Confessions Part I
Well, hello there! How was your weekend?
I am feeling so grateful for all of the sweet messages y’all left me in the comments on Friday. Every single one made me smile so thank you!
As I’ve said before, I’m not usually a fan of 99% of the pictures that are taken of me, so I’d say the fact that I liked almost half of 65 different shots was a success.
Things have been a little crazy for us lately and Brandon had to work seven days this week, so unfortunately we didn’t get a chance to get out and do anything blog-worthy this weekend. I do, however, have a lot on my mind so I decided to switch things up with a confession-style post like I’ve seen floating around a few other blogs:
1. I haven’t exercised at all since I ran my 10k. I did a little yoga the day after the race and of course, we still walk Coco every day but outside of that I have been slacking, big time.
2. I hate running in the dark. Now that the sun is starting to set earlier, it is dark by the time I get a chance to put on my running shoes and it’s making me not want to go at all. It’s scary! :(
I know, I’m the biggest baby ever. I’m probably going to renew my gym membership so that I can get back into my beloved Body Attack a few days a week and run on the good ‘ol treadmill. Body Pump was usually the class I struggled to get to on time but now that I have the DVD, I can do that at home so I think it will work out perfect.
3. Actually, if trying on wedding dresses counts as exercise than I take the first one back because I’ve been a wedding-dress-shopping-fool for the past three days. I went to two different boutiques right after work on Thursday and Friday, and then drove an hour to two more shops on Saturday. When I close my eyes, all I can see are fields of white, fluffy dresses with lace.
I’m pretty sure I’ve narrowed it down to two different options. The first one instantly gave me that aaawwww feeling when I tried it on but it’s expensive (of course) and it requires quite a few alterations to be made exactly how I want it.
The second one is pretty much exactly what I’ve been looking for but I feel like the lack of construction to the dress doesn’t do anything to help flatter my figure. That said, it is cheaper than the first and would only require the standard alterations. Sigh…decisions, decisions.
4. Wedding planning is over-taking my brain. I have five and a half months left to accomplish everything so all of my free time has been spent researching dresses and photographers and looking for deals on plane tickets and hotels. I’m having fun with the planning process but I honestly can’t wait to have all of the big decisions settled so that I can relax and get back to my normal routine again.
5. I’ve been struggling to keep up with blogging. I don’t have time to take pictures of the cooking process anymore and trying to develop a new recipe with the one brain cell I have left is really starting to feel like a chore. I’m trying my best to keep up with two recipes a week but until I get my groove back (er, finish wedding planning), I’ve decided to try a few new recipes from other blogs to share with you.
Unfortunately, these are meals I made during the week which means it was dark by the time I got around to cooking them so please excuse my bad photography. I recommend clicking the link to the source to see a much better and more accurate representation.
Warm Balsamic Kale Salad from Pinch of Yum
Brandon and I both loved this salad. I served it over a little bit of barley that I had left over from my Lentil Barley Stew and it was so filling, I couldn’t even finish my plate. I prepped the kale ahead of time and it made for a quick, easy and delicious meal.
Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bundt Bread from Marin Mama Cooks
Soft pumpkin flavored cake with gooey chocolate chips? Really, do I need to say more? I didn’t have a bundt cake pan but it worked just fine in a regular cake pan and took 45 minutes to cook instead of 55. I also used a mix of whole wheat flour and all purpose and it still came out perfectly moist.
Broccoli Lemon Pasta from Marin Mama Cooks
I promise there is pasta underneath all of that parmesan cheese.
Yet another recipe from Marin Mama. I have been stalking her blog recently and everything looks amazing. I’m actually a little jealous of her adorable family that gets to eat all of that delicious food!
I found the recipe for this easy pasta on her site and it made for another perfect, quick and tasty weeknight meal. I used gluten-free pasta and added cannelini beans for some extra protein and we enjoyed it for dinner and then again for lunch the next day.
Okay, I’m going to try and spend the evening relaxing with some Real Housewives while Brandon is away at work. Although, it’ll probably just serve as background noise while I’m on the computer; you know how that goes, right?
Are you afraid of running in the dark?
Have you tried any good recipes from other blogs lately?
I hate running in the dark, too! My mind runs wild with all of the bad things that could happen in the dark and I get more worked up than a good work out.
My advice for wedding planning and blogging balance – go easy on yourself with the blogging. You will only get to plan a wedding once in your life so enjoy it!
Girl, wedding planning does take a toll on the ol’ brain. I feel ya! At least you’re still cooking… I remember lots of takeout during those days ;) And I am TERRIFIED of running in the dark. Bad guys, tripping, getting lost… Just not my thing!
