My favs from Beth's Wedding

These are some of my favorite photos from Beth and Jeremy's Wedding.  It was such a fun day! :) These pictures make me smile and laugh every time I see them!

Our first piece of art!

"Virginia Tech Love" by ArtSharkDesigns at Etsy

So we picked out a piece of art together! For the first time EVER! Yes! Our first buy for our house that we will be moving into in October.

I'm going to get a black frame for it.  I'm SO excited!  If you didn't know, it's a picture of a couple walking on the campus of Virginia Tech.  I love how the picture is mostly black and white with just a splash of color and I love that it incorporates Vtech since we spent a large part of our relationship in Blacksburg when Dan was going to school there.  I'm so excited about this and can't wait to hang it up! :)

These boots are made for walking...and shopping

Ok so the other night I went looking for a one piece bathing suit.  I have been meaning to get back into swimming because I love it and it's a fun workout.  But I only have two piece bathing suits, and those don't work well when you're actually trying to swim.  So first I tried Ross, and they didn't have a single bathing suit out at all! I happened to pass by the shoe section and scored some really cute brown suede boots (on the left above) for 20 bucks! (And with no sales tax since it was no sales tax week!).  I have been looking for some cute brown boots! On the way out of the store, I remember thinking how funny it is that now all 3 pairs of boots that I own are suede...

This is ironic because after Ross I went to Target to look there (they didn't have anything for me as far as a good swimming suit went either) and found some cute brown leather-looking boots! (on the right above)  I almost didn't get them because I really don't need to be spending money on boots, but the Fall is coming sooner than I think, and I know that I will get a lot of use out of them for work and such.  So I got them. 

Can you blame me for being such a sucker?! They're so cute!

Self-Control

I've had to have a lot of self conversations with myself about choosing the right things to eat...it's been hard!

Today at the mall I realllllllllly wanted a cheese steak but talked myself into a salad anyways. 

Yesterday at Rita's I wanted a gelati, but opted for the fat free slenderita soft-serve instead.

I find myself cheating more and more, even given my sometimes successful self-conversations.  I'm getting closer to running out of my points for Weight Watchers, and I haven't been working out as much.  I really don't have a reason, other than just lack of motivation.  I'm trying out a boot camp soon (I get a week free).  It's realllyyy early in the morning, but from what I hear it's totally worth it.  Maybe that's what will kick my butt into gear.  I haven't really gained more weight, but I haven't lost any more either, so I know I have to do more about it...

Ugh.  I remember the days where I could eat anything and just workout because I wanted to not because I had to.  I miss those days!

Anyways, I'm not giving up.  I plan on taking some classes next week at the gym, and hopefully that will help motivate me to not cheat as much with food too.

Tomorrow is my friend Jen's wedding.  I'm excited about.  It will be a looooonng day, but a great one.  I feel bad that it's supposed to rain tomorrow.  She wanted an outdoor ceremony so bad and even picked this venue with the outside setting in mind.  Maybe the rain will hold up a little bit for her.

Have a good rest of the weekend!

Lots of Colors

I got my hair done yesterday.  It turned out completely different from what I had pictured/wanted, but I'm pretty happy with it.  It's funky and fun, and definitely different from what I normally do.  Plus, it's just hair right?  I'll probably change it up again in another month.  So whatev!

What do you think?

Can't sleep? Sign up for fitness classes!

So it's 1am and I can't sleep.  So I went online to find a parks and rec fitness class to enroll in for the Fall.  They always have great classes that are affordable and fun.  I've been debating about whether or not to get back into personal training and the only thing that has been stopping me is the money.  Taking a class is a great solution because I'm still getting a great workout, but I'm not paying as much for it.

This is what I ended up choosing:

Trim & Tighten

12 yrs + / 24 classes, start dates below / $71

Toning and strengthening exercises for all muscle groups are set to music.

Bring a mat; 2- to 5-lb. hand weights are optional. Instructors are nationally

certified. Please consult a physician before beginning an exercise program.

