{Countdown to 'I Do'}

I had a reality check last week, when my bridesmaids officially ordered their dresses for the wedding - time is FLYING by! We're at 5 months and 2 weeks right now...it seems like it was just yesterday that M and I got engaged. I was told that time flys by when you're planning a wedding, but I didn't realize just how quickly. We got so many of our "big" plans out of the way early on (like 1-2 months after our engagement!) that we actually were able to sit back and not think too much about wedding plans for a while. Well, it looks like the time has come to jump back into serious planning mode...there's still a lot of smaller things to be done! Here's what we've accomplished so far:

• Ceremony Venue 
• Reception Venue
• Wedding dress & veil - purchased!
• Wedding shoes purchased
• Bridesmaid dresses - ordered!
• Groomsmen attire - ordered!
• Reserved our photographer {See engagement photos here}
• Reserved our DJ
• Reserved our caterer {M's mom's company...so that was easy}
• Sent our Save-the-Dates {these deserve a blog post of their own!}
• Registered at Macy's, Bed Bath & Beyond, and Target

Like I said, a lot of the big things are already planned out. I'm starting to realize just how many of the "small" things we have left to do!

• Decide on a dinner menu for our reception
• Decide on flowers {I'm actually pretty apathetic about this one...}
• Pick out music for ceremony 
• Pick song for first dance, father/daughter, mother/son
• Dance lessons!
• Decide on a signature drink
• Pick a Mistress of Ceremonies ... I'm a little behind on this one!
• Order wedding invitations
• Decide on our HONEYMOON {Most important decision, right?!}
• Reserve a block of rooms for guests
• Decide on Rehearsal Dinner
• Rentals - chairs, linens, dishes
• Wedding favors
• Ceremony/reception decor
• Ceremony programs
• Wedding day hair
• Wedding day transportation
• Wedding rings

I know I'm still missing things...but looking at this list is already a bit overwhelming! In a good way of course. :) I've gotten out of the OCD wedding planning phase that occurred right after we got engaged. I'm at a point now in which I am just so ready to be married to my favorite person in the world, and every wedding ceremony I see nearly puts me in {happy} tears thinking about walking down the aisle in 5 short months! I can't begin to describe how much I'm looking forward to October 13th,..and to every day after that. ♥

Any other important wedding plans that are missing from my list? I know there's still so much to be done!

Today, and always, a Hokie♥

My heart is in Blacksburg today. I can't believe it has been five years. It still hurts the same, and there will always be a place in my heart for my Hokie family. Thinking about my fellow Hokies today....we will prevail. We are Virginia Tech. 4.16.07.

Image Source: blogs.roanoke.com

TIU: First Week

So far, so good. I'm really loving how I feel after eating cleanly this week. It's only been 3.5 days since I started  following the Tone It Up plan, but my body feels better since my diet is now full of fruits and vegetables! While I've always eaten healthily, I found myself resorting to quick and convenient foods because it was easier during the week. This is what I was eating in a typical day before TIU:

• Breakfast: Kellogg's Fiber Plus Cinnamon Oat Crunch High Fiber Cereal with light soymilk and a banana
• Lunch: Arnold 100-Calorie Sandwich Thin with low sodium turkey lunchmeat (yikes) or albacore tuna, and usually 1/2 cup of green grapes
• Dinner: Grilled chicken with baked potato/baked sweet potato fries and a vegetable such as roasted broccoli
• Snack: Usually nonfat greek yogurt or 1% cottage cheese with cereal and maybe fruit or peanut butter

Even though that might seem like a "healthy" diet, I wasn't happy with all of the processed foods and lack of vegetables in my diet. Sure, it's pretty low-calorie, but I wasn't filling up on green veggies and I was missing out on some of the "superfoods" that we should all be consuming! I also wasn't consuming enough protein. I've questioned my protein intake before, when I tried The Dukan Diet last year, which is protein-heavy. When I tested out the Dukan plan, I was consuming far more protein than I ever had before...but Dukan is a DIET, and not a lifestyle...not to mention it deprived you of well-rounded nutrition as it shunned all carbs - fruits and veggies included - for the beginning of the diet. So anyways, back to TIU. :) I like that my diet is more balanced now and I'm more in touch with the ratio of carbs: protein: fat that I'm consuming. I track my meals with the MyFitnessPal app on my iPhone, which is great! It gives you detailed nutrition info, and it even tracks essential vitamins (btw, I consumed 854% of my daily Vitamin A requirement as a result of Tuesday's meals!). 

{What I've Been Eating}

Another protein pancake!

