Yesterday was the last day of my first 30 days of the P90X Lean program. Admittedly, I was a little bit nervous when I weighed myself and took my measurements over again. I mean, really, I haven't done the best job (or even a good job) of sticking to the fat shredder diet. I had some rough spots where I got off a few days on exercising and then had to make mad dashes to catch up on workouts. Honestly, I even skipped a couple of days of Yoga. I know, I know.
At any rate, before I put down the stats, let me just tell you how I FEEL. I feel great! Some days I don't want to work out, but I begrudgingly pull myself off of the couch and make the trek downstairs. Once I get started, I feel a burst of energy. After the workouts I feel a sense of pride and accomplishment for pushing through the lack of motivation that tries to take hold. That just happened tonight in fact. Of course now it's after 11:00 and I'm blogging instead of sleeping because my body is like, "YAY! I have energy now!"
About a week and a half ago, I stepped out of the shower and dried off. As I was putting lotion on my legs just as I do almost every morning, I stopped and thought, "Dang, yo! That's a calf muscle!" And it's a long and lean muscle! It was very exciting!
I feel totally different as I'm walking down the hallways at work. I feel as if I stand a little taller. Even sitting at my desk I notice much better posture compared to a month ago. I've already gotten compliments like, "Wow, I can really tell that is already working!" It's true - my pants are fitting better, my shirts are fitting better... it's not a huge change, but it is enough to make me keep going.
Now for the measurements...drumroll please!
Waist: Feb 18 - 33.25" (ugh, that number is so humbling still)
March 23- 31.5" loss of 1.75"
Bust: Feb 18 - 37.25"
March 23- 35.75" loss of 1.5"
Chest: Feb 18 - 31"
March 23- 30.5" loss of .5"
Hips: Feb 18 - 40.75" (what can I say, I've had a kid. lol)
March 23- 39.5" loss of 1.25"
Left
Thigh: Feb 18 - 21.75"
March 23- 20.25" loss of 1.5"
Right
Thigh: Feb 18 - 21.5"
March 23- 20.25" loss of 1.25"
Left
Calf: Feb 18 - 14.25"
March 23- 13.75" loss of .5"
Right Feb 18 - 14.25"
Calf: March 23- 14" loss of .25" and I suppose I have crooked legs :p
Left
Upper Arm: Feb 18 - 10.25"
March 23 - 10.75" gain of .5"
RUA: Feb 18 - 10.5"
March 23- 11" gain of .5"
Weight: Feb 18 - 133.4 lbs
March 23 -129.8 lbs loss of 3.6 lbs
I'm not posting pictures this time. I don't know where my "Befores" went, and there's really no benchmark for comparison. I took new pictures this month and put them on my 'puter, so you'll see them next time....maybe. LOL
In the second month, I get to swap out the Shoulders and Arms workout and do the Chest, Shoulders, and Triceps instead. I'm excited for a change in routine, even if it is only subtle.
Anyway, that's it for month one! Yippee!!
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Completely Inside My Head
With the promise of Spring comes the promise of rain
Washing away all of the dirt and grime of the dark winter
Fertilizing the Earth in preparation for the blooming vegetation and regrowth
No more dying trees, sad looking bushes
Instead of looking tired, the world will awaken
So will I.
I'm not the best writer of poetry, but those few lines sum up how I'm feeling today. It's not really a Spring-y day today, though we did have some earlier in the week. Yet I sit here in great anticipation of sunshine after a thunderstorm.
I've been enduring a few thunderstorms of my own as of late. Nothing major really, but they've been enough to rattle me out of my state of complacence. In light of that, it's time to rethink Spring cleaning. In addition to wiping the dust off of the surfaces in my house, I shall also wipe the dust off of my mind.
I've been focusing so hard on taking courses to get a degree that I haven't really actually LEARNED much of anything beneficial to my indefinite career path. At this point, I feel it is in my best interest to take a small break, even for just a semester or two, to really get out there and soak everything up that I can. Anyone can read a book and take an open book quiz, but to really get out there and APPLY that knowledge is where the real learning is at. Not sitting at a desk taking classes that have little to no relevance to my actual career. So, I'm finishing this semester and then redirecting my efforts to a more targeted approach. I want to get some certifications under my belt this year to make myself more marketable in the industry and to really prove to myself that I have what it takes to succeed as a female in a male dominated industry.
