The Ring Box

As you may remember, when Adam proposed, he didn't use the ring box.  Well, rather, you may remember it being on the pickle ornament.  Shortly afterward, I remember asking Adam for the ring box.  I really wanted to take a picture of my ring sitting in the box, as I have yet to take a good picture of my ring (and I thought having the box might help).

Well, initially Adam said he would look for it.  Sounded very convincing.

Then awhile later, I asked him again.  At this point he told me that he had already given it to me.  Whaaa?

I proceeded to tell him that, no, he never gave me the ring box.  And what does he do? Starts criticizing jokingly about how I had lost the ring box and responsibility...yeah yeah yeah.  I just remember cracking up laughing saying, "seriously, where is the ring box?"

Adam was so convinced that he had already given it to me that I started to doubt myself.  Adam is stubborn.  He would not even consider that he had lost the box before giving it to me.  I even started to feel bad that I could have potentially lost the ring box, but I still had my reservations.

Well blog, over 4 months later, I found the ring box.  I was looking for my pair of my craft scissors.  You know the ones that cut funky designs.  I had just seen them recently and knew that they weren't too far away, so I started searching everywhere possible.  In the midst of my search, I found the ring box - in the drawer of the coffee table with the remotes.  In the very back corner.  We have two drawers in the coffee table.  One with a bunch of junk, scissors, tape, playing cards, etc.  The second one has...remotes.  Adam's extensive collection of remotes that serves me no purpose whatsoever.

So tell me, if Adam had given me the ring box, why would I have put it in the back corner of the remote drawer? EXACTLY.

I stop my scissor search momentarily and take out the ring box.  I open the lid from the outer cardboard box...and I see this.

Something tells me I would have remembered this.  Now, I'm not judging, well yes I am, but this wasn't exactly the ring box I would have pictured.  I mean, if it were 1993...maybe.

I was expecting a box more like this. You know, like you get from every jewelry store out there?

Source

So yes, here is my ring box.  I absolutely love it.  It just cracks me up each time I see it.  I just wonder what the jeweler was thinking as they were putting my beautiful, half-the-cost-of-our-home* diamond ring into a matchbook.

Without further ado, I now present you my ring in its official ring box.  My 7 megapixel camera doesn't quite do it justice, but at least it has been properly reunited with its box.

After finding the box the other evening, I mentioned it to Adam after he got home.  I told him where I had found it and his response was, "well why did you put it there?"  Hah.

So what do you think of the box?  I do run like 1-2 years behind when it comes to fashion, so am I failing to catch the vision?

*Adam and I own a 40-year-old mobile home.  I'm totally not bragging when I say my ring costs half the cost of our trailer. We find it rather amusing.  To give you perspective...my car cost over 3 times the price of our house...hah :)

Wedding Checklist - Part 1

There are only 4 more weeks of work!  With that being said, I have accomplished nothing wedding-like lately.  However, this post is dedicated to all the things that I am going to do this summer that I can keep you all filled in on. 

Adam got a full-time internship for this summer.  Normally, he would work a couple of days per week and then we could hang out the rest of the time.  Well, this summer is going to be quite different as I will be all by my lonesome Monday through Friday.  Now, I'm not so completely dependent on Adam that I don't have friends to go and hang out with, but this summer will be a little different in the fact that he will be gone every day (you know, like normal working people).

So, with all this extra time on my hands, I plan on getting my wedding wheels turning and getting some things checked off my list (while probably adding some more that I find on Pinterest also).

I have seen lots of posts about how people stay organized during the wedding-planning process.  I am very particular in the way that things are arranged, so using a template is kind of a difficult thing for me to do.  I have found a GoogleDocs spreadsheet that has helped me figure out our budget, but for our checklist, I am going with my standard of Evernote.

What I like about Evernote is that it syncs with other devices that use it, so you can take your lists, pictures, links, etc with you wherever you have internet access.  For me, not being a part of the smartphone generation, it is not as useful on the go, but I still really like it. If you're familiar with Evernote, I have a whole notebook reserved just for wedding stuff. 

So here is the summertime wedding checklist close-up:

You'll notice the first section is Feb-May.  You also notice that nothing is checked off.  Shame shame.  Although, I have been working on getting into shape (down 3 pounds), and I have been envisioning the wedding (extensively).  

Did anyone out there get insurance for their rings?  I have been putting it off, but where did you buy it from?  Any other suggestions for wedding things I should do with my time off that took longer than you expected?

Since I've Been Gone...

