall was set up perfectly for the wedding.

All the bridesmaids and groomsmen started getting dressed around 4:00. I just want to say, again and again, how much I loved my bridesmaid dress! It’s a fun dress and I felt like a million bucks in it. I loved the color and the style.

Then we just had to wait for the ceremony to begin! We did a few run-throughs of the ceremony in the little waiting room we were in and I couldn’t help but snap a few photos of my nephew in his tux!

That’s the flower girl. My nephew called her his girlfriend, but when I asked her if he was her boyfriend, she told me, “No. We’re just friends.” YOU GO, GIRL! No need to get serious so soon, am I right?!

A sweet father and son moment captured. Mark was consoling my nephew for some reason I can’t remember. They are so handsome. 🙂

A picture with my brother! I adore this picture. It’s now on the lock screen on my phone.

Soon enough, Jenny arrived and it was a flurry of pictures as she got her dress and shoes on and we began gathering to start our walk down the aisle.

I managed to walk down the aisle and up the stairs without tripping, although I’m not sure if I was smiling. I remember telling myself to smile. Just not sure I did smile. WHAT IS THAT? I guess we’ll see when the pictures come out!

I was looking forward to seeing my nephew and the flower girl walk down the aisle but my nephew isn’t fond of having ALL of the attention on him and once he saw his mom wasn’t following him, he started crying and ran back to her. Her big grand entrance? On the arm of her father, her other hand holding her crying son’s hand. She took it all in stride, though, more concerned with making sure her son was okay than having her “moment”. (He ended up spending most of the ceremony on my mom’s lap.)

In any event, the ceremony was beautiful and before I knew it, Mark and Jenny were Mr. and Mrs.!

I’m going to be honest here: I’m not a fan of wedding receptions. It’s the introvert in me, I’m sure. But all the dancing and the socializing and the loud music… it’s not my thing. It prompted a conversation on Twitter about dancing at wedding receptions where I learned it’s perfectly acceptable not to have that. I know most people would consider that to be lame, but it’s just not my thing. A sit-down dinner sounds much more my pace!

I did get a fun picture with my favorite little guy! His smile is the best.

Their first dance!

It was a night to remember and I’m happy for the two of them. It’s been thrilling to watch my brother as a boyfriend, then as a fiancé, and now as a husband. He didn’t have a shining example of what a husband should be from my father but he’s proven time and time again that he is nothing like him and has already shown he’s light-years ahead of my father in maturity.

Categories: Recurring Series

Five for Friday

1 – So, on Sunday night, I was eaten alive by a killer mosquito. Monday morning came with eleven bites on my legs and feet and the beginnings of an allergic reaction. I always seem to have allergic reactions to mosquito bites and this time is no different. Lots of swelling and redness. I’ve been applying hydrocortisone cream daily and popping Benedryl at night. Well, except for the day I took it BEFORE WORK. No, not a good idea. I spent all of Wednesday in a foggy haze, struggling to keep my eyes open. But Benedryl has helped so much. I love that stuff.

2 – Over the weekend, I did a lot of cruise shopping. Oh, yes, this is a thing! I snagged a really hot bathing suit and cover-up and then a bunch of other great clothes to wear on excursions and whatnot. To be honest, you don’t need that many clothes on a cruise (and I probably had enough…) but it’s just so much fun! I still want to see if I can get another outfit or two for the dinners but I’m mostly ready. Can we fast forward through these next two weeks now?

3 – I ran a 5K on Sunday. This was my third year doing the IronGirl race in Clearwater and I enjoyed it just as much as the first three. They had a different path for the race this year which took me up the Causeway. One word: ouch. I walked more than I wanted to, but since I hadn’t really trained for it, I was okay with my time. I’m still on the fence about whether or not I want to shoot for a half-marathon in November. A part of me really wants to, but then there’s the part of me that doesn’t. My plan is to just keep running (or whatever you call what I’m doing. Ha!) and see how I feel in August.

4 – Sixteen days until my cruise! I’ve been thinking about writing a “What I Learned From my First Cruise” post. So here’s my question for you all: do you have any questions for me regarding cruising? Anything at all? Leave a comment and if I get enough, maybe I’ll do a cruise Q&A post next week!

5 – This weekend is hopefully going to be slow and relaxing. I’m hoping my bites will be okay for me to do boot camp (I haven’t been in a few weeks!) and there will be some more cruise shopping, possibly babysitting my nephew, and best of all: TWOOKCLUB! I just finished Divergent a few days ago and I really, really enjoyed the book. I wouldn’t say it sold me on the dystopian genre or that I’m invested enough to read the second book in the series, but I was a fan of the book itself.

Categories: Recurring Series

Five For Friday

Your #tootsiegram for the week.

1 – I haven’t exercised since Saturday. This is so unheard of for me. A mixture of being busy and not feeling well has led me to skip three workouts this week. Luckily, a run happened this morning, I have a gym workout planned for Saturday, and I’m running a 5K on Sunday. So, three days out of seven isn’t bad. It’s just not my usual.

