Tag Archives: fitness

We Don’t Own The Road

Posted on by
26

20120725-235317.jpg

Cycling and running are not only excellent forms of transportation, but even better forms of fitness. The benefits are never ending. Health, environmental impact, economical, etc. etc.

It’s heart breaking to me that it has become such a dangerous activity. Between May 17 – June 29 there were 6 deadly accidents in Sonoma County. Last week there were 2 in the Boulder CO area, and yesterday a woman only a few years older than myself — was running in Warren, PA (about 15 minutes away from my home town) and was hit from the side by a driver going 17 miles over the speed limit around a sharp corner. She was rushed to Warren County Hospital but was Heartbreakingly pronounced dead upon arrival.
(And these are just the ones that I know about…)

This is quickly becoming one of the most deadly summers for road sports in recent history. It however makes sense. As more and more people start to cycle and run, there are bound to be more accidents.

I’m angry about it, though. Very angry, in fact. We as a whole; need to stop feeling as though we own the road. Stop feeling such urgency to get places. I absolutely admit it. Living in Maryland has given me such road rage. I get frustrated every single time I make the drive downtown. This has all really given me a reality check though. I’m consciously making the effort to not get so peeved. We need to relax. We’ll get where we’re headed in due time. Life’s too short to hold such negativity for the health of your body & the life of another, if for no other reason.

20120725-224256.jpg

I encourage, no I beg!! I beg you all to do the same. Follow the laws.. They are in place for a reason. Go the speed limit. STOP (not roll through) at stop signs. Pay attention to crosswalks. Be aware of your surroundings at all times.

But what I feel can put all of these things into action; stop feeling like you own the road. You don’t. I don’t care what you try to tell me, at some point or another you’ve been irritated by a pedestrian. Maybe it truly was their fault, but most of the time we’re just frustrated that they’re slowing us down. Stop! I repeat, we don’t own the road!

The same goes for us as runners, walkers, cyclists. We certainly aren’t doing everything we can all of the time. We should always maintain traffic laws. Use arm signals. In a group trek turning across a road or intersection, have someone be the look out for the pack. Again, always be aware of your surroundings & remember that we don’t own the road.

The bottom line is, cars weigh at least… Idk 15x the weight of an average person? When it comes to a question of car vs man, car is going to win every time. Whether its at 15mph or 60, being clipped by a driver is going to lead to potentially life threatening injury.

Please be safe out there! & remember, we do not own the road!

If you aren’t 100% sure of all tragic laws as either a driver, pedestrian, or cyclist REVIEW THE LAW! You can find all laws and precautions on your states DMV website.

Oakley Women Take Over Napa – DAY ONE – The Journey Begins

Posted on by
23

The truth is I’ve been sitting here trying to put any part of this past weekend into words for about an hour now… It’s nearly impossible. I’m still trying to let it all soak in, and bask in every moment, every friendship made, and every memory engraved in me forever.

To say that this past weekend in Napa with Oakley Women changed me for the rest of my life, would be a gross understatement. My entire perspective on life, my dreams, goals, and desires have taken a 180 degree turn. I am more motivated than ever before to march confidently in the direction of my dreams.

The weekend kicked off bright n early Friday morning with a rude thunder storm. I knew my long day of travel ahead was off to a rocky start. Thankfully while getting ready the storm settled down.

I made it to Chicago without a hitch. Success. There was only a 3 hour layover, and 4 hour flight between me, and the greatest weekend of my life.

This is where day one fell apart. I sat there charging my phone next to my gate and watched as the clouds started rolling in “please just pass. please just pass. please just pass” I was basically chanting in my head. But, I knew in my gut that my flight was going to be delayed… What I wasn’t expecting, was that it would be delayed over 3 hours…. The incoming flight wasn’t able to land due to the lightening, so they had to divert to Milwaukee and wait for the storm to pass. There was no chance I was making it to the cocktail party and meet n greet. I was just crossing my fingers that I’d make it in time for the opening ceremonies/welcome dinner.

