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blush pink roses: comming

creamy hydrangea:

Ranunculus:

My bouquet and the centerpieces will have all these flowers.

My bridesmaid’s bouquets will be made up of blush pink roses and hydrangeas.

Groom and groomsmen, fathers and grandparents will get rose boutonniere,

My mother and soon to be mother-in-law will carry a few long stem white roses tied with ribbon.

Here are some of my eats today:

Breakfast was “fight the hangover oats”:

In the mix 1/2 packet instant Irish oats, 1/2 banana, 1 tbsp pumpkin pure, 1 tsp plain yogurt, handful of raisins and water. I also had two cups of coffee.

Later on  I had a few bites of P-O double’s pizza, and a an apple with some peanut butter mixed with cinnamon and raisins.

For dinner I got a Greek salad take out. It wasn’t very pretty so I didn’t take any pictures.

Now its Jersey Shore Time!

~ Nicole

Last night I met up with some of my good friends from high school. We went to Figz on Charles Street in Boston.

Figz has a stylish upscale feel to it. The space is very cramped and every one is on top of each other. If I was on a date with my fiance this would have really bothered me, but since it was a casual evening of catching up with good friends, I didn’t mind. My friends started off with the mussels which smelled great, and got good reviews. For the main course we split a pizza, ½ bianco and ½ fried calamari. I had a slice of the bianco. I’m not a huge pizza person, so I am not the best judge of pizza, however this pizza was pretty good. It was a thin crust pizza loaded with arugula, and tomatoes sprinkled with oil and parmesan cheese. ( I didn’t take any pictures because I still feel awkward snapping pictures of food in public)

After dinner and two glasses of wine later, we headed to the Liberty Hotel for some cocktails.

This was my first time at the Liberty Hotel. I was very excited to check it out. A few years ago I watched a documentary about how they transformed the  Charles Street Jail into this magnificent hotel.

The atmosphere in the bar is great! Dark, trendy, spacious and unique. You would never know it was once a jail. (except for the illuminated cell bars that line the walls in the hall. ((I have bachelors in criminal justice, so I was particularly excited about the jail turned hotel!))

Ok, back to this whole lent thing, after 3 glasses of wine and a steady buzz later, here I am feeling awful. I never use to have such a negative reaction to wine, but in the past several years, even if I have just one glass, I wake up in the middle of the night chugging water like I have crossed the Sahara dessert. Even though my heat is pounding, and I feel awful, I become restless and can’t fall back asleep. So when I woke up at 5am after 4 hours of sleep, I decided no more alcohol until the end of lent. Well, except for April 9th. Our good friends are getting married, I can’t not drink at a wedding, I’m not that good!

But that’s it! No alcohol until the end of lent!

~Nicole

I love watching videos on YouTube. Who doesn’t? I love finding old commercials, and theme songs to my favorite classic TV shows. I love watching music videos, and “how to videos”. I love the random goodness that is YouTube.

Here are a few of my favorite right now:

If you like Jersey Shore, you will love Jersey Floor:

This video is amazing and adorable (watch at least until 2:25 in):

Here are some of the todays eats:

Breakfast: smoothie with spinach/ mixed berried/flaxseed/ blueberry muffin protein powder/ splash of OJ/ water

Snacks:  apple/ orange/ almonds

Lunch: leftover stir-fry salad

Happy Friday!

~Nicole

Sure I enjoy a nice long run now and then to clear my head, or enjoy a nice spring day, but during the winter months I do NOT run out side. Cold and snow are my nemesis.  In New England it seems winter lingers for 7 out of the 12 month a year. Winter and I just don’t get along. The cold gets deep in to my bone. I get achy, chills and sore. My circulation is poor so my feet because blocks of ice and every step is painful. What am I to do?

Long runs on the treadmill are not an option for me either. I get bored out of my mind!

And then I discovered High Intensity Interval Training, or more commonly refered to as HIIT.

Here are some sites  discussing the pros and cons of HIIT and give examples of different HIIT workouts.:

This form of training helps you burn fat while building muscle in the shortest amount of time possible.

20 minutes and your done.

High intensity intervals consist of a very intense interval, followed by a lower intensity interval. This cycle is typically repeated for 10-20 minutes.