2 – Can we have a moment of silence for the fact that Revenge is back? I have missed that show so much! And crazy Emily.

3 – I need some advice on self-tanners. Since I’m wearing a strapless dress at my brother’s wedding, I need to find some way to even out my skin tone. I’m not so much interested in being darker, but I have a weird tan line around my upper arm. Anyone have a favorite, preferably one I can’t mess up? I’ve never used a self-tanner, so I need something simple and easy.

4 – Anyone up to writing a guest post for me while I’m gone during my cruise? I would need the post by May 4th. I only need one and thought I’d leave it up to the comments for someone to volunteer since it’s short notice. First one to volunteer is in!

5 – I’ve been on the Carnival site a lot this week. My mom and I are trying to plan our excursion for our June cruise so I’ve been perusing the excursions in Cozumel for what we want to do. We want something totally different than what we have planned for our May cruise excursions, but we’re also not interested in doing a tour or shopping excursion (been there, done that!). So I’ve spent a lot of time looking at our options and reviews and just getting oh so excited for all the fun and adventure that awaits us this summer.

Categories: Recurring Series

Five for Friday

1- Today marks 30 days until I leave on my first cruise of 2012. It’s a 6-day Western Caribbean cruise and I am so stupid excited about it, I can barely focus some days. My first cruise experience was the best of my life and I just can’t wait to experience it all again. (More to come on the details!)

2 – I am still in awe by the outpouring of love and support that followed my QLC post on Wednesday. What I’m learning through my own QLC is that what I’m feeling is normal and healthy. The comments brought about some thoughts of my own, which I hope to address next week. I really do have the best readers.

3 – I’ve been having a terrible time with cravings this week. This low-sugar diet is still incredibly hard and while my body has adjusted, my mind hasn’t. My mind is telling me I need soda and chocolate and gosh darnit, today was hard, eat your emotions! But my body? My body is doing just fine being on very little sugar. I just wish my mind could hurry up and catch up with my body’s signals. I’ve been strong enough to say no when I want to say yes, but it’s been a daily battle.

4 – My mom had an MRI last Friday. She’s been falling a lot recently (one landing her in the ER), enough that her doctor was concerned enough to schedule one. She has no other symptoms, other than the falling. No headaches or dizzy spells. So while I’m not too concerned, worrying is also what I do so of course, I’m slightly worried my mom will receive terrible news. She finds out on Tuesday the results so say a prayer this weekend, if you’re so inclined. She thinks she’s just a bit clumsy and perhaps has a depth perception problem. (Edited to add: Just received news from my mom that her MRI came back normal. Happy Friday, indeed!)

5 – I don’t have many weekend plans, so I’m just excited to use the time to catch up on sleep, chores, and my Fierce Love course (I’m way behind!). This week has been long and hectic, so I’m ready for the slow pace that the weekend brings.

Categories: Recurring Series

A Weekend in Pictures {v.2}

**After a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad week, I’m taking a break from my “Sugar Free” updates. I thought about writing about my struggles but I know it would be a blog post filled with excuses. Suffice it to say, I gained this week. It was a bad week. Today is a new day.

My weekend kicked off with a killer boot camp workout. At first, my mom and I intended on going for a 6-mile walk/run but the park we wanted to do it at was closed for a race and I really wasn’t feeling the run. So, instead, we headed on over to boot camp! My mom and I did a 45-minute walk beforehand and then stayed put for the hour-long boot camp. One of the harder classes I’ve done and we received the sad news that the leader of the boot camp, Michael Pittman, is moving to California. (But the boot camp will go on with the other trainers AND they want to have 3 classes a week. So, not terrible news after all!)

I’m sorry, but I think this is the cutest picture of the two of us EVER. My brother, future sister-in-law, and nephew came over on Saturday for some Easter fun. My nephew loves going over to our tennis court so the five of us headed over, where my brother & I played a few games. We used to play all the time with my dad so it brought back memories. I just love my big brother, if you couldn’t tell.

Egg coloring! My nephew had a blast — especially once my mom showed him an egg holder she bought him. He pretty much loved trying to grab the egg with it and then dropping it in the water, making the dye splash.

My mom and I left the house at 6AM on Sunday morning to go to a sunrise service on Treasure Island. For some reason, we wanted a different experience this Easter but I wasn’t impressed. Maybe I’m just too used to the passionate sermons from my own pastor. There was probably 10 minutes total of preaching and it was very lackluster. But whatever! Look at the above views! So gorgeous. I love Florida.

One of my favorite parts about spring: hollow chocolate bunnies! His name is Texter. That yellow thing in his hands is a cell phone. He was super yummy.

Oh, Dutch. He arranged himself like this all by himself. He kills me. He just kills me.

How was your Easter weekend, friends?