Countdown

Monday 17 December 2012

96 Days to go

When I started writing this blog, just over 12 months ago, there was 500 days remaining until my fiance and I were set to be married. It was a day that seemed so far in the future, a day that was never going to arrive.

People were always telling me, I was so organised, having planned everything so soon, but I am so glad that I did, because if I had everything still left to go now, I think the process will be exeptionally stressful. I am finding the whole thing really enjoyable (except for the money side of things).

We have stuck to our budget pretty well, and we have paid about a quarter of it now, with most of the payments to be made in the two weeks prior to the wedding.

There are just the small bits and pieces left to be done now, like the vows, the song lists, burning the CD for the ceremony, finalising the girls looks, hair and make-up trials, meeting with the photographer.

As for me, I am happy with how everything is progressing, I have been running a lot which has been reducing the stress of the other things happening in my life, as well as increasing my fitness and stamina. We have also been trying to eat better, buying fruit and veg from a green grocer instead of a supermarket. Saving us a lot of money too, it tastes better and we feel better.

So its nearly christmas! How did that happen? Anyone got any fun plans to share?

Wednesday 5 December 2012

My Best Friends Wedding

Well December 1 came and went so quickly! But it was one of the best days of my life, and im sure the best ever for my two amazing friends!

It all started on Thursday! Finished up work early and headed out to the venue for a rehearsal, it was 38 degrees but still a lot of fun. We got to have a bit of a walk around and look at the different places they could hold the ceremony and the garden was absolutely beautiful! After a place was decided we got to do a couple of run throughs, to make sure we knew our timing, where we had to stand, and when to do what. It was fun!

After the rehearsal, came the rehearsal dinner. Very relaxed in a beautiful restaurant with the bridal party, and their families. We also got given our gifts which were amazing robes with the words "maid of honour", "bridesmaid", "mother of the bride" and "mother of the groom" embroided, this was such a nice touch and a great idea!

So then it Friday! We started at 10am, pedicures and fake nails, nothing like being pampered, I had never had a pedicure before, so it was definitely a fun experience, then the bride went off to do a few last mintue touches and deliveries to the venue, come early afternoon it was time to do a dress practice to make sure everyone knew how to do up the dress and that we would allow ourselves enough time to get the beautiful bride into her outfit. After the trial it was tan time. However this is when a little bit of troubloe struck, we had been booked for 8 hour tans instead of 2! And at 5pm the day before the wedding this becomes a slight issue as you are meant to have two showers before wearing a white dress! But anyways we had our tans, then headed back to the brides house for some pizza and girly chats about the coming day.

My favourite part of the night was creating a list of what the bride needed for her stay out at the venue, and helping her pack everything up and ready before she left. After she was on her way, I headed home with the intention of waiting another 5 hours to 2am to have a shower. So the fiance and I got on youtube and watched every silly novelty song we could find and the time went pretty quick.

Then the day was finally here!!! Hair started at 9am, it took about an hour for each of the bridesmaids and an hour and a half for the bride, and the place did a fantastic job! After that, the bride was off to get her foundation done by a make-up artist, and we headed off in our robes to find a few last minute bits and pieces. Then it was time to head out to the venue. Funniest part of the day was the bride and 4 bridesmaids packed into a small car, with boxes of flowers and then getting pulled over to be breath tested.

Once we arrived at the venue, we checked that the grass wasnt wet, put down all of our stuff, ate some lunch then begun make-up. One of the very talented bridesmaids did our make-up and I think she did an absolute amazing job! Once everyones make-up was done, the photographer had arrived and it was time to get dressed and take some photos.

And before we knew it, it was 3pm and time to head around to our starting spot. The music started and the first bridesmaid started walking, as number 2 i had this feeling of, woah this is really happening, weddings seem so much like this day in the distance that is never gonna arrive but here we were. I felt so happy I was gonna cry, but i though no way, no crying this is gonna be a fun day and I am going to smile about it. Before I knew it, I was standing up with the groomsmen watching the beautiful bride start her walk. She looked stunning and her train was amazing.

The vows were simple, sweet and quick, exactly how I would want our ceremony to go, there were lots of photos, a first kiss as a married couple and then it was time to head off for some more photos witht the photographer.

Once the photos were done, we all had a few drinks at the ceremony before making our way back to the reception venue. We then got to have a few drinks in the bar before being announced into the room. Then the real fun got to begin, a great meal, drinks flowing, lots of dancing, and socialising. The wedding had all you would expect, the gorgeous big cake, the romantic first dance, great speeches and the bouquet toss- which of course I caught, well it does make sense since I actually am the next to be married!

Overall the day was absolutely amazing. I couldnt have thought of a better way to celebrate my two best friends wedding! It was great to be a part of it, and I would do it all over again! So now the count down is on until my big day, and I must say I am a little nervous now that I really understand what happens at a formal wedding, but I know all in all it's gonna be a great day!

Can't wait to tell you more about the next 3 months and 19 days!!!

Tuesday 27 November 2012

4 months to go...well 116 days

Again I know, I know I have been extrememly slack on the posting this last month. I don't know how people have time to do it everyday? I know I used to, but thats because I had all this spare time on the train!

The week has finally arrived for my Best Friend! I cant believe she gets married in just 4 days! Lets just hope the weather improves because at the moment it appears like it is going to rain all day. Although I am not worried because these things always work out and I believe she will have a stunning first day summer!

So her day is all planned now, and I can't wait for Thursday because thats when I get to get involved, its rehearsal dinner time, and then the next day is pamper time with nails and a spray tan! I am so excited!!!

So where am I with my wedding? Well everything is pretty much organised now, I do have to meet with the florist to confirm the flowers, I have to confirm our vows with the celebrant and our song list with the DJ, and hold hair and make-up trials. Other than that its a lot of date and time confirming and invoice paying.

Life is getting really busy though, working two jobs is hard. I dont know how people do it, I work 50 hour weeks at my career job, and 16 at my on the side gig, and I must say when you combine 66 hours of work with 3 weddings, netball, a fiance and friends, life gets extremely busy, but I am enjoying it, and the extra work has meant I havent had to use the credit card for all the extras that come along with a wedding.

So for all you wedding planners, where are you up to? How many days are left until you big day? Also if you havent already, join up to pinterest! So many fantastic ideas!

Have a good one all xxx

Tuesday 23 October 2012

5 months to go...

Yes, its been a whole month since I have last posted. And its because its been hectic in all aspects of my life!!!

I have started my second job, working an extra 12-16 hours a week to make some bucks for the wedding, anything in order to limit the amount of debt that we will have on the other side. Although I dont think any of the money has actually gone to the wedding yet. Its all gone on bills, gotta love home insurance, car rego and electricity bills ey? O and dont forget the stupid ATO.

Anyways, other than that I have been playing netball two nights a week, which I have really been enjoying! I have been using it as a great way to get some fitness back and also to practice my goaling!

I had my hens day! And it was a massive success! The day was beautiful and sunny! My most amazing friends came to share the day with me, and the day ran smoothly and exactly what I would have imagined my hens day to be like!

We have also picked up bridesmaid dresses now! woohoo!!! They are the perfect colour and exactly what I had imagined!

We are currently in the process of getting addresses for the wedding invites to make sure they are printed and recieved by Christmas! The scary thing is we have to send them out just after new years, in order to give people 6 weeks to RSVP, because we haven't sent out save the dates we have decided to send out our invitations a little earlier.

So whats the go for the rest of October and November! I'll tell you know its crazy! Maybe sometime I will get a day to relax....but not counting on it!

This week, I have two games of netball, two audits at work work, 3 nights of other work, an engagement party, a lunch with friends

The following week again, I have two games of netball, 2 nights of work, dress fitting for my lovely bestie! And at this stage a free Saturday night! Hopefully which I can spend making up place cards for the wedding!!!!

Then its Melbourne Cup long weekend! Well I plan for it to be a long weekend anyways....I am going to have Monday and Tuesday off which will be good for some more placecard making!!! Then just more working!!!! Followed by my friends Bridal Shower on the weekend!!!! Yay cant wait for some relaxing girl time!

