The Morning After

It's the morning after gym session #3 and man-oh-mangoberry, my abs and gluts and shoulders and everything in between is SORE!

I think I must have hit snoozer 6 times this morning -- but I'm up, having coffee, and about to head to work. 

We'll hit the gym one time this weekend and will have accomplished our first week.  I brought my lunch every single day this week (except today - I have a work lunch thang), ate smoothies at home in the mornings, and made dinner on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday (Wednesday we ran errands after work: I ate leftovers, and Mike heated up something frozen).

It's been nuts at work this week -- and today is no exception.  I feel like I'm digging myself out of a deep hole of work that fell to the wayside during my three months of engagement bliss stress.  But after the work day is done, we'll cap it off one of my favorite ways -- dinner with my family, to celebrate my grandmother's NINETIETH BIRTHDAY.

Amazing, huh?

Off and running,
~jessica

No Workout Wednesday

The Hubs and I have challenged ourselves to "be really good" until Thanksgiving -- this applies to physical and financial health.  No more expensive dinners out, no more quick lunches on the fly... we (and our bank accounts) are in "wedding recovery mode," and we're trying to hit the gym 3 nights and one weekend day per week, and just sort of hunkering down to establish a new routine.

I'm proud of the fact that both Monday and Tuesday we did exactly what we said we were going to do (sessions at the gym followed by home-cooked dinners), and excited that tonight we're also going to do exactly what we said we'd do:

REST.

The plan is to come home from work, start making dinner (lasagna), and then have a hot date with the DVR.  Thursday we'll hit the gym again, and then Friday night we're having dinner at my parents to celebrate my grandmother's 90TH BIRTHDAY.  We'll choose either Saturday or Sunday to go back to the gym for our one weekend day. 

As you all know -- I've always been a morning exerciser.  I find that I don't make excuses if I go right away in the mornings.  I have more energy throughout the day, time to relax at night, and I am ready for bed quicker.  But there's little-to-no chance of The Hubs getting up that early to join me at the gym, so evenings it has been -- and it hasn't been that bad!  My only complaints are:

1) When I get home from work, I'm STARVING, but I don't want to eat until AFTER my workout.  So I've been popping a piece of string cheese on my way to Lifetime, and then having dinner right away afterwards. 
2) It makes for a really short night - I feel like we get home from work, race to the gym, come home, eat, clean up, and then it is practically time for bed.  I think that will just take getting used to.
3) I hate the fuss of feeling like post-workout, I want to rinse off before putting my pjs on -- with morning workouts, you're going straight to work so it is just a normal getting-ready routine.

But all in all, I've enjoyed going together, and I like that we're BOTH making it a priority.  Next week he's offered to attempt morning workouts so we'll see how that goes. :-)

The weekend is looming closer -- most of the plans revolve around errands, house-chores, and name-changing activities... after the insanely over-scheduled past 4 months, that sounds pretty good to me.

B: Smoothie
S: apple, string cheese
L: quinoa chicken salad, TLC crackers, veggies w/ hummus, Kashi bar
S: string cheese, turkey-jerky
D: lasagna

You'll see some new tickers up top -- one measuring our pre-Thanksgiving gym trips, and another (sigh) the usual weight ticker.  You'll see that my goal is about 6 lbs more than it was a year and a half ago -- I could choose to get frustrated and be hard on myself about this, but I think instead I'll choose to be proud of the fact that in a year and a half, especially the last 3 months, I ONLY gained 6-8 lbs.  We'll see how this first week goes, but I'm thinking I'll head back to WW on Saturday -- my old meeting and my old leader.. which is much closer to my new home!

Off and running,
~Jessica

The Calm After The Storm

And now real life goes back into affect.

After weeks and months of stress and furious planning, The Hubs and I are settling into real life -- for me, that means moving most of my things over to his our house, while we get ready to either rent or sell mine.  It also means hunkering down and saving some cash -- fewer meals out, more home-cooked dinners; fewer celebrations and more sessions at the gym.

