Wedding Recap: Getting Ready

Hello friends!

Happy Halloween! Do you have any fun plans for a costume party or trick or treating? I'm headed over to my friend Amy's place this evening for a harvest party with a group of my favorite girls! It'll be fun to catch up, snack on treats, and make caramel corn together.

If you're just catching up from the weekend, my blog was back in full-swing since my wedding/honeymoon hiatus.

• On Friday, I featured a recap of the days leading up to our wedding
• Saturday's post was a random mish mash featuring a new coffee creamer, my new office, and reminiscing American Girl dolls
• Lastly, yesterday's post was a brief overview of heading to my parent's house to open all of our wedding gifts

Getting Ready
As promised, here is a recap of the morning of our wedding.

I jumped out of bed as soon as my alarm went off that morning to hit the shower before heading out the door. I quickly dried my hair, sipped a smoothie, and grabbed my duffel bag of cosmetics, shoes, and toiletries that I had packed the night before. I was a little tired but the excitement outweighed it.

I was dropped off at the salon at 8:30am and found Krystine, my personal attendant waiting for me with a Starbucks' double tall soy latte in hand. Oh yes--a great way to start the day! Heidi, the hair stylist that I've been a client of for the past 3 years, joined us soon after. I actually found out about Heidi through Allie, who also is a client of hers.

Kaaren arrived soon after as she had a hair appointment as well. Her undo turned out so cute! All curly and such!

My hair stylist, Heidi, always has Dove dark chocolates at her station in the salon. So delicious!

Please note the hair horn on the left side of the picture. Awesome. 

I knew that I wanted my hair up for my wedding so that it would not get tangled or in my face throughout the course of events. Heidi and I went over the style earlier in the week and discussed options for the style and what to bring to the appointment.

I found it interesting that she had me wash my hair that morning. I've always heard that slightly dirty hair styles better and holds curls much longer; however, I'm glad that she had me come with fresh hair since my hair is very thick yet fine--so it gets dirty very fast, especially when I apply product to it.

It's all starting to come together now--I love all of the twists she added!

What is that sharp object being pointed at my scalp?!

Tucking in the bangs

At first, I was going to have my bangs down, but after discussing it with Heidi, we decided to pull them up so that they wouldn't be in my way throughout the day for pictures and everything. Plus it was a little windy out and we planned to take photos outside later on that afternoon both before and after the ceremony.

Spray it down!

Andrea arrived about 45 minutes into my appointment so that she could do my makeup before Krystine drove me up to the chapel to change into my dress.

Checking it out--I was impressed!

When I went in for my consultation appointment the week before, she had mentioned that I might want to get a flower to pin in my hair for a cute detail. She pointed to another stylist in the salon and said "a flower like hers would be perfect--let's go ask her where she got that one." 

Well, long story short, the other stylist ordered hers online for a wedding as well, and when she heard that my wedding was just a few days away, she pulled her clip from her hair and handed it to me. 

"Here, this can be your something borrowed--just return it to Heidi after the wedding and she'll give it back to me."

Wow! I was so taken back by this kind gesture! I was so happy to have found a flower so quickly--without even any searching on my part! 

We tried pinning in the veil that my mom had made, but it just didn't feel right, so we all made the mutual decision to do without it. I was kind of relieved because I didn't really want to wear a veil in the first place but gave it a try since it is a nice tradition.

Ah, she is so great! It was such a relief to have a stylist that I know and trust do my hair for me on my wedding day.

We headed into the bathroom to primp. Lots of giggles ensued as 4 nervous girls were in a tiny bathroom and people kept knocking on the door.

It was so nice having my makeup taken care of by someone else so that I didn't have to worry about getting it perfect. Andrea does such a nice job!

After she finished my makeup, I quickly brushed on some mascara before we scooted out the door! Krystine, Kaaren, and I hit up Bruegger's for some bagels before heading to the chapel to get changed and ready; which I'll save that story for another day.

Have a great Halloween! Eat lots of candy!

Do you have a stylist that you always go to or do you request whoever is available?

Favorite Halloween candy? I think mine is candy corn but I pretty much love all candy...

Dove chocolates: do you prefer the dark or milk variety? Dark all the way for me!

Bags, Boot Camp, & Bagels

Good morning!

This morning I woke up with my contacts in and makeup still on--yikes! I must have fallen asleep while catching up on Grey's last night. Luckily I woke up feeling well-rested and ready to start this Friday!

