With the holidays here, I want to make sure that the little commitment I made to myself a few months ago is still in the forefront of my mind. It’s easy to forget when those delicious pies and treats are staring you in the face. But I promised myself that I’d start working harder to get healthier. After many failed attempts at boring workout plans that drove me nuts, I’ve FINALLY found something that I truly love!! JAZZERCISE!!! It sounds cheesy but I love it and here’s why…

The workouts are hard but fun, the instructors are positive and motivating and the music is engaging and upbeat. Jazzercise is not the grandma aerobics that immediately comes to mind. There are no leg warmers, no sweatbands, and certainly no Olivia Newton John belting out “Let’s Get Physical.” Instead you listen to songs like Britney Spears, “Toxic” or Colbie Callait “Falling” and do workouts that include 40 minutes of cardio, some weight work for your arms, ab exercises, and stretching. The instructors will also show you modified moves for lower impact on your limbs. Especially great for my old gymnastics injuries that have taken their toll on my poor ankles and knees. The instructors are so encouraging and their positive feedback is exactly what I need to hear to keep pushing hard. The routines are repetitive and easy to pick up but not repetitive enough to get boring because they only last the length of the songs. Overall it’s just a great workout that you laugh through AND sweat your butt off.

If you’re like me and haven’t found any exercise you really enjoy doing, I recommend checking out the Jazzercise website and finding a location near you to give it a try. If you want to sign up, there’s a $20 coupon on the website to help with your sign up cost.

Wedding planning is stressful and exercise is the perfect way to beat that stress AND look fabulous in your dress. I can’t wait for my next class tonight!!

What kinds of exercise do you enjoy?

If you read yesterday’s post or were on Twitter over the weekend- you probably read my panic over my dress crisis. I was waiting to hear what could be done about all the problems…

Well…

Super good news!!! I have received a total confirmation from my bridal store that the manufacturer is taking responsibility for the dress construction problems. They will be making me an entirely new dress to remedy the horrible sewing and sizing issues!! Since this is however a massive blow to my ego (despite the fact that I have not gained weight nor inches since ordering my dress), I will be additionally stepping up my workouts and eating habits once again. I have been pretty good but I can definitely be more consistent and adhere better to my plan.

I’m very happy with this outcome and how Bridal and Formal handled the situation. I am so grateful for all their help. My dress will be here at the end of January or beginning of February. I’m totally fine with this because I’m not in any rush since our date is so far away still.

Thank you so much to everyone who said kind things and reassured me that it will all be ok. I really appreciate it. You have all seriously helped keep me sane.

Chris and I don’t have all that much in common. We have similar minds, in that we think alike, but as for hobbies we are polar opposites. We both know it and sometimes it can take its toll on our relationship. I feel that separate hobbies are nice and even necessary to maintain some semblance of self and individualism in close relationships like marriage. But doing everything separate doesn’t always make for the easiest of paths because sometimes you want your partner to take part in the things you love.

For example, Chris loves motorcycles. Therefore, 2 years ago, when he moved to Columbus to be with me, he bought me my own hot pink and black sparkly motorcycle helmet so I can go on rides with him. I love wearing that helmet and it makes me excited to participate in one of his favorite hobbies. On the flip side, I love animals. Therefore, Chris bought me a second dog as a surprise for Christmas and puts up with the messes my pets make on a daily basis. But, sometimes these small interests in each other’s hobbies aren’t enough.

Recently we made a promise to each other to find the things that we both enjoy doing and make more time to do them together. One of the things we love to do the most is cook. Hence, our new ‘Cooking Sunday.’ Not a very creative name I know, but we have a blast. We base our meals on things we haven’t tried before, vegetables we’ve grown in our garden, ingredients we find at Farmer’s Markets, etc. We even ride bikes to the Farmer’s Market in town to find stuff. After a month, here is a short list of things we’ve made:

-Homemade pasta and sauce- tomatoes and veggies grown in garden
-Apple and Jalepeno jelly- the apples were picked at an orchard and the jalepenos grown in our garden
-Pesto made from basil grown in our garden
-Applesauce from our day at the orchard apple picking
-Roasted chicken with veggies and Caprese salad
-Zucchini bread for ourselves and all our neighbors
-Summer squash soup
I’m happy to give recipes if anyone is interested in trying any of this stuff. Everything we’ve made thus far has been completely delicious!

I’m also learning to love new things that I never would have done before. I love to go camping, which is something I never did until I met Chris. We also found we love to kayak and we’re hoping to buy our own in the next year. Rock climbing is also a fun activity to do together. If you’re feeling adventurous, try taking a weekend road trip together to somewhere you’ve never been.

