5 months to go...

Since I started this out to be a wedding blog so I'll give the wedding update. I opened my email this morning to an email reminding me that we are officially 5 months away...and I think we're doing pretty good. We have decided to print our own invitations and started printing those out the other night. Keith is pretty graphically inclined, so he even offered his opinion. The invites also involve thredding these shiny broach like things through some ribbon. Keith offered to help and it was probably the most priceless moment to see my future husband hunched over some silver ribbon with a shiny rhinestone thing in complete concentration mode. I complain sometimes that I feel like he hasn't really been involved in this whole wedding planning thing, but lately (as we've gotten down to the important details) he has kicked in big time. We registered at Bed Bath and Beyond the other day. Keith came and once again was completely into it. He's even going to the florist with me in a few weekends. I love it! It's so nice to know that he's here to help and that he's excited for the wedding too. I've read so many blogs and talked to so many people who had fiances that were totally hands off...and I think that if he did that I'd question whether he really wanted to be getting married. I have the most amazing man ever...

Oh...and Happy 200th B'day to Darwin!

And here we are again...

Well, here I am again anyways. So for those of you who don't know, when I was teaching in New Hampshire we went through a very messy contract dispute. In fact, we came about 7 hours away from going on strike. Scary. Throughout that entire time, threat of pink slips and job loss was tossed around like crazy (especially for those of us who weren't tenured. if you're not in the teaching world that pretty much means that your sh** doesn't stink anymore and you have to do something horrendous to lose your job). Anyways, that went on for about two of my four years in Nashua and was finally settled mid last year. It wasn't fun, but I survived.

Fast forward to today and once again I am faced with being pink slipped and/or losing my job. It's a pretty scary thing and one that I am taking pretty seriously, but at the same time am trying not to lose sleep over it. Branford is a pretty well off district usually, but the economy's touch, so we're feeling it now. Because of the relative comfort that most Branford teachers are used to, this is causing a good chunk of them to seriously lose it! There are people freaking out everywhere! I'm not...

I think I've gotten to a point with this whole debaucle that I realize that there is nothing that I can do about it. I can only go into work each day, do the best job that I can do, and go home. The decisions that are being made are above my head and at this point I'm just along for the ride. I could freak out...realistically, I probably should be freaking out...but that's only going to hurt my students and drive poor Keith crazy. So I'm along for the ride again...hope everything works out. I really like Branford.

In other news SparkPeople is working! I have been to the gym consistenly for two weeks! Not a big deal for most, but huge for me. And when I say "been to the gym" I mean that I've had a good workout. I am a master of going to the gym, farting around on the treadmill for a bit, doing a few crunches and saying that I worked out. Not anymore! I haven't lost any real poundage yet, but I feel great. And because I'm not really overweight I don't expect to see the pounds go flying away. I'll be content if my arms and back look hot in my wedding dress :) Which should be in within the next few weeks! can't wait!

Changes...

I got to thinking today about change (I have no idea why). I was realizing that 2009 is a big change year for me. To start with, in the past 5 months I have changed states, changed jobs, changed apartments (more than once!), made new friends, etc. In 2009 I will be changing my tax return status and my name as well as many other changes that go along with marriage. Now for me, all of these are planned changes. They are things that I knew were coming up in my life and have prepared for, even been excited for. Not all changes, however, are planned for. I think it's those changes that are trickier. This is all inspired by a friend/family member of mine who has become pregnant (who might be reading this...hi!). Obviously a major life change, maybe not so planned for, but change none the less. I think that how a person deals with unexpected change says a lot about their character. Some people pretend like it isn't happening, some get all sad and mopey and "woe is me", some pretend like its no big deal and inside are crumbling...and then there's those that embrace any changes that come at them and make the best out of that situation. I'd like to lump myself into that last category, but I think that I tend to fall into the 3rd category (the act like it's no biggie, but freak out on the inside). Totally unhealthy, I know. Actually, in writing this I'm thinking that I may be in for some unexpected changes throughout my 2009 as well and I'm going to make an honest effort to shift myself over to the 4th category. Because as much as change can be unwanted, unexpected, sometimes even needed or hoped for...it is inevitable. Guess we should all make sure that we handle change in a positive and healthy way. Wow...enough deep-ness.
Speaking of healthy, I was reading Carrie's blog about how she joined SparkPeople, so considering that I usually lack serious motivation I would join the website. It is a website that is kind of like WeightWatchers, but online and totally free. It has lots of great recipes and little groups to join and nutrition/exercise trackers. More importantly, it keeps that kind of thing on my mind. When I got engaged (over a year ago) I said that I was going to get back into shape. Plenty of time to get a wedding body that I want. Now that I'm less than 6 months out and have yet to loose a pound, I think it's time to get serious. So far so good. Now maybe i can get motivated to keep up with this blog thingy more often :)

Struck by Reality

This will be a short post because I have a million and a half things to do, but I just needed to post this. I have been planning this wedding for the past year. I have been checking things dutifully off of my list of things to do and booking places and paying deposits and all of that fun stuff for over 365 days. Then, all of a sudden, I realized today that I'm getting married. I know that that sounds kind of strange, but I've been planning things from a distance and not really thinking about details, but now that this is officially about 6 months away details are big on my mind. Not to mention that all of my girls have ordered their dresses and one of them came in already! My dress is due next month...can't wait! Reality has officially hit! Anyways, just thought it strange that it just hit me now that I'm really getting married and thought I'd share. Am I the only one who's done this???