Cannot blame you for not wanting to run in the dark – I won’t do it either! The gym is definitely my friend in the winter.
I tried on at least 50 dresses when I was looking. It got to the point that I knew just by looking at a dress [that was similar to 10 others I tried on] that it wouldn’t look good on me. The day I was set to go buy the ‘one’ the store called me to tell me they no longer had the sample of it in their store. I couldn’t try it on again and I was devastated! Luckily I went into the store thinking it wasn’t there for a reason.. and I found the perfect dress! I had to make a few alterations to it (corset back instead of button) but I couldn’t be happier! Just go with your gut and for me, I knew it was the one because when I looked at myself in the mirror.. I saw a bride, for the first time.
Wow, that’s quite a story! A roller coaster of emotions, I’m sure. I can’t wait to see what you chose!! :)
I remember wedding dress shopping! It’s a lot of fun, but a lot of work and overwhelming. There’s too many choices out there! Nope, I don’t run in the dark – too afraid of what could happen!
I don’t like running in the dark either! You can totally blog about your wedding planning if you’re lacking recipes. I’ll live vicariously through you since my wedding was 2 1/2 years ago ;-) I totally feel you on the crazy busy front, so most of my work-week meals will probably consist of Trader Joe’s stuff that I can just stir around in a pan!
Awwr girl definitely don’t feel bad about not being able to keep up with blogging! Your wedding only happens once, so you should be putting as much time into it as you need! The blog world will always be here :)
And I’m with you on running in the dark — I tried to do it a couple times, and not only is it scary, but the cold doesn’t do much for me either.
Your wedding is going to come up so fast! Happy to hear you may have narrowed down your dress options–so exciting!!! Cant wait to see “the one”!!
Yes, I am afraid of running in the dark. Well, by myself that is. If I was in a group, it might be fun.
I like confession type posts; hope you don’t feel too pressured to keep up the recipe posts.
Excited to hear more about the planning!!
Making that pumpkin cake Friday for a dinner party with friends :)
I enjoyed reading your confessions! Good luck with your wedding plans… must be though and fun at the same time!
Life can get crazy sometimes. It’s important to remember to use the blog to capture your life and not to live for the blog. I can get way too wrapped up in the blog i.e. cooking, photographing, writing and lose sight of the amazing life I have right in front of me. Plus you have a wedding to plan and I would happily trade places with you if that would ease the stress ;)
And don’t worry about the workouts…walking totally counts! Sometimes we just gotta cut ourselves some slack. Hope things calm down for you soon lovely xx
You couldn’t have said it more perfectly, Davida.
I think we are so similar in the way we treat our passion for blogging. You’re right though, as much as we love it, we can’t let it overtake our life. You’re so full of wisdom. :)
Yep, I’m scared of running in the dark. Plus, with the shorter daylight hours, I just feel like sleeping more. Treadmill running is the worst, hey? I renewed my gym membership a few wks ago, and so far, all I can bear is walking on it with a magazine.
Bodypump!!! yes!!!
Hey girl! First off that picture of you and Brandon is gorgeous. You look flawless girl! I love black and white photographs!
Ok, please don’t feel pressured to post 2 recipes a week girl, remember this is a blog, and it’s your blog, and you don’t have to conform to a set schedule. Blog when you have time and when it works and feels good to you. I only get out 2 posts a week, (sometimes barley that) and that’s just what works for me and has worked for me for the past 2 years. Savor this wedding planning time and enjoy it because it goes so fast. The blog can wait or just be that place to vent or jot down your feelings, remember this is your outlet, so you get to dictate what you want.
I’m so happy you’re enjoying recipes from my blog :) I just updated the pumpkin bundt bread recipe with 2 alterations. I added coconut oil and applesauce to the last batch and it was great. I need to try it with whole-wheat flour next. My kids prefer it the traditional way (with veggie oil) so if I make it too healthy, they might ban the bread :)
I love the addition of cannelini beans to the broccoli lemon pasta. I may have to try that next time. I’m even thinking that garbanzo beans would be tasty. Yum :)
Have a great week and just know that the sun will be rising earlier in about a week when we turn the clocks back. That will make getting up so much easier, at least for a few weeks. Have a great week! xoxo, Jackie
Thank you, Jackie. I am still learning what works best for me but two days a week sounds like a perfect balance. Especially when you have so much to keep up with outside of the blog.
As much I hate losing an hour, I am looking forward to it being sunny in the morning. Thanks for the positivity! :)
I refuse to run in the dark – it completely terrifies me. All I can think about are the bad things that could happen. Needless to saying I haven’t been running a lot lately – mostly on the weekends when it’s light out in the morning. Have fun with the dress shopping and all the wedding planning!