A few stressful hours later & we were on our way to Oakland, finally. I landed at OAK with just enough time to grab my suitcase from baggage claim, boogie our way up to Napa just in time for dinner. *PHEW*

Welcome to Paradise

I checked in, then had the fun task of trying to locate my room through the mazes going along this giant, gorgeous resort and golf course. Finally I found my room, and much to my surprise we all had our own condo to ourselves. I didn’t have time to take it all in, I WAS LATE! I got ready the fastest I have in my entire life, I’m pretty sure & sprinted in my flip flops back up to the main mansion for dinner.

My timing could not have been more perfect, they had just sat down for dinner after the cocktail party. Literally moments after I sat down & started sipping my glass of wine, the  fun began. We were introduced to the brand and what this whole weekend was about.

I don’t know about everyone else, but during the course of the presentation, the speeches, and the fashion show – I realized just how big this event was going to be. I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect. I tried looking up the 2011 blog posts as much as I could – but I still had no idea how HUGE this was going to be. I’m talking professional athletes like Jenny Fletcher (professional triathlete), Deena Kastor (A HUGE RUNNING IDOL OF MINE <3 ) Erica Hosseini (Pro surfer) as well as the hugely loved trainers from Tone It Up, Karena and Katrina, writers and editors from Self Magazine, Fitness Magazine… Reps from Garmin, Toyota, Trek Bikes…

It became very apparent that what was in store for us, was going to be epic – and a truly once in a lifetime weekend.

2012 Oakley Ambassadors
Page, Carly, Myself, Maria, AJ, Cari, Fitz, Christine, Natalia, and Eva

We all clicked instantly. The people behind the scenes of the Perform Beautifully competition did an amazing job. All 10 of us women came from different walks of life. We don’t all have the hugest blog following, we’re not all pros, but we all had a few things in common: an infectious love for both life and fitness. We all hit it off instantly. I’ve been saying it since we left Monday — We arrived as strangers, and parted as family. (There’s no good-byes, ladies… Just see ya later! (and hopefully soon))

As much as we were all eating up each other’s company and stories — we were all DYING to get back to our room to check out the gear we got to test out over the weekend.

Spoiler Alert: I SQUEALED OUTLOUD BECAUSE IT WAS SO AMAZINGLY UNREAL!

WHAAAAAAT?!

(A lot of you probably remember a few weeks ago when I nearly bought a Garmin Forerunner 210… Glad I decided to wait)

It was time to get some beauty sleep… I knew it was the only night over the weekend I had any shot of getting to bed at a reasonable hour…. Not to mention it was rounding in on 3am back home in Maryland.

Stay tuned tomorrow for DAY 2!

& in the mean time, check out this AMAZING video recap the amazing photographer & videographer put together. A huge hug and thank you to them for doing some serious work & pumping that baby out by the time we got to dinner Sunday evening.

You Are Always Stronger Than You Think You Are

Posted on by
21

I was lucky. There hasn’t been a point in time during my life when I truly had to struggle with my weight. I struggled with always wanting to be smaller, when I was a gymnast/dancer – but I was active all my life until I graduated high school…. It was just a complex. I was always fit. I was never strong. I was thin, and fit.

Then I stopped completely. My knee blew out and I stopped gymnastics & dance at a sudden hult. It was several years before I went back to the world of an active lifestyle. I still didn’t ever get big, I just became weak, Jiggly, pasty….

It was a little under a year & a half ago that I picked up running. I did it as as a test to my body. Like “You just put me through crap, yea no! I run this program, let me show you” A test. I never intended on falling in love with the sport.

I felt better about myself. It led me to quit smoking cigarettes, watch what I was putting into my body more (food, nutrients, vitamins, etc) I lost some of that jiggle that slowly appeared after high school. But I never felt strong at any time. Not physically. Not when you looked at me. I had strong legs, and maybe strong will power, but I was not a strong women to the naked eye.