So, once in awhile I check my blog stats just for the heck of it. I was amused to learn that this week someone found my blog by searching "butter biscuit designs?" Awesome. They might not have found what they were looking for, but hopefully they had fun visiting!

I forgot all about Starbucks' Treat Receipts in the summer! A coworker gave me hers on Tuesday morning and I was so excited to swing by Starbucks before heading to pre-marital counseling for an afternoon pick-me-up. The treat receipts let you purchase any grande cold drink after 2pm for only $2.00! Normally I stick with my tried and true iced coffee, but this time I cashed in the blue slip for a delicious iced soy latte--one of my favorites! 

Does anyone else feel like they always have a million bags to carry out in the morning? Usually I try to stash my gym bag in the car the night before to avoid carrying it in the morning, but still! A lunch, purse, and bag of toast gets hard to juggle while walking down steps in high heels! Maybe I should try putting my lunch in my purse...

After work on Wednesday, I had some time to kill before I met up with my friend, Danielle. Since there was a gym nearby, I decided to head in for a workout and shower before grabbing coffee with her. I was surprised to find that this particular gym had a track inside! After completing a strength-training session, I ran laps on the track while blasting the iPod and before I knew it, I was sweating like crazy! Almost ready to call it a day with working out, I glanced at the clock and decided to take a class since I still had an hour an a half before I had to shower and head over to Starbucks.

I saw that there was a boot camp class starting in 10 minutes and thought I'd give it a whirl. I told myself that if I didn't like it, I could leave. I figured it would be fun--jumping through tires and doing push ups...

This class was no joke and completely kicked my butt. We lifted this huge brick things and as we were lifting, the instructor walked around and added more weight to them! Ahhh. I wanted to die in the first 15 minutes of the class haha.

After the lifting, we headed outside and ran to a nearby elementary school. We used their playground, track, and parking lot to complete and hour and a half of insane exercises. Pull-ups, push-ups, sprints, running with resistance bands on our ankles, crunches, and running up hill while a partner put a rope around your waist and pulled backwards to make it harder. 

OH. MY. GOSH.

I thought I was somewhat "in-shape"....

Apparently not, as I left that class sweaty and exhausted! Since I wasn't planning on going to a class in the first place, I didn't even have a water bottle on me! Yikes!

After showering, I swung by my favorite bagel place to grab dinner before meeting with Danielle to catch up. Whole wheat toasted with peanut butter is one of my favorite combos! You'd better believe I chugged the water and iced tea that I ordered as soon as we arrived! 

Danielle and I go way back--we attended the same church when we were younger and were in the same dance class for a couple of years. She's married now and has two adorable little boys and a little dog! It was so much fun catching up with her and reminiscing over past memories. I'd definitely looking forward to seeing her again this Fall at my wedding! 

Lately I can't seem to get moving in the morning and breakfast has been enjoyed either in route to the office or at my desk. Lots of smoothies make it possible to get enough nutrients in the morning to start my day. I love bringing my cups home and reusing them for portable smoothies. I can just toss them when I'm done and there's no dirty cups to wash! 

Favorite snack as of lately? These cinnamon raisin pretzels are amazing! They taste just like a cinnamon raisin bagel! If you have not yet tried these, you are missing out! They're so delicious! 

With that, I'm off! I'm heading in early to proof a flyer that I got back from the printer yesterday and then wrapping up a website that is due on Monday! I'll be in and out on the blog this weekend--I've got my first bridal shower tomorrow morning! 

Favorite snack as of lately? 
Do you ever have to go into work early or stay late?
Favorite bagel flavor or combo?
Ever taken a boot camp class?

Provolone Portabella Burgers & Then Some

Good morning!

I've been slacking in the blogging department do to the wedding date sneaking up on me! We are almost exactly 2 months out from tying the knot!

I just wanted to thank you guys for all of your advice regarding my migraines. Yesterday was definitely better than the last few days and I'm finally starting to get some relief. From your advice, I think I've been able to pinpoint these headaches arising from a lack of sleep and an increase in stress. I'm going to try to take it easy the next few nights before gearing up for another wedding-packed weekend!

This weekend's agenda consists of wedding dress alterations and addressing invitations! I feel like we've been making a ton of progress lately and it is such a relief.

In case you've missed this past weekend's wedding posts, you may catch up below:

• Friday's post featured a Grab Bag of Tangents
• Engagement photos were shared on Saturday
• Registering recap and a bar review popped up on Sunday

Alright, now to fill you in on what's been happening these last few days!