It is also time to declutter. I have way too much going on in this brain of mine. Instead of balancing a few items on my agenda and really doing them well, I'm jugging more than I can and not really making much contact with any one of them. As hard as it is to make decisons on what to place on the shelf, it has to be done. Therefore, I'm shutting down my website because it's doing nothing but taking up space and causing me stress. I've shed a few tears over it, and I still think it is a great idea; I'm just not at a point in my life where I can properly execute.
I've already started a transformation of my body with the P90X program. I just started Week 3 last night, and while I am extremely bruised from doing so many push-ups on my knees, I feel awesome. I'm proud of the progress I've made in a short period of time, and what I'm most proud of is that I am doing it. Even on nights when I really don't feel like working out, I pick myself up off the couch and just get it done. Normally, it just takes a few minutes anyway and then I'm over the feeling of not wanting to do it. It's just getting over that initial hump, and so far, I've been doing a fairly decent job. But wow are my knees purpley red and sore. :/
The Hunk has been so patient with me over the past few weeks as I've put more hours in at work and have been in quite a funk over everything. I'm so thankful to have such a wonderful husband that supports me in whatever ways he can. It doesn't matter how craptastic my day at work is or how poorly I feel I'm doing in a class I don't really care about. Once I'm in his arms, it all melts away even if only for a minute. I love you so much, hubby.
Even writing all of this has been a breath of fresh Spring-like air.
Washing away all of the dirt and grime of the dark winter
Fertilizing the Earth in preparation for the blooming vegetation and regrowth
No more dying trees, sad looking bushes
Instead of looking tired, the world will awaken
So will I.
I'm not the best writer of poetry, but those few lines sum up how I'm feeling today. It's not really a Spring-y day today, though we did have some earlier in the week. Yet I sit here in great anticipation of sunshine after a thunderstorm.
I've been enduring a few thunderstorms of my own as of late. Nothing major really, but they've been enough to rattle me out of my state of complacence. In light of that, it's time to rethink Spring cleaning. In addition to wiping the dust off of the surfaces in my house, I shall also wipe the dust off of my mind.
I've been focusing so hard on taking courses to get a degree that I haven't really actually LEARNED much of anything beneficial to my indefinite career path. At this point, I feel it is in my best interest to take a small break, even for just a semester or two, to really get out there and soak everything up that I can. Anyone can read a book and take an open book quiz, but to really get out there and APPLY that knowledge is where the real learning is at. Not sitting at a desk taking classes that have little to no relevance to my actual career. So, I'm finishing this semester and then redirecting my efforts to a more targeted approach. I want to get some certifications under my belt this year to make myself more marketable in the industry and to really prove to myself that I have what it takes to succeed as a female in a male dominated industry.
It is also time to declutter. I have way too much going on in this brain of mine. Instead of balancing a few items on my agenda and really doing them well, I'm jugging more than I can and not really making much contact with any one of them. As hard as it is to make decisons on what to place on the shelf, it has to be done. Therefore, I'm shutting down my website because it's doing nothing but taking up space and causing me stress. I've shed a few tears over it, and I still think it is a great idea; I'm just not at a point in my life where I can properly execute.
I've already started a transformation of my body with the P90X program. I just started Week 3 last night, and while I am extremely bruised from doing so many push-ups on my knees, I feel awesome. I'm proud of the progress I've made in a short period of time, and what I'm most proud of is that I am doing it. Even on nights when I really don't feel like working out, I pick myself up off the couch and just get it done. Normally, it just takes a few minutes anyway and then I'm over the feeling of not wanting to do it. It's just getting over that initial hump, and so far, I've been doing a fairly decent job. But wow are my knees purpley red and sore. :/
The Hunk has been so patient with me over the past few weeks as I've put more hours in at work and have been in quite a funk over everything. I'm so thankful to have such a wonderful husband that supports me in whatever ways he can. It doesn't matter how craptastic my day at work is or how poorly I feel I'm doing in a class I don't really care about. Once I'm in his arms, it all melts away even if only for a minute. I love you so much, hubby.