HIIT can be done outside or inside the gym, on the treadmill, elliptical, step-mill or bike.  

Here is one of my favorite HIIT workouts:

On the treadmill:

Warm up 2

sprint all out 20 sec.

recover at a slow pace 40 sec.

repeat for 15 min

cool down for 2 min

Here is a little time lineup of what I have done and vendors I am using  (for anyone in th Boston area):

Day after engagement: started working on the guest list (which currently consists of 194 of our dearest friends and family)

Month 12-9:

Choose a Reception Site: Oceanview

We looked at about 6 places, but when we walked into Oceanview, we all looked at each other (P-O double, my parents, and me) and could tell this was it! The space has a laid back feel, kind of old fashion, with dark wood beams. What sold me, is the view and deck. The back wall of the room over looks the ocean, and it has a nice deck that lines the entire room! It’s exactly what I’ve always wanted!

Choose Ceremony Site: Bailey’ Gazebo

Neither P-O double or I are very religious, so after leaving several messages with my church and never recieved a call back, we decide the Gazebo is perfect for use. Is sits right next to Oceanview so it has beautiful views of the water, and will be convinent guest.  Now let’s just hope for sunny weather!

note: the trash barrels pictured will not be guest at the ceremony. Maybe some pretty flowers in their place?

Bought my Dress:  

I went to several places and tied on about 100 dresses, yet I ended up coming back to the third dress I tried on. It’s from David’s Bridal, and that’s all I’m gonna say about that, in case a certain someone decides to take interest in the bloggie.

Booked a Photographer: Erin Chapman Photography

There are so many photographers out there, its hard to find the one that is right for you. I spent weeks and weeks looking at photographer’s websites, weight pros and cons, and again, picked the one I liked the best in the first place. My mother had initially talked me out of meeting with her because she was a good hour away. Somehow I talked her and P-O Double into taking the trip with me. We were all impressed. She is very down to earth, easy to talk to and extremely talented. She is also an artist, which to me is important because it shows how creative she is.

Booked a DJ: NuImage

These guys are the best of the best. At least that’s what all the reviews, everyone I talk to and their brother say. Their prices say it too. The DJ and photographer are two things I think worth spending the extra money on. Photographer because you will have the pictures forever, you want them to be great, and the DJ because you want the BEST PARTY EVER!

Book a hotel for guests: Check

 Reserve a limo: Check

Month 8-6

Choose Bridesmaid Dresses: David’s Bridal Dresses

I Decided on David’s Bridal Dresses, it was easier because they have all my info in the system and will call me an update on when the dresses come in. They are also affiliated with Men’s Wear house so when I order the Tuxes, the tie and vest colors are the same as the dress. The color is golden and I am obsessed with it, I want to be my own bridesmaid. Note: the dress also has pockets to put little treats if you get hungry during the ceremony. (my dress has pockets too!)

Booked a Florist: Lomas Flowers

Take engagement photos with photographer: Check

Booked our honeymoon: Majestic Elegance, Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

Please can we go now?!?!

Months 5-3

Send out Save the Dates: Check

Register for gifts: Crate and Barrel, Macy’s, Bed Bath and Beyond

Choose Invitations: Check

Taste wedding cake flavors: D’Amici’s Bakery

Best night of my life! We tasted about 12 flavored. I loved them all, but we decided to go with chocolate chocolate moose and Vanilla French Cream. I’m obsessed!

Choose wedding bands: DeScenza Diamond

My engagement ring and band are a matching set. I am obsessed with them. P-O double is using his grandfathers ring which his mother gave him a few months before we became engaged. He is super excited about it. It is engraved with his grandparents wedding date 1954, we are getting our wedding date engraved opposite it!

Purchased Shoes: DSW

Buy cloths for the honeymoon: Began this process with a bathing suite binge at Target.

Month 2-day:

Choose hair style/stylist and makeup:

Assemble wedding favors:

Get dress fitted:

Rehearsal Dinner:

Get Nails done: Has anyone ever done gel nail polish?

Get a good night sleep

Wedding day!

One of my favorite simple but delicious meals!

I have a bunch of veggies that are about to go bad so I sautéed them up to make this  yummy din-din.

