i just got beat up!

my personal trainer just kick my gluteus maximus and i am he beat me down. that was a workout. i'm all about intensity but i can't feel my legs. i like it like that though but i just got beat down. i forgot to post my weigh in yesterday i'm down 1.1 lbs for a grand total of 3.5 lb in two weeks hey it could be better but my goal is 2 lbs per week and i'm almost on target this week i will make it. the eating habits are way better and I AM PROUD of that feat so far so good. i'm focused man! wish me luck and good eating and work outs to all of you who are on the same journey. we can do it! yes we can!

CALL ME 'trendy'!

there are a few trends that i am really digging right now. i don't know if they will make the final cut but they are ahead of the pack. ***if any of these pics are yours please let know know and i will gladly give full credit***

• THE BIRDCAGE VEIL: ok so i own a few for the everyday and i wasn't going to wear a veil not really my speed but i am really loving them for the moment.

from etsy

• ESTATE TABLES FOR RECEPTION: so over the past few years i have seen lots of reception setups and this is my favorite by far. why? you may ask because it is so family oriented and i love it. and my fav is the u-shaped style. we are definitely doing this.

this is my fav the u shaped! love's it!

• BRIDESMAID DRESSES IN DIFFERENT COLOR/STYLES: so i like this a lot because #1 i want them to feel confident, comfortable and beautiful in there dresses and #2 it needs to be affordable so i have a plan i'm going to either pick out 7 or so dresses and let them choose which one or just give them guidelines: short/tea length, no shawls and long necklines for the necklaces. or i may just pick out everything none the less it will be alternating colors or styles.

really cute dresses. simple

what trends are you considering or did you use for your wedding? gotta go get that money to pay for this soiree.

i have colors and a "theme" now what???

i have made yet another inspiration board with some of the same pics and i really like it. it is starting to grow on me. i found this cool little tool on david's bridal.com that excited me. most of you may already know about the dress you wedding tool that they have were you can just customize your entire bridal party with different attire and shoes etc. i found it extremely helpful because i couldn't find any pics of what I have been envisioning. the colors are a little limiting but if your using david's it's perfect.

here is what i made its very blurry and the colors/dress styles are not exact and but you get the feel for my vision for my BMs.

i used purses not flowers because they didn't have the type of bouquets that i plan on using and i wanted to show the color. the two right hand side are supposed to be in the burnt orange/copper color dress with alternating shoe colors in purple and green that's option 1 OR option 2 is to alternate the dress colors either purple or copper and alternating shoes as well. i hope this makes sense. overall i am happy with the colors thus far.

i am so pretty sure that i'm going to let each girl choose a dress with color and style guidelines but that is still undecided but i like the way it looks when its done. i will post pics of this in my next post about trends that i like...until then friends (i only have 2 followers but you are my 2 friends :) i think we are ready for our monograms....

so which do you like? what trends are you using in your wedding?

tradition decisions...

so we have been contemplating on how traditional do we want our wedding. and my answer is NOT! i really didn't even want a bridal party just me and my love but he has lots of close friends and wanted them by side so on our day so we compromised so we as you know we have a bridal party with flower girls and all. so now the question becomes do we want our flower girl throwing petals...NO do we want a ring bearer pillow..NO . i don't even want to print programs or menu cards because it's a waste of money and trees after all the weddings i have seen they just end up in the trash anyway. right? i don't even really want to do favors i like them because they are cute and but really do we really need them...NO must we have a garter toss and a tossing of bouquet and blah blah blah... i'm just not sure if i want to do these things. i mean really i want to have a great time with my closest fam and friends and celebrate that's all. a girl just wanna have fun....

i think i got something here....

obviously i have been looking for inspiration for our wedding and i have found it in many places. we know what the design layout will be but we couldn't decide on the details i.e like colors etc. i just don't want to be locked into one thing i mean we shouldn't be in my opinion but at the same time i don't want it to be too far gone. these inspiration boards are similar with the exception of yellow in the 2nd one. i'm naming it 'rustic regal romance' why?

