#MLlove

[measuringlife]

My petsitting sidehustle has been BUSY lately. Lots of kitty clients which to my surprise I am loving. That little Persian boy I especially adored, I checked in for 10 days and I’m going to miss him and our lap time while brushing him. Here are this week’s clients and I can’t forget my number #1 boy, Freddie aka the reason I need a side hustle - to cover all his vet bills and prescription dog food!

[diigbydog]

lov mighty man! love hum! mllove the mighy man! wowow! mighTYYY lovE OOOOWEIIE

[smilingdogentertainment]

Thank you to Tyler at @thehiveatbusybee in Indianola and Erika at @thedistrictvenueankeny for your assistance with the delivery and installation of our Lighted MlLOVE Letters and Mr. & Mrs signs and Boxwood Hedge Wall (respectively) for the couples celebrating weddings at your venues this weekend. It was great working with you both in support of the weddings being held at your beautiful venues! https://instagr.am/p/Cg-A5EyuLtL/

[measuringlife]

My world changed 11 years ago today when this little nugget came into my life. Freddie I love you with my whole heart, thank you for always being by my side through thick and thin! .

[measuringlife]

Date night with my Boo Thang! 😍

[measuringlife]

My fiancé is turning into the KING of stuffed peppers! These are ground chicken with Indian spices and a hint of lemon and honey. He loves playing with flavors and I’m jealous at how good he is at it!

[measuringlife]

Measuring Monday: Wedding Planning

I was never the person who dreamed about their wedding, in fact I actually began to dread the reality of it - the family drama, the finances, the planning. NIGHTMARE. My then-boyfriend and I moved in together to a house he bought in Summer 2016. Not too long after on social media or tumblr I posted that as much as I want to get engaged, I was starting to understand the weight of the wedding extravaganza and wasn’t looking forward to the circus. Well of course soon after I posted that we got engaged in February 2017.

I remember asking him soon after he proposed why did he do this to me NOW?! I was literally at the beginning of a long Spring as a one-person office at work and we were planning on doing major home renovations.  I didn’t even have time to think about a wedding. So when people asked I said Fall 2018 because I knew Fall was the best time for me to take off of work and I like that time of year. Fall 2018 seemed so far off when we got engaged. The only thing we knew was that we wanted a beach wedding, but September-October is hurricane season on the east coast. So I googled something along the lines of “warmest ocean water beaches in fall without a hurricane threat” and the internet gods said Portugal and we were like sounds good.

March to September 2017 was a blur of a horrific nightmare due to work stress, renovations, mom drama, a shitty boss, and more. I was coping through not sleeping and severe workaholism. By the time I could come up for air I knew a 2018 wedding wasn’t going to happen and those closest to me knew that, but it didn’t stop the incessant questions and puzzled looks from random people when I said we hadn’t set a date or made plans. How do you tell a work acquaintance that you are trying to just keep yourself sane and finish out 2017 in one piece.

I set my intention for 2018 as “Balance” which meant no wedding planning because I knew I needed to work on me first. However this year was more about setting an intention, it was living the intention and that takes work and time. With 2018 winding down I’m happier with myself then I think I have ever been from the inside out. My fiance has also been on his own developmental journey. Together we are better now than we’ve ever been. We weathered a few storms and are stronger for it.

Last week was our 4.5 year anniversary and I joked that we are “Forever Fiances.” I was asked several times if him or I were “okay” with that. I still don’t really understand that question.

Are we okay that neither of us are really close with family and none of our family really care about our wedding because regardless of what we do it will be an inconvenience for them, if they come at all?

Are we okay that the only part of my wedding I ever “knew for sure” was that I wanted to to dance with my Dad to “On the street where you live” from My Fair Lady, but he died when I was 24 and never got to meet most of the important people in my life including my fiancé?

Are we okay with going into debt to self fund a wedding or cutting back on home improvements and aggressive mortgage payments to pay for it?

Are we okay with me doing large scale event planning for my day job and then me not really being motivated to do it in my precious free time? The free time that I’ve used to get a fitness instructor certification and lose ~25 lbs this year?

We don’t want a big flashy wedding, but we do want a wedding and we want to do it right, we just need time, money, and patience. The marriage part is what we’ve already been working on and we don’t need a piece of paper to do so. The party will come and it will be great, but I didn’t expect all the pressure put on engaged couples, particularly brides. Unless you know you will be invited to my wedding or you are willing to pay for it, please don’t ask me about it. When plans are set I’ll be the first one to shout it from the rooftop.

[measuringlife]

Yesterday T and I drove out to Shenandoah to hike Old Rag. We’ve each hiked it a few times, but we hadn’t done it together before. 

Old Rag is about 11 miles roundtrip and can be difficult at times, especially due to its various rock scrambles. However, the view is well worth it!

Thanks to T trying to keep me at  “Marine pace” we did the hike in just under 5 hours. We’re both sore today, but a good sore! I like pushing my body to do what it’s truly capable of! 

[measuringlife]

Early Valentine’s Day date! At intermission and I’m smiling ear to ear. The whole cast is great, especially my beloved Adam Pascal!! (at National Theatre Washington, D.C.)

[measuringlife]

What a lovely weekend we had in Auburn! I didn't indulge as insanely as I feared and got A LOT of steps in. Felt pretty svelte - especially in the first picture before all the merriment!

[measuringlife]

Thank you to all our Veterans for your service! Especially these three, both my grandpas and T!

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Who wore it better me (about 40 heavier) in 2008 or T over the weekend?

[measuringlife]

Today would have been my Dad’s 68th Birthday. He’ll be gone 10 years this November, which is mind-blowing.

As I’ve mentioned here many times before, my dad died of complications (and I would argue negligence, but that lawsuit was never able to be substantiated) 3 days after gastric bypass surgery. He struggled with his weight most of his adult life. When I was in HS he lost 100lbs and kept it off for years, but it slowly kept creeping back on and he wanted to take the surgery route. 

Losing him at such a young age (both him at 58 and me at 24) made me want to get a grip on my weight and wellness. It took about 2 years for me to prioritize my health and fitness after losing him - I had some dark days in the months after I lost him and a lot of life transitions, but I knew I needed to get a grip. 

Making a commitment myself to be healthy and fit has been something I’ve taken very seriously since January 2010 when I started this journey (and this blog). Thank you all for being a continue place of support and encouragement. 

[measuringlife]

My friends hook us up with views like this! (at The Hay-Adams)

[measuringlife]

Went after work to see the Cherry Blossoms before tomorrow's rain comes 😍

[measuringlife]

We were going to start some wedding planning today, but with weather like this we opted to hike in Shenandoah!! (at Shenandoah National Park)