Even writing all of this has been a breath of fresh Spring-like air.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Take THAT Week 1
Week 1 of the P90X is in the books! Aside from a few small stumbles, both literally and figuratively, I think it went well. I'm not going to measure or weigh in, so I can't really say that there are any visible results, but I do notice some changes. I'm already noticing a substantial increase in energy throughout the day. I don't feel sluggish nearly as often. It is probably a result of sleeping better since the workouts are long and rather intense. I'm not at the point yet where the workouts are an energy boost in and of themselves. Instead, they're extremely tiresome, and I normally just want to go straight to sleep after finishing.
So, I already posted about Core Synergistics last Wednesday. On Thursday, we did Cardio X. Surprisingly, it was comprised of segments that I wouldn't normally conisder to be cardio, like lunges and yoga, but it really did get my heart rate up and made me sweat. It was also only 45 minutes, which was nice compared to some of the other much longer workouts.
On Friday, we did Shoulders and Arms and Ab Ripper X. This one hurt. I'm much better at core work and cardio than I am the strength training. Still, it was nice to find a workout that The Hunk enjoyed. He doesn't like the cardio stuff like I do. The Ab Ripper X was also quite painful. It's sixteen minutes long, so you think, "Hmm, how bad can it be?" But in that sixteen minutes you do 330-something reps. OUCH!
Saturday was Legs and Back with another round of the Ab Ripper X. Again, ouch! Tons and tons of lunges and pull-ups. I cannot do a single pull-up, so I am going to use resistance bands. My goal is to be able to do one stinking pull-up by the time the 90days is over. I have NEVER been able to do one. Honestly, I was yelling at this chick named Dreya on the TV because she was doing pull-up after pull-up with ease. I hate her. I started to get really discouraged and genuinely pissed off at myself for letting my lack of upper body strength, but The Hunk helped me figure out something to do since we didn't have bands yet. He also gave me a giant encouraging hug when I was just about in tears because I'm so weak.
Anyway, my legs felt like spaghetti the next day, and my shoulders were so sore that I had to bend down to put my headphones on. LOL On a positive note, I managed to do more of the Ab Ripper the second time around. Small victory. Another small victory is holding position on the wall squats longer than The Hunk, which felt kind of vindicating after whole pull-up mess. HA! TAKE THAT! So you are against the wall, sitting in an imaginary chair...and then you put one leg out. Sounds like it should be easy, but it is painful, especially since you do this for 90 seconds.
Next was Kenpo, which is a mix of kickboxing and Americanized karate. I wasn't sure how they expected me to kick anything with my noodle-y legs, but I gave it a shot. :) I really enjoyed this one. Some of the combination moves are a little tough to grasp at first. I think it's important to note that the purpose of the workout is to burn calories and sweat. You don't have to get every move down perfectly in the beginning. At least that's my take... The Hunk and I got a little off-kilter for a moment when he got a little frustrated and paused the DVD. I, in turn, got frustrated at him because it's hard to keep focus and the heart rate up with a paused DVD. Hehe. In the end, he pushed through it, though he was still mad afterwards because "it isn't even real martial arts." Men. ;) It may not have been, but hey, I was seriously sweating at the end of the hour.
I wanted to do the Stretch X workout last night, yet my schedule just didn't allow for it. I may try to fit it in next week, either in the morning (HAHA, yeah right, like I'm going to wake up at 5:30) or after class, which would require me to be awake until 11:00 or 11:30. Yuck. But it's interesting that I felt LAZY not working out last night.
In addition to the intense workouts, we've been eating a lot better over the last week. I've cooked almost every night! What's more is I've actually enjoyed it! We tried a lot of new recipes, and some of them are going to become favorites, like the chicken and black bean salsa. Oh so good!
There are just two things I need to try to work on - water intake and limiting caffeine. I'm having such a hard time drinking enough water, mostly because I don't enjoy water. I'm going to go get some Crystal Light or something. And I'm trying to cut out the soda and coffee, but it's really hard. I'm down to one caffeinated beverage a day, which is better than about three per day.
All in all, I really enjoy the program so far. It's structured very effectively. Yeah, I may yell at the tv. Yeah, I may fall over because I'm just not that coordinated or graceful. Yeah, I may get discouraged because I can't do a stupid pull-up to save my life. But as the trainer on the dvd says, "Do your best and forget the rest." I'm trying to do just that.
