I just know that this year is going to be a great year and let me tell you why. My favorite number is 3 so this year I get 2 of my favorite numbers by turning 33, which means twice the luck, right? Well maybe not but humor me anyway. The best things I have to look forward to this year is getting married and hopefully starting a family. Then there is my 10 year anniversary at SLU and some other random thing but those don’t take the cake. I’ve only been 33 for 4 days now and I already got 2 good pieces of news to share. One, Larry passed his CDL test and will have his own route at work starting next week. And two, we just saved $640 on our honeymoon package! I am friends with our resort on Facebook (Secrets Carpi) and they posted a fall promotion. I called our travel agent and lucky for us, we bought the price protection plan when we booked and got in on the deal – cha ching! I just have a feeling there are plenty more good things coming my/our way and I’ll be sure to share them as it happens.
On a wedding note, the invitations are signed, sealed and delivered. Well, delivered to the post office as of noon today so be sure to watch for yours in the mail very soon. And if you are reading this and didn’t happen to get one, it’s probably lost in the mail, doh! Just kidding – we invited over 300 guests so I’m sure you are one of them.
On the agenda this weekend is boot camp, working at Circa, then either the Guns N Hoses softball game to benefit Backstoppers, or the stock car races with my sister and Timmy. It's junior fan club week week at the races so the kiddos get special treatment and I wanted to be there to see Timmy race for nickels on the race track. He loves his racing so I’m sure he will be in heaven. Then Sunday is a birthday party for my BFF’s son, Austin. He’s turning 9 and I just can’t believe it. Seems like just yester-year when they brought him home. Anyway, hope you all have a great weekend and enjoy this absolutely beautiful weather!
Peace out, girl scout!
Friday, August 27, 2010
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Biggest Loser – Louisville Style
My friend, Michelle, has said for a while that she wanted to be on the Biggest Loser reality show so she finally filled out the application and submitted a video. Then she found out that the show was hosting a casting call in Louisville and thought that would help increase her chances so she asked me to go along. Sure thing, I’m always up for an adventure – especially when it’s for a good cause of supporting her. We left Friday after work and made it to Louisville about 10pm, their time. Funny story there. I had no idea there was a time difference between KY and IL so when we got stopped in traffic and I checked my phone, I realized the time did not match the clock in the car. She said it was right when we left home and she’s right, it was. It took a minute of being confused before we realized what happened then we were pissed that we lost an hour of sleep. We were already planning on getting up at 4am to get in line (the casting directors only see 500 people and she was worried that there would be more people there). So, we get over the time difference, get to our room and all is good. I set the alarm for 4:00 but silly me; I set it for PM instead of AM, whoops. Luckily I woke up at 5 so we weren’t that much off schedule. When we got to the convention center, the line was about a half a block long, not too bad, so we set up our chairs and mingled. Here is the line before us at 6am:
Being curious, we walked to the front of the line to see what time the first people got there. The first group in line got there at 11pm on Friday and camped overnight. The next person got there at midnight. Now I get wanting to get in line early but damn, camping overnight for this? No thank you! Here are a few pics of the first people in line:
While we were waiting, we met some people in line behind and in front of us. Turns out the person behind us, Susan, is from Millstadt, IL and knows one of the groomsmen in our wedding – small world! The group in front of us, Frank and company, was from further south in KY and were super nice. Michelle and I both liked Frank a lot and really hoped he made it on the show. He is extremely overweight and ready to make a lifestyle change, he just needs some help getting started. Here’s Frank with his support group:
And this is Susan with Michelle:
About 9am, the casting crew came around and handed out another application that had to be completed prior to the interview so here is Michelle and the others working on their application:
When the crew started lining up people for their interviews, the “supporters” such as myself, had to wait on the other side. Here is a pic of Michelle in line, note the nervous look on her face :) She said she almost cried when I had to leave her, aw, I feel the love!