Long and behikd then its the 18th of November already! Of course more netball and more work! But thankfully this time, a spare weekend again! A rest weekend hopefully hahah!!!

Because the next weekend its hens day for my bestie!!!! Obviously more work and netball haha!!!!! Then we go into full wedding fun, of tans, rehearsals, nails and pampering, getting ready for December 1!!!

CAN NOT WAIT!

Sunday 23 September 2012

6 months to go....

Sooooo there is only 6 months to go now, seriously where does the time go? Not that I am complaining, because I can't wait to be married!!!! So whats been going on? I have been on heaps more training days for work, netball trip has been and gone, been working hard, helped a friend address her wedding invitations today!!! Not long for her big day now!!!

Well I haven't posted for a few days, or probably even over a week now!! As far as being healthier is concerned I am doing a bit better, except for having a stupid cold. I am maintaining my reduced weight, but wouldn't mind losing a few more kilo's. So what are my rules? I have cut out chocolate which was biggest vice, I'd eat about 3 blocks a week...and I am not eating after 8pm, I am trying to be in bed by 9pm, and trying to go for walks when the weather and time permits.

So whats the go for this week! I have to get stuck into my internal audit at work, Going to be a massive job! A friend of mine is booked in to have her baby, which is pretty dam exciting! Then next weekend is GRAND FINAL!!!! I love grand final, and even though my amazing boys didnt quite make it this year, it will be nice to enjoy the week and not be stressing about it the whole time, so my favourite week of the year is about to begin, with tomorrow night with brownlow night!!! Then after grand final, I am spoiling the fiance for his bday and then sunday is presentation day, and I get my trophy for runners-up best and fairest! I've never had a trophy before, so I am pretty excited!

Then somehow its October!!!!! Kicking it off with Kelly Clarkson concert woohoo!!!Then I start my second job at the end of the week! Hopefully it will all work out and some extra money will do the trick with the wedding!!! Then I have my hens day at the races which I am really looking forward too, Then I can finalise the guest list and order the invitations!!!

Monday 10 September 2012

September!

I love September, the weather starts to improve, we get that little glimpse of hope that summer is coming, I dont know if its just me but I am over being cold. I also love that September brings netball and footy finals, nothing better than seeing your team, or any team for that matter achieving there dreams.

Anyways so as you can probably tell after the weekend I am feeling a lot better, I have put all the crap behind me and I am moving forward! I think this week is going to move forward pretty quickly too, Dinner at the fiance's folks place tonight, tomorrow night will be a late night at work, as I have to head into the city in the middle of the day to a food function thing, then I have Wednesday which will just be another busy day, followed by netball that night, feels like i havent played in forever! Thursday is more training in the city, as is Friday, however I am not coming home Friday, because it is Netball Trip!!! Woohoo!!

Bit sad that it means I will miss the local grand final, but hopefully we will set up in a bar on Saturday night to watch my boys play the coasters. Then back on Sunday for a friends 21st....geez I am going be screwed, lucky I have decided to take Monday off hey?

So I think it will be Tuesday before I know it, and wouldn't you know it, Im off to the city for training again, crazy I know! so pretty much only 3 day working weeks this and next week woohoo! Well not really cos I will probably be really far behind!

So again wedding plans are pretty much on hold, just a little longer anyways...

Wednesday 5 September 2012

199

Well today marks 199 days to the wedding, yippee!!! I can't wait, I just want to enjoy the day. Feeling a lot happier and brighter today too which is good, thanks to a few friends for helping to cheer me up. How cool is the drawing above??? One of my friends drew this for me to cheer me up, and its safe to say it worked!!

So tonight when I get home I am going to tackle my ATO bits and peices, I won't get a tax return now, but why would I expect the government to want to help me with anything? But thats OK, Then I am going to work out how to budget to pay for the house insurance and car registration. Have a few more weeks for the rego anyways, so hopefully I can win the tattslotto or something between now and then (not that I have ever actually bought a ticket).

I must say I started reading this "50 shades of grey" book on Monday, and finished it this morning, yes I am a quick reader when I want to be. Was different to what I expected, very very out there when it comes to the sexier areas anyways to say the least, but I have enjoyed reading it, it has offered somewhat of an escape from how I have been feeling. Has anyone else checked it out? Im going to start book 2 tonight, reckon I'll finish it by Friday haha?

Anyways I am looking forward to the weekend, going to hopefully head to the netball and watch C grade, then I am going to catch up with one of my besties, haven't seen him in ages, so cant wait for that! Then Sunday some house cleaning and I swear I am going to start the place cards for the wedding! I know, I know I have been saying this for weeks now!!

Tuesday 4 September 2012

Feels like Friday

Well we are only two days into the working week and I am already exhausted. I don't think it is a physical exhaustion, because I have been getting 8 hours of sleep a night, which is great for me, because the last few weeks before that I had been struggling to sleep at all. I think its a mental exhaustion I am suffering from at the moment.

Anyways lets start on some positives, my cousin came through the surgery OK, still waiting on further details, but happy he got through it, because there were a number of risks involved. So once again I can breath easy on that front, but its a fear that doesn't go away really. Other than that work is really good, really busy but I am absolutely loving what I am doing, which is actually probably a first for me...usually I dont particularly like the jobs I do haha.

Wedding planning, well I haven't done any for a while, on a bit of a standstill while I work out my tax stuff and get all our major bills paid off. Then I will look at ordering the invites, pretty much thats the only thing I can do now, I think I will also send off our music play list to our DJ incase he has any suggestions on what we have selected. As I figure he will know whats best when it comes to ordering of songs and things like that.

I am pretty happy that this week is a pretty quiet one, and other than work I don't have a lot on. This weekend I am catching up with some friends on Saturday and I would say that would be it, need to conserve my energy for the following weekend! Netball Trip!!!

Monday 3 September 2012

When does it stop?

I am starting to believe the answer to this is never. I think being an adult means having to find the best way to deal with the one thing after another...and usually this is "one shit thing after another". Sometimes I think maybe I am too young to be putting myself under all this pressure? I have friends who go out and party all weekend, spend their money on clothes and fun things. Yet here I am sitting in my career oriented job, trying to work out how to save for a wedding, pay off a mortgage, which comes with rates and insurances, car registrationg and deal with the ATO who won't get off my back?

Sometimes I just don't know if it was worth going to university. I garuntee majority of people who didn't earn just as much or more than me, and dont have a $24k HECs debt that they have to pay off. I don't regret doing my degrees, I learnt a lot of valuable lessons and life skills, but I do often wonder, what was the point?

A friend told me the other day, that she believes that life won't through anything at you that you can not handle, but this past week has been incredibly tough, especially because as I write this very blog, my cousin, a young intelligent fantastic guy, is going through what seems his millionth surgery to save him from the cancer that continues to rage his body. And I guess I don't get how its fair. When will life throw something fun my way? Yes I do fun things, but usually I can't enjoy them to the full extent, because I can't afford to have a drink, or the food options has lactose in it, or someone will get jealous or angry at me. Well thats how it feels to me at the moment anyways, and its just too much.

I try to focus on the good, like planning the wedding, and then I think, how am I meant to pay for this? I don't want to get a loan, I dont think thats a good way to start a marriage... Then I try and focus on having a house, something I wanted for so long, and even though I love it, sometimes I think, if I didnt have to pay this bill, I could go out for dinner tonight, or if the house insurance weren't due, I would be able to see my favourite team in the world play a qualifying final. I have never missed a Collingwood qualifying final (not when they have been in melbourne) ever! So I am a little disappointed that I can't make it to the G on Friday night.

I love that I am marrying the man of my dreams, I love my house and my car too and I actually wouldn't change them for anything, sometimes I would just like to be a kid again....

Sunday 2 September 2012

Sunday!

Wow well what a day!!! or Weekend, or maybe I should say week? Well the last time I posted it was Monday, so what has been happening since then? A fair bit of exhaustion when it comes to work, have been working my butt off trying to get everything caught back up to where things should be, as things were pretty far behind when I started.