Dear Blog,
It's been awhile, but I am back.  I've been putting in 12-14 hour days these past few weeks with Prom. By the time I make the 40 minute drive back into town and force myself to go exercise, I have about a 30 minute gap to eat some dinner and take a shower before it is time for bed.  Needless to say, there wasn't a whole lot of time to blog, and really nothing to blog about other than Prom as it was the center of my life.

But Prom is over and I can resume our regularly scheduled broadcasting blogging.

But for today, some pictures from Prom.  I was really happy with how it turned out this year.  We had a TON of very large decorations to put together and they didn't fall over during the dance so I consider that a success.  We had the dance in the school, so we really try to transform it so that it doesn't even feel like it, and I think we did so effectively.

Entrance

The Prom 2012 columns we actually placed outside so they could take pictures.  

Worked out great in my opinion.

Main theme/decorations - Party in Pandora

I kind of decapitated some of the students in the picture, you know, to protect the rights of the innocent and all.  

Check out those trees yo...16 feet tall.

Waterfall with pond area.

This was hiding behind the arches. Spike plants light up also.

Close-up to arches, trees, mushrooms, etc.

What craftsmanship!

Ceiling that fiancé Adam set up.  

I love the ceiling this year as it kind of feels like a tree canopy.

The kids complained about too many lights last year so we just strung two strands into the ceiling this year.

Punch/Snacks and DJ tables with no punch, snacks or DJs.

The kids picked out all the music and we used Spotify (love love love) to play it.  I went ahead and bought Spotify Premium ($10/month) so that I could listen to it offline (aka in my car on my drive to work) to make sure it was all school appropriate.  

So there you have it!  Prom 2012 is officially over.  There were a couple of things that I didn't get photographed, but this is the first year that I have actually remembered to take pictures out of the last four, so I am quite pleased with myself.

Things that I didn't get photographed that I wish I had:

1.  The Flowers:  bright orange asiatic lilies...they looked awesome in contrast with the room.

2.  The DJ/punch table all set up.

3.  Balloons:  We blew up balloons with helium and put mini glow sticks in them.  They got tied onto the different theme items like the arches and trees.

4.  The Voting Table:  We had table at the end of the entrance/hallway that had the crowns, tiaras, sashes and voting ballots all set up.

5.  Everything with the lights off and all lit up.

Now, for today, we have clean-up to do.  I am giving the kids a little time to sleep in, but that will be the last item on my GIANT 6 page to-do list.

So what do you think?  This is completely not wedding-related, but it does prove that I have been doing something these past few weeks that I have been missing.  Do you remember what your Prom looked like (I don't!) or have any fond Prom memories?

My 'Get Your Butt in Shape' Post

For the last couple of months, I have been tinkering around with getting into better shape.  I'll exercise, but then Adam and I will go out to eat.  I'll buy fresh fruit and veggies but they're not washed or cut up, so it sits in the fridge for a week and ends up going bad.  

But it all ends/starts today.  As there are 8 weeks left in the school year, I feel like that is the perfect amount of time to lose these pesky 5 pounds that have been driving me crazy lately.  These guys have been hanging around since the beginning of the year, and their welcome is worn out. 

Now, some of you may be saying, "it's only 5 pounds Lindsy, why make such a big deal of this?"  Well, because I really love food.  And...I'm a perfectionist, swimsuit season is coming up, I want my clothes to fit better, I'd like to be at my ideal weight when I do some more wedding dress shopping, and I just want to feel at my healthiest.  So there.  

Here is Lindsy's Countdown-To-Summer Diet Plan. 

1.  Use MyFitness Pal to track food intake and also exercise.

2.  Exercise 

• 6 days per week for 30 minutes each.  Fridays are exempt, unless there is a conflict with another day.
• Go to the gym directly from work.  Do not go home and sit on the couch and tell yourself you'll go after dinner.
• Do strength training at least 2 days (either at the gym using machine weights or my kick-butt go-to video Self: Bikini Ready Fast). 
• For the other 4 days, cardio!  Elliptical, bicycling or running (aaaaaargh I hate running).