They took 8 people at a time into a conference room and sat them at a U shaped table. Each person got a chance to speak and the director asked specific questions of them. It only took about 15 minutes for the entire thing and she was out in no time. In the meantime, a few previous contestants showed up to meet and greet the crowd. To me, this was the best part of the trip (and I think Michelle would agree). We met Coach Mo and Tracy (the purple team) and Alex & Abby (the green team) from season 8, Colleen from season 6 (I think). We talked to Coach Mo briefly and managed to get a pic with him:
Coach Mo also talked with Frank for quite some time and get this – Mo gave Frank his personal phone number to call for support, advice, or anything. Now that is super cool! Michelle also got a pic with Tracy but that is on her camera and I don’t have it to post yet, sorry. Tracy has lost a total of 125lbs and let me tell you, she looks AH-MAZING! She showed us a before and after pic she has on her phone and wow, doesn’t even look like the same person. She talked about how she got sick on the show and how the doctor made her slow down before she seriously injured herself. She made it to week 10 of the 14 weeks – go Tracy!
We tried to talk to Alex and Abby but they were too busy with other people and I didn’t think to get pictures of them. I will say that Abby has put on some of the weight she lost but Alex still looked great. Then we met Colleen, and let me tell you, she was the sweetest, most adorable thing ever. She is only 23 years old and lost 70lbs. She still wants to lose more but I think she looks great like she is. Here is Michelle with her:
She spent a good 10-15 minutes talking to us about the ranch, what she went through, and what it was like as a contestant. She said they work out approximately 8 hours a day – could you imagine? She said the hardest part for her was not being able to contact her family during her stay. Once you are at the ranch, you have NO outside contact with anyone – no emails, no phone calls, nothing. I asked if she ever wanted to quit and she said “No, I wanted it that bad.” She told us that while it’s fun and exciting to be on the ranch, it’s not reality. No matter what happened on the show, it all has to continue at home. She said home is reality and that really hit home with both Michelle and I. If I told you every detail of these conversations, my blog would be 10 pages long so I won’t go into much more detail.
After talking with these people and seeing where they started and where they are now, there is no reason on earth why I can’t drop these last 10-15lbs. So now, I’m extremely motivated, ready to take the bull by the horns and get this show on the road! On Sunday, I got up early and went for a 3 mile walk then came back and hit the weights. I was sore on Monday and that is a good indication of how much I’ve slacked. I joined the recreation center at SLU and have a plan for making sure I find time for my workouts and for getting healthier. Michelle is super motivated too and may even check out my bootcamp that she has been afraid of. I know we can do this – and I know we WILL do this.
While Michelle may not get on the show, it was an awesome experience – very inspiring and ever so motivating. If you ever lose motivation or need an extra push, go online and Google any biggest loser contestant. Some of them even have blogs so read that or their success story and I’m sure it will be enough to get you over the hump!
PS - Just got the pic of Michelle with Tracy that I mentioned earlier:
Being curious, we walked to the front of the line to see what time the first people got there. The first group in line got there at 11pm on Friday and camped overnight. The next person got there at midnight. Now I get wanting to get in line early but damn, camping overnight for this? No thank you! Here are a few pics of the first people in line:
While we were waiting, we met some people in line behind and in front of us. Turns out the person behind us, Susan, is from Millstadt, IL and knows one of the groomsmen in our wedding – small world! The group in front of us, Frank and company, was from further south in KY and were super nice. Michelle and I both liked Frank a lot and really hoped he made it on the show. He is extremely overweight and ready to make a lifestyle change, he just needs some help getting started. Here’s Frank with his support group:
And this is Susan with Michelle:
About 9am, the casting crew came around and handed out another application that had to be completed prior to the interview so here is Michelle and the others working on their application:
When the crew started lining up people for their interviews, the “supporters” such as myself, had to wait on the other side. Here is a pic of Michelle in line, note the nervous look on her face :) She said she almost cried when I had to leave her, aw, I feel the love!