I never said anything, but a few months ago I started becoming really uncomfortable in my own skin. I didn’t like the way I looked from the waste up. I have always had strong legs.. I was a fierce tumbler when I was a competitive gymnast. But the rest of me… I was a “thin” and “fit” adult woman.. but I wasn’t pleased with what I saw in the mirror. I had a desire to be strong.

Strong women will rule this world some day. ;)

I got to work. Diligently. I bought dumbbells, resistance bands. Started doing push ups and crunches EVERY night. Added strength training into my training schedule. (In the process fell in love with the row machine!) I had a will, and I was going to make it happen.

Yesterday, I decided to do some speed work. It was on the agenda all day. Originally scheduled before work, by the time I was finally able to around 6 in the evening after work I was DYING to get it done with and take a nap. Somehow, after my easy warm up I had a TON of motivation. I was going to rock this speed workout. I wanted to run a mile as fast as I could. I was going to do a Crossfit workout after, so I just wanted 1 mile. Super fast. Even if that meant having to lay down on the ground to catch my breath before moving on to the next aspect of my workout.

I looked my iSmoothRun app after it alarmed me of the first mile. 8:10 pace. WHAT?! Somehow I wasn’t completely dead. I was just going to keep going until my lungs said NOPE, game over…. To my shock, that didn’t happen until 1.7 miles.

After catching my breath and chugging some water. I went inside the fitness center to finish my workout. After finishing my second ever CrossFit WOD, I walked away with a smile, riding the high of my workout.

I. AM. STRONG.

They always say that it takes about 4 weeks for you to see changes in your body. I absolutely can attest to that. I didn’t start diligently working on my strength and body fat percent losses until the last week in May. I am just starting to see noticeable changes NOW.

That photo was taken at my 10 mile race in April. Just since then you can see a huge difference in the size and shape of my arms (and core!)

For the first time in my entire life, I am truly proud of my body. I was proud of myself after my 10 mile race, after my half marathon. But, I was more proud of my mental strength. That is what carried me through those races. I relied on that mental strength way more than I should have needed to. I should have had the strength to back it up. While I certainly put in the training, I wasn’t very strong.

I feel like, after 2 years since my ovarian issues and surgery that started the spiral of questioning my body, I can finally say that I have proven I’M in control. And that I can accomplish anything I put my mind to.

The sky is the limit.

Learning To Run Beyond My Comfort Zone

Posted on by
31

;

My biggest problem with running isn’t form, it isn’t the heat, it isn’t aches or pains in my muscles or any other part of my body, and it’s not my endurance. I can work through all of those things. My biggest weakness, hands down — is that I have yet to teach myself how to push to the level of discomfort and stay there. (which is interesting, since in aerobic workouts and strength training I push way past my limits almost every time.)

As athletes, the first few weeks of training we tend to improve rapidly…. After awhile we find a “comfort zone” — a pace that makes us comfortable for longer distances than we’re used to, a distance that is easier than we ever imagined possible, Etc… All too often we’re afraid of pushing past that zone and really “suffering” during training. I am so guilty of this, it’s not even funny.. I can always force myself to keep moving, but when my lungs start to burn TOO badly I’ll slow down my pace without any conscious thought about it.

It’s NO secret that it is absolutely critical to the success of endurance racing to push myself past these limits. I failed to do this during my Iron Girl Half-Marathon, and it’s not exactly a surprise that because of this, my time was terribly pathetic and I had much more energy than I should have after crossing that finish line 13.1 miles later.

It’s that point when the body takes over and the mind just has to hang on for the ride — THAT is why I run… Yet, why am I so hesitant to get to that point? There’s no sound reason as to why, I’m not afraid – I’m not thinking to myself “omg slow down” I just do. I need to start consciously thinking “keep pushing. Push HARDER”

This week I have really been working on running past my comfort zone. After yesterday’s workout with coach J, he confirmed my suspicions. These buns are getting stronger. All hail the dumbbell squats & lunges. They’re truly miracle workers (yoga streak probably has a lot to do with it as well. Credit, where credit is deserved)

He gave me the go ahead to push it to the limits.