I LOVE Christmas Time!

The past few days have been amazing! We've had snow the past 2 out of 3 days and there's nothing like snow to put me in the Christmas mood. I've been baking up a storm and rocking out to christmas music. Poor Keith even got stuck listening to me singing at the top of my lungs in the show...and if you know how terribly I sing then you'll realize how bad that is! I was singing "holly jolly christmas" if anyone cares. Not to mention that Christmas Eve keeps creeping closer and closer. Xmas Eve is possibly my favorite holiday moment ever. My whole family gets together at my mom's house and I know this sounds cheesy, but it's magical. I always feel so full...of food yeah, but of love too. And we've always seemed to have youngsters around to help us feel that xmas eve excitement. Can't wait! This year will be a special christmas for Keith and I, too, as it is kind of our first christmas together. We've never lived close enough to sleep in our own bed on xmas, but we do this year. In the past I've slept at my parents house and he's slept at his parent's house and we've done xmas morning with our own families. This year will be our first xmas morning together. My mom's a bit sad about that, but we plan to head out of here pretty early to open presents with them anyways. But my cookies are beeping that they're done....Merry Christmas everyone!

silly gym observations

Gym people always make me laugh. I was in the locker room after my workout and there was a younger-ish girl (probably college age) getting ready to work out. Everything that she did she had to look in the mirror...and that includes putting on deodorant. I dont' know about you, but I can find my armpits without looking at myself. And then before she leaves, she douses herself in perfum (like legit perfume, not like body splash). Strange. It seems to me that if you're just going to get all sweaty and gross its not worth making yourself smell good. Kind of a waste of money.
In other news, all of my NH friends are in my thoughts as they're working through this latest ice storm. I was feeling kind of sad that CT winters are kind of uneventful on the shore, but I don't feel so bad after this. some of them have been without power since Thursday! At least everyone is safe, but if there's anything that I can do for any of you, please let me know. We have plenty of warm beds and we love visitors!
In wedding news, we officially have a church! The Congregational Church in North Haven! The minister is this sweet, goofy kind of guy and the church is a quintessential New England protestant church. It's kind of small, but it'll be so nice to see it full of familiar faces! Can't wait. And...I'm becoming an eBay bride. I ordered some jewelry off of ebay the other day for very cheap. They should come in this week and if they look nice I may have to go crazy with other stuff! And it cost me about a fraction of the price it would have cost me to get them at a store. Can't wait to see them...

Fate is Funny...

So I haven't written in a while because this time of year tends to be crazy and with wedding crap on top of everything I've barely had time to make dinner most nights. Since I made this blog to talk about wedding stuff I'll do that first. I feel like this is the twentieth time I've said this, but....I think we finally have a church. The date is open, but because we're not members we have to be approved by the deacons...shouldn't be a problem though.
Now for the whole fate is funny thing. For those of you who don't know, my sister Kiersten is my maid of honor. Another FYI...we've had to change the date of the wedding from June to July. Kiersten is in the process of wrapping up her master's program in OT, a pretty awesome accomplishment. Because this is such an intensive program, leading up to their graduation they have a ton of fun events that they do to relax. She found out the other day that her graduation is on the Sat. that the wedding was supposed to be on! If that isn't someone up there watching out for us then I don't know what is. I've always been a firm believer that everything works out for a reason. When I blew my knee out in high school and had to back off of my gymnastics season, I started to coach a bit...sucked then, but what do I do now?? I teach and coach. Fate? Now there's this. As an older sister I've always felt a bit guilty that I overshadowed Kiersten's accomplishments....not on purpose of course, but when you do them first it always seems like a bigger deal. I would have felt awful if my wedding had conflicted with Kiersten's big day. Now we can celebrate all of her wonderfulness and then look forward to a celebration next weekend, too. Wooh!
In other news, school is pretty awesome. I feel so at home in this place already it's crazy! And we just found out that one of my co-workers is pregnant! This makes me happy because it means I'll have a little one to play with, but when he/she is screaming or smelly I can simply hand them back to mom or dad :) Also, we just put up our tree at home! I love Xmas and part of the reason is for all of the decorating and music that go along with it (yeah, the family thing is fun too). I have also recently discovered that TransSiberian Orchestra turns me into a grading machine! I sat down with a stack of papers that was practically to the moon, turned on my Xmas tree lights, put on TSO....and transformed! I got through my correcting faster than I ever have before. It was great. I recommend trying it if you're stuck for motivation. Alright, I've killed enough time here. Hope that everyone has a merry xmas!