3.  Diet

• Net 1350 calories per day.  By subtracting exercise, I should be able to intake about 1600 calories.
• Dinner is my most unpredictable meal.  Whether its eating out or cooking whatever is around the house, my overages are always a result of my dinner meal.  So by keeping my breakfast and lunches pretty standard, it will help keep my dinner meal from throwing me off count.
• Breakfast:  Nature Valley Crunchy Granola Bars - 190 calories - I freaking love these granola bars because they keep me full almost all the way until lunch.  I might get a craving for something around 11, but I can eat these on the way to work at 7:00am and then have lunch 5 hours later without feeling starving.  I eat on the drive to work so it's a little safer than cereal, oatmeal or yogurt!
• Mid-morning snack (if needed) - I try not to snack in the morning if I'm not hungry.  My principal makes popcorn on Tuesdays and Thursdays so I'll have a bowl for around 100 calories.  I try to bring grapes or carrots with me to work as well.  I also have stashes of 100 calorie packs in my desk, but they don't really satisfy me.
• Lunch - As much as I hate it, I eat most of my lunches out of a frozen box.  It's a lot easier to control the calories and I don't have to worry about rushing in the morning to prepare my lunch.  I try to bring a couple days worth of fruits, veggies or no-sugar added applesauce with me to eat with my meal.  My back-up plan for lunches is PB&J, but they can come out around 300 calories and I feel fuller with a frozen meal.  Some of my favorite brands are:

• Michelina's is probably the least tasty of the group, but they are always on sale for $1.  Lean Cuisine and Smart Ones can range from $1.50 - $3.00, however I refuse to spend more than $2.50 on lunch.  Most of these meals range from 250-350 calories.  I try to stay around 300 so that I can have some fruit,  veggies or applesauce too.
• After-school snack (if needed) - I usually go work-out right after I leave work.  If I'm feeling hungry, I'll have a 100-calorie pack of something.  Doesn't really help with my hunger, but I think it makes me feel better!
• Dinner - By dinner time, I should have between 600-800 calories remaining.  
• I try to buy a lot of frozen veggies because they keep so well.  We'll have green beans or squash.  Squash is much more filling but also carries a lot more calories.  I try to avoid corn even though I love it.  I also avoid salad because it doesn't really fill me and I want to put lots of dressing on it.  I try to fill my plate up half-full with vegetables and eat them first so they fill me up the most with the least calories. In the summer we eat a lot of grape/cherry tomatoes and cucumbers with Fat-Free Italian dressing
• Meat - I like to stick to chicken, but I get really sick of it after dieting for awhile.  Sometimes I'll just make a tuna sandwich to switch it up.
• Fruits - same as lunch - grapes, unsweetened applesauce, bananas, strawberries with Truvia, cantaloupe when it doesn't carry Listeria.
• Skillet Meals - These are my go-to meals when dieting.  I LOVE Stouffer's Easy Express meals.  They only cost about $4 and feed me and Adam very well.  We often have leftovers too.  They don't have preservatives (which makes me feel a little better) and the vegetables are flash frozen so they come out super tasty.  A serving is typically half of a bag and can range from 200-400 calories and has a decent portion of meat too.

• Eating out - I really try to avoid eating out during dieting, but I really love to eat out. It is a chance for Adam and I to chat without the distractions of the TV and it also means that I don't have to cook.  While dieting, I honestly would rather go to a fast-food restaurant than a "sit-down" restaurant as Adam and I call them.  At a fast-food place, I'll typically just get some chicken nuggets and avoid the french fries.  A 10-piece of McDonald's nuggets has like 470 calories and is really filling for me.  The hard part is watching Adam eat his tasty tasty french fries.

•  Since I go to bed between 9-10pm, I try to stop eating by at least 7.  This gives my body time to digest everything before my metabolism hibernates for the evening.  I typically don't have evening snacks.

4.  Other tidbits to remind myself of:

• Don't get discouraged by a bad day.  Start again tomorrow.  Even if I feel like I've ruined a whole week's worth of work (say that five times fast), don't continue to overindulge.
• Weigh myself weekly, not daily.  I carry tons of bloated weight during the majority of the week so I weigh myself on Saturday mornings.  
• Make Adam support my decisions by letting him know how important it is to me.  Ask him to remind me of my goals when I want to stray because I'm starving, exhausted or just plain lazy.  
• Enjoy the successes! Celebrate the pounds lost and increase the desire to lose more because you're doing it right.  Reward myself even (mini-Blizzard anyone?).
• Remember that the little stuff adds up - It's better to have a turkey sandwich for 300 calories than 3-100 calories packs.  You'll get lots more protein and feel much more full than some measly snacks.  If you're hungry, eat.  If you starve/deny yourself of your basic needs you will be more likely to binge and are setting your body up for starvation mode where it stores the food rather than burns it.

Well, I think that's it!  If anyone out there has any special tricks that they use, I would love to hear from you!  This post ended up being a LOT longer than I had intended, but it is serving as a guideline for me and I hope it helps someone else out there too!  I'll have to keep you updated on my progress and see just how much of my expertise I put into practice.