So, I already posted about Core Synergistics last Wednesday. On Thursday, we did Cardio X. Surprisingly, it was comprised of segments that I wouldn't normally conisder to be cardio, like lunges and yoga, but it really did get my heart rate up and made me sweat. It was also only 45 minutes, which was nice compared to some of the other much longer workouts.
On Friday, we did Shoulders and Arms and Ab Ripper X. This one hurt. I'm much better at core work and cardio than I am the strength training. Still, it was nice to find a workout that The Hunk enjoyed. He doesn't like the cardio stuff like I do. The Ab Ripper X was also quite painful. It's sixteen minutes long, so you think, "Hmm, how bad can it be?" But in that sixteen minutes you do 330-something reps. OUCH!
Saturday was Legs and Back with another round of the Ab Ripper X. Again, ouch! Tons and tons of lunges and pull-ups. I cannot do a single pull-up, so I am going to use resistance bands. My goal is to be able to do one stinking pull-up by the time the 90days is over. I have NEVER been able to do one. Honestly, I was yelling at this chick named Dreya on the TV because she was doing pull-up after pull-up with ease. I hate her. I started to get really discouraged and genuinely pissed off at myself for letting my lack of upper body strength, but The Hunk helped me figure out something to do since we didn't have bands yet. He also gave me a giant encouraging hug when I was just about in tears because I'm so weak.
Anyway, my legs felt like spaghetti the next day, and my shoulders were so sore that I had to bend down to put my headphones on. LOL On a positive note, I managed to do more of the Ab Ripper the second time around. Small victory. Another small victory is holding position on the wall squats longer than The Hunk, which felt kind of vindicating after whole pull-up mess. HA! TAKE THAT! So you are against the wall, sitting in an imaginary chair...and then you put one leg out. Sounds like it should be easy, but it is painful, especially since you do this for 90 seconds.
Next was Kenpo, which is a mix of kickboxing and Americanized karate. I wasn't sure how they expected me to kick anything with my noodle-y legs, but I gave it a shot. :) I really enjoyed this one. Some of the combination moves are a little tough to grasp at first. I think it's important to note that the purpose of the workout is to burn calories and sweat. You don't have to get every move down perfectly in the beginning. At least that's my take... The Hunk and I got a little off-kilter for a moment when he got a little frustrated and paused the DVD. I, in turn, got frustrated at him because it's hard to keep focus and the heart rate up with a paused DVD. Hehe. In the end, he pushed through it, though he was still mad afterwards because "it isn't even real martial arts." Men. ;) It may not have been, but hey, I was seriously sweating at the end of the hour.
I wanted to do the Stretch X workout last night, yet my schedule just didn't allow for it. I may try to fit it in next week, either in the morning (HAHA, yeah right, like I'm going to wake up at 5:30) or after class, which would require me to be awake until 11:00 or 11:30. Yuck. But it's interesting that I felt LAZY not working out last night.
In addition to the intense workouts, we've been eating a lot better over the last week. I've cooked almost every night! What's more is I've actually enjoyed it! We tried a lot of new recipes, and some of them are going to become favorites, like the chicken and black bean salsa. Oh so good!
There are just two things I need to try to work on - water intake and limiting caffeine. I'm having such a hard time drinking enough water, mostly because I don't enjoy water. I'm going to go get some Crystal Light or something. And I'm trying to cut out the soda and coffee, but it's really hard. I'm down to one caffeinated beverage a day, which is better than about three per day.
All in all, I really enjoy the program so far. It's structured very effectively. Yeah, I may yell at the tv. Yeah, I may fall over because I'm just not that coordinated or graceful. Yeah, I may get discouraged because I can't do a stupid pull-up to save my life. But as the trainer on the dvd says, "Do your best and forget the rest." I'm trying to do just that.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Things I Learned from Core Synergistics
Did you know you use your ab muscles for just about everything? Walking, balance, raising your arms, coughing, laughing, and probably even farting, though as far as you all know, I don't do that because I'm a lady. ;)
The Hunk and I did the first workout of the P90X Lean program last night, which is Core Synergistics. I wasn't convinced that doing lunges and pushups and some crazy-ass superman/banana shit would work out my core muscles, but today I notice little twinges in my ab mucles when I do simple things listed above. I mean, really, raise your arms above your head right now. It takes AB MUSCLES TO DO THAT! Weird.