Cue Music…

We also had a lengthy discussion about how I have yet to really hit that discomfort level and stay there… He gave me some great advice. Funny how the best advice is simple, to the point, and usually no more than a few words.

  1. Repeat a Mantra. For me, my mantras usually consist of a few curse words, The f word is my personal favorite while running. “You can F-ing do this” is a big one for me. But, whatever works for you is just dandy.
  2. Remember it Will Pass. If you aren’t injured, the pain is only temporary. A lot of the times it won’t even stick with you more than a few miles. Even if it does last the rest of your run — it will pass, and next time you’ll be that much stronger for it.
  3. Distractions. Distractions. Distractions. This is where coach J differs from a lot of other coaches. More and more people are trying to train without music. He, recommended faster paced music with the volume pumped up. It will help ME zone out (this isn’t for everyone. But I’m a fiercely loyal music-runner.)

Of course, this doesn’t mean I should stop listening to my body. If there is sudden sharp pain, nausea/vomitting, or other OBVIOUS signs my body is crying for help — I’m not going to keep pushing it then. There’s a difference between pushing your limits and being stupid. ;)

& before I part. My last vlog update of the week… You can see me momentarily freak out over a bird. or bat. or something?

What helps you push your limits?
When was the last time you took the opportunity to push past what you thought your limits were?

Monday’s Extreme Case of ADD

Posted on by
23

As a lot of you already know, Saturday was my birthday.

It was truly a great birthday, for the mere fact that it was nothing fancy. I didn’t have a huge party. I didn’t get to go camping like I had originally planned. It was just — relaxing. I spent the day with my husband-to-be discussing growing old together, hanging out by the pool, running, and drinking vodka-lemonades. (then going to work slightly buzzed.) There are not very many days that we can just hang out together, alone, with nothing on the agenda — so it was actually quite special to get to do that for my birthday…. Even if it was interrupted in the evening by adult responsibilities.

Oh, and also — some of you already saw this because I shared it on instagram when it was posted, however — we were submitted to our local newspaper back home. We had decided we aren’t doing an engagement photo shoot. We just don’t see the point. We have billions of photos together, and we already have a professional grade photo that we are using for our save-the-dates… We also decided we weren’t doing an egagement announcement. One of MY biggest fears about wedding day is, well — being the center of attention. It just makes me uncomfortable. I have severe stage fright. So, I didn’t want to submit an announcement.

But — his family decided to be sneaky & team up with my mom to submit one.

I have to admit, I am so glad that they decided to go against our decision. They knew us better than we know ourselves. It secretly makes me smile from ear to friggin ear to see it in print. They’re mailing us a copy of the newspaper so we can save the clipping. It’s something that we’ll look back at in the years to come and smile fondly remembering how our family did something so cute. I know announcements are totally normal, but its the adorable way they went about it! :) LUB OUR FAMILIES SO MUCH (oh if you want to see the article online you can scoot on over to the post journal online over here)

in other news I fell in love with this dog over the weekend and decided that as soon as Z & I move next summer and get a yard, we’re getting a sheltie. They’re pretty much the best dog in the world.

LOOK HOW PRETTY SHE IS. love her. want her. must adopt one just like her next year.

oh and I vlogged.
I am now 6 days out from my first post-injury race. I vlogged. My second vlog ever. I look like a dirt bag that just rolled out of bed.. (or ran 4 miles. either way) anddddd I should probably just stop making videos but y’all keep asking me to, so FINE YOU WIN ;)

seriously, watch at your own risk. It aint pretty ;)
But – I’m making a point this Summer to check in via youtube after every workout. Now, I’m not always going to publish these videos to my blog, no one wants that.. But — I have a LOT of goals this summer that I need to make sure I accomplish. Posting videos for the entire internet to see is a huge way to make sure I stay on top of these goals. Plus, its a great way to break into the world of vlogging. I’m afraid of the camera….. It’s why I laugh too much during videos, its why I look away from the camera. Over time I want to kill this fear of the camera. I mean, one day I’m going to be on the Food Network, right?! Can’t be bashful then! ;)

Anyways, if you want to keep up with these workout check-ins feel free to subscribe to my youtube channel. My username is NeitzelC!