It’s also nice to just go on dates together. A fun dinner or happy hour always puts me in a good mood. I feel proud to sit across from my fiance, share my thoughts with him, listen to what he has to say and spend time with him. Apple, berry, or pumpkin picking makes for a more relaxing and cute date. Wine tasting is another love of ours… gee I wonder why?

Doing these things have created a new playfulness to our relationship. Trying them together has brought us much closer. Even if the activity turns out to be lame, you bond because you can laugh about it afterwards. If it’s fun, then you have something new to spice up boring days.

What are some things you and your significant other like to do together? Try anything fun lately?

Finally!

I can announce our official date!! Christopher and I will be tying the knot on January 1, 2011 or 1.1.11. Neat, huh? Though we had been planning on New Year’s Eve, we fell in love with a venue in which the date was already taken. However, by having our date set in January as opposed to December- by only 1 day later- we saved significantly on our site fee. A tip I recommend to everyone. On season prices and off season prices at certain venues can make all the difference in your budget. And we got lucky in that January 1st is still a Saturday! It also works with most all of our family members, of which I will spare you of hearing all the drama.

Here is our venue! It’s called Asbury Hall and from the moment I walked in I was blown away. You can take a little 360* tour of our ground floor. Make sure to click on the buttons on the top right and see how they transform it for a wedding reception. It’s an old church owned by Ani DiFranco and was renovated to be used for receptions, concerts, and private parties. Our whole event including ceremony, cocktails and reception will be held there. Their are pews in the upper areas on the sides and that is where our guests will sit. They will look down at us as we recite our vows on the main floor in front of the stage. We will then go into our cocktail hour in the basement which has natural beautiful stone and dark wood bar. It’s everything I wanted in a venue. I will walk directly down the center of the amazing wood floors to my awaiting groom. *little squeal of excitement*

Finally having a date, after 6 months of being engaged, makes everything seem more real. At times I never thought we’d actually set a date because I’ve been so back and forth on what I wanted, but now we can move forward and really dive into planning. I have a feeling that even though 1.1.11 is still a year and a half away, it’s going to fly by and be here before we know it.

I can’t wait.

As I mentioned a few days ago, I was asked by a representative of ColumbusParent.com, if I’d consider becoming a Bride to Be blogger for them! I was completely excited over the idea and secretly hoping it would renew my blogging spirit. I happily agreed and now it seems my blog is going to turn into wedding planning central. I feel that I’ve burned myself out on my original work topic and to be honest, I work all day every day and when I come home at night, the last thing I want to do is talk/write more about it. I’m really excited to begin a new chapter. So here we go… 

I always told everyone that when I eventually got engaged, I would be totally fine with a 2 year engagement. Spend the first year enjoying each other’s company and reveling in blissful and then worry about the planning the next year. Well of course, the minute the ring was on my finger all I wanted to do was try on dresses, set a date, and plan plan plan! I was, however, comfortable with our plan of setting our date for New Year’s Eve 2010. Then I found out my stepsister got engaged 5 days after me to a guy she’s been dating for 6 weeks and she is considering planning her wedding for Summer/Fall 2010. Was I irritated? Yes. I don’t do the whole competition thing… So it got me thinking- I don’t really want to wait for 2 years to get married anyway. I was ready to plan NOW. I’ve been with Fiance, who I believe is now worthy of being called by his real name- Christopher- for 6 years. I’m ready to get married. We’re happy, stable, and have an amazing relationship. He’s my best friend and the person I trust more than anyone in the world. He knows me inside and out and vice versa. We want to get married and we don’t want to wait 2 years. 

But there’s a problem. 

Weddings aren’t cheap. So when we decided to move the date up by a year and get married New Years Eve 2009, it dawned on us that it might not be as easy as we’d hoped. Finding a few thousand dollars for deposits on things like venues, musicians, a dress, etc. isn’t exactly an easy feat… especially after factoring in recently purchasing a house and the economy just generally being in the crapper. The parents want to help but at the moment aren’t in a position to. Immediately we our next idea was to take out a loan. But after researching our options only to discover that the only loan even remotely feasible was a home equity line- we gave up. It’s not worth it. It ultimately came down to this- have a wedding half the caliber of what we want but the satisfaction of moving the date up… or we can keep our original date and have the wedding of our dreams. Hmmm… gee tough decision. I have full confidence that we will get married. We are happy and in love and if I have to wait an extra year to throw the party of a lifetime– then New Year’s Eve 2010 it is. And if by chance nothing gets better and I’m forced to get married in a tiny backyard in the dead of winter wearing a dress from the Salvation Army- it will still be the best day of my life, because I am so excited to spend the rest of my life with this incredible person. And anyway, at least my Scarlet Letter has officially been removed!