Wednesday I got to go to w work function, free three course meal and also free wine, some very interesting topics as well. It was a really enjoyable night, and a good chance to get out of the house after not such a great week.

Then came Thursday and again it was work work work, was pretty tired after getting home quite late after the work function, but I got to leave early to get my hair done, so the day didn't seem to drag too much. Then it was Friday! and I must say I was ready for it to be Friday, got a fair bit of work done, but come the evening, all I wanted to do was go to bed,

Saturday morning rolled around and Daz and I wen't shopping, for silly presents mostly for his friends 25th birthday, we had a blast getting it ready and then we headed out to the hills for a lunch and drinks in the arvo for the party. Then came home and watched pies play bombers, and thankfully we won, meaning we got the top 4 stop.

And today its Sunday, Fathers day too! I got up pretty early and started cleaning the house, dishes, vacuuming, washing, toilets and bathrooms...such fun haha, Took dad his pressie and managed to sneak in a walk and also some hanging out in the sun which was lovely. Finally now I have set myself up on the couch watching Glee and eating chocolate, and boy do I need it!

This has been an extremely hard week, trying to get everything sorted for the bloody ATO has been a nightmare, and very humiliating, to have to ask previous employers for those details also, particularly ones I dont ever want to remember working for, but I feel I have come out on Sunday feeling a bit better. Some time to myself today has been great and something I really needed.

Anyways so whats the go for the next week? Tomorrow night I get to have a massage which will hopefully mean I am able to move my neck again, and hopefully he can work on my tummy as well so I can eat without feeling sick. Tuesday night I am going to go for a walk, and do some wedding planning too, Wednesday and Thursday night I think I'll do the same, Friday I will be watching the qualifying final between the pies and the hawks, although I dont think I will enjoy the game too much. Saturday I am off to the city to catch up with some old work friends, and hopefully have a quiet Saturday night and Sunday, because I am desperate for a break, hopefully I will finally be able to get more of the guest list and place cards ready!

As for my weigh in, I am at the same as last time which I am happy with, as my dress fits perfectly!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend everyone

Monday 27 August 2012

Monday Blues

Well somehow its Monday again and as always time is flying. The weekend was a good one, and I am so excited that we are now into the last week of Winter, surely that gives everyone something little to smile about?? Its such a beautiful day outside today too, blue skies and the sun is shining, perfect for an after work run I think, and hopefully some weights too when I get home, providing I can get out of the office in daylight.

So on the weekend as I have already said I have had a baby shower and an engagement party, both were pretty nice times, but I am absolutely exhausted today from not having a chance to have a break over the weekend, thank god netball had finished or there would have been absolutely no time at all.

At least this week starts off a bit slower. Just work and some exercise tonight and tomorrow, hopefully do some washing too. I am trying to limit the dairy in my diet now and I am starting to feel better for it. Also need to book into the doctors as some point for a mole check, and get this bloody tummy sorted too, its time to know whether its a dairy or lactose intolerance that is causing me this issue.

I am a bit excited for Wednesday as I have the first industry night dinner for my new job, which should be exciting, its at a brewery, so hopefully that means a nice feed, some good drinks and learning some information too. Finally getting my hair done on Thursday too which will be nice, because it has been months!!!

Anyways I should get back into some work, just needed a 10 minute break to clear the brain so I could work more efficiently haha!

Sunday 26 August 2012

3000 views WOW!

So today I hit the 3000 blog page views and all I can say is AMAZING, I can't believe that people actually find this entertaining enough to want to read, so thank you, its very nice to know. Anyways its time for a weigh in!!!

3 months ago, this is where I was sitting

Thigh: 57cm
Waist: 69cm
Butt: 100cm...how big does that sound?
Arm: 30cm...muscly? haha
Clothing Size:10

Today
Thigh: 57cm but much more toned
Waist: 65cm woohoo thats a 4cm loss!
Butt: 89 cm...thats a whopping 11cm loss!!!
Arm: 30.5cm...more muscly? Goaling at netball probably helped that along
Clothing Size:8-10

Wow! Well I am definitely happy with that, I could notice some changes, but didnt realise the changes! That gives me great confidence to keep on going. So hopefully do some more exercise tomorrow and keep eating well.

Saturday 25 August 2012

Celebrity Wedding Ideas

I Love Rebecca Judds wedding dress...stunning!!!


Loving Avrils veil, big and beautiful
 

How happy are Josh and Fergie! Looks like true love!

Love Menas dress and wedding location!!!

Heidi and Spencer went with a yellow wedding theme

Absolutely love Kim K's bouquet and head jewels! stunning

Megan Fox was a simple but stunning bride

Kate was all class in the royal wedding of the century


How amazing is the colour of Reece's dress? Gorgeous pink tone
 


Love the off the shoulder look that Katie went with

I love the weekend

Well look what we have here, I actually got up early enough to post another blog, I have also already been for a 15 minute run and done 100 sit ups to help kick start the day. Its something that I really want to do everyday. But I hate the cold which does cause a lot of problems when it comes to me getting up early, particularly when its technically still winter.

Anyways I haven't done a weigh in this morning because I have already drank 600mL of water so it wouldnt be an accurate reading, so I will weigh in tomorrow morning. I am also hoping to do measurements tomorrow to see if there has been any change over the last couple months, I am hoping there will be a slight change, particularly around the legs and bum region!

Anyways today is the day that I can go pick up my wedding dress. I am so so excited. I have an hour to get ready, I am going to do my hair and make-up nice, put on my lingerie that I plan to wear on the day and also take the jewellery and see how it all looks together, fingers crossed it looks good, or I might be finding new accessories! I so can't wait to see the dress on again! Part of me is a little scared though...what if I dont like it anymore? I am sure as soon as I put the dress on, it is going to look great and exactly how I remember it.

Then I will have the joy of going food shopping, and then present shopping for the engagement party and bridal shower that I have over the next couple of days. Then maybe, just maybe I can start printing out the place cards!!!!

Also great news on the per head cost for the reception! I am a bit of a dummy apparently, because it hasnt gone up $30 like i thought, I just didnt read that it now includes the beverage package (worth $30), so I was adding the $30 on top again!! That brings us down to a much more reasonable $85 per head, meaning we just saved $3k hahaha, not that we had it anyways haha....

Have a great weekend everybody!!

Friday 24 August 2012

Nearly the weekend!!!

Wow so what a week it has been! Last night was fantastic, having hair and make-up trials with the girls for Stephs wedding, I loved how great the hairdressers did all our hair! Looked fantastic! We then headed back to the bride to be's house for some yummy pizza for dinner...probably not the best thought out dinner idea for me, as my tummy has been regretting it every since. But o well. One of the bridesmaids did our make-up and I thought it looked perfect! I am so excited for the day to come around, 99 to go!

So tonight I am hopefully going to make a start on the place cards! In great news also, it looks like our price per head for the dinner menu hasnt been increased! Which means we might even be able to add a couple people back on to the list! But we will see how it goes, I really only want people there who actually care about me. Turns out so many people I thought would go out of there way for me...actually wont. Definitely disappointing when you would do anything for them. But thats life hey!

Anyways so I am so glad that its Friday, I am looking forward to some yummy drinks over the weekend, I have a relaxing night at home tonight, then hopefully get up and do some exercise tomorrow, weather permitting of course, then off to get my wedding dress, probably a lot of house cleaning when I get back from that, then off to a friends engagment party, then finishing off Sunday with a bridal shower, so hopefully a fun weekend, but one that I think will turn out to be pretty tiring to say the least!

I don't know if I will have time for my saturday weight update, so If not. have a great weekend all!!!

Thursday 23 August 2012

7 Months to Go!!!

Wow! Well I have certainly had a few days that will get locked into the memory bank. Tuesday night was my netball clubs vote count, and I came runners up best and fairest, well equal runners up with an amazing netballer and its just such a shock! 2 days later and I still cant believe it. This was my first season of playing netball properly in a league so to get a trophy is just unexpected, but also its so nice to feel really good at something. Hopefully the season won't clash too much with next years wedding and I'll be back to play again.