What was the highlight of your weekend?

Solstice in Times Square: Athleta Mind Over Madness All-Day Yoga

Posted on by
1

Wednesday, June 20th will be the longest day of the year – the Summer Solstice.

In celebration, Athleta is holding an event in Times Square called – Solstice in Times Square Mind Over Maddness, All Day Yoga! Where 9,000 yogis are expected to greet the sun as they find tranquility in the worlds most frenetic place. (You can join for free any time during the day!! Classes will be going on from 7:30am to 8:30pm.)

Class Schedule:

7:30am – 8:45am - Open to all levels (Drisana Carey)
12:30pm – 2:00pm - Bikram, open to all levels (Rajashree Choudhury)
3:30pm-4:45pm - Open to all levels (Douglass Stewart)
7:00pm – 8:30pm - Open to all levels (Dana Flynn)

In addition, Athleta is inviting yogis across the country to join together and share a collective ‘om’ at all of their 16 retail locations as well! To find an Athleta location near you you can scoot on over to their website here. Classes are open to all skill level!

All of my Maryland loves, Towson’s Dulaney Plaza location will be having class from 8:00 – 9:00am

I was super excited when I heard about this. As you probably know, unless you’re new around here ;) I’ve been on a 30 day yoga streak. June 20th will launch the last 10 days of it (Though seriously, I may not stop.) So it will be fun to do outdoors in the Summer sunshine in beautiful Towson!!!

I encourage you, if you’re in NYC – or have an Athleta store near you, pencil it into your planner for June 20th! :)

Sweat To Street: Birthday Celebrations

Posted on by
5
Welcome to Sweat to Street Sunday’s!

Each week my fabulously fit co-hosts and I link up with one everyday outfit AND one fitness outfit that we love!

"Fashion" "Fitness" "FitFluential" "Fashion Link Up" "Fitness Clothing"

Meet Your Hosts!
Family and Life in Las Vegas (Emily)
Wild Things RUN Free (ME!)
Running and Cupcakes (Samantha)
MCM Mama (Erika)
Boobs, Barbells, and Broccoli (Tenecia)

***IF YOU WANT TO FOLLOW SWEAT TO STREET ON TWITTER OR PLAN ON TWEETING YOUR POST, PLEASE USE THE HASHTAG #SweatToStreet***

Sweat to Street has been created as a place to link up your favorite outfits of the week as a new Sunday blog feature. The idea is to have some fun and change it up! Each week we encourage you to post one workout outfit and one outfit you wore that isn’t fitness related.

STREET:

This weekend Zack and I went out to celebrate my upcoming birthday & his new job. While my birthday isn’t until next Saturday – it was the only chance we had to go out and celebrate just the two of us. Next weekend we’re going camping back home with friends. (Side note: EEEEE!! CANT WAIT) I took the opportunity to wear my new Summer Dress! Summer dress weather is hands down the best of the year. All around.

Sunglasses: Oakley, Dress: Target

But that’s not all I’m showing off today!!! My incredible, fiance got me a beautiful ring from my favorite jeweler of all time, Brilliant Earth. If you haven’t heard of their jewelry, do yourself the favor & wander on over!

The boy did good, y’all!!!! More than good, he did GREAT! I am in love with sapphire, AND halo rings. gahhhhh. LOVE HIM. :D Can not wait to go home & camp out with him and so many of our friends for my birthday!

