Shake It Up

Good evening, readers.

Boy am I tired. I try not to complain about being tired because, honestly, most of us are tired all the time. We're all working too hard, staying up too late, and worrying too much. But it really does no good to complain about it. I usually just up my caffeine intake and move along.

Today, however, I was like a walking zombie no matter how much coffee I consumed. I haven't slept very well the last few nights for the most ridiculous reason. I have a kink in the back of my neck. Have you ever been really tense, turned your head too fast and then pulled a muscle in your neck? Yeah, it's like that but all the time. So don't mind me if I get a little loopy.

On that note, we finished the thank-you notes today. Well, almost. I actually ran out of envelopes for the thank-you notes, so we still have two that we need to finish. But otherwise they're ready to go in the mail. So if I said something funny in your thank-you due to my loopy lack-of-sleep state, you're welcome? And I say WE finished them because Bill really did help. Promise.

Besides my zombie-like state, today was just another pretty normal day. Actually, work was kind of slow so I spent a few hours reorganizing. I got a brand new filing cabinet and organized all my files and it was very relaxing. You'd think my house would be more organized, but I'm not getting paid to organize that. Maybe I missed my calling as a professional organizer. As soon as you offer me some sort of monetary incentive to organize I'm all over it.

After work we did the thank-you notes, I grabbed a light dinner, and then it was off to the gym for a double workout of Zumba and BodyPump. I worked really hard during Zumba, which meant that BodyPump felt next to impossible afterward. But we always make it through and feel good for doing it.

Today's Stats:
Steps taken: 18700
Calories burned: 3400
Calories consumed: 1150

Okay so I'm trying to figure out how I can make absolutely sure I lose these last 14 pounds before the wedding. I'm on the right track, as I've been pretty consistently losing 1 pound per week. However I need to speed it up if I want to hit my goal. So I've been thinking that I should try one of those shake programs. Just for like 6 or 8 weeks. The only problem is that I know very little about them. Does anyone have any recommendations I can take a look in to? I'm not super worried about the cost since it will be a short-term thing, so long as it isn't outrageous.

And over in wedding-planning land, besides the thank-you notes, the last item needed for the bridesmaids gifts finally came in the mail. I'll be putting those together tomorrow most likely. Tomorrow we have our first marriage class with Pastor Dan. I'll give you the highlights in Thursday's blog.

And now I'm off for the weekly Halo Top!

Until tomorrow, readers.

Kayti

Shower #2

Good evening, readers!

Yesterday was just so eventful I couldn't get a post in before I fell into bed totally exhausted. So I'll have to catch you all up today!

As I mentioned in previous posts, yesterday was our family wedding shower. Yes, that means that the guys had to come, too. It was a little funny to watch them squirm, unsure of what exactly is supposed to happen at a shower. So that was entertaining.

We ended up with over 30 people there, which was a heck of a turn out. My parents, brothers, and sisters-in-law all came, but the rest was on the Emerson/Brown side of the family. It was hosted by Rob&Laura (& Nicholas!)Emerson and Nicole Turner. Shout out for the awesome job (and awesome tacos!). 

We got lots of really nice gifts, which we appreciate immensely. Which reminds me that those thank-you cards won't write themselves... but at least Bill gets to help me this time :)

Here's the women of the wedding party (sadly without our Miss Madeline Soypher) and the head honcho himself, Bill:

It was a really good time, and I'm glad we had it.

Afterward my family caught up over drinks at Bald Man Brewery in Eagan. My parents are on their way to Alabama today, so we won't be seeing them for awhile. 

Which means... my mom had to finish everything for the wedding before leaving! Last night she brought over all of the completed favors (I'm absolutely amazed that she finished them all) as well as the materials for the programs. We'll get that figured out after this Wednesday's meeting with Pastor Dan!

I'm not feeling overwhelmed yet, so that's a positive. We organized the office today, since it was kind of an explosion of wedding stuff. We took all the gifts out and just left the actual wedding stuff, so it's much more organized and I feel like I can breathe a bit better.

Today was just your regular old Monday. Busy day at work, followed by Zumba. I was so busy I almost forgot to eat lunch, and by the time I got home I was so hungry I scarfed down a banana AND popcorn before Zumba! 

Today's stats:
Steps taken: 16800
Calories burned: 3050
Calories consumed: 1500

An I just keep telling myself that everything is under control, and it will be.

Until tomorrow, readers.

Kayti

Weigh In: Week 48

Good evening, readers!

