Motivation

When it comes to losing weight, sometimes the hardest part is staying motivated. Everyone keeps telling me, "you have the greatest motivation of all-your wedding!", but the truth is, it's not always enough. There are some times where I just don't feel motivated at all, and it's so hard to tell myself that it'll be worth it in the end.

I'm pleased with myself that since January, I've lost nearly 13 pounds and an inch off my waist. I've started running 4+ miles at a time, I'm losing my love handles, I have muscle definition in my arms and my stomach is significantly flatter. Also, I wore my little sister's size 3 jeans yesterday and I don't think I looked half bad, thank you very much. (Until my dad told me they won't fit her anymore because I'm stretching them out. Thanks, Dad.)

Everywhere I go, there are so many things to discourage me from my goals. Birthdays, friends wanting to go out to eat, my parents who don't know the definition of healthy food, etc. It's such a struggle every single day to say no to a cupcake or a glass of wine (oh man, I miss wine). How can I stay motivated for another 3 months?!?

Luckily, I have amazing friends to help me along the way. Whether it's Sara inviting me over for Jillian Michaels murder videos, Liz going with me to the gym, Jenny slapping food out of my hands telling me I don't want to eat that {insert unhealthy food here} or Trisha's constant reminders that I'm doing well and I'm going to look hot in my wedding dress, I have plenty of help. So, thank you to my friends for all your help and encouragement. I've got 97 days to go and I plan on working hard and making myself and all of you proud!

In other news, Mark and I are celebrating 2 years together tomorrow! He moved into our first place together on Friday and I'll be there in 11 days to visit and help out. I've started preparing our wedding invitations, AND I'm super excited for my bridal shower in just a few weeks. This wedding is coming up quickly and I can't wait! We're ready!

Catch Up...Ketchup...Catsup

All my friends have been so kind as to give me reading material lately and I've been slacking! Time to play a game of catch up...

The passing of Mark's dad still has me in shock. I sometimes have to remind myself that it really did happen and my heart hurts for Mark and his family. It was really tough to see my sweet guy suffer. I was glad I could be there to support him and I certainly hope my presence helped him. We made the most of the situation and we were grateful for some time together. I know our wedding will have a different mood now, but we're still looking forward to starting our life together.

Speaking of starting our life...we chose where we're going to live when we get married! It was a lot like an episode of House Hunters. We found 3 places to rent that fell within our budget and chose between them. I'd only seen one place and quite honestly I wasn't impressed with it, but I was willing to work with it. Mark went and toured the other two and we chose one of those places. We're moving about 15 minutes away from the base to an apartment with two bedrooms, a balcony, 2 full bathrooms, washer/dryer, stainless steel appliances, wood floors, and a kitchen with great storage space and a breakfast bar! We're so excited! Hopefully Mark can move in soon...just in time for me to come visit him in a month! I can't wait!

Next week is Trisha's bridal shower and I'm so pumped! It's going to be a busy week getting everything ready! I spent this weekend making some things that are going to rock her world, and I can't wait to see it all come together. My own bridal shower is coming up quickly and I know my lovely ladies have some tricks up their sleeves! I'm such a lucky bride. (Invitations should be out in a few weeks, but in the meantime, save the date! April 13th!)

As far as wedding prep goes, not much has changed except that our invitations arrived and I'm kinda sorta totally in love with them. They are PERFECT! I can't wait to send them out (probably mid April). I also bought the most adorable headbands for my flower girls to wear. I can't believe that we're less than 4 months away from the big day! There's still so much to do, but I honestly don't care because I'm so ready to marry the love of my life!