Wedding Recap: Gift Opening

Hi!

I was so surprised when I rolled over this morning and saw that the clock said 9am! I'm not sure if I'm still jet-lagged or what, but my sleeping schedule has been so off for the past week or so. Normally I'm up by 6am each day so waking up mid-morning feels a bit foreign to me.

Yesterday morning began with some pumpkin spice pancakes courtesy of Allie's recipe. You can check out how to make them over on her blog! Not a bad way to start a Saturday!

Back on the Healthy Train

The gym at the resort

Oh well, I guess my body needed the rest! Yesterday I headed to the gym to get back into my healthy-life routine and boy, did it feel good! I worked out a little bit on our honeymoon: hiking, swimming, using the resort's fitness center, etc. but nothing compares to a nice strength-training session followed by a spin on the cardio machines in your usual gym.

Yesterday's setup

I enjoy using other gyms but nothing really compares to have a "home gym" that you frequent most. I like visiting other locations of my gym for variety, but when I want a really good workout, I rely on the one that is most familiar to me so I know where everything is and what days/times it is busy.

The machines at the resort's fitness center were pretty nifty--you could plug your iPod right into the machine and browse your music on the large display screen rather than on your device. This made switching songs while running a breeze!

Speaking of running, it was hot in there! I swear I was sweating within the first 3 minutes into my run and the machine was a mess afterwards--ew!

Gift Opening

Last night, Andy and I headed over to my parent's house for dinner. We were celebrating my brother-in-law Andrew's birthday and opening our wedding gifts that my parents had stashed at their house while we were on our trip.

The resort that we stayed at for the week!

It was fun to see everyone and show them pictures of our honeymoon while reminiscing of stories.

I loved this bag!

One of my favorite gifts--Mr. and Mrs. coffee mugs

Another favorite--a personalized apron!

(source)

After all of the gifts were opened, we headed down to the kitchen for some delicious homemade apple crisp topped with ice cream while we opened all of the cards we received. I opened one card and as I opened it, a baby-themed Target gift card slipped out. I stared at it in disbelief trying to figure out if someone bought the wrong gift card when I suddenly realized it was a joke. Two of Andy's groomsmen went in on a baby-themed gift card together as a joke. Hahaha, made my night.

Andrew's 21st

My dad gave my brother in law a 6 pack since he is turning 21 on Halloween! I saw this and started cracking up--they're so young! My sister's birthday is in March, so her 21st is right around the corner, too.

Off to go tackle organizing all of our gifts and finding places for them! My next post will be the "getting ready" part of my wedding day--hair, makeup, etc. so keep your eyes peeled! 

Have a great day! 

What kinds of gifts do you usually give for weddings? I usually go the "game" route--either a board game or a lawn game.

Do you like visiting a gym regularly or do you like to switch things up?

Favorite flavor of pancakes? I like blueberry--my grandpa makes the best blueberry waffles!

Pack Up and Start a New Life

Good morning!

First of all, thank you so much for all of the birthday wishes for Andy! We had a great time trying out a new bike trail and then coming back to my place for some raspberry cheesecake! mmm.

Next, let me just say...I have MISSED blogging! Not just blogging, but reading blogs, too! I'm hoping to get back on track this week but can't make any promises since...

Moving is always so much work!

We found a place to live!

It is absolutely perfect for us! We decided to go with a 2 bedroom place so that Andy could have an office. Yesterday we spent the evening packing and loading up my car with all of the little stuff. We took a trip to the new place to drop off one car load, and I'm meeting my mom there in a little bit with another load. Today will most likely be spent hitting up Target for a couple shelving units for the closet, and unpacking like crazy!

We're planning on moving the big stuff (i.e. recliner, kitchen table, desk, etc.) later this week. Luckily we won't have to move my couch, tv, coffee table, etc. since we purchased new ones yesterday! They should arrive sometime this afternoon. It's been crazy busy around here--scrambling to finish all this stuff before the wedding--plus moving on top of it all! However, it has been fun to pack up and move--knowing that this will be our first place together.