They took 8 people at a time into a conference room and sat them at a U shaped table. Each person got a chance to speak and the director asked specific questions of them. It only took about 15 minutes for the entire thing and she was out in no time. In the meantime, a few previous contestants showed up to meet and greet the crowd. To me, this was the best part of the trip (and I think Michelle would agree). We met Coach Mo and Tracy (the purple team) and Alex & Abby (the green team) from season 8, Colleen from season 6 (I think). We talked to Coach Mo briefly and managed to get a pic with him:
Coach Mo also talked with Frank for quite some time and get this – Mo gave Frank his personal phone number to call for support, advice, or anything. Now that is super cool! Michelle also got a pic with Tracy but that is on her camera and I don’t have it to post yet, sorry. Tracy has lost a total of 125lbs and let me tell you, she looks AH-MAZING! She showed us a before and after pic she has on her phone and wow, doesn’t even look like the same person. She talked about how she got sick on the show and how the doctor made her slow down before she seriously injured herself. She made it to week 10 of the 14 weeks – go Tracy!
We tried to talk to Alex and Abby but they were too busy with other people and I didn’t think to get pictures of them. I will say that Abby has put on some of the weight she lost but Alex still looked great. Then we met Colleen, and let me tell you, she was the sweetest, most adorable thing ever. She is only 23 years old and lost 70lbs. She still wants to lose more but I think she looks great like she is. Here is Michelle with her:
She spent a good 10-15 minutes talking to us about the ranch, what she went through, and what it was like as a contestant. She said they work out approximately 8 hours a day – could you imagine? She said the hardest part for her was not being able to contact her family during her stay. Once you are at the ranch, you have NO outside contact with anyone – no emails, no phone calls, nothing. I asked if she ever wanted to quit and she said “No, I wanted it that bad.” She told us that while it’s fun and exciting to be on the ranch, it’s not reality. No matter what happened on the show, it all has to continue at home. She said home is reality and that really hit home with both Michelle and I. If I told you every detail of these conversations, my blog would be 10 pages long so I won’t go into much more detail.
After talking with these people and seeing where they started and where they are now, there is no reason on earth why I can’t drop these last 10-15lbs. So now, I’m extremely motivated, ready to take the bull by the horns and get this show on the road! On Sunday, I got up early and went for a 3 mile walk then came back and hit the weights. I was sore on Monday and that is a good indication of how much I’ve slacked. I joined the recreation center at SLU and have a plan for making sure I find time for my workouts and for getting healthier. Michelle is super motivated too and may even check out my bootcamp that she has been afraid of. I know we can do this – and I know we WILL do this.
While Michelle may not get on the show, it was an awesome experience – very inspiring and ever so motivating. If you ever lose motivation or need an extra push, go online and Google any biggest loser contestant. Some of them even have blogs so read that or their success story and I’m sure it will be enough to get you over the hump!
PS - Just got the pic of Michelle with Tracy that I mentioned earlier:
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Get in the zone - Auto Zone
I know it’s been like 10 years since I’ve blogged but time just seems to get away from me these days. No excuse, I know, and all I can say is “sorry”. I finally have a non-wedding story to write about so I’m taking a few minutes of my day to share. This morning I was driving to work and the Service Engine light comes on – again. It’s no secret that I hate this car and that I have not had luck with cars, whatsoever, in over a year now. So, my day starts off on the wrong foot and I’m crabby. Then, I get to work and a co-worker’s wife brings in their two little boys for a visit. Anyone who knows me, knows that I love –love -love little kids and these boys are exceptionally cute. Now my day has turned around.