I did actually write a post yesterday, but I forgot to put it on Facebook. That's really okay, though, since I wrote the post after waking up from a 3 hour nap and it's really not my best work. So we'll just forget about  yesterday and move on to today!

This morning I got up and did my usual double workout of BodyPump and Zumba. I have a friend from my Monday night class that has started coming to Saturday class as well, and I'm pretty sure I work harder when I have someone I know standing right next to me pushing me a little. I got extra sweaty today, but it was fun!

Afterward I came home and did my weekly weigh-in. The results? Another pound gone! Cue Queen's "Another One Bites the Dust," please! That brings us to a total of 46 pounds down. I wish I had lost 1.5 or even two pounds this week, but at least we're moving in the right direction!

After the weigh-in I did a few chores (laundry, cleaning, etc.) and then promptly went back to bed for two hours. When I woke up Bill wanted to go downtown and do some Winter Carnival stuff, so we met up with our friend Jen, her kids, and some of Bill's family members and took in the sights of downtown St. Paul. We saw the ice sculptures in Rice Park, which are always one of my favorites. There was a Charlotte's Web themed one this year!

Obviously still a work in progress, but there's Wilbur in the bottom left and Charlotte in her web in the middle.

And that's really all the excitement for today! We came home, had a light dinner, and I spent a good amount of time reading my book (instead of working on folding a book like I should have been!)

Today's stats:
Steps taken: 15320
Calories burned: 3000
Calories consumed: about 1500

I had a weird eating day today. I didn't eat breakfast, and then we went downtown and I had some hot chocolate with whipped cream that made me super full. I also had some cinnamon cashews, but that's it. I ate some popcorn for dinner, along with a tiny bit of Bill's mac and cheese, and that's about it! It wasn't really a day of good choices, but I felt full and I don't feel too guilty about it.

Tomorrow we have our family shower with Bill's side, so that should be fun! We'll have a full report tomorrow, or maybe Monday depending on how it goes.

Until then, readers.

Kayti

Hibernation

Good evening, readers.

Oh boy are we in trouble here. I just woke up from a... 3 hour nap? Whoops. When does it go from a nap to just going to bed for the evening? I got up basically to eat and then go back to bed, but then I remembered I didn't write a blog! I don't have a whole lot to say today, I suppose, but for the sake of consistency and accountability I'm writing this anyway!

Work was extra busy today, which probably has something to do with the whole "falling asleep at 6:30" situation. Bill is at some Winter Carinal event, so I don't have him around to keep me awake until a reasonable hour. You can't leave me alone or all I do is sleep and eat, apparently.

Food intake was okay today. Not fabulous, but okay. I just got up and had avocado on toast for dinner, along with some pumpkin seeds. I didn't really think that through, because now I'm afraid I'm going to retain a bunch of water due to all the salt and it will sabotage tomorrow's weigh-in. Which, by the way, I am not really looking forward to. I don't have a very good feeling about it (although I usually don't). 

Today's stats:
Steps taken: 12250
Calories burned: 2900
Calories consumed: 1300

I guess it's time for me to return to my state of hibernation. Maybe my muscles need all this sleep to recover, since it seems like they're pretty stiff and sore every time I get out of bed. Okay, tomorrow we shall have our weigh-in and hope for the best!

Until then, readers.

Kayti

What Do You Eat Before a Workout?

Good evening, readers!

Happy Friday Eve! We're almost to the end of this work week, true. But, we are almost to the end of January as well! Only 5 more days. And I feel like we will have escaped relatively unscathed, weather-wise. Too bad we're headed into the worst month of the year: February. But then that's followed up by the best month of the year, March, so at least there's something to look forward to.

Today was a pretty darn typical day in the life of a person who is getting married in less than three months. I overslept, rushed to work, came home for a bit afterward, and then went to the gym. I talked to my mom and fiancee about wedding stuff, bought some wedding stuff online, contacted some wedding vendors... you know, the stuff you're probably supposed to do one month before the wedding. I do it three months before. I like to think I'm just being prepared, but in reality I'm kind of a control freak. And I do my best not to turn into a bridezilla monster when I can't control something.