It will also be great to have a place that really feels like "home." I have moved almost every year for the past few years and haven't really settled in to any of the places--therefore, I can't wait to hang pictures and have furniture that matches to help this feel a little more permanent, even if we don't live here forever.

Last night we were exhausted and collapsed onto the couch to catch up on an episode of 24 while eating dinner at 9:15pm! We went to the state fair yesterday morning with some friends, so after furniture shopping, packing, moving, unpacking, and packing some more--we were beat!

Well, I am off to jump in the shower and then get this show on the road! My next post is going to be a recap of our day at the fair, so stay tuned!

Until then, here are some recent foodie pictures!

Greek yogurt + all-natural cinnamon crunch cereal =  a delicious combo! I tried this Greek yogurt on a whim, and I must say, I think this is my new favorite brand. Chobani's are good once in awhile, but they are a little too sweet for the morning! This plain yogurt had a creamy texture, wasn't sweet, and didn't have that sour/tangy aftertaste that many plain yogurts tend to have. I'll definitely be purchasing this brand again! 

On Friday, Krystine and I decided to eat lunch at our desks and use our lunch break to hit up Starbucks for something different. Originally, I planned to grab an iced tea, but when I spotted the bottle of coconut syrup behind the barista counter, I just had to try it. I ordered a grande iced coffee with a pump of coconut syrup and then added a splash of half and half at the coffee bar. Oh my goodness, it was out of this world! I hope this isn't a short-lived limited time flavor, because it is seriously so good in iced coffee! 

Strawberry-raspberry smoothie to start the day! Since I'm moving, I've been trying to clean out my freezer--hence, a lot of frozen fruit has been popping into my protein smoothies lately. It adds such a refreshing taste!

My lunch carried in my new lunch box that I received from my mom at my bridal shower! I love how it looks like a cute little purse rather than a lunch sack! The black and white is my style exactly!

P.S. Remember Dunk-A-Roo's? I found them at the grocery store last week and immediately tossed them into my cart! So good! 

Berries and cream at the fair! Oh so good!

Have a great Sunday! 

What makes where you live feel like home?

Did you enjoy Dunk-A-Roo's as a kid? Or what childhood foods did you love?

Favorite fair food? 

Happy Birthday!

Good morning! 

I'd like to wish a huge HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my BEST FRIEND!

I hope you have a WONDERFUL day! I LOVE YOU all the days!

We're hopefully celebrating tonight with a bike ride (with our new bike shorts thanks to recommendations from my friend Theresa!)

Have a great day!

Ever worn padded bike shorts? 
Best birthday you ever had? 
What is your best friend's name?

Seventeen Point Six

Good morning and happy Monday!

This weekend flew by super fast! We sent out our invitations and we are so excited to find out who can make it to the wedding! It will be great to have so many family members and friends celebrate with us on that special day.

Can you guess what Andy received as an early birthday gift?

After hitting up the gym on Saturday, I texted Andy "Bikes, Bikes, Bikes!" and he responded back with the a-okay! As soon as he arrived at my place, we jumped in the car and headed to Target to pick up our bikes! Purchasing bikes is something that we have been talking about all summer long and we finally decided to bite the bullet and choose some. We actually ended up getting the ones that we had been eyeing earlier in the summer!

His and hers, respectively. 

The verdict? We absolutely love them! We went for a short ride on Saturday evening after stopping off at my brother-in-law's house to drop off a wedding invitation for him and his new wife. They live across the street from me! It was fun to catch up with them since we don't see them very often even though we are neighbors.

After leaving Tory's house, we set out to test drive our bikes. We headed down to the lake, stopped at McDonald's for a milkshake and a movie, and then rode around a smaller lake before heading back home. It was so fun to ride together since we got to be active and spend time together (two of my favorite things).