Anyways today is August 23rd, that means exactly 7 months to the wedding, and I am feeling a lot better about things now. I have started statusing about the wedding when I want too, because if people who I am friends with dont like it, they are clearly not me friends and can delete me, and then I will happily delete them from the wedding guest list too haha!

So as for wedding plans this week, I have heard back from the photographer and he is happy with the time frames I have given him, I have also contacted our florist for a revised quote because mum believes our grandma should have corsages, I guess she is right that they should get something, but it still seems a little pointless to me, but as most of you know, I am not the biggest an of flowers. I have barely been home this week so I haven't had the chance to start the place cards as yet, but hopefully will get this started over the next few days, and definitely over the weekend...well maybe.

Tonight I have the hair and make-up trials for my besties wedding! So exciting!!! Its a hairdresser I have never been to before, so I am looking forward to seeing how they work and what sort of job they do, I know the girl who runs it, so I am sure it will be a great experience and a great result too.

7 months to go...Its actually starting to feel like its going to happen now, especially with me being able to pick up my wedding dress soon! I really can't wait for the day to roll around!!!

Tuesday 21 August 2012

Its Tuesday, Gotta get down on Tuesday

Sorry for putting that incredibly bad song in your head, but for some reason its stuck in mine, usually I can handle it....providing its Friday.

Last night was the League vote count for netball, I didnt attend, but was stoked to hear that I recieved 4 votes!!!! I didn't expect to recieve any considering it was my first season playing. So very very happy. Tonight we have our club vote count, I don't think we will find out who wins, but excited to have a nice casual night with the girls before the netball trip away.

So what else has been happening? Well not a lot because I have been posting everyday again. I have had a little bit of dairy so my tummy still isn't loving me, but have cut it down dramatically, as well as I am trying to do a little bit...even if its only 15 minutes exercise everyday and I think I am feeling better because of it.

This week I am also hoping to start printing out the place cards for the wedding. I still have to decide on a font, and whether to use Mr. and Mrs, First, and last names etc. So that will be fun to play around with.

ALSO in big news, my wedding dress has arrived! I can't wait to see it and try it on again! Hopefully it still fit!!! Fingers crossed anyways! Probably won't pick it up for a while!

Monday 20 August 2012

Check- In

Good Morning all. Isn't it great that its Monday again? Not....

Well that was a pretty busy weekend, I already feel like I need another. Friday night wasn't too busy, just paying bills and catching up on our finances mostly, making sure we havent missed anything of importance. Saturday came around far to quickly with the last game of netball. I was so proud of the girls, playing the top team and we were leading at half time...After that the other team did get on top of us, but to lose only by 10 was a great feeling and gives us some good hopes going into next season. Saturday night I had to do the meals at the club rooms after the footy, and well wasnt that an experience. I grew up in footy clubs. My dad was always involved in coaching, selecting, so pretty much until I was about 10, ever winter weekend was spent in the footy rooms of whichever club it happened to be at that time. However I have never been treated so poorly at any other club. I was more frustrated since I had given up 3 hours of my time to serve, and clean up the meals, all I can say is that I hope there is a new president of the Footy Club next year....

Anyways so before I knew it, it was Sunday!!!! Got up and got a very over-due massage, my shoulder moves again! Then I set upon a 5 hour epic housecleaning and errand running mission, did the shopping, cleaned the whole house, and both cars and then did the ironing....its an exciting life isnt it?

I picked up the place cards for the wedding from mum and dads thinking I would have plenty of time to start writing them out, but it just didn't happen. So hopefully I can make a start on that tonight.

Its been a while since my last weigh in as well, I didnt have the chance to do my measurements, but I have been weighing myself everyday and have stabilised at 70kg! Which means I have lost 2kg. Not a lot, but I am already noticing the difference with my clothes. Also aiming to eat a lot better this week and try and do some exrecise every morning. I have made up a vegetable pasta for lunches...more vegies than pasta, I made some home made fruit porridge for brekky, and on the weekly shop I didnt buy any chips, chocolate or soft drink to temp us, instead I brought apples, bananas, low fat/lactose free yoghurt and some organic muesli bars. Not am I only hoping to lose a few more kilos, but I am hoping with a 10 min run/ride in the morning and healthier food I will have less trouble sleeping and less trouble waking up. I guess I will let you know in a weeks time how its going.

So whats on for this week?
  • Big day of work on later today, probably running into the evening too.
  • Netball vote count tomorrow night, pizza night and drinks with the girls, think I will skip the pizza.
  • Wednesday night is netball, its latish, so hopefully I will have time to get some mid-week house tidying done.
  • Thursday I am super excited for hair trials for my best friends wedding....woo hoo!!!!
  • Wow Friday already...nothing planned for Friday night, think it will just be a good rest and maybe some house work.
  • Saturday I am catching up with some old work friends in the city, and Saturday night I have an engagement party, so it will be gone before I know it.
  • Then Sunday I have a baby shower...hopefully it will be a fun weekend!
Until next time :)

Thursday 16 August 2012

Its raining weddings!

So I got engaged at 22. Fair to say that is pretty young, well I think it is young. However even though I am this young so many people around me are getting married too. I find this so interesting because the average age to get married is 29. Don't get me wrong I think getting married young is a good thing....not that  think getting married older is  bad thing. I guess the way I look at it, I get to be married to my man at 24. That means we have at least 5 years to travel, focus on our careers, set ourselves up and then start a family of our own....which frankly still scares the shit out of me. Being responsible for a persons life....eek!!!

Anyways starting from next week, we have trials, engagement parties, fittings, bridal showers, hens nights, weddings!!!! And it is all so exciting, the problem is, next week still feels so far away!!! I know that once I hit my besties hair trials next week that the ball is going to really start rolling...because that next weekend I have an engagement party and a baby shower, the following week I have a work function one night, followed by a friends birthday the next weekend. And thats August done and dusted.

Then I say bring on September!!
Well September does technically start with my friends birthday, the following weekend I am sure will be filled with footy finals for me, the next is NETBALL trip!!! I have never been on a netball trip so its fair to say I am pretty excited, yet scared for the amount of alcohol that will be consumed haha. The following week finds me off my work probation! 3 months already? wow! and only 6 months to my wedding, this shit is cray! The next week I am hoping to be booked with a Collingwood premiership, although I am hopeful I am not confident that this will be the case. Somewhere amongst this there will also be netball presentations and a few friend catch ups!

Now October is rolling around...
I will be starting my second job around this time, and celebrating my fiance's birthday! Our dresses should be in around now too! Then there will be a friends 21st, my hens night and another engagement and a friends birthday to round out October nicely... Doesnt look like a lot, but considering I will be working 60 hour weeks, I think itll fly by!

November....and I am certain it is all happening by now....
First weekend looks pretty OK just work work work, rolling on to Melbourne Cup day baby, and then my dadio's birthday, A super busy week at work because we are getting audited....my first food safety audit, Im scared, the following week is my big brothers birthday!!! Followed by my besties hens night....woohoo! WHICH MEANS only one week to her wedding. So I am sure the weeks leading up to this will be filled with more than I think, including rehearsals, fittings, and all the other bits and pieces. Especially having to throw the work audit in there too.

Decemeber!!!
Starts with a bang... with the first day my best friends wedding!!! A massive day I am sure, and I absolutely cant wait for it. Other than work, things should slow down a little in the lead up to christmas. We will be finalising guest lists and ordering invitations to send out in January.Christmas will be fairly quiet for me, very low key and probably working through most of it where I can to bank some holidays for the wedding. New Years will roll around and another besties birthday will be here on the first day of January.

So after writing all of that, I think from next week, things are gonna get busy....Lets see if the blog will be able to keep up.


Wednesday 15 August 2012

Finding the $$$$

So as most people know, weddings are expensive!!! With the average wedding costing $30k! Yep its more than you think its gonna cost. When we got engaged I thought no problem, we will be able to do the whole thing for $10k! How wrong we were....

At $100 per head for guests for food and drink, thats $10k gone quicker than you have ever seen. Then even if you add the essentials, the dress, the suits, celibrant, the invitations and hair and make-up on the day you already well and truly at $15k! Then if you would like a photographer, videographer, some decorations, favours, a guest book and transport, you are easily pushing $25k!  Plus your honeymoon? I'd say most people end up around the $30k mark.