Anyway, I'm having a bit of a hard time with something and I'm hoping one of you readers will have a solution. On Tuesdays and Thursdays I go to the gym from 7-9pm. I get home about 5, so I have a two hour window to fit dinner in. My problem is that I can't figure out what I should eat that is the perfect balance between "enough food to keep me full" and "light enough so I can still workout." I've tried a lot of different combinations, including:

• Eating nothing beforehand
• Chicken, rice and veggies
• soup
• A high-protein snack
• A high-protein AND high fiber snack
• Eating right at 5 o'clock
• Eating a snack at 5 and a snack at 6:30

I just can't seem to find the right combination. I'm either starving by the time I get to weigh lifting, or I'm so full I have a hard time completing my cardio class. Does anyone have any suggestions? I'm honestly thinking about bringing a protein shake with me to the gym and drinking it between cardio and weight lifting to keep my stomach from growling, and then eating dinner at 9. I know everyone is different, but if you have a trick that works for you I'd like to try it!

Today' stats:

Steps taken: 17800

Calories burned: 3200

Calories consumed: 1165

The days are creeping by, and the wedding keeps getting closer (not like it could get farther away). I still haven't had any major freak outs (at least not since the very beginning when I was worried about money) so hopefully we can keep it that way! 

Until tomorrow, readers.

Kayti

Dress Fitting #2

Good evening, readers!

So today I had my second dress fitting. If you recall, the first fitting was back in October. When I told her I was trying to lose weight, she moved all of my appointments back so I had more time and she wasn't wasting her time taking things in if she was just going to have to take them in again. So now, 3 months later, I'm back. I'm 15 pounds lighter than I was the last time I saw her, and it definitely showed. As soon as I put the dress on she commented that I must have lost weight, since the pins around my waist and hips were no where near tight enough. Which leads me to wonder why my measurements never seem to go down much? Maybe I'm just not very good with a tape measure.

It was nice to see my dress again, remember why I love it so much, and make sure it's all in one piece (kinda). For obvious reasons I'm not posting any photos of my fitting. I want everyone, not just Bill, to be surprised when they see me!

Otherwise today was just a normal Tuesday. My fitting was at 7, so I missed most of Zumba. I made it for the last 20 minutes, but I didn't even work up a sweat in that time! It was kind of depressing, since I was really in the mood to dance! I did my weight lifting, though. I've added weight to my squats and triceps recently. My weakness now is actually my back. For some reason every time I try to up my weight on my back exercises it just ends up painful instead of helpful. We'll get there, though. 

I ate really well today. I'm usually pretty good about knowing just about how many calories I've consumed, since my breakfast and lunch are the same every day. I can always tell when I ate well during the day because I am starving on my way home from work! But then I have a sensible snack when I get home and everything is better.

Today's stats:
Steps taken: 14000
Calories burned: 3000
Calories consumed: 1100

Over in wedding-planning land, I've been working on gathering all the things I need to make the welcome bags for the hotel guests. There's so many cute ideas, and I'm just trying not to go overboard! I also finally started my second book folding project. If I do 45 minutes per day (one episode of a show on Netflix) I should be able to finish it in about 12 days. We'll see how that goes. Then I just need to find some stands to hold the books up!

And now, since I've only consumed 1100 calories today, it's time for some Halo Top!

Until tomorrow, readers.

Kayti

3 Months To Go!

Good evening, readers.

And now I suppose it's back to regularly scheduled programming. It was definitely the worst weekend I can remember having... ever. Our whole family appreciates all the support and kind words, and now we have no choice but to begin the healing process. As hard as that might be.

Unfortunately, my healing process involves carbs and sugar. After my miracle 1 pound weight loss on Saturday I had big plans to eat super healthy all weekend to get two pounds this week. But it's really hard to care about what you're putting in your face when you're just so incredibly sad. So that's what I'm dealing with now. Saturday was basically a write-off, Sunday wasn't perfect but it was much better, and now, Monday, I have been absolutely perfect so far. I have eaten nothing but fruit, vegetables, yogurt, and a Fiber One bar. How can you go wrong?

I also threw myself back into exercise. Super intense cardio makes it almost impossible to think about anything besides breathing, and Zumba makes it hard to think about much when you're trying to follow the steps. But the two together and it's a pretty good way to forget your worries and sadness for a little while.

To top it all off, I threw myself back into wedding planning. We decided on a wedding program, so we're tracking down all the materials we need to make them. At first I thought I would just order them, but then my mom made a program mock-up that was absolutely beautiful and I just couldn't live without it! Yes, more DIY from this previously anti-DIY bride. We've got the structure of the programs, we just have to figure out what we want it to say. Luckily we have our first marriage counseling session with the pastor next Wednesday, so hopefully we can nail down the details of the ceremony. Or at least most of them.