Our little bear wanted to come too

After our ride, I was so tired since I had already worked out that morning at the gym. On Sunday morning, I didn't wake up until 10:30am! That is unheard of for me since I'm usually up and at 'em around 6am even on weekends.

Yesterday, Andy came over for a taco lunch before we headed out for the bike trails. We ended up covering 17.6 miles over the course of the afternoon. The weather was perfect and so was the ride! We stumbled across some fun neighborhoods with big, fancy houses along with some smooth, scenic bike trails.

We stopped on the way home to take a few pictures of these pretty trees that we passed by! Can you tell that we're both photography lovers?

The weather was cool but we were sweaty when we finished riding!

We were both exhausted by the time we arrived home and crashed on the couch while watching a movie and eating some dinner. As I made dinner, Andy pulled up Google Earth to plot our route and figure out how far we went. Looks like we ended up covering over 17.6 miles! Not bad for our 2nd ride on the new bikes!

Off to work I go! Have a great day!

Does your butt get sore from bike riding? We got gel seats but ow....I'm still feeling the burn!
Do you have a bike?
Favorite milkshake flavor? I like chocolate best!

Invitations Out the Door

Good morning!

I took the day off from blogging yesterday since Friday was such a busy day! After work, I headed up to my step-grandma's house so that she could work on altering my wedding dress. Sine I'm such a shrimp, a good chunk of material needs to be cut off before it can be hemmed. After trying on the dress and pining it to the right height, we played around with bustle ideas and then headed upstairs for dinner.

It was great to catch up with her and my grandpa, since although they live right by me, I don't get to see them very often. My step-grandma is an awesome seamstress and has a little sewing shop set up in her house! I am so thankful that she is able to help me out with the alterations!

After saying goodbye and heading back home, I popped in a movie and waited for Andy to arrive. He got to my place around 10 and we started putting postage on all of our wedding invitations. We also assembled all of the invitations since we needed to include an invite, an RSVP card, and a smaller, stamped envelope for our guest to send in their RSVP card.

We finished the first round of invitations around 2am! It was a late night for this girl! Around 12am, I headed to the couch and assembled the invitations while laying down and watching another movie since I'm normal in bed by 10:30 each night!

The next morning, I dropped off the invitations at the Post Office and they are out the door! Friends and family should be receiving them this week! This was a major wedding to-do and it feels great to have it complete! Now we will just wait to receive the response cards!

We're getting married in 61 days! Ah! I remember for the longest time that that number was well over 200 days! Now it is so close!

After the post office, I ran and errand and couldn't help picking up some of these. Since I'm not going back to school this Fall, but still wanted some new supplies, I purchased some markers for my desk at work! I'm excited to use these tomorrow at the office!

Of course I put my name on them just as I would have done for school. ;-)

I was surprised when I took the larger markers out of their box and found that the barrels were black! I had never seen this before! After looking at the back of the box, I soon learned why!

After running my errand, I hit up the gym for a sweaty workout to start the day! This past week, I was chatting with Allie about strength training. I've always used to the weight machines, but recently started using free weights.

This intimidates me like crazy since I don't know much about free weights except what I learned in dance. My studio required us to do a lot of training on top of dancing (lifting weights, sit ups, push ups, running, etc.). Since I knew I wanted to step this area of my workouts up a notch, I bit the bullet and signed up for a few training sessions with a personal trainer at the gym. My first one is this week and I'm excited but also a little nervous! I'll let you know how it goes.

Upon returning home from the gym, I cooled off with a shower and a delicious protein-packed smoothie!
It definitely hit the spot! After awhile, Andy came over and we headed out to get his birthday gift a little early! I'll reveal what it was tomorrow! Last night, we were wiped after our late night the night before, so we cooked up some turkey burgers and settled in on the couch while enjoying a movie that we picked up while we were out. I had heard that it was a great movie from a few friends of mine, and they were right!