• rustic-adj: of, pertaining to, or living in the country
• regal-adj: stately; splendid, pertaining to a king
• romance- noun: the colorful world, life;a romantic spirit, sentiment, emotion, or desire

here it is....




was it hard for you to pick colors for your wedding?

NWR: HAPPY B-Day to Barasha and Kyin

So today was the b-day party for my FI's niece B and it was so cute. It's tea time!

Here is the B-DAY GIRL!

Tea Time Ladies!

This is their little make-up station!

They made party "bedazzled" bags and jewelry!

The tea table decor

Me and B!

And my godson had a party last week at Frankies Fun Park.

Kyin (RB)

FI & nephew Sean

Kyin and Sean

Kyin & Friends

NWR: R.I.P Micheal Jackson

I was never a huge MJ fan but I have always appreciated good music. Now don't get me wrong Mike has given us than a few hits we have classics. PERIOD! I am a MUSIC fanatic. I LOVE GOOD MUSIC period. I was so shocked to learn about the death of the pop star.My heart and prayers go out to his family and friends. I am so appreciative of life. We never know when we are leaving the Earth so I believe that we should spread our light while we are here. Grab a hold of the ones you LOVE and let them know that they are loved. I mean really I spend so much time trying to plan for tomorrow and the next day sometimes I forget to LIVE for today and ENJOY it because tomorrow is not promised to anyone. Teddy's the total opposite of me he enjoys the day to day and I guess that's why the Creator brought us together to balance each other out. I am so THANKFUL for LIFE AND LOVE AND HEALTH AND FAMILY AND GREAT FRIENDS. I have learned so much about life but right when I think I have figured some things out I realize that I have learned nothing at all. I will be a student throughout this life I seek to learn so much and I appreciate the challenges that are brought forth. RIP F.FAWCETT *On another note*

In diet news: I finally met with the trainer today and he kicked my a** . I like a good workout. I don't know if it was so tough because I haven't been in the gym in 2 weeks and I was rusty but nonetheless I got a good workout. I was different for me.Today was our preliminary session but I decided that I will train with him 2 days per week and do 2 days on my own I think that's realistic until school starts back. I focused MAN!

LOL!

Themes Part 3: C-O-L-O-R-S

Ok so I have attempted to put colors to my themes from previous post. Let me know what you think.

colors can't contain me

I can't believe this is not as easy as I thought it would be we have been enagaged for 5 months tomorrow and we still don't have a wedding vision/theme/blueprint. I realized that I was letting colors run my thoughts so now I will deviate and try something else. Since we are still browsing for a "wedding theme/vision" and I am so overwhelmed because I am ready to get knee deep into planning this glorious affair! I found some inspiration over at The-Broke-Ass-Bride. Dana is a genius. I love her energy and I don't personally even know her. Blogs are amazing. So we are having a Fall wedding and I want hints of the season but I don't want traditional fall colors so when I say hints I mean tree branches i.e curly willow, feathers, river rocks. Very earthy arrangements not so much flowers I only really like 3 flowers: orchids, sunflower ( like spider mums and gerber daisies as well) and peonies. I love the smell of japenese peonies ( I digress). I will have a few flowers fused in the arrangements but you get the picture. To contrast, I want bold bright colors. I want it to be fun and romantic and memorable to all involved. I am trying to search for words that say what I am trying to convey. Here are some "themes" that have my attention. Maybe an 'enchanted forest' or 'reigning rainforest' or 'regal romance' or 'afro-asian fusion' or 'morrocan themed' or 'southern elegance'. So many possiblites. I am going to go to our prospective venue and look for inspiration there sometime this week. A few inspiration boards that were eye catching (these came from EAD, Weddingbee, and TBAB) :