I’m not a fan of running in the dark either. It’s not so bad if you have a running buddy, but I don’t usually so I tend to opt for the treadmill. I tend to get stuck in ruts after I do races. It’s nice to give the body rest, but I always need to find a new goal in order to get me up and going again.
I hate running in the dark too :(( It just doesn’t feel as great and it’s quite scary! Plus I’m super clumsy and I tend to stumble and fall oooops. The gym sounds nice though. I wish I had the time to join one. Better yet, I wish I liked the one in my town, the one here is terrible haha.
Gorgeous dress, lady! If I were you, I’d have a rough time trying to decide which one to wear on the wedding day. I’m sure they’re all beautiful!
And that food looks amazing! I’ve been trying lots of recipes from my favorite blogs these days and I’ve liked it so much! Did I tell you that I tried your lentil + barley soup?? It was awesome!
Happy Monday!
No, you didn’t tell me! I am so glad you liked it, thank you for giving it a try! :)
I can imagine it’s total craziness with wedding planning on such a short timeline! At least you’re actually getting it done; I have a habit of procrastinating things like that and just leaving them looming until I’m really terrified to try to get them done. Not the best! Your meals this week look delicious – definitely going to try that balsamic kale salad.
Wedding dress shopping totally counts as exercise! That’s a lot of work getting in and out of those dresses plus walking around in them…they are heavy! You are going to be such a beautiful bride!
Yay for wedding dress shopping! I hate that it’s so dark out to run too. I can’t really even walk my dogs until close to 7AM which stinks. Pretty soon it will be dark when I get home from work too. I’m thinking about getting a gym membership come winter as well. Enjoy the rest of your wedding planning! :)
I am so afraid of running in the dark! I usually have to run in the early mornings and it doesn’t get light until 7:30 here. I can’t wait for daylight savings next weekend!!
Oh I loved planning my wedding and shopping for a wedding dress was the best part! How fun!!! Enjoy every minute of it! I hate running in the dark too. Actually right now I am working out in the morning and when I get up it is completely dark out (the only reason I know it is not the middle of the night is because my alarm went off). It’s terrible!
Your photos came out great!! And yay for wedding dress shopping!! AHHH such a fun time!!
I can definitely understand not wanting to run in the dark. Sometimes early in the morning is dark here and I don’t want to run outside because of it either. I’d go the expensive wedding dress option, I know it is more money but it sounds like you really want that one and it fits you better.
You know me I always try new recipes from other blogs for Trial Tuesdays! Lately I’ve been doing lots of new breakfasts since I’ve been doing the breakfast challenge but always on the look out for more recipes in general and these ones look delicious :)
I’m with you, I’m afraid to run in the dark and it has created a big problem for me since I usually go for a run in the morning before work. The picture of the wedding dress reminds me so much of my own. :) Dress shopping is so special. Enjoy every moment
I too have a fear of running in the dark. I live in a safe neighborhood but I still don’t like it. I also don’t like running when it’s really cold because I really have a hard time breathing. I feel like late fall/early winter is a good time to try new things, and I’ve been devoting more of my time to Pure Barre than running the last few months. Although I just set a goal to run a half next year!
I would not go running in the dark, and honestly I think my mom and boyfriend are probably happier that I don’t. Scary things can happen when it’s dark and your not able to see what’s going on around you! Good luck with all the wedding planning, i’m sure you will look beautiful in whatever dress you choose!
Your posts have still been great, struggling or not! I wouldn’t even have known :)
Ah wedding dress shopping sounds like so much fun! I think you’ve mentioned it before, but did you have an actual dress/designer you knew you wanted, or did you just have a general idea of the silhouette you liked?
I fell in love with a gown by Monique Lhuillier but that was wwaaaayyy out of my price range so I tried to look for something similar. In the end, I searched for a very specific style so it really helped narrow down my options. I think having a gown custom made would be amazing but I didn’t have enough time to look into it.
I don’t know how my sister did it, but she seemed to plan her wedding without a hitch and it turned out beautifully!!! My sister is a crazy A-Type personality, and she doesn’t work (or didn’t work) full time at the time of her planning so I think that helped a lot. I give you a lot of credit! I remember when my sister and I first got engaged, we quickly went dress shopping just to see what was out there and what do you know, she bought a dress right then and there! ha!! I actually remember seeing and showing it to her in a catalog a few weeks prior, so I give MYSELF credit for that! LOL!!!!
My point is – everything will work out in the end, no questions asked :)