I guess without really meaning to I threw myself back into my daily routine hard in order to remove my thoughts from the sadness I feel. The hardest part is being at work and having to explain to everyone why Bailey won't be visiting us on Wednesday.

Today's stats:
Steps taken: 16200
calories burned: 3000
Calories consumed: 1150

Oh looks like I have some calories let for a little dessert! I don't have any Halo Top, but I do have pudding and Cool Whip, and there's really not much that can beat that!

OMG you guys I almost forgot.... 3 months to go! Can you believe it! Less than 90 days until we get hitched! Some days I feel like there's a ton to do, and other days I feel like everything is so under control. One decision a day really seems to be working :)

Until tomorrow, readers.

Kayti

Goodbye, Bailey

Good evening, readers.

As we continue to mourn the passing of Bailey, the world's best dog, my mother has very eloquently put into words what I cannot. I would like to share those with you today. Tomorrow we will be back to regularly scheduled programming.

We lost a special member of our family today.  Even though you know it’s coming, it’s still a heartbreaking experience.  I’ve had a few dogs in my life and I’ve loved them all, but I feel blessed to have been a small part of the life of the best dog I’ve ever known.  She wasn’t my dog … she belonged to Chip and Sam (and a little to Kayti) but I am thankful that they let us play a small part in the life of this beloved creature.  I know that most people who are animal lovers have a pet that they feel was the best pet ever created  … Bailey was ours.  And I pray that every dog lover is blessed to know a “best dog ever” in their lives that is as sweet and loving as Bailey.  Even though her life was not nearly as long as it deserved to be, she spread her happy sweet personality and lots of unconditional love everywhere she went.   She was a beautiful dog with velvety ears, long legs and an unassuming grace, but her outward beauty couldn’t hold a candle to her inner beauty and spirit.  I will think of her every time I see a squirrel or a rabbit or a tennis ball.  We will miss her sitting around the campfire at night and climbing up in bed with us to snuggle with us or her boring eyes and paw pats trying to convince us to take her out when she was visiting us at the campground or at our home.   I will picture her as she snuggled up in the recliner in our living room and I will always remember the look of adoration she had for her favorite human ever … Chip.  I will remember with fondness her quirky traits like wanting to be under all the covers at the foot of the bed or scarfing down her dinner so she could claim her spot to sleep at night or being afraid to walk through a partially opened door.  I also remember her one-track mind when it came to the locations to find and pursue the neighborhood squirrels, rabbits, and birds.  She would chase and retrieve a tennis ball for hours even in the dark and out in the woods.  She was happy just being with her humans and living the simple life.  I imagine her up in heaven giving all the squirrels and rabbits a run for their money and I trust that her sweet spirit lives on and that we will see her again one day.    And I’ve been reminded that the love that we receive from these special creatures in our lives is more than worth the pain of losing them.  I would gladly go through all the pain and heartache of the last two months again to be able to give Chip and Sam one more good day with Bailey … another truck ride to the dog park, some tennis balls in the backyard, a few squirrels chased out of the backyard and some snuggles in front of the television.  I don’t regret for a minute giving my heart completely to this beautiful animal … she taught me that opening your heart to love is what makes life worth living.   I love you Bailey!

Weigh In: Week 47

Good evening, readers.

I lost 1 pound this week, surprisingly. That brings the total to 45 pounds lost. That was the only good thing to happen today.

Unfortunately I must report that today we had to say goodbye to Bailey, my brother's dog and the best dog in the whole world. She was only 6 years old. She was diagnosed with lymphoma just before Thanksgiving and lived the last two months a very happy dog. 

I hope you can understand if I don't feel like writing much today.

Until tomorrow, readers.

Kayti

(Un)Motivated

Good evening, readers!

Looks like we've got another good news/bad news situation on our hands. The good news is that today I finally felt like I got my eating back in control. Although I couldn't figure out why I felt so incredibly hungry when I got home. I finally figured out that it was because I didn't have any extra snacks at all during the day, so I had only eaten 600 calories. I also couldn't figure out why I felt so tired after work. I'd like to say it was because I worked so hard during the day, but it was most likely because I had only eaten 600 calories. Low blood sugar is the worst. So I ate an apple when I got home and perked right back up.

The bad news is that I was incredibly unmotivated after getting home. Even though the apple made me feel better, I just couldn't bring myself to go to the gym. Usually I'm really good at sticking to my workout routine but not my food routine. Today it was the other way around. So weird.

