Staying Fit for a Lifetime

When I got engaged, I was in pretty good shape. Several weeks after our engagement I ran a sub-22:00 5K for the first time ever and had high ambitions of cutting a minute off that time in my spring 5K. I was working out consistently, eating well, and really happy with my weight—honestly, for one of the first times in my life.

Personal photo / After the race

I bought my wedding dress and was super happy with the way it fit. It was snug but comfortable and flattering. In a conceited way, I thought "Ha, I have this in the bag! All I have to do is stay my current weight!" Of course, I also had visions of getting more toned and looking incredible on my wedding day.

Then real life happened.

Mr. Lemur moved to Michigan and I lost my exercise partner and eating buddy. At dinners I didn't have him to keep me accountable for how much I was eating—and he wasn't there to push me a little harder on runs or push me to run at all. At the same time, class, work, and wedding planning got really stressful. I started eating more and running less. And predictably, I gained a few pounds. I'm not exactly sure how many, but it was enough to make me uncomfortable and less confident about the way I looked.

When I went to my dress fitting, I was so nervous that it wouldn't zip. Thankfully, my dress is super forgiving. You couldn't tell, and I actually felt beautiful.

Personal photo / Dress fitting

But that doesn't mean I didn't try to make some changes. I honestly don't have time to get in an hour at the gym every night—and even if I did, I'm exhausted! But instead, I started walking to work every day. It's two to three miles round trip, and I feel so much better on days that I walk for fifteen minutes instead of hop in my car for two minutes! I've gone back to the basics that I love so much—cereal for breakfast, a salad with some chicken for lunch, a wrap or pasta for dinner, and lots of fruit.

So here's my advice for those who are soon-to-be engaged or newly engaged:

1. Don't put more stress on yourself to lose weight on top of everything else! The engagement period is awesome, but very stressful. If you have any other big life changes on top of getting married coming up—for me it's moving to a new state, finishing grad school, and starting a new job—the pressure will build up.

2. Focus on positive life changes. Instead of adopting a crazy diet or exercising two hours a day, add in little exercise, like walking to work or taking a lunch break walk instead of eating out. Eat more fruits and vegetables and replace stress-reducing chocolate with stress-reducing smoothies. (It actually works. Another benefit: Your skin will look better.)

3. Realize that this is one day versus the rest of your life. Yes, I want to look great on my wedding day. But I also want to be healthy for the rest of my life. That means that I need to make changes that I'm willing to stick with. For me that means no diet that involves not eating something—umm, I love carbs.

I know this is all super common sense information, but to me this is also personal! Anyone else struggle with their weight before their wedding? What advice do you have?

The Project I'm Dreading

Hive, we're three weeks out from the wedding tomorrow, and I have something really, really big I haven't done. Something really important. That I really shouldn't be putting off.

That thing is to figure out who all is coming to this party.

I haven't gotten a ton of RSVPs—maybe 30%? Plus another 20% or so who I know are coming or who have said they're coming. That leaves... a lot of people.

Part of this may be my fault. Remember my invitation with the online RSVP on the back of the card? There have been a fair amount of people who have left the picture on the card and not slid it off to see that there's a back side. What I don't understand is the people who ask questions, I refer them to the website, they're like "Oh, there's a back to the card!" and then they still don't RSVP.

I promise to always RSVP to every single event from here forward.

I know Miss Otter just posted about her RSVP drama so... I'll just add to that post by saying &@*(@^#^. (That's as close to swearing as I'll get... but seriously!)

This is the part where I need to suck it up and call/text/Facebook people. And it needs to be done in the next week because my caterer needs a number. I decided not to do assigned seating a long time ago—so at least I don't have to worry about a seating chart.

Come on, Miss Lemur, just do it. This weekend.

Blah.

Anyone else with RSVP drama? What did you find was the best way to approach people about RSVPing?

All I Need is Something to Put on My Feet

I like shoes and all, but finding the perfect shoes for my wedding outfit has never been at the top of my to-do list. I know a lot of girls are super interested in the search for the perfect shoe—check out Miss Airplane's posts on her shoe search if you feel like this post leaves you lacking in enough shoe envy for the day! This post is keeping it simple, so consider yourself warned.

I decided awhile back to wear flats for the wedding. It's less of a height issue than a comfort issue—but I don't mind not having to worry about pictures making me look taller than Mr. Lemur (I'm not!) or towering over anyone (Which I wouldn't, since I'm only 5'5"...). But flats it was, and since it's a late spring/early summer wedding, I was leaning towards wearing sandals. The casual vibe of the wedding lends itself towards dressy sandals, I think, and I happen to be very partial to that style.

I actually know exactly what shoe I want. I owned it once. It was a flat gray sandal from New York & Company with ruffled flowers down the front of the strap. I bought the pair two years ago for less than ten dollars on sale and wore them four times a week for the rest of the summer—no joke. They fit perfectly, were flattering, went with everything, and were super comfortable. I frequently would walk to work (three miles round trip) without blisters or sore feet.