I decided to use my lunch hour to take my car to Auto Zone and have them hook up that little computer thingy to diagnosis the problem. I look up the closest store and it’s on N Kingshighway so I print the directions and off I go. Little did I know I was going into the heart of the hood! I pull in the parking lot and the first thing I see is a drug deal going down. My first reaction was to leave quickly but then I was afraid that they would think I was going to the police or something and get my plate number to hunt me down (I know, I watch too much tv). So, to avoid all that, I go ahead and park. I almost run inside the store to make sure I don’t get shot or something. Now I’m in the store, that is covered with bars all around the outside, waiting for my turn in line. An African American um, er, “gentleman” walks in with his pants around his thighs, hat crooked, etc. The lady behind the counter says to him “whad you get hauled away for dis time”. Great, just great – first I witness a drug deal outside then this character walks in and is obviously no stranger to the police and all he said was “dawg, I didn’t do it, you know I didn't do it”. Finally, it’s my turn in line and the guy gets the hand-held device and takes me outside – the dealers are still there by the way. He hooked it up and what seemed like an eternity really only took 2 seconds. Turns out it’s my thermostat, which is relatively inexpensive and easy to replace – thank you God! After he gives me the printout, I high-tail it out of there and make it safely back to work to which I say again, thank you God!
I decided to use my lunch hour to take my car to Auto Zone and have them hook up that little computer thingy to diagnosis the problem. I look up the closest store and it’s on N Kingshighway so I print the directions and off I go. Little did I know I was going into the heart of the hood! I pull in the parking lot and the first thing I see is a drug deal going down. My first reaction was to leave quickly but then I was afraid that they would think I was going to the police or something and get my plate number to hunt me down (I know, I watch too much tv). So, to avoid all that, I go ahead and park. I almost run inside the store to make sure I don’t get shot or something. Now I’m in the store, that is covered with bars all around the outside, waiting for my turn in line. An African American um, er, “gentleman” walks in with his pants around his thighs, hat crooked, etc. The lady behind the counter says to him “whad you get hauled away for dis time”. Great, just great – first I witness a drug deal outside then this character walks in and is obviously no stranger to the police and all he said was “dawg, I didn’t do it, you know I didn't do it”. Finally, it’s my turn in line and the guy gets the hand-held device and takes me outside – the dealers are still there by the way. He hooked it up and what seemed like an eternity really only took 2 seconds. Turns out it’s my thermostat, which is relatively inexpensive and easy to replace – thank you God! After he gives me the printout, I high-tail it out of there and make it safely back to work to which I say again, thank you God!
Saturday, July 3, 2010
What a great stay-cation!
I wasn't planning to take much time off work this summer because of the wedding/honeymoon but that quickly changed. I was originally going to take one day off to go to an afternoon Cardinals game with Lisa but decided I better take Thursday off too, in case we indulged in too many adult beverages. What the heck, if I'm taking 2 days, I may as well take the whole week, right? My thoughts exactly! So, here's how it went down:
Monday was a house cleaning day so I could enjoy the rest of the week without feeling guilty about a dirty house. I must have found some energy that day because I moved furniture to vacuum behind, cleaned all the base-boards, etc. Things that go beyond my semi-weekly cleaning routine.
Tuesday, I had my nephew, Timmy for the day. We met Cheryl & Chelsea to see Toy Story 3 and it was Timmy's first movie in the theatre. He loved it, although from the picture below, you can tell he didn't quite know what to think at first.
On Wednesday, Lisa and I went to the Cards game and got first pitch tickets for just $5.50 each. It was a great deal and I even scored a free VIP parking pass by being in the right place at the right time.
Of course it's never a complete baseball experience until you see Fredbird:
And, it was also Ashley's first time at the stadium so we ventured across the ballpark to meet her for a drink:
Thursday was a relaxed fun-day, again with Lisa, complete with shopping and a hair cut/highlights. Friday, we went to Carlyle Lake and soaked up some rays for a few hours.
After the lake, we got pedicures and went out for dinner/drinks in her hometown of Breese. It's a small town with not much going on so it was an early night.
Today was a bootcamp day and back to the grind at Circa. Tonight, Larry and I are having a date night with dinner and a movie, going to see Grown-Ups. I'll let you know how it is.
Hope everyone has a great 4th of July and enjoys the long weekend!
