Can you believe we are almost halfway thru July already? Where has the time gone?
I don't have any official news yet, but things are looking very positive for the Maine wedding. I'm getting a little antsy because I don't have a firm yes we will block that week for you confirmation from "the family" and before you come at me you should know that venues and vendors are booking well into next year now that things are slowly getting back to normal. So if we are not having it in Maine, then I will need to start looking for and booking a venue here ASAP.
And frankly even having it there, I need to work on booking vendors. I'm actually behind schedule in a way.
I'm not going to turn this into a wedding blog...I don't think. I'm feeling a strong pull to create a wedding blog. I just feel like if I am having a hard time finding resources for a "mature" bride then I'm probably not the only one.
I just need to think of a name for it. Feel free to offer suggestions.
But also if I do, that doesn't mean I won't still talk about it here from time to time too.
Now would also be a good time to make sure I have your address info up to date.
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Did I tell you Duncan got a job? He's working at Sunglass Hut so if you are in the market for sunglasses please hit him up. He's going to be working out of the Galleria.
We've decided to stop couples counseling. Andie was great - she really helped and 10/10 would recommend. But it isn't free and we are over the hurdle with Duncan for now. If you are considering counseling but don't know how to get started, we went through regain.us (this is not a paid advertisement). It was easy to sign up and they match you with a counselor that fits your personality and needs.
You may remember he was house sitting for us while we were on vacation. He wasn't thrilled about it, hated it, and vowed never to do it again.
Also Shadow peed in Rob's office and now won't stop and my fancy carpet I bought does not seem to be doing the trick of repelling the smell (wish I could take her to counseling or cat training). I am SEVERELY displeased with this turn of events and I don't know what to do about it. We've tried everything to get the smell out including renting a Rug Doctor from Kroger and cleaning the carpet 3x in 24 hours.
I told Rob if we have to replace the flooring in there, we are replacing all the faux wood floors. We already have too many different flooring types in this house.
In other words, the house hits keep coming.
And we have no idea how to make her stop this behavior. I don't believe pets are disposable but also I don't want my house to smell like cat piss for the next 10 years. And I do think we are actually at the point of replacing the carpet. The rest of the flooring needs to go too but we were trying to wait a bit since the plumbing took such a hit to the bank account this year.
And someone else's behavior changed while we were gone. Mister Manfred seems to have forgotten most of his training. He STILL won't use the doggie door unassisted. And he seems to have developed separation anxiety now.
Several people suggested crate training which I am very against. And yet I see no option as he literally ate one of the couch cushions this weekend when we went out for a couple of hours. The throw pillows are one thing - they are easy enough to replace. But couch cushions? Not so much.
And I understand that crate training is good and some dogs prefer their crates and yes I have heard it all before. I just personally don't want to put my dog in a cage every time I leave the house. I've never had to do it before. I'm not judging anyone. It just isn't something I am comfortable with.
Magan has loaned us her collapsible crate for us to use until we get him over this hump. But he definitely needs retraining. And frankly, may need more than PetSmart is qualified to provide.
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Trying to figure out how to earn some extra money without having to get a second job. Not only do we have the wedding and honeymoon to pay for, but then also a party here for anyone that can't make it to Maine to celebrate with us (though I am giving you plenty of advance warning so start pinching pennies or saving points now!).
And the house expenses never stop do they?
I'm hoping to refinance soon - get some cash to cover some of the house expenses at least. Wish me luck on that.
Oh! I just remembered I am also going to see about turning in my car early. We don't really need two cars and that's a significant amount of money I could save every month. Definitely wish me luck on that.
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Sunday Fundays are in full swing. We love having people over any day of the week but we are definitely in the pool no later than 2 on Sundays. When are you planning to join us?
I'm also thinking we need to have a house warming party - we are coming up on one year here already! How can that be? Our official move in day was August 8th which happens to fall on a Sunday this year....just sayin'.
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In other news, I am officially putting it out there that I am on a quest to lose weight and get in better shape. Yes I am still working on accepting myself as I am. But if I am being 100% honest, I was miserable on our flights. I fit in those seats but only by the loosest of definitions. And the return flight where I was stuck in the middle? Even more miserable - I sort of had to rest my arms on my boobs the whole flight because my row mates didn't think I was entitled to even one arm rest.
So a couple of days after getting home, I signed up for Noom. It's supposed to work because it is more about psychology than restrictive dieting. There's a lot of delving into why you have the habits you do and how to retrain your brain. No foods are off limits, but you are given a daily calorie goal. It's gotten me off my ass too. I started with a very low steps goal and am ramping my way up. I got an Apple Watch to help me track my steps when I don't have my phone on me (or want to carry it) and it's keeping track of calories burned for me while I exercise (though I should mention that the Apple Watch will not log exercise onto the Noom platform).
Yep. I'm even exercising.
It's mostly water aerobics and not gonna lie it's pretty easy since I love being in the water. It's definitely still a workout though. I've already lost 5 pounds (and then gained back 2) but I'm feeling less bulbous so that's something positive.
And while I won't say I wouldn't be pleased to be thinner by the wedding, this really is more about wanting to be healthier. Wanting to be more comfortable when we travel. We want to go to Scotland for our honeymoon and assuming I can skip the massive injury this time, plan to do a lot of walking around. And I need to be in better shape for that, pure and simple.
Noom seems to think they can have me to my goal weight by March 1st if I stick with it. That seems a bit fast to me but I'm willing to give it a try. I have to. I want to be around for a long time...at least if I have anything to do with it.
The unfortunate side effect for Rob is he has to do it too. If I'm trying to change my behaviors I can't have him snacking on Little Debbie's beside me at 10:00 at night. He's supportive (because of course he is) but I think that's going to take a toll on him. He did not want to give up the Swiss Rolls yet.
Wish me luck.
Is that selfish for me to say? I already know and acknowledge how lucky I am. Maybe not selfish, so much as greedy? Wish me luck so I can figure out how to get more money to pay for things that we know we don't need (wedding and honeymoon) as well as the things we do (new flooring). Wish me luck so I can stay on the healthier path because I am too weak of a person to do it on my own?
I hope not. I hope I don't come across as greedy or selfish. That definitely is not my intent. And if things just stay the status quo I will still consider myself very very lucky.
Keep in mind, just 2 years ago I was single. Dipping my toes in the dating pool...and failing miserably. Just 2 years ago I wasn't sure I would ever find someone to like me enough to want to have sex with me, let alone someday love me. Just 2 years ago my world fell apart and I had to start all over again.
And look where I am. I have a wonderful man that loves me as I am and actually wants to spend the rest of his life with me. I have a beautiful home that I love. I have a good job. I have a fantastic network of friends. We have our health. It may not be as much as we would like, but we have money in the bank.
Yes - I have many, many people and things to be thankful for. And I am very aware of them every day. I am all too aware of how quickly it can all be taken away.