At any rate, the workout was intense. I was breathing heavy, sweating, tired, and really just chewed up and spit out in the living room floor by the time the hour was up. It felt like a small win just to get it done. I just need to maintain that mentality for the next 89 days. LOL
I'm still gathering pre-P90X info, like before pictures and measurements so I have a benchmark to compare at the end of this whole maddening process. I haven't decided if I'm going to post them here or not... On one hand, it would be good motivation. On the other hand, it would be embarrassing!
Tonight is Cardio X....
The Hunk and I did the first workout of the P90X Lean program last night, which is Core Synergistics. I wasn't convinced that doing lunges and pushups and some crazy-ass superman/banana shit would work out my core muscles, but today I notice little twinges in my ab mucles when I do simple things listed above. I mean, really, raise your arms above your head right now. It takes AB MUSCLES TO DO THAT! Weird.
At any rate, the workout was intense. I was breathing heavy, sweating, tired, and really just chewed up and spit out in the living room floor by the time the hour was up. It felt like a small win just to get it done. I just need to maintain that mentality for the next 89 days. LOL
I'm still gathering pre-P90X info, like before pictures and measurements so I have a benchmark to compare at the end of this whole maddening process. I haven't decided if I'm going to post them here or not... On one hand, it would be good motivation. On the other hand, it would be embarrassing!
Tonight is Cardio X....
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
A Song to Get You Thinking
I first heard this song on my Metric station on Pandora. Regina Spektor was someone who I thought had a lovely voice with an impressive range, but I didn't really like "Fidelity" or "On the Radio." I did, however, like the song she did with Ben Folds, "You Don't Know Me."
I was surprised to hear this song and absolutely fall in love with it. I Googled the lyrics and now I just really cannot stop thinking about it.
BLUE LIPS
He stumbled into faith and thought
God, there is all there is
The pictures in his mind arose
And began to breathe
And all the gods and all the worlds
Began colliding on a backdrop of blue
Blue lips, blue veins
He took a step but then felt tired
He said I'll rest a little while
But when he tried to walk again
He wasn't a child
And all the people hurried fast, real fast
And no one ever smiled
Blue lips, blue veins
Blue, the color of our planet
From far, far away
Blue lips, blue veins
Blue, the color of our planet
From far, far away
He stumbled into faith and thought
God, there is all there is
The pictures in his mind arose
And began to breathe
And no one saw and no one heard
They just followed the lead
The pictures in his mind arose
And began to breathe
And no one saw
And no one heard they just followed the lead
The pictures in his mind awoke
And began to breed
They started off beneath an olive tree
And they chopped it down to make a picket fence
And marching along the railroad tracks
They smiled real wide for the camera lens
As they made it past the enemy lines
Just to become enslaved in the enemy lines
Blue lips, blue veins
Blue, the color of our planet
From far, far away
Blue lips, blue veins
Blue, the color of our planet
From far, far away
Blue, the most human color [x3]
Blue lips, blue veins
Blue, the color of our planet
From far, far away
I was surprised to hear this song and absolutely fall in love with it. I Googled the lyrics and now I just really cannot stop thinking about it.
BLUE LIPS
He stumbled into faith and thought
God, there is all there is
The pictures in his mind arose
And began to breathe
And all the gods and all the worlds
Began colliding on a backdrop of blue
Blue lips, blue veins
He took a step but then felt tired
He said I'll rest a little while
But when he tried to walk again
He wasn't a child
And all the people hurried fast, real fast
And no one ever smiled
Blue lips, blue veins
Blue, the color of our planet
From far, far away
Blue lips, blue veins
Blue, the color of our planet
From far, far away
He stumbled into faith and thought
God, there is all there is
The pictures in his mind arose
And began to breathe
And no one saw and no one heard
They just followed the lead
The pictures in his mind arose
And began to breathe
And no one saw
And no one heard they just followed the lead
The pictures in his mind awoke
And began to breed
They started off beneath an olive tree
And they chopped it down to make a picket fence
And marching along the railroad tracks
They smiled real wide for the camera lens
As they made it past the enemy lines
Just to become enslaved in the enemy lines
Blue lips, blue veins
Blue, the color of our planet
From far, far away
Blue lips, blue veins
Blue, the color of our planet
From far, far away
Blue, the most human color [x3]
Blue lips, blue veins
Blue, the color of our planet
From far, far away
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Is there a cutest kid contest somewhere?