Wednesday

• Breakfast: TIU Protein Pancake, Bombshell Spell, coffee with a splash of light soymilk & stevia
• Snack #1: 1/3 cup nonfat greek yogurt with 1/4 cup mixed berries 
• Lunch: Panera Thai Chopped Chicken Salad (without crunchy wontons)
• Snack #2: medium Granny Smith apple...because I was going to Hot Yoga and needed carbs (since I didn't have any carbs/fruit with lunch) *normally wouldn't have fruit in the afternoon
• Dinner: TIU Grilled Hawaiian Chicken with grilled veggies

Thursday (so far...)

• Breakfast: TIU Protein Pancake, Bombshell Spell (order TIU for the recipe!), coffee with a splash of light soymilk & stevia
• Snack #1: 1/3 cup nonfat greek yogurt with 1/4 cup mixed berries
• Lunch: Kale salad with tofu and mixed grilled veggies, 1/3 cup fresh pinapple
• Snack #2: Broccoli with hummus
• Dinner: - to be determined!

Overall, I'm consuming SO many more vegetables and fruits on a daily basis, and not relying on more processed forms of carbs (like bread and cereal). The nice thing is, I'm still getting enough carbs, and in some cases, even more than I used to on a daily basis. Since I tend to work out for 1 to 1.5 hours pretty much every day, it's important that I am getting enough carbs for energy...especially since I like to run long distances! With some "diets", you'll notice a reduction in energy if your body is deprived of something (for example, The Dukan Diet deprives you of carbs), so you can't even work out to your full potential...if at all. It's not enough to just change your diet...you also need to find a workout that you love and stick to it. Even if you're losing weight, you're not going to look toned unless you also have a fitness regimen that you follow (and make sure that regimen includes strength training)!

So have I convinced you to join the Tone It Up team yet? :)

{Engagement Photos: Favorites}

My absolute  favorite!

Photo Credits: Amanda Hedgepeth Photography - she's an AMAZING photographer! See our session's blog post here :)

Tone It Up!

As I've alluded to before, fitness and nutrition are a huge part of my life. I've taken numerous nutrition classes, trained to become a Personal Trainer, and have even been a group fitness instructor. In another life, I was meant to be a fitness/nutrition guru. Who knows what the future holds. ;)

I tend to be aware of new fitness and nutrition ideas and trends, because I am constantly researching and reading about those topics! I've been hearing about Tone It Up for a while now, and I was convinced early on that it's a great lifestyle plan. I say lifestyle instead of "diet" because Tone It Up trainers Katrina and Karena show you how to live a healthy, wholesome life...not just how to lose X amount of weight. Most people can't stick to diets, because they are typically so restrictive. What I like about Tone It Up is that it teaches you how and most importantly, why, to eat whole foods that fuel your body and help you achieve your healthiest life. It reminds me of the quote "Eat to live, not live to eat". This plan helps you understand what foods to consume in order to have plenty of energy, radiant skin, and an overall "healthy" feeling. It also incorporates a fitness plan that helps your body tone up and reduce body fat while gaining lean muscle tissue.  We all know that muscle burns substantially more calories than the same amount of fat does, so replacing excess body fat with lean muscle is very helpful at maintaining a healthy metabolism.

It took me awhile, but I finally decided to purchase the Tone It Up plan. While the initial cost might seem a bit pricey, once you purchase the plan, you get access to any update that Katrina and Karena introduce...and they release new additions often! When I purchased the plan a few days ago (it's now 129 pages!), I also got four extra mini-plans, including a Workout plan, Beach Babe Summer plan and a holiday plan with fabulous healthy holiday recipes. Any updates or additions to the plan are included for life, so I never have to purchase any additional info from Tone It Up! It's completely worth the cost, in my opinion.

As soon as I got my plan (you get a digital copy of the plan, for immediate download!), I started reading through it and planning out my meals and workouts. I love having structure, and since I've been working full-time, I haven't devoted time to making a structured eating and fitness plan (I used to have plenty of time for this when I was in college....sigh). Joining the Tone It Up team means that I can re-introduce a structured routine into my life, which I know is going to be fabulous. Not only do I want to get healthier and more toned for summer, but my wedding is coming up in 6 months(!) so I want to look and feel my best. :)

I started the plan a bit casually yesterday, because I was still reading the plan (129+ pages is a lot to take in!) and I needed to start planning meals and workouts. After work, I took my grocery list to Trader Joes and walked out with plenty of fresh, healthy foods to kick off the beginning of my Tone It Up plan!

Day One - not following the plan "perfectly" but closely :)

• Breakfast - whole grain cereal, soy milk, blueberries, coffee
• Snack #1 - lowfat cottage cheese, strawberries
• Lunch - lowfat cottage cheese, banana
• Snack #2 - Luna Protein bar
• Dinner - Salad with grilled chicken, tomatoes, mushrooms, flaxseeds, balsamic, hummus
• Snack #3 - nonfat greek yogurt, blueberries
  

Day Two - first day following it exactly - I'm doing the "7 Day Slimdown" to jumpstart the plan so it's a bit more strict than the rest of the plan!