Not surprisingly, given how much I wore them and the fact that I didn't pay much for them to begin with, they wore out by the end of the year. I went back to New York & Company the next summer to find another pair, but I couldn't even find anything similar.

Now it comes to the wedding, and I wish I had bought two pairs of the sandals and kept one in a glass box until now. (Kidding... kind of.) I'm not willing to pay an extravagant amount for my wedding shoes, although I suppose I can spend more than the ten dollars I spent on

I found this pair on eBay and like them well enough.

Image via eBay

They're not exactly what I want though. I'm sitting here debating whether or not to pull the trigger and I actually think I like this pair from Payless better, despite the slight wedge. Two and a half inches might be too much for my dress though...

Image via Payless

So I guess we're back where we started! I would wear either of these pairs of shoes in real life, so I'm tempted to just buy them—they're both less than twenty dollars—and wear them for the summer. And if they look good with my dress that's an added bonus. Don't worry, I'll update you on my full bridal look eventually. Shoes, veil, jewelry, and all. We're getting close!

Anyone else choose flats or sandals over heels for their wedding shoes? Which shoe should I buy? Any other recommendations?

Too Many Self-Portraits

All my life when people have said I was a blonde I've quickly come back with "My hair is not blonde! I am definitely a brunette." And that's true... sort of. I have kind of "in between" hair. It's not really blonde, but it's also not brown—I guess a lot of people would call it a dirty blonde. In the summer my hair lightens to a golden blonde with almost pure white streaks, while in the winter it grows out to a light brown.

I just posted this picture the other day, but in our engagement pictures you can see the progression from darker brown to golden blonde to ash blonde. Clearly my hair had grown out several inches since the summer blonde!

Image via Niki Marie Photography

I didn't realize how dark my hair had gotten until I saw this picture from the marathon my sister ran several weeks ago. Ignore the part where I look like I've been up since 4:30 AM... I'd been up since 4:30 AM driving around a marathon course cheering "Way to go! Keep it up!" at every runner that passed by. Marathon spectating is hard work, you guys. (My sister rocked it!)

Personal photo

A week later I was in Walmart staring at a massive row of hair dyes, texting my sister (my other sister) "How the heck am I supposed to choose a dye??" I wanted something subtle that would give my hair some summer color without turning me into this.

Image via Woo Hair

Platinum blonde is not for me. Instead I went with a hair lightener that I spray on right before blow drying my hair. I figured at worst it was a waste of $3 and my hair doesn't look any different—at best I'll have hair two shades lighter. Because I'm an awesome blogger, I documented it by taking nightly self-portraits in the bathroom after drying my hair. (I shower at night, dry my hair, and style it the next morning. Ain't nobody got time to get up early to do all of that in the morning.)

Personal photo / Don't mock the tie-dye shirt I made in 11th grade Chemistry and still wear to bed every night.

Can you tell it's lighter? After seven days of use, people started to ask me if I've dyed my hair, and after ten days of use I was getting compliments on dyeing my hair—so I'm guessing yes. These pictures really don't show the subtle highlights in person, which I actually really like. My dad has red hair, and sometimes the red actually shows up a little with the golden blonde, as well as streaks of whiter blonde.

I think this is the color I want my hair to be for the wedding. I promised Mr. Lemur I wouldn't change the color anymore until he could see it anyway—which will be this weekend. But I think this is it! Of course I'm always open to suggestions...

Anyone dye their hair right before the wedding? Should I go lighter? Back to the darker brown? Anyone else feel really awkward taking self-portraits?

Today's the Big Day

No, not that big day.

Today I finish the requirements for my masters degree in business administration. Although I won't be officially conferred with my degree for another four weeks, I'm done.

I know this is nothing for those bees who are finishing up a doctorate, but this is big for me. All those days of trying to simultaneously plan a wedding and somehow write a 50-page business plan while working 40 hours a week are over. If I do decide to go on and get another degree, I swear to you it will not be while going through another huge life event—so no kids or home buying at the same time as studying.

(I say that now, but knowing us Mr. Lemur and I will decide to move across the country or remodel a house while I'm writing my dissertation.)

Personal photo / With my sweet parents at my college graduation

While I'm excited to be done with school, this also marks less than a month till we get married—and as awesome as that is, it's also crazy overwhelming! In the next month and a half, I will:

• Walk across the stage and receive my degree.
• Get married!
• Move to a new city 500+ miles from where I've ever lived before.
• Start a new job, attend a new church, and make new friends (hopefully).

Whenever I get stressed (ahem, all the time...), Mr. Lemur tries to get me to focus on little steps. What do I need to get done now? What can I get done now? What can wait until later? What doesn't have to get done at all? 

So that's where we are right now. Little steps.

I'm really excited about getting into planning more little things for the wedding, and I can't wait to share them with you! It's going to be an exciting last four weeks.

Anyone else tackle more than one career/school/life milestones at once? Fellow May brides, what do you have left on your planning list? We're getting married next month!

