On Health

The Big Picture:

     Everyone wants to be healthy. Ok, I prefer to stay away from absolutes... Most people want to be healthy. Being healthy, body and mind (that will be the topic next time), is important as an individual. So many people, and often brides want to loose weight, gain weight, look a certain way, for no reason other than asthetics, and maybe the misconstrewed notion that that is what happyness looks like. A weight, a particular look, is an unachevable goal. You are you, you will always be some variant of you. Being your best you, healthiest you, now that is a goal worth striving for.

     As a couple you now have someone else with an interest in your health and whos health you care about. As a commited life partner... Shoot gets real. Together, forever, in sickness, in health, good, bad, ugly! Life can be hard enough when everything is going just fine. Living a healthy lifestyle is like saying to your partner "I'm putting effort in to making our life the best it can be for as long as possible." Having someone say that to you... is amazing. 

My Picture:

     I'm in my last year of university and it is amazing how much my body has changed. The change hasn't been fast by any-means: fist flexibility, then cardio (which has never been my strong suit), and recently my strength, one by one they have all dwindled. The lack of strength is what finally shocked me into action. I've always been strong for my size, not she-hulk, but enough that it was my  secret wepon.  Over the last six years I have consistantly exersized my brain and slowly neglected my body. I'm blessed to have a figure that distributes fat evenly, and honestly I have no problem being curvy; I could nevery be a skinny person, I have to large of muscles. My dessire to change my physique is simply because I am not able to do things I once could. I'm not my best self. I want to start my marrage as healthy as I can.

     I think it is important to note that I love my body, it does so much for me. I also don't have any real issue with the way I look.  Sure I do have goals I'd like to reach and things that will never change that aren't my favorite, but I am comfortable in my own skin.

     I plan on being more active and trying to bring more moderation into my diet to acheive this. I want to use this blog as a motivator for me to stick with my plans to get healthier. I hope to be an example of a real person making real changes in their life. 

That said, below are some pictures of what I look like now. I'm posting them mostly for me, so if fat shaming is your gag then don't even bother looking. I'll keep you posted on what I'm doing and how well I am or am not staying motivated. 

Please ignore the serious face I was looking for the flashes on the camera.

These photos are not for public or corperate use.

On DIY

The Big Picture:

You can't do it all.

My Picture:

     I'm trying... I still have six months to go, but I'm telling you it is just not possible to do everything.

To be fair I'm not actually trying to do it all... Just the Save The Dates', invitations, flowers, decorations, hair clips for the bridesmaids, and the meat. Already I see the writing on the wall... If I get the flowers all done it will be a miracle, I'm going to have to delegate some of the decorating, and as for the meat... I might just give up on the idea of home grilled anything. But that is ok because I'm loving every minute of it.

More of a Big Picture:

- DIY the things you actually like to spend time doing. I love paper crafts and design so I decided to do those things. 

- No matter how big or small your wedding is DIY takes time so plan accordingly.

- It's not always cheaper. If you have the supplies then it probably is, we are saving a bundle on invitations and save the dates' because we have all the paper products and cutters. But If you have to go out and buy supplies then that, plus your time, means you are probably not saving anything. This is the case for the hair clips I'm making my bridesmaids. I've spent enough on supplies that I could have easily ordered something from etsy, but that is ok because the whole point was that they are my gift to them and I wanted each to be custom and imbued with love. 

- If you can make it work, it is so rewarding to know that your hands made this special item.

- You don't have to go-it-alone, recruit help. I'm lucky enough to have friends that volunteered to give me a hand with the flowers; even if they only make one, that is one less that I have to make.

DIYing Right Now:

     What I'm working on at the minute with the DIY stuff is flowers and decorations. All the Save The Date work has been completed [hazah!]. If anyone is interested in a more detailed how to just let me know.

Our finished stack of hand designed and drawn, home printed, hand cut Save The Dates! 

[sooooo many!]

Beautiful flowers out of love poems.

Strings of paper cranes, each folded with love, and strung with only dollar store supplies [that for some reason cost $1.50?].

On This Blog

The Big  Picture:

     Everyone needs a place to gather their thoughts, process, and synthesize what they have learned in life. For me that place will be this blog. I have been engaged for over a year now and with a wedding in about six months (!!!) I have a lot to process. I have also, over the past year, come across some useful resources and come to some wonderful realizations; since I am the first of my close friends to get married I have no one to share these insights with, hence the blog as an outlet. While the main inspiration for this blog is wedding topics really it will be a grab bag of life topics that have come up in the wedding planning process.

My Picture:

     I'm a student in my last year of undergrad and therefor planning this wedding while in school with an international boarder between me and my venue, home, and fiancé. I've been with W, my fiancé, for more than eight years. I work on a farm in the summers, hence the blog name. I'm a huge nerd, specializing in marine biology. Also, I have terrible spelling and grammar, so please forgive the occasional missed edit.