After getting home I made myself a nice dinner of tilapia and veggies, and I made Bill a meatball sandwich. Then I sat down and said to myself, "I'm going to start that second book folding project." I pulled out the book and the pattern, and then promptly lost all motivation as I got distracted by the book I'm reading instead of the book I'm folding.

Maybe I've just had a long week and didn't get enough sleep, or maybe I'm more stressed out about the wedding than I thought I was. But it seems like I can only focus my motivation in one direction. Some weeks I eat really well. Some weeks I have killer workouts. And other weeks I'm super productive on wedding stuff. Some day I will learn to put it all together. Hopefully soon-ish.

Today's stats:
Steps taken: 11000
Calories burned: 2900
Calories consumed: 1100

Since I didn't work out today I'll just leave my calories right there. And probably just go to bed and pray for a little more motivation tomorrow. And hopefully not too much damage on the scale.

Until then, readers.

Kayti

Stronger

Good evening, readers!

Thank you for all the words of encouragement after Tuesday's post. I need to get this sweet tooth in check, and it's much easier to do that when I have all of you backing me up. Today I was... better, I'd say. My only extra treats were 1/2 cinnamon roll (I know, I really shouldn't have) and some popcorn. It is national popcorn day, after all. Since I indulged earlier today I will have to skip my post-strength workout Halo Top, but at least it saves me 6 bucks since the cinnamon roll and popcorn were free :) There's always a silver lining, eh?

As I was typing this I just realized I forgot to do something at work today. Well, nothing I can do about it now I suppose. Except fret about it the entire night and get very little sleep. Lovely. 

I think we should start calling Thursdays "Friday Eve" instead. Because it sounds way better and reminds us that Friday is only a few hours away. 

Okay that's enough random thoughts for the evening.

So today may eating was okay, but not great. I'm trying to compromise but still allowing myself a treat without going overboard. My workouts today, though, were awesome. I felt like a million bucks during my weight lifting class, and even my cardio step class didn't seem as draining as normal. And I actually felt like I was trying harder. I didn't modify any of the moves in cardio step, which is really weird for me since I'm not always comfortable jumping, and there's a lot of jumping involved. Plus I did burpees and mountain climbers. I've noticed myself getting stronger, so hopefully the additional muscles will burn off a few of those additional calories I consumed this week.

Today's stats:

Steps taken: 18550

Calories burned: 3250

Calories consumed: 1380

Over in wedding-planning land, I have a list on my computer about a mile long of things to do. But I never delete anything. I just cross it out. So the list keeps growing, but much of it is already done. Plus most of the things left aren't super important. Like "Plan your bachelorette party outfit." I'll probably pick it out that morning, to be honest. But it's on the list so I'll be thinking about it at least. Otherwise things have been pretty laid-back. Bill hand-delivered all the sheet music to the pianist today so she can practice. We're working on nailing down  time for the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner, and we may have found a perfect indoor photo location, so long as it's not too expensive. 

Now if only I felt as confident about my weight loss as I do about my wedding planning, we'd be in good shape! I'm going to get a handle on this, I swear it! Mark my words :)

Until tomorrow, readers.

Kayti

Good News, Bad News

Good evening, readers!

The good news: four day work weeks go by incredibly fast. We just got the first day of the week over with and it's already almost Wednesday! 

The bad news: four day work weeks means you have to squeeze five days worth of work into four. Oh well, totally worth it for that extra day.

Better news: look what came in the mail today!!

You know what the good news is about this? It's a family shower, which means the men are coming, too! So it's less of a shower and more of a party! Sorry if that's bad news to the men. I'm really hoping we get to see some guys make toilet paper wedding dresses. Just saying.

Busy day at work today, followed by a busy day at home. Bad news, readers, and I have to be completely honest with you: I am having a hard time getting my eating under control. It's not... terrible, per se, it's just not where I want it to be. Today I had a cookie at work, plus some crackers with my soup for dinner and an extra Fiber One bar as a snack. I know it really only adds up to an extra 200 calories, but if you do that every day it really adds up! Plus I feel like total crap afterwards, and extra guilty, so I don't know why I do it to myself! It's those little things that I feel are holding me back from reaching my goals, and I'm annoyed with myself that I keep letting it happen!

Ok thanks for reading through that little rant of mine. I'm going to get a hold on this. I have to. I want to feel confident at my wedding, and working hard toward my weight loss goals will help that. 