Monday was a house cleaning day so I could enjoy the rest of the week without feeling guilty about a dirty house. I must have found some energy that day because I moved furniture to vacuum behind, cleaned all the base-boards, etc. Things that go beyond my semi-weekly cleaning routine.
Tuesday, I had my nephew, Timmy for the day. We met Cheryl & Chelsea to see Toy Story 3 and it was Timmy's first movie in the theatre. He loved it, although from the picture below, you can tell he didn't quite know what to think at first.
On Wednesday, Lisa and I went to the Cards game and got first pitch tickets for just $5.50 each. It was a great deal and I even scored a free VIP parking pass by being in the right place at the right time.
Of course it's never a complete baseball experience until you see Fredbird:
And, it was also Ashley's first time at the stadium so we ventured across the ballpark to meet her for a drink:
Thursday was a relaxed fun-day, again with Lisa, complete with shopping and a hair cut/highlights. Friday, we went to Carlyle Lake and soaked up some rays for a few hours.
After the lake, we got pedicures and went out for dinner/drinks in her hometown of Breese. It's a small town with not much going on so it was an early night.
Today was a bootcamp day and back to the grind at Circa. Tonight, Larry and I are having a date night with dinner and a movie, going to see Grown-Ups. I'll let you know how it is.
Hope everyone has a great 4th of July and enjoys the long weekend!
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Hiccup's Diagnosis
As I suspected, my poor Hiccup has some health problems. She has been panting excessively for a while now and our regular vet wasn’t finding anything wrong with her. As her panting got worse, I got more concerned and decided to see another vet for a second opinion. I made an appointment with Dr. Lashley, who my mom claims is a miracle worker. She used to take our pets there when I was a kid. Anyway, I called our regular vet to get a copy of her records and they agreed to fax them to Dr. Lashley. About an hour later, Dr. Jessen (our regular vet) called me to see what was going on. I explained that I had a gut feeling something was wrong with her and they just weren’t finding anything. He looked at all of her records again during our conversation and asked if she was still on enalapril for her heart. Excuse me? Did you just say for her heart? Nothing has been mentioned to me about her heart, what’s wrong with her heart? He proceeds to tell me that the x-ray taken last August, yes almost a year ago, showed the right side of her heart was enlarged and that is why she was on the medicine. When he gave that to her, she only got a limited supply and it was never mentioned again. The only thing he told me about those x-rays is that her lungs had pockets in them and that is what I thought the medicine was for. So each time we have been in since then, they ask what she is taking. I give the same answer all the time, Heartguard and Frontline. Ok, here’s the deal. If she was supposed to be on that medicine this entire time, why was that never caught? So, without even seeing her, he says he will get a prescription ready for her and I can stop by and pick it up. Um, no thank you. I’ll wait to see what Dr. Lashley thinks first.
In the meantime, I get online and read all about heart problems and excessive panting. Everything points to congestive heart failure so that is my concern now that I know she has an enlarged heart. It about killed me to wait 24 hours to get her in but it had already been a year so what’s one more day, right? We finally got to his office and he asked a million questions and looked at her history before he examined her. All he did was listen to her chest with his stethoscope and determined she has a heart valve leaking. Tears immediately come to my eyes because I’m thinking the worst with heart failure. He said that on the scale of 0-6, she is at a 1 and really doesn’t think it is life threatening, yet. We have to monitor her on a regular basis and she will be on medication forever as treatment.
As he examines her further, he pushed on her back and she almost jumped off the table. At first he thought it was arthritis but looked at the x-ray I brought from the other vet and realized she has 2 different spots in her spine where the vertebrae are fusing themselves together. In humans, surgery is the only way to fix disc problems but in animals, nature takes care of itself. He said it can take several years to complete the process and she is about half way though. He said she is in severe pain with it and thinks that is the source of her panting, not her heart. Again, tears come to my eyes because she has been in such pain for so long and I had no idea. He gave her some pain meds and said it should help with her pain and panting within a few days.