Registration: 410-313-7275. Information: Nicola Morgal, 410-313-4718.

Jeanne Sealing ACE-Certified

RP8210.501 Burleigh Manor MS Sep 12 6:30-7:25 PM M & W

I love that it's twice a week, that it's strength training (I really don't enjoy using weights and I'm not very good at it), and it's very cheap at about $3 a class! My only wish is that it would start sooner! 

I was tempted to sign up for this class as well:

Step & Sculpt! with Marianne Larkin, AAAI

12 yrs + / 12 classes starting Sep 17 / $62

Enjoy an invigorating Saturday morning wake-up call with this fun medium- to high intensity

75-minute class that has it all. Pump up your cardiovascular fitness and

challenge your brain with 45-50 minutes of turbo-charged combinations in the

latest in-step choreography. Knowledge of aerobic step terms is recommended.

Moves are demonstrated at various intensity levels so you can customize the workout

to fit your needs. Continue this total body workout with about 20 minutes of

strength, core and ab exercises using hand weights, medicine balls, stability balls

and resistance bands (provided) and finish with an energized stretch.

Registration: 410-313-7275. Information: Nicola Morgal, 410-313-4718.

RP8300.501 Gary J Arthur Comm Ctr 8:30-9:45 AM Sa

But I didn't, because I don't want to sign up for too much right away.  I'm still thinking about it though.  I might try and see if I have any friends who want to join with me...any takers?

I have a gym membership and love going to those classes as well, but doing the classes through parks and rec is so much fun and motivating because it's an extra fee that I paid for, so I feel like I HAVE to go even if I don't feel like working out that day.

I'm going to go and try to go to sleep again...hopefully this time it will work. 

Good night :)

4 Eyes :)

My fun red glasses!

So a few weeks ago, I finally went to an eye doctor.  I have never been to one, unless you count the hearing/eye screening they do in fourth grade.

So luckily, it's really not bad at all.  I have Astigmatism in both eyes and a very slight nearsightedness in my right eye.  My eye doctor told me to just wear them when I need them and especially during night driving.  I've also found them really useful when I'm on the computer and when I watch movies at the theater or in a dark room.  So far, I have the pair I got from the office which is brown and then I also got these fun red glasses (it has a pink design on the sides) from Zenni Optical for super cheap.

I guess if I have to wear them sometimes, I might as well find some cute ones, right?

It still feels weird when I wear them and I think it'll take a while getting used to it.  But I know that it helps a lot, so it's worth it.

New Home!

So we finally found a home that we are definitely going to move into! It's a rental, it's in Columbia and it has (almost) all of the things that we were looking for:

*In Columbia
*Close to work for me
*Close to main roads for Dan
*2 bedrooms
*1.5 bathrooms
*Safe and friendly neighborhood
*Pet-friendly

Extra Bonuses:
*The lady who is renting it to us is a teacher and favored us because I am one too!  She even went down in price by $100 a month! Woo!
*She pays Columbia taxes on the house, so we get a huge discount on the Columbia Association! This is awesome, because I'm already a member and love it, and now we can even go to the pools with the new membership.  Sweet!
*Walking distance to the mall...this could be dangerous for me!  (But it's still awesome!)

This is the front of the house :)

So our move in date is October 1st.  It's a little farther away than I wanted, but it'll be worth the wait! Plus, Dan will save a lot of money by staying with his parents for two months, which is great.

I'm so excited!! :)

"You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one." **

**-John Lennon

So something you should know about me, if you don't already:  I have crazy dreams all the time, and usually remember them quite clearly.  When I was in highschool I wrote them down.  I still have them all on my computer.  It's fun to go back and read them.  I think dreams are so fascinating and I really do think that there is some kind of meaning in them somewhere.  Maybe the meaning isn't always so black and white and obvious, but I truly believe it's there.

So last night I had a dream...