SWEAT:

Headband: SweatyBands Bra: Champion Tank Top: Target Shorts: Nike

There was a lot of sweating going on this week! Felt great. But that’s neither here nor there at the moment ;)

Every week we spotlight one awesome blogger who links up with us in the previous week! Our way of thanking you for sharing your fabulous/fun/fitness style!

This week’s featured blogger: Sarah from Sarah Learns

Link-up Suggestions:

Remember if you don’t link up, we can’t choose you to be next week’s featured blogger!

We are so excited to see all the fashions that are shared each week


A Peek at My Fitness Bucketlist

Posted on by
16

I learned something beautiful this last month. I learned, that almost all aspects of the fitness world are a ton of fun. For a while, I was solely focused on running. For almost a year, my only goal was to get to the half-marathon. Toward the end of my training i had all but completely tossed aside yoga and pilates.

Not being able to run sucked, but it let me rekindle my love for fitness in a whole. So, for funzies I’m putting together a FITNESS Bucketlist. I have a page, here — dedicated to my running bucketlist. But I’m taking today to feature a FITNESS bucketlist. Though, running is certainly a part too ;)

In no particular order:

1) Join a Crossfit Box & Be able to pull THIS off, someday.

Source: modernhomedesign.org via Charlotte on Pinterest




2) Run Hood to Coast Relay

Source: hoodtocoast.com via Charlotte on Pinterest

3) Become a Registered Dietitian – You’ll be actually hearing/seeing more of this coming up in a few months ;)

Source: eatright.org via Charlotte on Pinterest

4) Go to a Surf Camp!!!!

Source: google.com via Charlotte on Pinterest

5) Work FOR the Food Network. I don’t necessarily want to be on camera. However, I WILL someday work for them, even if just behind the scenes.

Source: google.com via Charlotte on Pinterest

6) Climb Mt. Kilimanjaro

Source: jetsetter.com via Charlotte on Pinterest

7) Run the St. George Marathon

Source: stgeorgemarathon.com via Charlotte on Pinterest

8) Run Nike Women’s Marathon in San Francisco, CA

Source: everymantri.com via Charlotte on Pinterest

9) Hike The Grand Canyon. All the way down, and back up

Source: google.com via Charlotte on Pinterest




10) Go White Water Rafting on the Alsek River in Alaska/British Columbia

Source: mensfame.com via Charlotte on Pinterest



11) Complete a Tough Mudder

Source: toughmudder.com via Charlotte on Pinterest



12) Ski Breuil-Cervinia. One side is in Italy, with the other side in Switzerland.

Source: google.com via Charlotte on Pinterest

13) Complete an “Olympic” aka “International” distance Triathlon (1.5 km swim, 40k bike, 10k run)

Source: racefor50states.wordpress.com via Allison on Pinterest



So those are just a few ;) haha.

What’s on YOUR fitness bucketlist? I’m dying to know! If you’ve made a post about this or want to, make sure to link up so I can check out how bad ass you want to be ;)

Exercises for Healthy Happy Hips

Posted on by
5

Hips are important to all human beings. But, they are especially importan for runners. The Glute muscles and the rotation of the hip joint, helps to control how the thighbone moves. & good management of the femur provides better control of the knee, ankle and foot. You get the picture…

We all know how rudely I was reminded the importance of hip health. I now have the lovely task of re-aligning my hips and easing back into running. This time, I am going to do it more disciplined, healthier and STRONGER. Physically & Mentally. But, mostly physically. Over the last few months strength training has been peeping into my life more & more. I love it, frankly.. & I plan to use it to my advantage as I rebuild my running base.

Here are some of my favorite exercises for a healthy set of hips/boottayy/upper thighs. (other than yoga)

The Supine Opposite Reach

Single Leg Bridge

Stairs (workkk that booty ;) )

Squat Kicks

Standing Hip Abduction

Cross Over Stretch

Maybe Happily Ever After CAN Exist?