Overall, Dr. Lashley has a positive outlook for her and thinks she has quite a few good years left in her. After all, she is only 10. Granted, she’s considered a senior dog but she still acts like a puppy so I don’t consider her old. I feel a sense of relief knowing it could have been much worse but at the same time, I feel like the worst dog-mom ever for not taking her sooner. I feel absolutely horrible that she has been in such pain; however, I can’t focus on that now. I have to focus on Hiccup and getting her better. We sure could use some puppy-prayers so please send positive thoughts our way!
In the meantime, I get online and read all about heart problems and excessive panting. Everything points to congestive heart failure so that is my concern now that I know she has an enlarged heart. It about killed me to wait 24 hours to get her in but it had already been a year so what’s one more day, right? We finally got to his office and he asked a million questions and looked at her history before he examined her. All he did was listen to her chest with his stethoscope and determined she has a heart valve leaking. Tears immediately come to my eyes because I’m thinking the worst with heart failure. He said that on the scale of 0-6, she is at a 1 and really doesn’t think it is life threatening, yet. We have to monitor her on a regular basis and she will be on medication forever as treatment.
As he examines her further, he pushed on her back and she almost jumped off the table. At first he thought it was arthritis but looked at the x-ray I brought from the other vet and realized she has 2 different spots in her spine where the vertebrae are fusing themselves together. In humans, surgery is the only way to fix disc problems but in animals, nature takes care of itself. He said it can take several years to complete the process and she is about half way though. He said she is in severe pain with it and thinks that is the source of her panting, not her heart. Again, tears come to my eyes because she has been in such pain for so long and I had no idea. He gave her some pain meds and said it should help with her pain and panting within a few days.
Overall, Dr. Lashley has a positive outlook for her and thinks she has quite a few good years left in her. After all, she is only 10. Granted, she’s considered a senior dog but she still acts like a puppy so I don’t consider her old. I feel a sense of relief knowing it could have been much worse but at the same time, I feel like the worst dog-mom ever for not taking her sooner. I feel absolutely horrible that she has been in such pain; however, I can’t focus on that now. I have to focus on Hiccup and getting her better. We sure could use some puppy-prayers so please send positive thoughts our way!
Monday, June 21, 2010
Engagement Pics – Take 2
The pictures from our second engagement photo session are posted on the photographer’s website, click here to see them. She left some of the old ones on the site so you have to scroll to the bottom to see the new ones. I think they turned out much better and we have a few favorites. She didn’t post all of them and I’m a little disappointed because there were some on her camera that we really liked. Oh well, I’ll post those on our wedding website when I get the CD.
Speaking of our wedding website, if you haven’t seen it yet go to honeymoonwishes.com and search by either of our last names, or peek here. I set up the website with our honeymoon registry and it was so easy to do. The vendor I used has our resort on their destination list so the registry was basically done for me. I just had to pick some of the things we wanted and decide on the amounts to ask for. I’ll be adding pictures and other tidbits of information to the wedding website so make sure you check it often for the latest updates.
Tonight, we meet with Pastor Earl for our first pre-marriage counseling session. This will be my 4th day in a row in the lovely town of Freeburg. Soon my car will be able to drive itself there :-)
Speaking of our wedding website, if you haven’t seen it yet go to honeymoonwishes.com and search by either of our last names, or peek here. I set up the website with our honeymoon registry and it was so easy to do. The vendor I used has our resort on their destination list so the registry was basically done for me. I just had to pick some of the things we wanted and decide on the amounts to ask for. I’ll be adding pictures and other tidbits of information to the wedding website so make sure you check it often for the latest updates.