I dreamt  that I was in the kitchen making creme brulee on the stove.  I was waiting for the water to boil so I could put the cream in it.  (I have NO flipping clue as to how to make it, but apparently in my dream this was the first step).  My grandfather was in the kitchen as well playing cards right next to the stove, so he kept giving me updates on whether or not the water was boiling.  While I was waiting I was on my computer checking my emails.  I got an email from Dan saying that he doesn't want us to be together anymore because "it just doesn't feel right anymore with us."  I was soooo angry about this!  I don't remember what happened with the dessert, but I do know that I was making it for my friend Jen's wedding, which was the next day.  So not only was I pissed that he broke up with me in an email, but he broke up with me the day before my friend's wedding so I would be date-less!  I remember walking past my parents to use their master bathroom.  Even though I had obviously been crying and was red in the face, they didn't notice me as I walked by.  The dream pretty much ended with me trying to think of how to yell at Dan. 

Now I don't know how to interpret the breaking up part, because honestly we couldn't be better.  He's moving back to Maryland, we're going to live together, and our 4 year anniversary is coming up.  I was curious was some of those dream dictionaries would say about a break-up in a dream and was intrigued by what it said:

To dream that your boyfriend or girlfriend is breaking up with you, indicates that your relationship is moving to the next level. In a way, it is an end to something; you are leaving some past behind. At the same time, it is the start of something new or better. It is important to remember that such a dream is not an omen that the relationship is not working out. As a relationship evolves and grows, it also changes.

Isn't that crazy?  It's true, our relationship is about to change! In big ways!

Ok, another part of the dream that I found interesting is the fact that my parents didn't notice that I was crying and upset.  To me, this is very obvious and just means that my parents don't understand how I feel all the time.  Um, DUH!  I'm pretty sure all of us have felt at one time or another that our parents don't get us or listen to us.  This part of the dream wasn't so surprising to me.

Do you ever have any crazy dreams?* 

Do you think they have meaning?

*I'm expecting that my two good friends that are preggo are going to definitely say yes to this! :)

Back to Maryland

I have been a bit MIA from my blog recently, because I was at the beach for a little over a week with Dan.  While he was at work, I helped him out a little by doing some packing and getting some boxes for him.  I also did some classroom shopping at TAPS (Teacher and Parent Store - there's not one in MD) and got some fantastic polka dot decorations for my room that I'm super excited about.  I also had a fair amount of beach time, which also meant I got a lot of reading done. :)

Currently, I'm reading "Handle with Care" by Jodi Picoult.

It's about a young girl who has Osteogenesis imperfecta, which is a bone disease where her bones can break very easily.  It talks about her life and each chapter is told by a different chartacter's point of view.  So far, I like it a lot.  I've read some of Jodi's work before, and I think she's a great writer.  She is always very well researched on the subject at hand, and it's always very hard to put her books down, which I love.  It was definitely a great beach read.

So even though I went on antibiotics and finished them last Monday, all of my symptoms including coughing, sore throat, and swollen tonsils came back this past Saturday.  Awesome.  So I called my doctor and she prescribed a stronger antibiotic that I will be taking for a longer period.  Man, I hope it works this time!  I hate being sick! And especially during my favorite season!

The countdowns begin:

18 days left until I return to school to start getting my classroom ready.

22 days until I get to meet some of my students at the open house

25 days until the first day of school

I'm excited that I have a lot to look forward between now and then:

• Hanging out with a friend from Florida around town this weekend and possible laser tagging! Woo!
• Possibly signing a lease pretty soon with Dan
• Jen's wedding next weekend (I'm a bridesmaid)
• Happy Hour with my team from work next week
• Sleeping in as much as possible
• Hearing about Dan's first day at his new job!
• Getting my hair done (I lovvvveeee doing that!)
• Going to a wedding in New York for a family member of Dan's

I know that these next 18 days will probably go by much faster than I want them to, but I'm going to make the most out of them and enjoy my freedom while I can!