In the mix:

Carrots, Broccoli, onion, red cabbage, one can of chop suey, 1/2 bag of frozen, Asian style veggies

2 servings of brown rice

It’s simple:

*chop up the fresh veggies, start stir-frying in wok or pan sprayed with cooking spray

*once the veggies start to soften, add in the canned veggies

*after thawing frozen veggies in the microwave, add them to the mix

Do all this while the rice is cooking in a separate pot.

* Meanwhile, mix one teaspoon corn starch, 1/2 teaspoon sugar and 5 teaspoons soy sauce and set aside

Once all the veggies are soft, add in the soy sauce mixture

and voila:

Easy stir-fry din!

~Nicole

My current program seems to be the most successful! I don’t feel deprived or overwhelmed.  I am excited to follow the plan, and that is probably one of the most important factors to sticking with something.

Here is the plan:

Every Sunday I map out what I plan to eat, and workouts for each day. Having a set plan helps me stick with it and I know what to expect. It’s all in the mental preparation! Visualize the goal, visualize the goal!

I have learned that in order to change my body it’s about 70% what I eat, 20% what I do, and about 10% genetics. Knowing this, I have focused more on what I put into my mouth. I have always eaten relatively healthy (no fried food or meat), but now I focus on eating 5-6 small meals a day, and getting a wide variety of foods in my diet. Ideally at each meal, trying to get 40% carbs 40% protein, and 20% healthy fats.

Daily eats example:

Breakfast ½ cup oats in water or almond milk, ½ scoop protein powder, ½ mashed banana, cinnamon

Snake: apple

Lunch: Salad with nutritional yeast, almonds, olives, lemon juice

Snack: protein shake or yogurt or fruit

Dinner: Pita pizza or stir-fry or veggie burgers

Snack: frozen fruit with cottage cheese, cinnamon

I don’t seem to get hungry  eating 5-6 small meals a day and I’ve heard eating like this lowers belly fat! ( Score!)

For my workouts, I am doing 3 days of cardio, 3 days of weight training, 1 active rest day

My cardio days consist of a warm up, 10-20 min of HIIT and a cool down

My weight training days change with every work out. Doing the same thing over and over will not get you results! Incorporating new moves at different speeds and intensities will really get your muscles confused and working.

So far so good with this new plan!

Today is a cardio day! Here is what I did:

Time                Level

0-3                    4

3-5                    5

5-7                    7

7-7:30                9

7:00-10               6

10-12                 5

12-14                7

14-15:30            9

15:30-18            6

18-20                5

20-22                7

22-23:30            9

23:30-26            6

26-30                4

(from the Fitnessista)

20 min easy walk on the treadmill, incline 3%

Stretch

~Nicole

I have never bought bathing suites at Target before, but one of my friends told me they have really cute ones this year and at great prices. She was sooo on right! I filled a shopping cart with suites to try on, they were all so adorable. (It was like going to the pest store and having to pick out your favorite puppy, they are all perfect!)

What I love about the Target bathing suites, is that each piece is sold separately.  Genius! I don’t know how many times I have tried on a bathing suite set only to have the  bottoms fit and the top didn’t, or vice versa. At only 14.99 each piece (no I don’t work for them), I bought six! How could I resist! I literally danced to the cash register with proof that the bright days of summer are right around the corner!

Here’s what I bought:

Hurry up summer!

I miss you,

~Nicole

I’m back at it again!! I really want to be consistent with the bloggie and am really, really going to try this time!

So what has happened since my last post. Hummm, lets see… oh yeah I’M GETTING MARRIED!

In four months, June 23 to be exact, I will be a married woman!

Yup, the P-O double (his new blog nick name, you like)  and I got engaged over the summer and I have been thinking about/planning/obsessing over the upcoming day ever since.

I have been reading a lot of blogs lately and have learned a tone of stuff. From Meals & Moves, I learned about the Body for Life program, from the Fitnessista I discovered Bodyrock.tv and from Bodybuilding.com I have found some great workout/ nutrition tips.

The Fitnessita has a great ’09 summer shape up plan that I have been following for 2 weeks. Now that I have looked into Body for life, and Bodybuilding.com, I am going to use all three of these resources and created a personalized workout plan.

What works for me is mapping workouts on a weekly basis.

Hope this works! I’ll be back with more health logs and wedding info!

~Nicole