It's getting pretty crowded...

     Today was Dr. MLK Day and by the glorious grace of God I did not have to work. Yay!

     The original goal for today was to 1. Paint the downstairs bathroom and 2. Pick up my wedding dress and veil. Only one of those got accomplished. Can you tell which one?

To say that I am getting excited would be a huge UNDERSTATEMENT. There are days where the realization of getting remarried hits me like a ton of bricks, and then there are days where it's just an idea far far in the future. Today, well it's real yo, fo sho real. ---sorry 'bout that--- With my dress and veil securely tucked away in an unnamed location, my focus has now turned to the schedule for the next 3.5 months.

Joe and I are leaving for Vegas bright (not so much bright as Indiana winter dark morning) and early Sunday morning to begin our wedding planning adventure! We are so happy to have the chance to not only go out to get married, but to go out for a mini get away for consultations.

Currently we have 4 appointments set...Planet Hollywood, Tropicana, Mandalay Bay, and MGM Grand. After hours and literally hours of sifting through the websites and wedding packages in Vegas hotels and chapels, we finally narrowed it down to 4. Actually, 3, but I re-added Mandalay Bay for sentimental reasons. (See, our first date was at a restaurant called Loon Lake. We were seated in front of this MASSIVE fish tank and as funny as this sounds, a white albino catfish hovered over Joe's head the entire night. If he shifted in his seat, so did the fish. It was a great ice breaker and we still laugh about it.) Mandalay has a package called the Shark Reef where our ceremony would actually be held in the aquarium.

I was at the waxing spa today (perk of being off of work!), telling my esthetician that we were eloping to Vegas to be married. She said "Oh that sounds so easy, I wish we would have done that." I had to laugh out loud. People who think eloping is easy, obviously have never done it before. Luckily, one of my friends married her husband in Fiji 9 months ago, and she has kept Joe and I on track of what to expect.

I am really getting on a tangent here with no certain ending point. I think where I am going is we have a lot to get accomplished in the next 3.5 months before I become Mrs. Stacy Byrd. Ooop there goes that realization feeling again...I am going to be a Mrs.!

Eeek, more to come!

The week from hell...

     Fifty years from now, I will look back on the week on January 14, 2014, and this is what I will see. A burning inferno of blazing fury. Now that this picture is in your head, maybe I should start from the beginning.

Let's begin with Saturday! I decided to take my physical well being into my own hands and join Cross Fit. Saturday was my first session with Nikki and Kevin, and luckily I had Kathy there with me to keep me motivated enough not to give up. After an hour of air squats, snatches, and push ups, my body was shattered. I spent the rest of the day hobbling around the house, making any excuse NOT to walk up the stairs.

Sunday - well, Sunday was excruciating. Countless Tylenol's, 3 smoldering hot baths, and a massage later, I could finally get comfortable enough to sleep. Sunday was spent in a haze of pain.

Monday-Wednesday - these three days went by in a blur. Emails, phone calls, and meetings filled these days. I was swimming in enough work for 3 people, and I loved every minute of it. Well, except having to stand and sit in various chairs. My quads were still stiff and painful.

Thursday - I feel like it took awhile to get here. Thursday was my 2nd session at Cross Fit. I actually surprised myself that I went. Normally, I can talk myself out of anything, but this is different. I can feel myself getting stronger with each passing day. Plus it helps when you flood your body with protein and water after a workout! So Thursday's WOD (Workout of the Day) saw Ring Ropes, 50M dashes, and yep, you guessed it, Squats! Again, I felt shattered, but it felt so good!

That bring me full circle to today.
FRIDAY!
TGIF

I have never been one to buy into the whole YAY, IT'S FRIDAY, thing. However, I think I now get it. I have never been so thankful to see the weekend than I am right now.  Between work and working out, this week seemed like it was never going to end. Today, I never managed to get my emailed below 200, I barely ate lunch, and I caved and ate half a donut. Yeah...a damn donut. All the work I am doing and I eat a donut! Oh well, I am sure Kevin will "squat" it out of me tomorrow.

For my first blog, this didn't go the way I had thought! I am sure tomorrow will be better. Maybe my next entry will even hit on what I actually wanted to say and not go off on a tangent about my hell week! Haha...have a beautiful weekend!