• Bombshell Spell - metabolism booster/energizer drink
• Breakfast - Slimdown Protein Pancake
• Snack #1 - Apple Pie Larabar
• Lunch - Kale salad with green veggies and tofu
• Snack #2 - Broccoli and hummus
• Dinner - Grilled chicken and green salad with flax seeds

The main takeaways when following the Tone It Up plan is just to eat cleanly...consume whole foods...avoid processed foods...avoid fake sugars (use Stevia instead!)...watch your portion sizes...don't be afraid to eat fruit (some "diets" shun fruit because it has sugar)...etc. Its very simple and straightforward, no crazy diet antics involved! I already have more energy and feel more alert...and this is my second day of following the plan. If you are looking for a way to revamp your health & well-being - I'd recommend giving Tone It Up a try. I promise you won't regret it! :)

{End of an Era}

Now, you might call me crazy for writing a post about a TV show. However, I have always thought of One Tree Hill as more than just a show on television. Since the beginning of the show in 2003, viewers have had the chance to grow up with the characters and the storyline. Many OTH fans have been able to relate to the circumstances that were featured in the show. I know I have. Who knew that a teen television drama could grow into a story about young adults navigating through "real life" situations that would be able to make an impression on a wide range of viewers? I certainly didn't when I first began watching the show. I was a young teen at the time, so of course I appreciated the high school drama that many of the early episodes highlighted. However, it didn't take long for this little TV drama to turn into something big, something that was meaningful and very relatable. 

There were rivalries between teams, between siblings, between families. There were situations involving "mature" topics, including drugs, alcohol, medical conditions and relationships of all types. And of course, there were still the dramatic high school situations that viewers had come to expect of OTH. I think one of the main aspects that drew viewers in was the "reality" of the situations presented every week in each new episode. I felt like I've grown up with the show, especially after the fourth season when the show skipped ahead to post-college life. I never knew that a TV show could make an impression on me...I don't even really watch much TV to begin with. OTH was just different, and because of the great storylines, appealed to me enough to make me a permanent fan of the show. 

Here are a few of my favorite things about OTH...in no particular order:

• "Always & Forever" - Call me sappy, but this saying kind of "stuck" with my fiance and I after hearing it a few times on the show.
• Cheerleading - As a former high school/all star cheerleader, I loved the first four seasons of OTH, which featured quite a few episodes revolving around Ravens' cheerleading.
• Weddings - Obviously I love weddings, especially now. :) But really, what girl doesn't love watching sweet, romantic weddings and celebrations on TV and daydreaming about her own? 
• Wilmington or "Tree Hill", NC - One of my favorite places in the real world to visit. One day I'd love to live in Wilmington. 
• Relationships - I could relate to most of the female characters' relationships at any given point during the show. I feel like I've experienced many of those relationship situations at some point while growing up from high school until now. 
• Family - Admittedly, there were some screwed up family situations on OTH...but there were also touching moments that the show portrayed about family that you couldn't help but smile about...and you probably could relate to it as well.
• The MUSIC - Probably one of my absolute favorite parts of OTH was the use of music to really pull the story together. After all, the show was named after a song and every episode was titled after a song. The show also used music to really draw on your emotions during critical scenes of the show. I love music so much and find that I associate songs with moments in my life...so naturally, I totally GET the use of music throughout every episode. 
• Inspiration - After watching the show from Day One until now, I've realized how inspiring the show was and how much of an impression it made on my life. It may sound silly, but Mark Schwahn (the creator of the show) really showed the characters pursuing goals in their lives. What I loved was that while he showed the characters' lives going right, he also showed their lives going wrong at times. A lot of movies and TV shows seem so fake because they all seem to have a "happy ending" but if you watched OTH over the years, you'd see that not everyone gets that happy ending. Some of the characters faced serious struggles, some of which they were able to overcome and some they weren't. 

Truthfully, I could probably keeping listing things I love about OTH, but I'll spare you all of those. :) I just felt compelled to write something about the show, since tonight is the series finale and it's so crazy to think that at 10pm tonight, there will be no more new episodes to watch every week. I think the biggest impact it has on me is that I feel OLD! After watching 9 seasons (9 years!) of OTH, it makes me wonder where that amount of time has gone. It slipped by so quickly - I remember sitting there in 9th grade watching the Pilot episode and thinking about how easy it was to relate to the show and here I am 9 years later, a college graduate and working full-time, planning my wedding....and still able to relate to the heartfelt show that blossomed out of a silly teen drama. 

If you're a One Tree Hill fan, you probably already know when the series finale airs this evening. If you aren't a dedicated OTH viewer but feel compelled to watch after reading this, the finale airs tonight at 8pm EST on The CW. Enjoy!