Tonight, we meet with Pastor Earl for our first pre-marriage counseling session. This will be my 4th day in a row in the lovely town of Freeburg. Soon my car will be able to drive itself there :-)
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Florist . . .check
My meeting with Walter Knoll Florist was a success! They were able to do exactly what I was looking for at a price I could handle. Finally, after 5 months of planning, I have booked everything - oh what a feeling! Now I can have fun with the detail stuff like centerpieces, etc. Here is a pic of the flowers that will be used in the bouquets:
And this is how they will be wrapped, with the silver accent:
The only problem I ran into is that they don't provide delivery service to Freeburg, where the ceremony will be, so I have to sweet-talk someone into picking up the flowers. Shouldn't be a big deal though.
And this is how they will be wrapped, with the silver accent:
The only problem I ran into is that they don't provide delivery service to Freeburg, where the ceremony will be, so I have to sweet-talk someone into picking up the flowers. Shouldn't be a big deal though.
Golf For Dummies
Last night was my first night of golf lessons and I have to admit, I didn't do too bad. My instructor is Dan Polites - a PGA Teaching Professional, and a super nice guy. He owns DP Golf at Clinton Hills Golf Course and obviously knows what he is doing as he was able to help me actually hit the ball :-) He wrote the book "Golf for Rookies" and has created multiple training videos for the Average Jane like me.
So, I got there last night and he told me to grab the 7 iron for this lesson, um ok, which one is that, Dan? As he chuckled, he told me his book would explain what each club is and when to use it, not to worry. He wants our lessons to focus on actually practicing instead of teaching something we can learn from the book. Right on, I get that. Now I have my 7 iron in hand and we are ready to get started. He demonstrates how to grip the club, proper stance, how far out to hold the club and the technique for swinging. Now it's my turn, oh geeze, here we go! First I practice the swinging motion without actually trying to hit a ball. He gets me all lined up and puts a ball on the tee. First swing, I miss. Second swing, I miss. Third and fourth swings, I miss. He assured me that everyone starting out does the same thing and advises I not throw my club as he could sense my frustration. Finally, I made contact with the ball and let me tell you, I was so proud of myself. After a few more hits, I loosened up and got used to the swing. I even had a few beautiful hits that he complimented me on. The rest of the lesson was spent practicing the same swing and by the end of the lesson, I was exhausted.
Today, my forearms are sore and I have a blister on my left hand but I'm super excited to practice on my own before my lesson next week. Of course I do not have proper golf attire so a shopping trip is in order for acceptable clothing such as a collared shirt, khaki shorts or something similar, and definitely a glove to keep my hand from blistering again. Stay tuned for my next progress report!
So, I got there last night and he told me to grab the 7 iron for this lesson, um ok, which one is that, Dan? As he chuckled, he told me his book would explain what each club is and when to use it, not to worry. He wants our lessons to focus on actually practicing instead of teaching something we can learn from the book. Right on, I get that. Now I have my 7 iron in hand and we are ready to get started. He demonstrates how to grip the club, proper stance, how far out to hold the club and the technique for swinging. Now it's my turn, oh geeze, here we go! First I practice the swinging motion without actually trying to hit a ball. He gets me all lined up and puts a ball on the tee. First swing, I miss. Second swing, I miss. Third and fourth swings, I miss. He assured me that everyone starting out does the same thing and advises I not throw my club as he could sense my frustration. Finally, I made contact with the ball and let me tell you, I was so proud of myself. After a few more hits, I loosened up and got used to the swing. I even had a few beautiful hits that he complimented me on. The rest of the lesson was spent practicing the same swing and by the end of the lesson, I was exhausted.
Today, my forearms are sore and I have a blister on my left hand but I'm super excited to practice on my own before my lesson next week. Of course I do not have proper golf attire so a shopping trip is in order for acceptable clothing such as a collared shirt, khaki shorts or something similar, and definitely a glove to keep my hand from blistering again. Stay tuned for my next progress report!