Doing Your Own Makeup

I actually really enjoy doing my own makeup. I'm not particularly good at it—but over the years I've gotten into a routine that I really like. It takes less than ten minutes for me to wash my face and put on my daily makeup, and only slightly more than that if I'm trying to "dress it up" for a special occasion. It's a good way to start the day—I find it calming before I head out to work.

That being said, I considered how nice it would be to have someone do my makeup for the wedding. I wouldn't have to worry about it at all and I'm sure they would do a better job than I could! Unfortunately, it's also expensive and really not practical given the time constraints on the morning of the wedding. 

I decided that instead of paying a makeup artist for one day, I would invest a smaller amount of money in makeup that I could wear repeatedly for nice occasions. I'm looking to spend less than $100 on some staples I can have for awhile—a basic primer, a nicer concealer/foundation, and a subtle yet polished lipstick. I'm also thinking about trying out some different eyeliners, but I like my mascara and eyeshadow.

Oh, but first, here's my current makeup look.

Image via Niki Marie Photography

Sorry for awkwardly cropping most of Mr. Lemur's face out of the picture. It's the best shot I could find of what my makeup usually looks like! Also, it was so windy that day and my hair went everywhere.

First, the primer. The wedding will be in May in South Carolina, so it will be humid. Actually, it doesn't matter what time of year it is in South Carolina—it will be humid no matter what! Usually my makeup melts off within a few hours and I am constantly reapplying and powdering throughout the day. One blog I read—Capitol Hill Style—swears by Nars Pro-Prime Oil Free to hold makeup even in the humidity. It's a little expensive, but if it works consistently I'm not opposed to spending $34 on primer to hold my makeup in place for my wedding day, unless someone has a less expensive option they would like to share!

Image via Nordstrom

I have had awful skin my entire life. I've been to the dermatologist more times than I'd like to remember and tried several kinds of oral medications and creams, gels, and face washes. Just keeping it real here, folks. Maybe it's because I'm finally getting a little older, but my skin has stabilized somewhat. Of course, I still have terrible days and some scars and flaws from years of struggling with it, so a good concealer and foundation is a must. I've heard good things about both of these—the Laura Mercier ($30) and the Revlon ($9). Is it true that you get what you pay for?

Image via Bloomingdale's

Image via Target

There is only one thing I regret about doing my own makeup for my engagement photo shoot—and that is that I didn't wear any kind of lip gloss or lipstick. I don't on a normal basis, but I do feel like my lips look washed out in some of the pictures. Besides, the New York Times tells us that wearing lipstick actually may make people see women as more competent as opposed to non-lipstick wearing peers. Either way, I'm looking for a basic lipstick in a pink or coral color (no dark burgundy or red). Maybe this basic CoverGirl, which comes in many shades? Or I could stick with a lip gloss (baby steps here).

Image via Walgreens

Image via Nordstrom

That was kind of a marathon post, but this is the part I'm really interested in. What makeup do you wear? Do you have suggestions for me? Did anyone else do their own makeup and love it? Regret it?

The Secret Life of Bees: Lemur Edition

As a break on a Monday, let's talk about something non-wedding related. (Sometimes you just get burnt out on wedding stuff, you know?) I love these Secret Life of Bees posts, so I thought I would contribute—even though I have a very boring life, so how about we just make this a "Things You Don't Know About Me" post? Maybe I'll have to post about Mr. Lemur later.

1. I am a huge Packers fan.

Personal photo

I grew up less than thirty minutes from Lambeau Field as an ardent Packers fan. (Umm, that's pretty much a requirement if you live in Wisconsin.) I am now moving less than thirty minutes from Ford Field—that's where the Detroit Lions play, for those of you who aren't as interested in football—and marrying a Lions fan. Trust me, this rivalry only works because the Packers keep winning. If the Lions were ever better than the Packers (not going to happen), we might have severe marital problems.

Bonus secret life: I had bangs and cut my hair short my freshman year of college. This is several months grown out. Looking back, I'm not sure if I miss it or not.

2. I'm a nerd.

Personal photo

As a math undergrad, I think it's pretty much a requirement to carve your pumpkin with a pi symbol. Wait, it's not? Anyone? And yes, my best friend Melissa is a huge Phillies fan. How did you guess?

3. I ran a triathlon and my race number was 666.

Personal photo

My two sisters conned me into running a sprint triathlon with them. It was short—just a quarter mile swim, 27 mile bike, and 3.1 mile run. It was a competition, and I still take pride in the fact that I finished more than fifteen minutes before either of them. By the way, it was a cold, cold morning. I still remember how cold that water was. It was a great experience and I'd love to do another triathlon. It takes a lot of time to train though!

When I finished and walked up to the station to hand off my timing chip (the yellow boxes my sisters and I are wearing around our ankles), the timer crossed himself and asked if this was a sign. No, but somehow out of all 1,000+ people running, I ended up with the mark of the beast!

Well, that's all I have. Tell me something random about yourself! Or, share your team affiliations! Anyone else compete in a triathlon?