Today's stats:
Steps taken: 17000
Calories burned: 3100
Calories consumed: 1400

Well, the good news is that I have recognized I have a problem. The bad news is I don't have a solution... yet! But I refuse to let a sugar addiction stop me. Seriously.

I'm looking forward to tomorrow's rest day. My abs and glutes are killing me today. It's not so bad that I can't sit down, but it's still pretty comical to watch me try to pick things up off the floor!

Until tomorrow, readers.

Kayti

New Mode: Domestic Goddess

Good evening, readers!

How 'bout them Packers? Boy did we have a fun time watching that game over at Chip & Sam's on Sunday. And by fun, I mean nerve-wracking, anxiety-inducing, can't-watch kind of fun. But We're 2-0 in the playoffs when I watch with Chip & Sam, so it looks like I already have plans for next Sunday's game.

Today I had the day off due to Martin Luther King, Jr. day. Just one of the perks of working for the state, I suppose. This may be a little silly, but I spent the entire day pretending that I don't have a job at all and get to stay home and play housewife all the time.

I started the day by getting up when Bill's alarm went off and making his lunch for him before he went to work. Since he doesn't usually eat breakfast I didn't worry about it. Then I went to the gym. I took the super hard cardio step class, followed by BodyPump; there's no way in this world that I won't be sore tomorrow. I'm just hoping it's not the "can't sit down" type of sore and just the "walk gingerly" type of sore instead.

After the gym I ran some errands (grocery shopping), and then met my parents for lunch at Panera. They came over afterward to drop off some wedding stuff, and then my mom showed me the wedding favors she is working on. They look awesome, but they're a bit tedious to make. Luckily she's retired :)

Once my parents left I really went into "domestic goddess" mode. I prepped dinner for tonight and lunches for tomorrow, tidied up the entire house, and folded Bill's laundry. Although I did NOT vacuum with pearls on. Shame.

Today's stats:
Steps taken: 12000
Calories burned: 2700
Calories consumed: 1200

I've got to get back into losing more weight! Just 1.5 pounds is all I need to hit for the next 10 weeks and we should be good. It can't be that hard, right? Well it's more difficult when you have ice cream, and cake, and ice cream cake all over the place. I've got to learn to control myself, even if it is my favorite food on the planet! Ice cream, that is.

And over in wedding-planning land there's not much new to report. We're still deciding between head table or sweetheart table, how to make the programs for the ceremony, and just some other minor details. There's lots of shopping going on, though. There's just little things you don't realize you need, like gifts for certain people, or extra ribbon to wrap the flower handles, and backup shoes. All that stuff adds up! I try to just buy one thing a week so it isn't tons of money out of the account at once.

Back to reality tomorrow; too bad, I felt like I really embraced domestic goddess mode.

Until tomorrow, readers.

Kayti

Weigh In: Week 46

Good evening, readers!

Drumroll please....

This week I lost... absolutely nothing! Besides my mind, apparently. Good news: I didn't gain anything. That scale never moved. At least it didn't move in the wrong direction.

While I kind of expected this because I wasn't as diligent this week as I should have been, I'm still a little bummed. But hey, I'm still down 44 pounds, which is nothing to sneeze at, and I've got at least 10 weeks to reach my goal.

Which means I'm going to need to up my weekly goals if I want to meet my ultimate end goal! Looks like 1.5 pounds per week will be the new goal (instead of 1). But if I can't meet that for two or more weeks, I'll have to up to to two pounds. Not impossible, but difficult. I'm going to try my hardest!

Today was your standard Saturday, really. I had my early morning double workout. BodyPump was pretty difficult, as it was a new set with tons of push-ups. I can do a good amount of push-ups, but they're not my strong suit. I do have a feeling my push-up ability will be improving within the next couple weeks.

After BodyPump and Zumba I returned home for my weigh-in, and then I immediately went back to bed. I didn't sleep well last night because my back has been hurting. So I slept for another hour. After I regained consciousness Bill and I went to see "La La Land". Highly recommend.

We got home and ordered Chinese food. I like to tell myself it's healthy, since I usually get moo goo gai pan. It's just chicken and veggies in an oyster sauce, so it really can't be that bad, right? Anyway we ordered Chinese and worked on finishing our invitations!

They were almost complete when we started, but it still took as another hour or so to put on the stamps and address labels. But now they are completely done and in a box waiting to be brought to the post office. I'm only a month ahead of schedule on this one; definitely slacking lately.