Monday, June 7, 2010
Sweet Things
Wedding cake . . .check! Tonight was a success with the cake tasting we did with Sweet Things Gourmet Treats out of Belleville. We requested a pumpkin cake and tasted two versions, one with a caramel filling and one with a cream cheese filling. Both were delicious but the caramel was our favorite! It was the first time they had a request for pumpkin cake so they experimented with the fillings and nailed it! Now they will remember us as a first for them so that's kind of cool. We also tried red velvet with cream cheese filling and it was ok but didn't blow us away. Then we had chocolate with mocah filling, french vanilla with homemade raspberry filling and french vanilla with strawberry filling. I knew we wanted a variety of flavors so here is what we ended up with:
Pumpkin with caramel
Pumpkin with cream cheese
French vanilla with raspberry
Chocolate with raspberry
Marble with fudge
Then we had to decide if we wanted a traditional tiered cake or individual cakes of different sizes. Why decide, go with both, right? So, we are doing a small square, 3-tier cake with a smooth finish, blue and silver ribbon trim around each tier, and our monogram on the middle layer. For the individual cakes, we will have 8" and 10" round and square with what I call a scroll design on them. I'm super excited about our choice of flavors and the design of all of them.
Next, and last on the list of bookings, the florist. I am meeting with Walter Knoll for the second time on Thursday and will probably sign the contract with them. Wish me luck!
Pumpkin with caramel
Pumpkin with cream cheese
French vanilla with raspberry
Chocolate with raspberry
Marble with fudge
Then we had to decide if we wanted a traditional tiered cake or individual cakes of different sizes. Why decide, go with both, right? So, we are doing a small square, 3-tier cake with a smooth finish, blue and silver ribbon trim around each tier, and our monogram on the middle layer. For the individual cakes, we will have 8" and 10" round and square with what I call a scroll design on them. I'm super excited about our choice of flavors and the design of all of them.
Next, and last on the list of bookings, the florist. I am meeting with Walter Knoll for the second time on Thursday and will probably sign the contract with them. Wish me luck!
Friday, June 4, 2010
Hello Weekend!
I love having short work weeks. It’s hard to believe Friday is here already but you won’t hear me complaining about that! The weekend ahead is not as busy as normal, thank goodness. Tonight will be low-key as I prepare for the summer session of boot camp to start tomorrow morning. I’m expecting several new people to join so that’s exciting for me. After boot camp, I’ll be working at Circa then chilaxin’ the rest of the day. On Sunday, I’m meeting with a friend-of-a-friend kind of deal about wedding flowers. She used to be a wedding consultant for a local florist so she knows what she is doing and hopefully can offer a lower rate. As a backup, I have another appointment with Walter Knoll Florist on Thursday of next week to compare prices given that I changed my scheme since the first time I met with them. I hope to make my decision next week and check that off the list.
I hope to check the cake off the list next week too. We have a cake tasting scheduled with Sweet Treats from Belleville on Monday evening. They offer a variety of cake flavors and fillings, including pumpkin which is a must for us. I came across this company at the bridal show I went to a few weekends ago and their cake was yummy so I have a good feeling about this.
What’s going on with the photographer, you ask? We have our second photo session scheduled for June 13th at 6:30pm. Fingers crossed that this one turns out better than the first one. If not, I have a backup in mind and I was referred to this photographer by two different people so I now have a Plan B, if necessary. Hopefully I won’t need it though.
I hope everyone has a fun, safe weekend! Happy Friday to ya!
I hope to check the cake off the list next week too. We have a cake tasting scheduled with Sweet Treats from Belleville on Monday evening. They offer a variety of cake flavors and fillings, including pumpkin which is a must for us. I came across this company at the bridal show I went to a few weekends ago and their cake was yummy so I have a good feeling about this.
What’s going on with the photographer, you ask? We have our second photo session scheduled for June 13th at 6:30pm. Fingers crossed that this one turns out better than the first one. If not, I have a backup in mind and I was referred to this photographer by two different people so I now have a Plan B, if necessary. Hopefully I won’t need it though.
I hope everyone has a fun, safe weekend! Happy Friday to ya!
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