Seriously, 'Lil Bit is the cutest thing ever. EVER. Since I have school on Tuesday nights, I try to take a few extra minutes on Wednesday to play with her before going to work. 'Lil Bit loves music, so we spend many mornings listening to Pandora or watching Sesame Street videos on YouTube. This morning, we were singing Yeah Yeah Yeahs "Turn Into." It goes," I know what I know. Ah, yeah" at the end.
So 'Lil bit starts singing, "Oh no oh yeah." I was in hysterics.
I mean really, look at this face.
Now that I've made you smile, I gotta get back to work.
Until next time,
MFW
So 'Lil bit starts singing, "Oh no oh yeah." I was in hysterics.
I mean really, look at this face.
Now that I've made you smile, I gotta get back to work.
Until next time,
MFW
Sunday, February 7, 2010
MFW Gets Married Part 2
I left off part 1 of this wedding recap with a missing photographer. I should preface this with another short blurb… Just two days before the wedding, I received an email from said photographer asking where and what time the wedding was!! Oh.My.Gawd. How in the world did we get this far without ever discussing where and when she was supposed to meet us?! I am still in awe of that.
Finally, as I’m trying to get used to the idea of starting the ceremony with no professional photographer (after all, there were a minimum of five cameras between our guests), I happen to glance down the beach to see a girl walking extremely fast, with her camera bag flapping against her side. Whew! Crisis averted!
With everyone finally there, it was time to begin the ceremony. First, I walked back up the beach in order to prepare for my grand entrance.
As I stood at the boardwalk, waiting for the officiant to give me a wave when she was ready, I expected to feel nervous. After all, this was a lifetime committment I was about to make! However, instead of feeling nervous, I stood there with peaceful resolve. I knew that I was making the right decision to marry The Hunk.
When we found out I was pregnant with 'Lil Bit, we made a promise to one another that we would never get married solely for the sake of our child. Instead, we would wait until we were sure that we wanted to get married for no other reason than just to be with each other in the most sacred of unions. I felt that we were doing just that.
After I took a moment to ponder this, I saw the officiant wave. The photographer was already snapping photos of me standing at the boardwalk, and I let her know "This is it. Here we go."
I could hear the traditional Wedding March playing as I walked through the soft floury sand, but as I got closer to where The Hunk was standing, ironically, the music started fading instead of getting louder. I was so focused on looking straight into the eyes of the man I was about to marry, to try to speak with him as intently as possible without saying a word. Finally, I stood before him, placed my bouquet on the ground, and mouthed, "I love you" as we waited for the music to stop.
The ceremony began with a quote from William Shakespeare, "My bounty is as boundless as the sea,my love as deep: the more I give to thee,the more I have, for both are infinite." It was a great way to set the tone of our quaint little wedding.
After asking if we were ready to committ ourselves to one another, we said our vows. Both of us got a very teary-eyed and choked up as we made these promises to each other.
Once our vows were said, we were each given a bottle of sand. The officiant spoke of how our individual lives were now blended together. Our families are joined, our friends are joined, everything. We then poured our bottles into a bigger container, which now sits on our fireplace mantle.
Finally, the officiant pronnounced us husband and wife and family! We sealed it with a kiss. Or two or three. :)
And with that we were husband and wife.
Husband and wife!
The officiant kicked off a lively song while our families congratulated us....and then the CD began skipping. HA! I don't know what it is, but no matter what little slip-ups happen, The Hunk and I can always muster a laugh, although this time it didn't take much mustering at all. It was just damn funny.
Following the ceremony, we got some photos with our family. As we were taking photos, the officant said, "Where's the marriage license? I need to sign it." Guess what genius left the marriage license in the rental car?! Yep, you guessed it. Me. So while The Hunk and went to take our pictures, his family went to the restaurant, and my family went to grab the license and get it signed. Another close one!
Sadly, we didn't get as much time for pictures as I would have liked, but we had dinner reservations to make. I am trying to be patient in waiting to see the final product, but it is so hard! I'm really hoping she can tone down that horrible sunburn I so stupidly got. She did send me this awesome sneak peek!
I am so very thankful that so many of our closest family members and our best friend got to be there to share in our joy. I know it meant a lot for The Hunk's grandmother to get to see one of her grandchildren to get married!