Today and tomorrow are the makings of a great start - while The Hubs hit the Vikings / Packers game with his guys, I grocery shopped, packed up clothes and kitchen things, and schlepped -- then made a nice dinner for tonight, and prepped the next few days lunches and dinners.  It is amazing how quickly I fell back into my long-abandoned old routine of cutting up vegetables, bagging up pita crisps, and... you guessed it -- quinoa chicken salad*.

I have an insane day at work tomorrow -- I think it's gonna be that way for a while, as I get caught back up after 3 months of engagement-frenzy.

Our evening plans tomorrow = a trip to the gym + crock pot beef stew for dinner... perhaps some DVR'd shows, and then -- early to bed, early to rise.

Tonight** -- I made Thomas Keller's roast chicken, brown rice, and sugar snap peas.  I loaded and ran the dishwasher.  I set the coffee pot to brew in the morning, set out the blender for a morning smoothie, put a Dove dark chocolate square in my mouth and closed down the kitchen -- just like old times.

But with a new last name, and a new address.

Wedding pictures are trickling in -- mostly gorgeous, but a few personally horrifying... I'll be starting back at Weight Watches in the next couple of weeks.

Off and running,
~Jessica

*Quinoa chicken salad:
1 cup quinoa
1 package of ff feta
1 cup sliced red grapes
3 scallions, diced
2 ribs of celery, diced
2 chicken breasts, shredded
1/4 cup of Newman's Own Balsamic Vinagrette
Mix it all up and serve -- this made 4 portions.

**Other meals for this week include beef stew, chicken tacos (chicken breasts made in the slow cooker), pork tenderloin, and lasagna.

A Midsummer Night's Dream (In October)

Time is still slipping away from me each and every day - I'm up to my eyeballs trying to catch up with work, thank-you notes, and moving into Manfriend's H2B's The Hubs house.  Everything on Saturday was absolutely perfect.  Perfect!  I would not have changed a thing -- except of course to have a few people make it who were unable.  Other than that, perfection. While it was a bit overcast and windy during the 18 minute ceremony and 60 minute cocktail reception, the entire day had been filled with sunshine, bright blue sky, and crisp air -- just my favorite kind of weather.   The joy and fun of the day FAR exceeded my expectations.

Like everybody warned me, the day passed by in a flash - lots of buildup, and a very short-seeming celebration.  I spent the day with my girlfriends - hair, makeup, bridal brunch - and Mike with his men (lunch).  We did not see each other before the ceremony -- something I was very opposed to.... right up until the minute my Dad walked me down the aisle and I saw MIke for the first time.  It was a very tender moment, and I ended up being glad that he'd been so firm that we wait.  I hadn't hired a videographer or anything, I didn't think we'd need one, but now I regret not having somebody at least AUDIO record the ceremony... those carefully crafted words; that beautiful song... my friend Andy's amazing piano prelude and soft flowy version of "Here Comes The Bride."   They can only live on in memory, and BARELY in mine -- I was so keyed up about SEEING him for the first time that I kinda forgot to stop and look around and listen.

We don't have our professional photos back yet, but here are a couple of snaps from throughout the day.

 My dad and I coming down the "aisle" (path), at the gorgeous Woods Chapel.

The best little flower girl ever - Abby -- who was terrified during rehearsal, but then marched down that aisle like nobody's business!  A true star!

Mr & Mrs.

And I get it now -- through all the stress, some tears, a few arguments, and a constant feeling of "Why on earth are we spending all this money?!," I totally get it.  Seeing our friends and family get to know each other was priceless.  The afterglow of watching our friends become facebook friends with each other has been fun.  In the end, several people have commented to me that it was one of the most beautiful weddings they've been to (thank you, venue), and also a ton of fun.  It truly was about bringing together two families - which makes for a wonderful way to start our life together.

A huge thank you to my bridal party, who were total rock stars in terms of EVERYTHING, and also the captains of FUN.  I didn't stop laughing the whole weekend.

And as always... my whole family, especially my parents, for all the love and support -- always, but especially over the past three months.

Off and running,
Mrs. Seidlitz