Now I dont know about you? But thats 75% of my yearly earnings, even higher after the government take their cut. So it is an expensive business.

So what do I reccommend?
  • Shop around, get quotes and ask if they can beat or do better.
  • DYI where you can
  • Call in favours from friends and family who may have talents in singing, decorations, MC-ing?
  • Consider doing your own hair and make-up?
  • Pick a line for the guest list and stick to it. No cousins? No partners? No children?
  • Avoid wedding planners and try sites like easyweddings.com.au first and foremost
Ofcourse these things dont always make a crazy different in the price:
  • Find out if your parents wish to contribute and get a figure on how much....this is something I have had extreme difficulty with, our parents will help ofcourse but wont give us a figure which makes like a bit harder when it comes to budgeting.
  • I will be starting a second job, hopefully to give the bank account an extra $100-200 boost each week going directly into a wedding saver account
  • Start looking into loans. Will your credit card suffice? Do you need a personal loan? Can you add the cost of the wedding onto your homeloan?

If all else fails elope....its all the same in the end....i guess hahah

Tuesday 14 August 2012

Topsy Turvy

So things haven't been going that well of late which is why I havent posted in a few weeks. I have been trying to sort out my head, and then I remembered that the best way for me to do that was to write my blog. So as most of you would know from reading my previous blogs, I had been made to feel a bit selfish by a so called "friend" in the early days of my wedding planning. She made me feel like i didn't deserve to be excited nor should I talk about my wedding plans, and thats why most of the wedding plans so far I decided to do on my own. Simply because I felt like i would be putting everyone out, or annoying them to ask anything of them. Silly I know...

The last couple weeks have also been filled with some price increases to the reception meals, meaning that we have had to cut the guest list a little, but that doesn't really phase me, I want a relatively small wedding anyways. The hens planning has also seemed somewhat of a nightmare with timing, pricing and what to do seemingly difficult to get to suit everyone. I have taken a step back from the hens planning though, and I think my maid of honour has done a great job of planning it since.

The lovely ATO has decided to withold my tax return too, GREAT TIMING!! Because they want to review my claims, I have found this particularly hard to deal with, my claims are legitimate, I can substantiate them, yet I have to wait until October! What about all the other people who actually are tax evaders and who actually do the wrong thing year after year! But nope they penalise me. They were also particularly rude in their approach, the letter stating "of the 79,000 people we review, we find 55,000 to be fraudulent or incorrect" gee thanks Australian Government for calling me a fraud for working so hard, for working more than one job at one time, remember that time when i was at uni and living out of home and you gave me a whopping $14 a fortnight, forcing me to study full time, work full time and run a household. Yep your looking after the right people there, you just keep giving money to teenage idiots who get pregnant, and the people who would rather watch Jerry Springer on the couch all day, instead of looking after and appreciating the majority of the community who do the right thing!

So as you can see my head has been in one angry and frustrating place the last couple weeks...

But after a big chat with my husband to be and ofcourse my mumsy, things are feeling a lot better. I started planning the candy bar, selecting the style and lollies that I want to include, I have refined the guest list to a fair number, we have decided to go a little over budget so I can have the decorations that I dreamed of having, I have de-stressed a little by changing my hair and make-up to the same salon, that way we only have one place to go in the morning of the wedding day, my lovely maid of honour has put out the hens invitations, which has been a massive weight off my shoulders...

So whats next?
I want to start making up my little bonboniere boxes, and I have ordered the little stickers to go on them.
I am waiting to see who makes the effort to come to my hens before finalising the guest list and ordering invitations.
I am going to enjoy it! If I wanna post a status on facebook about the wedding, I am going to do it, cos its my life and I am allowed to enjoy my wedding.
I am going to talk about my wedding plans when I want to.
Most of all I am going to forget all the people that have been trying to drag me down, true friends want you to be happy, they dont make you feel like shit cos they are unhappy with their own lives....simple? I guess I will find out!

Until next time, have a good one


Saturday 28 July 2012

8 months to go

Well time flies when your having fun doesn't it? I cant believe it, we have already passed the 8 month to go milestone and nothing is slowing down. We have now nearly been engaged for a year! We have nearly been living in our home for a year, I have already been in the new role for over a month and the netball season is nearly over!

As for wedding planning this week, I have cut some people off the wedding guest list, its a tough way to work, but its a personal day and some people I hadn't heard from in months, so I dont think they will be fussed that they are not invited if they are not going out of their way to catch up with me anyways. We have also managed to pay off the honeymoon! Woohoo thats something big to tick off the to do list. I have also begun looking up wholesales for the candy bar lollies, purchased the bridesmaids clutches and things are all progressing nicely now.

As for my health and fitness plan...I have done a fair bit of exercise this week, walk on Monday, Netball training on Tuesday, Netball on Wednesday, Thursday was a massive 10 hour work day so no exercise there, and last night I was too tired to do anything after cleaning the house, but I think cleaning the house counts haha. As for eating I have been doing ok, barely eaten the last two weeks due to my lactose intolerance acting up, I have been feeling quite unwell, and also lost 2kg but generally my body will naturally put that back on once my stomach settles.

As for netball we only have a couple of games left now, its gone so quickly, and its been a fantastic experience, I hope that my busy schedule next year can allow me to continue playing.

Sunday 22 July 2012

Busy Busy

Well my apolygies again because I have been crazy busy!!! Sooo I have weighed in at the same weight as last time, but havent had the chance to check my measurements yet but I would say they would be sitting at about the same.

So my working life this week has been interesting. I was off work from Mon to Wed on a training session, HACCP was extremely interesting, this I could have sat their all week learning about it!!! But I also got a phonecall mid week saying that due to me only being available weekends at Lion that they had to put me off which is disappointing, as I loved working there and fair to say the money woulda been extremely handy with the wedding too.

As for exercise, I have been trying to get on the exercise bike at least once a day, I have been also trying to spend about 15 minutes a day practicing my shooting, Yesterday was my best every shooting game, and I shot at 87% and for a first year shooter I am very happy with my improvement. Darren and I have also been trying to go for lots of walks.

Hens night has semi gone to the shit now too, with the company who I was hiring the bus from stuffing us up and not having any buses left! Very Frustrating! So know its probably going to be a train trip which I am disappointed in, I hate trains, also you cant drink on trains, they always run late and I just think it wont seem as special as it could.

But speaking of hens nights I went on my very first last night, lots of drinks, lots of fun and dancing, and of course a dirty stripper, errr they creep me out! I didnt realise they actually take their underwear off!! Wasnt pleasant at all!!!

Monday 16 July 2012

Sleepy! Woah what a few days

So I was going to post on Saturaday when I got home from netball but on the way to netball I got a distressed call from my big bro, who is in sydney and the people dog sitting the dogs had cracked it and they needed someone to take thed dogs from ocean grove to kew....So Ocean Grove from where I live is a 2.5 hour drive, 1.5 back to Kew and then 1 hour back home from Kew again....So fair to say that consumed my night. Luckily my fantastic maid of honour came on the mammoth trip with me which made it an enjoyable night.

Anyways so on this trip I had KFC and cold rock and then followed it up yesterday with a massive bakery lunch and Maccas for tea, so failing pretty miserably when it comes to food intake at the moment, but its all good, because my weight hasn't changed since the last check in, so the exercise is definitely paying off.

We have hit a bit of an issue with the wedding, with our recpetion per head prices jumping quite consierably putting us now 3k over budget, what they hell should I do? pay the money? cut people? cut something else? I have no idea at this stage but I still have a little while to work it out.

I have also had to trek down to the city for training today and the next couple days, I had forgotten how tiring it was! I am exhausted, and they gave me HOMEWORK, yep bloody homework, I thought I was done with that!!! But on a positive note I am absolutely loving the course, I could sit in there for hours learning which is a really really good sign that finally I believe I have found the career path for me!