Now for some awesomely funny pictures, MFW style!
I look like a super crazy lady with this giant knife, red eyes, and wild smile!
When trying to get a nice picture with my daughter, she decided to climb up me instead of just cooperating.
As usual, messing up what would have been an otherwise lovely picture:
But I don't always mess up pictures. I love this picture with The Hunk's grandparents. They are such sweet people.
Even with so many near misses, the ceremony and dinner were exactly what we had hoped for - a meaningful celebration of love, family, and downright fun. Oh, and I got to play princess for a day. What girl doesn't like that? ;)
Until next time,
MRS. MFW
Finally, as I’m trying to get used to the idea of starting the ceremony with no professional photographer (after all, there were a minimum of five cameras between our guests), I happen to glance down the beach to see a girl walking extremely fast, with her camera bag flapping against her side. Whew! Crisis averted!
With everyone finally there, it was time to begin the ceremony. First, I walked back up the beach in order to prepare for my grand entrance.
As I stood at the boardwalk, waiting for the officiant to give me a wave when she was ready, I expected to feel nervous. After all, this was a lifetime committment I was about to make! However, instead of feeling nervous, I stood there with peaceful resolve. I knew that I was making the right decision to marry The Hunk.
When we found out I was pregnant with 'Lil Bit, we made a promise to one another that we would never get married solely for the sake of our child. Instead, we would wait until we were sure that we wanted to get married for no other reason than just to be with each other in the most sacred of unions. I felt that we were doing just that.
After I took a moment to ponder this, I saw the officiant wave. The photographer was already snapping photos of me standing at the boardwalk, and I let her know "This is it. Here we go."
I could hear the traditional Wedding March playing as I walked through the soft floury sand, but as I got closer to where The Hunk was standing, ironically, the music started fading instead of getting louder. I was so focused on looking straight into the eyes of the man I was about to marry, to try to speak with him as intently as possible without saying a word. Finally, I stood before him, placed my bouquet on the ground, and mouthed, "I love you" as we waited for the music to stop.
The ceremony began with a quote from William Shakespeare, "My bounty is as boundless as the sea,my love as deep: the more I give to thee,the more I have, for both are infinite." It was a great way to set the tone of our quaint little wedding.
After asking if we were ready to committ ourselves to one another, we said our vows. Both of us got a very teary-eyed and choked up as we made these promises to each other.
Once our vows were said, we were each given a bottle of sand. The officiant spoke of how our individual lives were now blended together. Our families are joined, our friends are joined, everything. We then poured our bottles into a bigger container, which now sits on our fireplace mantle.
Finally, the officiant pronnounced us husband and wife and family! We sealed it with a kiss. Or two or three. :)
And with that we were husband and wife.
Husband and wife!
The officiant kicked off a lively song while our families congratulated us....and then the CD began skipping. HA! I don't know what it is, but no matter what little slip-ups happen, The Hunk and I can always muster a laugh, although this time it didn't take much mustering at all. It was just damn funny.
Following the ceremony, we got some photos with our family. As we were taking photos, the officant said, "Where's the marriage license? I need to sign it." Guess what genius left the marriage license in the rental car?! Yep, you guessed it. Me. So while The Hunk and went to take our pictures, his family went to the restaurant, and my family went to grab the license and get it signed. Another close one!
Sadly, we didn't get as much time for pictures as I would have liked, but we had dinner reservations to make. I am trying to be patient in waiting to see the final product, but it is so hard! I'm really hoping she can tone down that horrible sunburn I so stupidly got. She did send me this awesome sneak peek!
I am so very thankful that so many of our closest family members and our best friend got to be there to share in our joy. I know it meant a lot for The Hunk's grandmother to get to see one of her grandchildren to get married!
Now for some awesomely funny pictures, MFW style!
I look like a super crazy lady with this giant knife, red eyes, and wild smile!
When trying to get a nice picture with my daughter, she decided to climb up me instead of just cooperating.
As usual, messing up what would have been an otherwise lovely picture:
But I don't always mess up pictures. I love this picture with The Hunk's grandparents. They are such sweet people.
Even with so many near misses, the ceremony and dinner were exactly what we had hoped for - a meaningful celebration of love, family, and downright fun. Oh, and I got to play princess for a day. What girl doesn't like that? ;)
Until next time,
MRS. MFW
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