Posted on by
24

There are so many exciting things happening over in my little corner of the world, recently! I had full intentions of doing a Project Wedding update with all of the exciting progress we’ve made in that department, but instead I have SO MUCH MORE to share with you all.

It all began yesterday morning with an out of state phone call that I didn’t recognize. “ORANGE COUNTY” it read under the number, and a light bulb went off! Could it be? No no no. It can’t. It’s just a coincidence. I let it roll to voicemail. As soon as my phone vibrated I snatched it off the table and listened eagerly!

It was.
(CLICK ME) ;)

During the months of March and April Oakley put on a contest called “Perform Beautifully” 10 women would win a spot on the Oakley Women’s Ambassador team, as well as a trip to Napa Valley, California in June to attend a Women’s Fitness Retreat. I WON A SPOT. Me. Charlotte. The no name girl who grew up in Jamestown. JAMESTOWN! Me. I was selected out of over 650 applicants. Incredible, inspirational, tear-inducing bios from all over the country, and they chose ME!

I am honored. I am in shock. I am so flipping excited I can hardly think straight. Oakley is a brand that I truly believe in! From their ski goggles, to their sunglasses and jackets – they have never let me down. Skiing, running, swimming, just hanging out in the sun, I have been able to rely on Oakley multiple times throughout my life. I am so honored to be a part of their family this year! The anticipation might just kill me ;)

In OTHER news, we have made some actual, legitimate progress in our wedding planning. We realized that Chautauqua County is well, TINY. Good talent is hard to come by and will get snatched up that much sooner. We decided that all of the dates the planning books said, we want to be several months/weeks ahead of the recommendations. Boy am I glad we made that decision!!!

My sister pointed out to me the other day that our old band teacher (yeah, I was a band geek. ;) ) left the teaching world and opened a photography studio. I was immediately intrigued, & was immediately certain he was the photographer we wanted as soon as Z & I went to his website. His work was gorgeous. So artistic, so personal. I could feel the story of these weddings while looking through his portfolio. So we contacted him. I was all “i know its so far away but blablabla” and he responded that our wedding date was actually the only saturday in July of 2013 he had left. WOAH. (insert slight panic that I’m going to end up with crappy vendors because everything is booked here)

So we jumped on it! We filled out the contract and sent it off in the mail. Now I just have to cross my fingers, toes, and pray to the universe that the date remains open until the mail gets from Maryland to New York (OMG PLEASE!).

On top of that we chose the important songs of our wedding! We decided on our processional song, our recessional, as well as our first dance. But – I won’t be giving away THAT surprise. I want people in attendance to be surprised by SOMETHING at our wedding since I seem to be blabbing about so much of it. oops ;)

We also discovered both of our passports are expired. Which means that if we did decide on Ireland for our honeymoon, we would have to worry about updating those ($$$$) and with our big move coming shortly after our wedding, we just don’t know if that’s something we should spend the money on. Nothing is ruled out yet, but we are considering a multi-Island adventure honeymoon package in Hawaii instead. We didn’t want to lounge on a beach on our entire honeymoon. We are adventure seeking, culture exploring people – but Hawaii would definitely be the best of both worlds. Beach, Scenery, Exploring, Adventures galore….

Next week when we’re in Texas visiting my family I’ll be showing my dad, step mom, and sister my wedding dress AND PURCHASING IT!

It’s crazy. It is so crazy how happy I feel every time we cross something off the planning list. It fills my stomach with butterflies and my heart with warmth. We are that much closer to being husband and wife <3

I am living on a rainbow right now and I can’t think straight. haha.
ALL I know right now, is that it’s all thanks to my will to DREAM. I DARED TO DREAM. I dreamed big, I reached for it, I achieved it. & this is life showing me that everything pays off. Maybe Happily Ever After CAN exist after all? Maybe it’s not just for the Disney Movies….

You can accomplish anything you set your dreams to.
SO DREAM AS BIG AS YOU CAN