This is really different not for me but I can apperciate it

Wedding Themes: Part 2

Anyone who knows me will tell you that I am very eclectic over the past few years I have simmered down a bit (not purposely it just happened I guess growth) I have a lot of personality and I am daring and not afraid to try things. I DON'T believe in the box so no need to think outside of it. I appreciate new ideas and concepts. So for the wedding I want to incorporate FI and myself. Just things about us some things people may know other things people may not know. I love the Asian culture I heart the simplicity of the lifestyle I love the colors I love that everything has a meaning. I love feathers and rocks and green grass. I love fresh air and blue skies. I love to see rainbows and hearing the rain fall. I am what one would term as "Afrocentric" so I want to incorporate elements of our culture in the wedding. I love the sciences. I love the human body how am fascinated by how it works, looks, and the form so I am into to fashion and art. I am a very creative person and I am also a business woman. My FI is a sports fanatic he loves football and basketball mostly but he dabbles in anything sports related. He enjoys cooking (great for me :) He is into to trivia and games. He likes bright colors and is a sneaker fanatic well should I say shoe fanatic. Don't get me wrong I like to get my shoe shopping on! But he would buy shoes every day if he could. I say all this to say that I want our wedding to represent who we are as a couple and maybe just maybe that the theme of the wedding!

Just Runnin Across My Mind

Today I have been reading a lot of other blogs I and I have been so inspired not only with wedding ideas and concepts but with the wisdom that has been shared. I love Sonya over at QueenCityblogspot.com aka Bridal Bliss. I have enjoyed others as well. I was undecided about how much of my wedding I wanted to share on this blog. I want this blog to document my wedding planning process and share ideas with other brides. The ONE thing that I don't want to happen is to get so caught up in planning the wedding and forgot about nuturing my relationship. My FI is a great man and I truly love the man he is and I love the fact that he is involved in the planning process. He is a participant and it helps me a lot. I am very grateful for that. I feel like we are continiously growing and expanding. I feel like we are in the same book and on the same chapter there are times we we are in different paragraphs but I feel that we always catch up. I feel pure joy to have him in my life and I thank the Creator daily for what we have and who he is as a man. I asked for a good husband and I truly believe that I got him. I looked forward to our life together as husband and wife. I look forward to becoming a mother and I know that he is going to be a great father. I don't think I need a man to complete me but I would say that we complement each other well. I only wish that he takes as much time for himself as he does for everyone else. He is a giving person and at this place in his life I think he needs to be a little less selfless and little more selfish but I don't know if that would make him a different man. I accept him as he as accepted me for who I am and that is the beauty of it all. Through all of my imperfections he has found his reflection. Just a few thoughts running across my mind.

NWR: 8th Day

In diet news this is my 8th day on the Fat Smash. I weighed in this morning and I have lost 2.4 lbs and I am happy! I didn't even work out last week and I know that is not good but I did make the time. I had to reschedule with the trainer twice. I haven't gotten to work out with him yet. This week I am shooting for 3 day of dreadful C-A-R-D-I-O. I gat cardio I prefer to circuit / interval strength train. My mini goal is to lose 20-25 lbs by the mid August so I got to get moving.

wedding cakes: i do or i don't

here is a question that i have been asking myself and FI, do we really want the traditional wedding cake? i have to admit at first i did not like the idea of cupcakes but it has really grown on me. so the next question is do I really want cupcakes? yikes! i don't know. but i do think that they are really cute. at this stage in the planning process i am leaning toward having them. its about 80/20 for cupcakes. i am also considering a pie buffet on a cupcake stand! at this point who knows. here are some pics of cake designs that i like: *disclaimer i have been collecting pics for awhile needless to say if pics are yours just post a comment and i will give proper credit*







Obviously I love peacocks!






I am in love with a very simple cake like this one with writing around the entire cake. We were considering a song lyric or poem verse. I love the simplicity of the design.

WEDDING themes ANYONE!

I have been looking for inspiration for our wedding "theme" and I have found a few things that caught my eye. a fellow AAW Knottie (AK1226) has a theme that i like it's

TIME. PATIENCE. ENDURANCE. Here is a pic of her monogram.

These were made by I DO Originals. I have looked over at there site. Probably get them to do our monogram as well. There work is wonderful!

I also think that this "Southern Comfort" theme by fellow blogger BECOMING HIS MRS is nice because I too am from the south and want some southern elements incorporated in the wedding.