Today's stats:
Steps taken: 11200
Calories burned: 2800
Calories consumed: 1200

I actually didn't eat much today either, besides a banana, some popcorn, and that Chinese. Oh, and a Fiber One bar. I'm just guessing on the calorie count since it's really hard to figure out how much 1/3 of a container of moo goo gai pan contains.

Tomorrow's the big football game, but otherwise no exciting plans. I have Monday off of work, too, so I'm just planning on enjoying the three day weekend :)

Until tomorrow, readers.

Kayti

World's Largest Avocado

Good evening, readers!

In yesterday's post I made a fleeting mention of the guacamole Aja made for me with the avocado I provided. What I failed to mention is that it was world's largest avocado. It's not in Guinness yet, but I've submitted the forms. Here it is, next to a regular-sized avocado for reference:

I wish I had weighed this thing. It was at least 5 pounds, all of it delicious. Look, the pit of the large one is the same size as a regular avocado! Someone brought this back from Florida for us. If you can find one, I highly recommend it!

Anyway, today was a pretty boring day. Work was slow and kind of boring, but I didn't do any wedding stuff! I must have needed a little break from that today.

After work I went to the Y and did an hour of treadmill (running and walking in intervals) and then I took Bill out for another fancy dinner at Culver's. So not an earth-shattering day.

Today's stats:
Steps taken: 13900
Calories burned: 3000
Calories consumed: 1400

I'm letting my calories creep back up there a little bit. I've just been so hungry lately I can't help myself! When I do get hungry I feel like I'm making good choices, usually fruit or string cheese or a protein bar. But it still puts my calorie counts higher than I want them. I'm not looking forward to my weigh-in like I was last week. My prediction is that I will remain even, but we shall see in the morning!

Until then, readers.

Kayti

100 Days To Go!

Good evening, readers!

Holy guacamole, Batman, there's only 100 days left until our wedding! Honestly, when I started this blog a good 300 plus days ago, I never thought I'd actually stick with the whole thing to make it this far. And now that I have made it this far, I might as well stick with it through the very end!

But seriously, only 100 days left! And soon it will be down to three months... good gracious it's creeping up on us!  The good thing is I work on something wedding-related on my morning break, right after I get my coffee. Today I bought my parent gifts, contemplated how to decorate the guest book table, and decided who I needed to give tips to and how much. We sent all the sheet music for the ceremony to our pianist, and we should be meeting with her at the beginning of March to go over all that after she has time to practice. We made all of our ceremony decisions (music, unity, readings, etc.) so now I just have to make the programs. Mom is making the place cards, and has made  a mock-up so we know exactly what they will look like. We just have to wait for the RSVP's to come back. But before you can have RSVP's, you probably need to send invitations. And that's a whole month away.

You guys, I might actually be too prepared. Is there such a thing?

My mom has been a huge help, and I've gotten help on little things here and there from the relatives, but for the most part being this prepared has made it easy for Bill and I to take care of most everything on our own. Because I think sometimes I confuse asking for help with being a bridezilla, and I definitely don't want to go down that street!

As you guys have probably noticed I'm doing a lot more wedding talk recently and a lot less on the health and fitness. Of course I am still going full-throttle on the diet and exercise thing, but the wedding is at the forefront of my mind most of the time. And it's probably only going to get worse in the next 100 days. Watch out!

Today was hard because I was super busy at work. At this position "super busy" means a lot of computer work, which means a lot of sitting. I also parked closer to work because of the cold and snow, so I didn't get very many steps. Good thing I pulled a double workout tonight, plus 20 minutes of treadmill.

My food today was good, but not great. I ate my normal breakfast, lunch, and dinner. But Aja made guac (at my request, I admit, and I even supplied the avocado) so I had some guac and tortilla chips. I'm still going to have a pint of Halo Top tonight, though, since it's high in protein and I hear that's a good thing to have after weight lifting.

Today's stats:
Steps taken: 15300
Calories burned: 3070
Calories consumed: 1050 (not including Halo Top!)

This week has been extra exhausting. Luckily I have a three day weekend! Bring on Friday :)

Until tomorrow, readers.

Kayti

The Wedding Distraction

Good evening, readers!

I have really thrown myself into this wedding planning business lately. I probably missed my calling as a wedding planner. Although if it's not my own wedding I'm sure it wouldn't be quite as much fun for me.

I'm pleasantly surprised at all the feedback I got from yesterday's post about saving money for your wedding. People that I never even though read the blog gave me other money-saving tips and tricks. I'll try to compile another list to share with you all next week!