First of all, check out this awesome duct tape that we found at Target this past week! How cute is that?! I used to love Hello Kitty items all through highschool and this definitely brought back some memories!

Lately I've been hooked on lunch wraps consisting of turkey, Laughing Cow cheese wedges (this stuff is amazing! See below for details), sprouts, and veggies! All wrapped up in a whole-grain tortilla...portable and tasty! 

So far I've tried the "Creamy Swiss" cheese and the Mozzarella, Sun-Dried Tomato & Basil flavors and I must say, it is hard to choose a winner. The swiss reminds me of a tangy cream cheese, while the tomato basil delivers a punch of flavor. Perfect on a wrap or with some crackers for a snack! They have a garlic and herb one that I've been meaning to try as well. I'll keep you posted!

On Monday, I headed to my desk to drop off my purse before swinging by the break room to fill up my water bottle and place my lunch in the fridge when I noticed this cut-out on my desk. Turns out a coworker saw this in a magazine and cut it out since it says my nickname, "Lola" on it! This little surprise definitely made my morning! 

Monday mornings are always kind of rough...point proven: I topped my Greek yogurt with a squirt of honey from home and when I went to stir it, I realized that there was a plastic wrap on top of the yogurt. Fail! 

Luckily, I remembered that there were some honey sticks in the break room leftover from a project I worked on last year. The packaging of these honey sticks served as inspiration for a similar project for a different brand of honey. I snagged two of them and squeezed them into my yogurt before giving it another stir. Delicious! 

After work, I headed to Trader Joe's to pick up some groceries for the week. These Portabella mushrooms caught my eye and I quickly tossed them into the cart. The whole time I was shopping, I kept dreaming of a portabella mushroom burger with some gooey cheese on top.

And that's exactly what I made when I got home. It definitely hit the spot! 

To make the "burger," I simply sprayed my griddle pan with some non-stick spray and cooked the mushroom on both sides for a few minutes. I then added a slice of provolone cheese and let it cook for a few more minutes, just to melt the cheese. After it was done, I sliced it in half since it was so huge; half went on my toasted whole-wheat bun, while the other half was saved for another day. 

I topped that bad boy with avocado, onion slices, fresh tomato, red pepper, and lettuce. The crisp of the veggies combined with the gooey mushroom and cheese combo was outstanding! I can't wait to eat the other half this week for dinner.

In closing, I am obsessed with this song. I heard it on TV this weekend and have been blasting it ever since! Set Fire to the Rain // Adele = Amazing! Check it out if you're an Adele fan! That being said, off to work I go! Have a super day!

Do you like mushrooms?

Have you had a recent food / cooking fail lately?

What song have you had on repeat this week?

What are your nicknames?

Change of Plans

Hi!

So, long story short, I'm at my parent's house due to some car issues. I drove here late on Wednesday evening and spent the night so that my dad could drop me off at the office before he headed into work since my car is being serviced. The original plan was for me to drive down tonight and hang out for the weekend, but that all changed when my wheel bearing started making a ton of noise. Therefore, I've been here a couple of days earlier than expected.

I'm going to make this post snappy because it's a really early morning (even for me!) and I need to head out soon to wrap up this week at work.

However, I'll be blogging through the weekend--so I will catch you tomorrow! I hope you have a wonderful Friday! It's bright and sunny here and that makes it so much easier to get up and moving in the morning.

By the way, I have something special to share with you soon...here's a hint:

What time do you wake up in the morning?

Do you usually blog on the weekends?

What are you planning on doing today? I'm working and then heading to my Aunt's house for a family pizza party. I'm anxious to see Andrea tonight as well! I'm trying to bribe her into picking me up from work tonight so I don't have to wait around for my dad. Wish me luck! 

With this Ring...

Hi guys!

Don't you just love waking up to a sunny morning?!

My mom's GORGEOUS garden

So, it sounds like I'm not the only twenty-something that enjoys watching kid shows... Good to know!

Last night Andy picked me up and we headed down to the Jeweler's to choose our wedding bands. As soon as we got there, the jeweler cleaned my ring and reminded me that since my hands are so tiny, my wedding band will have to be a special order.

Ah! I totally forgot about this since Andy was the one who placed the special order for my small engagement ring. He said that we should be okay if we ordered it that night, but we would still be cutting it close with our wedding date coming up quickly! Yikes!