Do you have a wedding theme? If so what is it?

Cutest Thing I Ever Seen...

I just ran across the cutest wedding video I ever seen. Go to The Broke-Ass-Bride Blog to check it out. I tried to post it here but failed miserably. I *HEART*THIS really!

Yes! We have a NEW LOOK!

Venue Issues

Well yesterday I was in deep thought about our wedding venue options. We know that we want wedding and reception in the same location. We are in between 2 venues right now and making the decisions is not as easy as I expected it to be. But after speaking with my FI and our parents I think we made our decision. Moving right along.

So a few posts back (here) I was frustrated about not having a theme. I don't even have colors yet so one might ask Well what is your favorite color? and I answer all of them. I am a rainbow. I like all the colors. Prior to our engagement FI and I discussed when we would wed. Well after we got in engaged we starting discussing dates and there were 3 options Jan 2011, April 2010, and October 2010. So after weighing the pros and cons we decided on Oct (the month we met,his b-day and my power month) so I say all this to say that if we had decided on Jan I would have wanted classic black and white with a splash of color to accent. If we had went with April I would have wanted bright colors and my BM's would have all worn a different color dress and my guys sear suckle. Well October isn't that easy. I want Fall accents but not all fall colors. I want it to have a vintage yet modern feel. I want it to have southern accents b/c we are both born and bred in the DIRTY SOUTH! So I want to incorporate all those elements in the design for the wedding. I want the simplicity of Asian design elements with bold African colors and textures. And to put it simple THAT IS A LOT. I think that we can handle it. But it is a challenge what I will enjoy conquering.

So in the beginning I knew that I wanted the wedding colors to come from peacock feathers colors. I absolutely LOVEEEE peacock feathers. They are my favorite and I was going to use them as my inspiration for the wedding. Well I changed my mind. I plan on using a touch of it somewhere but I am undecided where. So now I am looking for something....I know when I found it. Wish me luck....

I found these inspiration boards on the Southern Bride Blog and they caught my eye!

I *HEART* yellow and would like to include it in our color palatte.

I also like how the juxaposed ring shot next to the stone ( rock). BEAUTIFUL

I pretty much love everything about this IB!

I love the the vintage feel of this board.

I am digging the birdcage veil. I used to wear them all the time now it's a trend. AMAZING.

I LOVE orange as well!

I LOVE GREEN TOO!!!!

Here is the original inspiration board. My FI really likes this one! Decisions, Decisions!!!

In diet news: today I am completing my third day of the 9-day detox on the Smash Diet so far so good. I had to reschedule with the consultation with the trainer we are supposed to meet tomorrow. I will post how the session goes.

NWR: First day

A few weeks I blogged here about starting the The Fat Smash Diet by Dr. Ian Smith well I only semi-started. So today is my first official day. Not so bad so far. I met with a personal trainer (PT) last Friday and he seemed cool. We may have our first training session tomorrow. I made a dress deadline today. (Drum roll please....) I going to start dress shopping at the end of Fall 2009 semester so in December and I have until April to buy a dress. So that leaves me 6 months until December to drop 60 pounds or so. I think I can do it. I am pretty sure I can. Well I know I CAN if I apply myself. The trainer's name is Brandon so I am going to see how much I like his approach to fitness. For now I think I will blog here about my weight loss goals but I may create a separate blog later. I am undecided right now.

Getting down to Business

Now it time to really get down in the wedding planning. I am going to post pics of the possible color combinations. I decided last week that I want my bachelorette party to be in Vegas next August and I will have my showers in Sept sometime. I asked my girls and everyone is on board so I think we will be in in VEGAS BABY! I am going to work on a few inspiration boards and get the details together. So much to do. I'm enjoying every minute of it. Thanks to the Creator! On my way to work.

More Pics: BP cards, Favors, and More!

Here are the pics of the BP cards and tokens.




RB, BB Candy Bars




FG Candy Bars


Making of FI Groom's Apron

Overall I loved how everything turned out!