Wednesday 11 July 2012

Overdue

So its been a little while since I have posted, somehow time just seemed to get away from me the last week or so, been learning the new job, been cooking tea, and exercising at least once a day, and somehow the blog just got left behind. I have been meaning to weigh myself every morning but keep forgetting to do it before I eat for an accurate reading. So hopefully my next weigh in will come tomorrow, but don't hold your breath,

So food wise, we have been eating a lot better, trying to incorporate vegetables and salads into every meal, and at least we have been getting up early to eat together. Also we have put our orange tree to good use, with Daz making us freshly squeezed orange juice for every morning, and then we have been trying to do exercise together most nights, even if its just stretching, 15 minutes on the excerise bike or a quick walk up to the main street for a look around.

As for the wedding, everything is coming along nicely on track, I hope to be ordering the clutches for myself and the girls in the next few days and then our outfits will be completely ready to go! Exciting times, I have also become a bit of a guest list Nazi over the last few days, culling people like nothing else, not because they have done anything nasty, but simply we have drifted apart.

Other than work, wedding planning, and trying to be healthier, I have still been playing netball and really enjoying it, I feel like I am starting to be more confident on the court, and I am hopefully improving every week, I have learnt so much and I am a little sad there is only 6 weeks left of the season.

Anyways thats enough of a rant for this evening! Hopefull speak to u tomorrow!

Tuesday 3 July 2012

The Bridesmaid

So tonight I am not going to post from the point of view of the bride but instead a bridesmaid. One of my best friends is getting married in December and I am lucky enough to be one of her bridesmaids, and I am extremely excited about it. I also have another couple of weddings coming up in the next 18 months or where I get to be maid of honour and bridesmaid. Life is good and I love my friends.

So as a bridesmaid for this wedding, which is now only 5 months away!!! So dam exciting! What have I done so far as a bridesmaid? I have come to the rescue at the engagement party when some shit hit the fan, well a hairstyle was bust and we managed to get it fixed and perfect before it was too late.

As well as this we have had a few sit down chats about what/when/where and organising dates for shopping dates, dress fittings etc. I am loving every second of it. The other week we trekked down to Chadstone shopping centre and found our lovely bridesmaid jewellery and shoes, checked out some lingerie, discussed hairstyles, and just had an all round good day. The best part of being a bridesmaid is definitely getting to be a part of my best friends big day from start to end.

We have also picked the dresses and purchased them and booked in for a day of dress fitting! Our lovely bride already has her stunning dress aswell which means most of her fine details have been tuned now.

I've also loved the expo's and discussions, granted I do get something out of them too.

So what should you expect if you accept the honour of being a bridesmaid:

The Cost Factor- Be prepared to buy the dress, shoes, jewellery and pay for your own hair and make-up, as this is traditionally how it is done. Some brides will pay for all of this however. There is also the showers, the hens nights, the kitchen tea, some brides may choose all or none of these.

The Time factor- You have to be ready and willing to give up your weekend time to go to fittings, trials, expos, and sometimes these can take a bit of time.

The Honesty factor- You have to feel comfortable in letting your bride know you don't feel comfortable in the dress/shoes or anything she has chosen, garunteed she wants you to feel great on the big day too, you also have to be honest enough to say whether or not you like her choice of dress, just remember its her opinion in the end, so even if you have reasons for liking another better, it doesnt mean she will. Friends can agree to disagree.

The smile factor- no matter how much you might dislike flowers, table settings, cake, menus, make-up. shoes, or whatever it might be, smile through it for your bride. This is a massive part of her day, even though if it doesn't seem like it. Smiling always makes you feel better so the time goes faster.
ENJOY!!! - If you don't think you'll enjoy walking down the aisle, standing in front of people, possibly making a speech, wearing a particular dress, going to expos, whatever it might be. Discuss it with your bride before you give an answer, that way you both have expectations from one another and hopefully it'll run smoothly, I'll give you the tip, if you don't like weddings dont agree to be part of one, just go for the free food and drinks I say.

So what do I think of being a bridesmaid? I love it, I love every bit of it, but I am a planner, I live to organise and I love helping people, so this suits me down to a tee. Most of all I love that I get to stand up there when my friend or friends make one of the most amazing memories of there life! I say bring on the weddings!!! xox

Monday 2 July 2012

The Final Cut

Well I am up bright and early for the start of a new week. Today is my first official day on my own in the new role, I am hoping I go ok and nothing bad happens to start off the week, so I can settle in nicely and get on top of the work that needs to be caught up on.

As for wedding planning this week, there isn't a lot that needs to be done, the focus at the moment is paying off the Honeymoon and adjusting the guest list as needed. The Guest List has to be one of the most tiring and painstaking part of the wedding.

Its very hard on knowing where to draw the line, should it be people you haven't spoken to in 6 months get the cut? People you work with? Family? Cousins? Honestly I don't think there is a rule that would apply to every couple on how they should cut down and decide upon there final guest list.

As a general rule after doing some research on the matter it seems like 10-20% of guests can often decline a wedding invite, this comes down to a number of reasons I guess, work committments, some people simply don't like weddings, already have events in place, concerts, sports matches etc all can be booked months in advance before a wedding invitation comes there way.

Anyways we have a list of 101 people at this stage, so if 10% were unable to come, that would leave us around the 90 people mark which is about what we want so I am not going to complain about that. However its the actual list that bothers me...

Over the past few months I have recieved some texts from friends who have asked when the wedding will be so they can save the date, however I am unsure on whether some of these people will even be invited. Not because they have done anything wrong, or because I hold anything against them, but simply because I want a small wedding with friends that I see all the time, and people who I know will always be in my life.

The next problem is plus ones and dates etc. This is the killer, the boyfriends and girlfriends of friends that I have never met or only met once. Its a tough one, because I know I wouldn't really like to be invited to a wedding where my man wasn't invited but from our perspective, we have to pay $90 per person on this day, and it's hard to justify cutting someone we both know well for someones partner who one of us may never have even met.

I guess the guest list is a very political part of the wedding, and everyone is going to have there own opinions on what is the right thing to do and what is the wrong thing to do. I am particularly sensetive to hurting peoples feelings, or making them feel uncomfortable so this is an aspect of the wedding that I am going to have to be 100% about come November. I am also going to have to grow a thick skin because I am sure some people won't be very happy if they don't recieve and invite. However I am going to try and stick to gut feelings when it comes to things, and my advice is to remember that its not about what others think and its about what you and the groom want.

Sunday 1 July 2012

Check in!

S I didn't get around to posting yesterday because of a bid day at Netball with the game and also the Reverse Draw at the club, all round a great day. We didn't quite get over the line but we showed a lot of improvement and signs of how good we can be.

As for my healthy eating, I have had a few struggles the past week. However I have managed to exercise for an hour each day. However I did have two blocks of chocolate this week and McDonalds once. But all in all it was still a successful week that saw me lose 1kg, YAY!!!!

Thigh: 56cm
Waist: 69cm
Butt: 99cm
Arm: 30cm
Clothing Size:10
Weight: 69.1kg

I am also feeling a lot more energised and healthier because of it. So even though I still haven't cut out the chocolate and take-away completely I am still very happy with my progress and with my diet. Also as for the Ashy Bines Clean Eating Plan I have been told this is a waste of money and have seen the plan and understand why now, most of it is just common sense, but anyone wanting more details I am happy to tell you more.

So what else is new? I have officially started in the new role now, and a little scared of my first whole week on my own, but I am hoping it'll all go well. As for wedding planning this week, there hasn't been a lot to do recently. Next on the list is invitations and I am still refining the guest list, I have made a lot of new friends recently through netball and work, and have lost touch with some others, so I guess I will wait out the finalisation for a few more months yet.

Thursday 28 June 2012

The Husband Survey

One of my lovely fellow blog stars had this survey on her blog, and since I am suffering a little writers block I thought I would give it a go too. Check out her blog too, especially if you are having a destination wedding http://thethaibride.blogspot.com.au/

 
How long have you been together: Since March 2004, so just over 8 years now.

How old is he? He is 24!

Who said I love you first? He did, certainly took me by surprise but was very nice to hear.