Since I wanted my wedding band to closely match my engagement ring, choosing one was quick and easy because we had a design to base it off of. Andy's ring, however, was harder to choose! First of all, he's not used to jewelry so we didn't know where to start. We knew we wanted a simple band for him--no funky designs or diamonds on it. However, it was still a challenging task that we both enjoyed. After trying on rings, we chose the perfect one and placed the order for both of our bands. Andy's ring just needs to be sized and we should have it soon!

I ended up choosing a thin white gold band with tiny diamonds around it while Andy chose a thick, simple white gold band with subtle details.

I woke up this morning, glanced at my phone and saw that my alarm was about to go off. I laid there for a few minutes before suddenly realizing it was Saturday, not Friday! YES!

Even though I couldn't fall back asleep, the fact that I could ease my way into the day excited me. I've started it off with reading blogs in bed, chatting with Allie on Twitter, and making some breakfast.

On the menu for a sunny summer morning: cinnamon sugar topped toast, cubed watermelon, and a big glass of iced coffee. Hit the spot!

Next up on the list is hitting up the gym, possibly dropping off some library books, stopping at the grocery store for milk, bread, and bananas (you know...the staples!), and then we're off to print our wedding invitations!

I think I'll take it easy at the gym today--doing a quick strength training session (legs, chest, and abs), followed by some low-impact cardio because my calves are still super sore from my workout on Thursday evening. At least being sore from the gym means you're getting stronger!

Do you like simple or elaborate jewelry? 
Favorite way to ease into the day?
What is on your to-do list for this weekend?

Blackberry Pink Lemonade

Good morning! Whoa, is it ever hot out! When I woke up this morning, all of my windows had condensation on them from the heat outside--at 6:15am!

Despite the heat, I still enjoyed some of my favorite coffee this morning while sitting at my kitchen table and blasting the AC. You have to do what you have to do! 

Blackberry Pink Lemonade

A few weekends ago when I was at my parent's house, my mom and I crafted a recipe for homemade blackberry pink lemonade and it was so delicious that I have to share it with you! This is the perfect beverage for a hot day since it is so refreshing and has an unexpected fizz to it.

Here's what you'll need to whip up this tasty concoction:

• 4 lemons
• Fresh mint
• Seltzer water
• Handful of blackberries
• Ice
• Sugar to taste
• Additional mint and lemon slices to garnish, optional

Start off by juicing your lemons and adding them to a pitcher. You can add more or less lemon juice depending on your preferred level of tartness. 

Next, coarsely chop the black berries and toss them in with the lemon juice. Give it all a stir and try to "squish" the blackberries a tiny bit--this will give your lemonade the fun pink color. 

Next, add in some sugar to your liking--start out slow because you can always add more. Give it a stir and then move on to finely chopping some fresh mint--this gives it a refreshing kick! Add your mint and gently stir. 

Next, fill a half of a glass with seltzer water, then pour in enough of the lemonade concentrate to make the glass 3/4 of the way full. Add some ice, extra mint and lemon slices, and take a sip! Mmm, summer...

Sunday Plans

Well, I'm off to hit up the gym for a sweat session before Andrea arrives to go bridesmaid dress shopping with me! Make sure you stay cool and hydrated today! 

Favorite flavor of lemonade? (Raspberry, strawberry, plain, etc.)

How much water do you try to drink each day?

Is it crazy hot where you are?

Simple Summer Days

Alright guys, I'm back! Work has been crazy lately--early mornings and crazy deadlines have been keeping me pretty tied up! These photos are from a couple of weekends ago when I stayed at my my parents' house over the 4th of July! 

While browsing through these tonight, the majority of them screamed "summer" to me and I thought I'd give you a glimpse of a summer weekend at home looks like.

Coffee, berries, toast with almond butter, and the morning paper out on the deck before the heat sets in

Anyone else love the Dear Abby's?... Most of them are so dumb but  that's never stopped me from reading them!

Swinging at the park with my mom before we went for a walk around the lake

We practiced our sprints!

Duckie family!

Cooling off with a fresh fruit smoothie after our run

A juicy peach mixed with mint from the garden

Something that I always look forward to about staying at my parents' house is the fact that life slows down--even if it is just for a weekend. When I'm at my place during the week, the days whiz by so quickly as I bounce from work to the gym to the grocery store to running errands, etc. When I head out of town, I remember how wonderful it is to wake up without an alarm clock. To savor coffee rather than slam it down before running out the door. To ease into the day and embrace it...

After all, that's what life is all about. Not deadlines, traffic jams, and multitasking.

What screams "summer" to you?

Do you ever mix herbs with fruit? 

Favorite berry?