(source)

It was very uplifting and had a great message that was woven throughout the film. Bethany Hamilton endured so much yet remained optimistic about it all and in the end, so much good came out of her tragic event. I would highly recommend it!

A sure sign that you need to run your dishwasher? When you're sipping iced coffee from a mug since all of your drinking glasses are dirty! 

I'm off to start the dishwasher and hit the shower before heading out to spend the day with Andy! Have a great Sunday!

Do you use free weights or the machines? 

Ever worked with a personal trainer? 

What was your favorite thing about going back to school as a kid? I loved new backpacks and art supplies!

Please Oh Please, R.S.V.P.

Good morning!

Yesterday I prefaced the fact that we would be printing our wedding invitations, and I am happy to report that we successfully accomplished that task. We headed over to my in-law's for the day to set up shop and print over 150 double-sided invitations and R.S.V.P. cards to send out to our guests.

We made a great team with Andy as print coordinator, my father-in-law as the trimmer, and myself rounding the corners of each invitation.

Andy picked up a great tool for rounding the corners--a little paper punch that makes all of the corners rounded in a uniform manner.

After awhile, I noticed that the punch looked like it had a little face when flipped upside down. See the ears and mouth? It just needs a little nose and some eyes! Or maybe the ink fumes were starting to get to my head at this point...?

The only downside was that the paper puncher left these little clippings all over the place. With all that clipping, they reminded me of "invitation toenails..."

A sign that you're a picky eater: you bring your own lunch with you when you go to someone's house for a lunch date. I also snacked on some of those delicious Apple Straws while en route to Andy's parent's house.

Our invitation process took most of the day, and while Andy was configuring printer settings, I camped out on the couch--eating ten thousand grapes and looking through his baby books for slideshow pictures. I've looked through these albums before, but it is always so fun going back in time to see your fiance as a kid. So cute!

We finally closed up shop around 11pm and arrived back at my place by midnight. It was a long day but we were so happy with how much we accomplished! We're one step closer to getting married!

Other wedding to-dos:

• Bridesmaid shoes
• My wedding shoes
• Find a place to live
• Ceremony schedule
• Put wedding website online
• Reception slideshow
• Table decorations

Upcoming events

I'm headed down to my parent's next weekend for a family party at my Aunt's house and plan on spending the weekend in that area to accomplish more wedding tasks with my mom, sister, cousins, and aunt! Stay tuned for another wedding recap next weekend. 

Don't worry, I'll have regular posting this week as well. I'm so excited for tomorrow--my friend Krystine has an interview at the design company that I work for! She is applying for a production artist / copywriter position and I really hope she gets the job--we'd be coworkers! 

Happy Birthday, Allie! 

I can't close this post without a shout out to one of my best friends, Allie! It is her birthday today and even though we are miles apart, I want to wish her the best birthday ever!

Allie and I have been friends for over 9 years and I can honestly say that she is one of the most amazing people I have ever met. She has been such a great friend to me and is such an inspirational, passionate, and hilarious person and I'm so glad she's a part of my life.

Ever since I met her back in 8th grade, she has always been talking about becoming a dolphin trainer. Right now she is stationed in Florida--chasing after her dream as she works with dolphins on a regular basis. It is so inspiring to see her reaching her dream! I can't wait to see her in October when she flies back to be a bridesmaid in my wedding!

Our first half marathon together

It is also my friend, Bre's birthday! And Dana's birthday! Go wish her a happy day! Apparently July 24th is a popular day to be born!

Alright, on that note, I'm signing off... heading to the kitchen to make some rush iced coffee using Courtney's method, and then hitting up the gym for a sweat session before some friends come over tonight for a little deck party get-together.

How did you meet your best friend? 
Who is the biggest inspiration in your life? 
What do you like in your iced coffee? For me, just strong black coffee, ice, and a splash of 1/2 + 1/2