Who eats more? He does for sure!!! I am a very small eater, so most people would out eat me...unless it was a chocolate eating competition haha 

Who is taller? He is just....he has about 2cm on me!

Whose temper is worse? Me!!!! He is relatively calm, I have an ability to crack it very easily.

Who does the laundry? Usually a joint effort, I might do the washing, he will do the ironing.
Who sings better? Darrren does, he does a great Livin on a Prayer by Bon Jovi, I wish I could sing..

Who is smarter? I dont know how to gauge that, when it comes to finances and business definitely him, when it comes to science and mathsy (yes I am so smart i created a word lol) stuff probably me. So we have a pretty good spread.

Who does the dishes? I wash and he dries and then we put them away together.

Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? I do!

Who pays the bills? He does, he is the accountant not me haha!

Who mows the lawn? hahaha nobody? Nah he does occasionally.
Who cooks dinner? Whoever feels like it the most usually, depends what it is, if its pasta/parmas its me, meaty stuff like steak is more likely to be him

Who drives when you are together? Alternate, I drive when we drive west, he drives when we drive east lol....seriously..

Who is more stubborn? Definately me again....If I make a decision I stick to it, whether I know its right or wrong later on haha, But im a girl thats my perogative right?
 
Who is the first to admit when they are wrong?  We are never wrong haha, we both say why we believe we are right and accept it.

Who has more friends? I've had a lot more jobs/sports/activities, so prob thru that Id say me, but he has some fantastic close mates who have been mates for ever!

Who has more siblings? Same!!

Was it love at first sight? Well I dont really know if thats the right way to describe it, but he says when he first saw me he looked normally than he would at a girl, and I did vice versa, but we both had crushes on other people at the time, but the attraction was there and we were best mates for a year first.

Sunday 24 June 2012

Everything happens for a reason

I really do believe everything happens for a reason. Whether it seems good or bad at the time there always seems to be something that comes up to show why it happens. For example with my job. I was devastated when I didn't get the job at foods and thought I'd have a lot of trouble finding something new. However now I am even better off with a job in my home town. Massive career prospects and most importantly time!

So I am being a bit philosophical today in my post but I feel that sometimes people need to apply this to their wedding. Weddings are notorious for late minute issues, cancellations, things not going to plan...

However some people don't cope with that well. There are hundreds of things I woulda loved to have at our wedding, for example an acoustic player at the ceremony, more people at the ceremony and even a videographer but sometimes that just can't happen.

So what am I saying? I think all brides and grooms need to remember that getting married is the main part of the day. Not the dress, not the cake. Simply a statement of love and commitment

Saturday 23 June 2012

9 months to go!

YAY only 9 months today until our big day!!!! wooo it seems closer now! I am so excited!!!

So its Saturday which means its size 8 update day! I have done muh better this week! I havent had any take-away which I am very proud of, I also managed to stick to my one block of chocolate over the week! A massive achievement for me. And I slowly eased back into the exercise. I am being careful with my lungs as I have had a bit of a cold and don't want it to become pneumonia again!

Thigh: 56cm
Waist: 69cm
Butt: 99cm
Arm: 30cm
Clothing Size:10
Weight: 70.1kg

So there has been a slight change already which I am absolutely psyched about. Hopefully this next week I can add in the exercise full scale as well! Starting with a PT session and massage tomorrow.

So what else? Have you heard of the Ashy Bines Bikini Body Challenge, This has taken facebook by storm with amazing results from those trying it out, and I really wanna give it a go! My problem is money, with every last cent going straight onto the wedding or honeymoon at the moment.

http://www.cleaneatingdietplan.com/ check it out if you are interested! Its not overly expensive and like I said people are getting some absolutely amazing results from this! I am hoping maybe by end of next week I may have the $69 to start this!

Anyways its time for me to head off and get ready for netball. wish me luck xx

Wednesday 20 June 2012

Most Amazing Proposal

Moving and a Shaking

So I was going to post last night but I got interrupted by an earthquake here in Vic which stole my attention for the remainder of the night, and also most of today. I find earth quakes so fascinating and love why they occur, I don't like quite so much my whole house shaking though, so I think if thats the strongest quake I ever feel that I will be ok. The one that hit close to Moe last night was a 5.2 on the richter scale, much more than that and we might have been in a more procarious situation.

Anyways so whats new with me? My job hass been confirmed and starting July I will be a full tiem quality coordinator! What is that I hear you say? Pretty much I have to make sure the people who work in the factory are wearing the correct uniform, upholding the correct hygiene and manufacturing practice, it also means I get to do some environmental testing, check a whole lote of paperwork, but hopefully more than that I get a long term career option...close to home!

Other than work I haven't been up to much, I have a dinner planned this weekend with my main girls regarding my hens and bridal shower to hopefully get that planned and invites out ASAP so that people have time to save up for the deposit.

Only a short one tonight as I have to head back to work very soon to meet with the night shift crew!!!

Sunday 17 June 2012

The First Dance

The First Dance has become a pretty important aspect to the wedding ceremony these days. The first dance as husband and wife is maybe not as important to me, because Darren never dances with me anyways, so it could possibly be the only wedding dance of our marriage haha, but thats ok, I prefer dancing with my girls anyways.

So these days couples might just do a traditional slow dance or waltz, however it is becoming increasingly more popular to surprise the audience with a range of dances. I actually spent a whole night on youtube watching videos of couples first dances. Some of them are absolutely amazing for fully choreographed affairs, to couples making there own music videos, the brides surprising the groom, and the gromm surprising the bride and vice versa. Its fantastic. So today I am not going to go on about it or tell you what my plans are, because I actually aren't that sure of what I am going to do yet. So here are some amazing first dance videos to check out.

Saturday 16 June 2012

Time to check in

OK so it has been one week!

Unfortunately for me, nothing has changed, but then can you really expect it to in just one week? I am hoping by the end of week two there may be more noticeable results.

So did I pass or fail? I had numerous KFC cravings and managed to avoid it, which I am very proud about, as for McDonalds I even managed to say no to my boss offering to buy me some so I have done well on the fast food side of things.

As for chocolate, big FAIL I ate 3 blocks this week! Gee that sounds so bad doesnt it? I am addicted!!! I can't help it. Exercise FAIL but not due to my fault, I have had a minor ailment which has meant exercise hasn't been an option for me this week but I have been stretching instead and hope by tomorrow I will be up to the exercise again.

I also had what turned into a pretty big night last night with two of my besties, we decided making our own cocktails and playing black jack would be fun, turns out it can be pretty lethal haha. I had 4 cocktails over the 4 hours and was wrecked! Absolutely off my face, which doesnt happen often for me, my head was spinning when I went to bed and I am pretty sure I was still drunk when I woke up....

Anyways I am feeling ok just a bit tired from a mammoth day yesterday, 12 hour work shift and then up to 2:30am drinking! Today I have cleaned the house, cooked my muffins for brekky next week, done the washing, visited my granny and also checked in on my parents dogs as they are away. So tonight now I am off to a lab dinner with my work buds and then check on the puppies again and then bed and a lazy sunday to look forward to!

Happy Saturday!

Best Wedding Ceremony Ever

Wednesday 13 June 2012

Wedding Invitations

There is so much traditional etiquette when it comes to invitations. There are so many do's and dont's that I have heard when it comes to doing my wedding invitations, its nearly as difficult as writing the guest list, and that has been a mammoth task!



So let's get first things first.

Save The Date Cards
This is a great way of letting your guests, in particular guests who live quite far away, this gives these guests plenty of time to organise flights and accommodation. Easy Weddings reccommend that you should send these out 5 months before and no later than 3 months before. My opinion? Don't waste the money. If there are certain guests who live interstate, give them a call, let them know when the date is and its a great excuse to have a chat. Also you have to be certain you want to invite these people you send the save the dates too, because it becomes a bit awkward if you change your mind later on.

To include a dress code?
To avoid numerous phone calls I would say this is definitely a good idea. I haven't included a dress code on my invitation, instead I have provided a link to our wedding website. On the wedding website I have example dress ideas, directions and much much more, this is something I would recommend doing. Less room used up on the invite, and a great way to document your day! Easy Weddings have a great tol to do this.