I think I've been throwing myself into this because I need a distraction from being sad all the time. So this morning I got tons of stuff done. I filled out our photographer checklist, which was helpful in getting together a pretty good timeline of the day itself. So then I put together our first "day-of" itinerary. Obviously this will change in the next few months. I like to think of our timeline as fluid. I don't want to get stuck in a mindset that everything has to be absolutely perfect. I'll try to find joy in the little things that go wrong. Try.

I also made a "to-do" list, which isn't as long as I thought it would be. There are still a few big things, like make programs, seating charts, and place cards. But most of the big important stuff is done. And that feels pretty good. Sometimes I just have to remember that there are little details that might matter to me but are pretty insignificant to everyone else.

Last note from wedding-planning land: after this blog is posted I plan on Googling what the normal tip amounts are for our vendors and then putting money in little envelopes. Because doing everything way ahead of time is just my MO now.

Today was a pretty standard day as for as the diet and exercise is concerned. I had to leave for work super early to beat the weather, so I got up earlier than normal and now I'm really tired. Otherwise I ate well, sticking to my normal diet and getting two servings of veggies in. I did a double workout of BodyPump and Zumba, and I just can't wait to get to bed!

Today's stats:
Steps taken: 18500
Calories burned: 3300
Calories consumed: 1100

Yep, I'm definitely rewarding myself with a pint of Halo Top today, so you can up those calories to 1380. No regrets.

Until tomorrow, readers.

Kayti

How To Save Major Money On Your Wedding. Seriously.

Good evening, readers!

Did it take anyone else two hours to get home? I was almost late for Zumba because of an inch of snow. Seriously, Minnesotans, get it together!

I had a pretty indulgent lunch this afternoon, so I'm feeling a bit guilty. It included a bowl of chicken tortilla soup, one breadstick, some shrimp, and strawberries with cool whip and a little angel food cake. I haven't eaten dinner yet, but I don't know if I have any calories left to do so! Actually I know I do, but not a whole ton... I definitely have to skip dessert!

Otherwise today was just your typical Monday.

I've been reflecting on some of the "issues" I had planning this wedding a year ago when we first started thinking about it. My biggest concern, of course, was money. How could we possibly afford to have all of our friends and family together for a wedding? I'm lucky to have such a fabulous fiancé who reminded me that we didn't have to pay for everything right this second. We would get paychecks, and taxes, and bonuses before we had to actually pay off everything. It was still a little nerve-wracking signing some of those big contracts, but now that we're getting closer to the date I'm feeling pretty good about it.

Wait... what? I'm not freaking out about the money? There must be something wrong here. But nope, we just planned ahead really well and as long as we don't owe the government money on our taxes or total one of our cars (knock on wood) it will be smooth sailing in the financial sector from here until the wedding. 

Here's the secret: ask. Get recommendations from friends. Sometimes you'll get a discount if you mention a friend recommended you. Ask if you can get a discount because it's "off-peak" season. A lot of vendors don't advertise it, but a wedding in April or October will look good to a band or photographer that doesn't have a lot of business in that month. Don't want to pay the cake-cutting fee? Get a different dessert, and then ask if you can still serve cake but waive the fee (since you are, after all, still buying a dessert). You never know what you can get until you just ask. Haggling is NOT in my blood whatsoever, so I don't consider this haggling. I consider it passive-aggressive money saving. I'm sorry, but I'm not paying over $1000 for you to hang some tulle and lights from the ceiling. Considering it probably takes two guys twenty minutes, and you didn't even have to buy the stuff because you already had it! And I'm not paying $250 for you to plug in some strings of lights. Oh, you'll throw that in for free? Fabulous.

And when you can't ask? Make. It's $300 to rent table runners? I'll make my own. $800 for flowers? No thanks, I'll make my own. $270 for a veil? Definitely making my own. Or asking someone to make it for me :)

When I first started wedding planning I never thought I would turn into a DIY type of person, because I hate arts and crafts. But I hate spending money even more! And I didn't have to take out a loan or max out my credit card (current balance: $138) to put together a fabulous wedding.

Just some wedding money tips from me to you.

Anyway, today's stats:
Steps taken: 14250
Calories burned: 2850
Calories consumed: 850 (so far, and that's just an estimate. Time for dinner!)

Hopefully this week can go as well as last week and we can really start kicking some weight-loss booty!

Until tomorrow, readers.

Kayti