Is it ok to ask for money?
Of course this is ok, we are living in the modern world now people! But it is recommended to include a seperate wishing well, flight centre or bird cage card in with your invitation. Also I recommend saying the most important gift is the guest attendance. I have again included gift ideas on my wedding website, and I have opted for a bird cage and will be adding a bird cage card in with my invitation.

RSVP timeline
This one can be very specific to your caterers and venues so make sure its a question you ask them, most places need final numbers before two weeks of the date. I would reccommend at least a month, because you want to allow for those friends who you know are always a few days late on getting back to you on things.

So hopefully that helps with any questions that any of you might have. As for our invitations they will include out parents names as the hosts, our names, the venue and times, RSVP date and link to wedding website. Additionally in the invite we will also include the bird cage card which entails a rhyme and an RSVP card which we will add our address and a stamp to before sending for ease.

Tuesday 12 June 2012

Party Party Party

Today I got an invite to my cousins hens night, I have never been to a hens night before so I am pretty dam excited for it, she is a bit of a wild one, so I bet there will be a lot of twists and turns in the night. I feel like I am a bit of an expert on hens nights at the moment, not that I have even been to one haha.

There are so many great things that you can do, the obvious being strippers, but there are day spas, cruises, girls nights in, chocolate tours, winery tours, pole dancing classes, burlesque classes...

So whats my plan? I am thinking about doing a bridal shower and hens day in one. I'm not a fan of the bridal shower games, I find that sort of thing pretty corny, but for those who might be interested, heres a few great game ideas:

Bridal QuizContact the groom and ask him 20 questions about the bride. At the shower, each guest and the bride answers the questions. The guest with the most correct answers (according to the groom) wins. The bride's answers are then compared with the groom's out loud.

Bride's Comments
Have someone write down the bride's comments as she opens each gift. Read these back to her as if they were comments she was to make on the wedding night - eg "I love it, but it's too small", "Mum uses hers all the time"

Clothespin Game
Everyone is given a peg at the beginning of the shower and then rules are nominated. They may be for the group or everyone has their own rule. Rules can include 'you can't play with your hair', 'you can't say wedding', etc. Each time someone is caught breaking a rule, their peg is stolen by the person who caught them. The winner is the person with the most pegs at the end of the shower.

Design a GownEveryone is divided into small groups and given a number of toilet paper rolls. A time limit is set and each group must design a gown using the toilet paper and any items they have in their handbag. At the end of the time, the "gowns" are judged for funniest, most stylish, etc.

Do You Know Me?The bride fills out a facts sheet about herself and then each guest must try and guess what the bride would answer. Questions could include Favourite food, Favourite band, First kiss, etc. The person with the most correct answers wins.

Famous CouplesCut out pictures of famous couples and paste them on a large board. Cover them all up. Remove the cover from the bodies first and have the guests guess who the couple are. Once it has been guessed correctly, remove the cover on the faces. Move onto the next couple. Whoever guesses the most correct, wins.

How They MetWrite out the story of the bride and groom met then take out the key words. Fill in the blanks by asking the guests for verbs, nouns, adjectives, etc then read the new story back to everyone. 

Trivia QuizThis is best if the questions relate to the bride and groom, love, marriage, etc. Questions could relate to theme of the shower. eg A 'Month' Shower could have questions such as What month did the couple meet?, What month was the groom born?, What month is diamond the birthstone for?The honeymoon is in Cairns. What is Cairns' rainiest month?, etc.

As for me, I am thinking of a pretty easy going brekky locally for everyone to have a great feed and cacth up and then get transport to the races, being that it is caulfield cup day, everyone can get dressed up, have a bet and enjoy the day...providing victoria gives us a warm October day!

Sunday 10 June 2012

Long Weeekend.

This weekend my fantastic fiance' has been smashing out some reno's to our home. I can't really explain it, but we have created a new room and its starting to look exactly how I pictured so I am pretty stoked with that. As for me I spent the day doing fun stuff, like dishes haha, and cleaned most of the house which was good, I always feel so accomplished. I also made some yummy banana weetbix muffins for my brekkys for the rest of the week. How great is it that it is a long weekend!!!

Yesterday I played netball and we won! In fact we smashed it! I scored 33 of 48 goals for our team which is a PB for me, and the other team only scored 9, so it was a pretty fun victory. I was also excited that I got to be the stand in captain for the day and we came out of it with a win which was fantastic. Netball is such a fun part of my week. I play in a great team, I love the girls, I have learnt so much and feel like I finally do something that I can be proud of, and its a great way to keep fit asd well..

Today I also started my healthy eating and exercise plan and I am happy to say day 1 has been a success, I have eaten really well, I have done a bit of exercise and I have also had my massage which has me feeling great! and the best thing is I still have tomorrow to do whatever I want, so we have planned a little BBQ before the footy starts. Before that however we are gonna try and get up early and get stuck into the house a little bit more, Daz has some plaster to put up and I have a couple walls to paint, whether or not we get up and actually do it could be a different story though haha!

So no wedding planning going on this weekend, but I am sure I will start to get into the grind again soon.

Saturday 9 June 2012

The Weigh In

Ok, so I am about a week late on my weigh in! I feel like I have been incredibly busy all week! I think working 5 days again is messing with my brain haha! Anyways as well as cooking, cleaning, playing netball and balancing friends then this week has been hectic! Nevertheless here I am to give you my first official weigh in and details on where I wanna get too.

Height (obviously not going to change): 178cm
Weight (Not fussed if this changes cos muscle weights more than fat): 71.2Kg.
Making my BMI 22.8, smack bang in the middle of the "considered healthy" chart. However I don't feel as healthy as I should be, well not in my opinion. I am tired all the time, I am always coming down with something, and I'm always suffering from joint aches and pains so its time to turn this around.

As for the key measurements
Thigh: 57cm
Waist: 69cm
Butt: 100cm...how big does that sound?
Arm: 30cm...muscly? haha
Clothing Size:10

I don't particulary have any aims to lose weight, but I do want to tone up, feel healthier, have more energy and I would love to fit back into my size 8 jeans for the honeymoon, not that I will be wearing jeans.

So what am I gonna do about it?
  1. Food Intake: I am going to go back to http://www.calorieking.com.au/ This is a website I really enjoyed using. You can put in the weight you wish to get to, or even the weight you wish to maintain, and this will help show you what calories and kilojoules are in the food you are eating. It can be very helpful, because sometimes you can eat more calories than you would expect.
  2. Exercise: I am going to do at least 45 minutes of physical activity everyday. I am going to rotate at night doing pilates, taebo and using my exercise bike, also combining with netball and netball trainings. I am also considering the worth of buying a bike to ride to work everyday, good for me and good for the hip pocket too.
  3. Fortnightly Sports Massage: This is something I try to upkeep regularly due to past injuries, I also find its a great stress release and great for recovery.
  4. Having a bath at least once a week. Baths are great for getting the blood flowing to the muscles and clearing out cells, its also great for the mind.
  5. I am going to conitnue trying to write my blog once a day, getting all my thoughts out definitely helps me sleep better at night, and its been proven the better you sleep, the healthier you are, including brain function, energy and even weight loss.

So what am I going to eat?
  1. I am making banana weetbix muffins for breafast, a quick and easy option that should see me eat in the morning rather than skip. Additionally a glass of apple and strawberry juice to start the day to get the sugars flowing.
  2. Lunch, I am going to have a wholemeal sandwich with lean meats, such as honey ham and salad
  3. Dinners ofcourse wont always be set, but these will also include a small serving of meat for protein and an array of vegetables
  4. Dessert will be a couple rows of cadbury chocolate because no matter how hard I try this is a habit I simply can not kick.
So this is it, between today and the wedding I am no longer going to eat McDonalds and KFC. I am going to limit myself to a block of chocolate per week (I can eat a block in about 40 minutes). I am going to take up every opportunity to exercise and I am also going to take every opportunity to relax.

So here we go....I'll let you know how day one goes tomorrow...fingers crossed for a win today in netty xx