Guess who welcomed me to work today?

13 Days and Counting!

The wedding is in 13 days and I just can't wait. I am excited to marry Brian and while I have done very little with this wedding...we are too close for me to be excited. I will be excited on Friday 3.2.12 but until then it is just stress.

Stress is not helping me gain weight. Yes, I know I am one of those brides EVERYONE hates because I have lost too much weight. I believe I have gone down another pant size so I think I am a size 6. I am not going to the gym in the evenings anymore but I will continue to go during lunch. I just don't have anything to do during my lunch break after I finish eating so to keep my sanity I will continue to go during lunch. Trying to eat more and less healthy but that isn't working really well. I just do not like the taste of junk food and do not have the appetite. Oh well, it will be fine.

All the vendors are responding to me but the DJ. The DJ has been in contact with my father so I am not too concerned with that. Everything is going smoothly, there are a couple things that have gone over budget so our Honeymoon budget is non existent but we can save for that. Everyone is getting excited and my family and I are still trying to pull everything together.

Work is still going well. I am switching managers so after class on Monday I will be switching desks. I didn't really want to switch managers but my new manager is a nice guy so I am thankful for that. I am switching managers because they are adding a couple new teams and need people to go into the new teams. It should be good. This is a good time for me to switch if I am going to switch. I am not in production yet so a lot of what is changing could/would have changed anyway the only thing that is different is that I am reporting to someone new. Asking for time off for the wedding has been interesting as I have had to tell two managers. My current manager would approve it but I would have to tell my new manager since I would be under my new managers care by the date I needed the time off.

Even though the house is bigger....I am able to clean 85% of the bottom half of the house in 2 hours :) Yay! Now if I can only keep it clean. Organized is a different issue.

I hope to post more once the wedding is done. I am still trying to get in a new work schedule, hang with Brian, organize the wedding and deal with the house. Things are definitely going on, I just don't have the time to post about it :-\

My presents came!

I mentioned in another post how I had some gift cards that I finally redeemed and I wanted to show post them!

I got these all on sale and I love them. I am not sure if I would like them as much if they were full price but lucky for me they weren't! I felt I didn't have enough adult jewelry so I was looking to get some. It is hard because I am allergic to metal but I always want to accessories my outfits and never feel like I have anything to do that with. Hopefully my purchases will help me accomplish that goal!

I got these from Coldwater Creek

I got these from JJill

I love them and I cannot wait until I have an occasion to wear them!

Surprise Bridal Shower!

My work through me a surprise Bridal Shower on Friday during lunch!

I will start at the beginning because I had NO clue!

On Wednesday afternoon my peer coach Emily tells me that we are having a baby shower for another co-worker Nicole who is having  a baby girl (her due date is actually my wedding day). I was a little surprised and confused I had not been informed about this baby shower before then but I was hoping it was because I was always in training.

So Thursday night I leave work and get Nicole her baby shower gift. I went to Dillards and I really was not impressed with their baby clothes selection. There were a few cute things but not really. I was able to find 3 really cute outfits on sale. I got 3 month onesies, a set of 6 month clothes that would be two outfits and a 9 month outfit. I always try to get larger clothes figuring the Mom to be and other guests will get her plenty of the smaller clothes and I think the Mom to be should get some larger clothes to make it easier for her when the child grows.

So Friday comes and I go to class and then it is time for lunch. So I head out to meet my pod and we walk to one of the break room and I see everything decorated! I notice it was divided between sections...one pink and one purple but I didn't think anything of it. Well Emily tells me that the shower is also for me! I was so surprised! There was sandwiches, chicken, guacamole, chips, salsa and chocolate cake bars.

They even got me gifts!

Carol, a coworker, made us this towel cake!

My friend Ginger gave me these tea towels and utensils!

The pod as a whole got us a gift card to Walmart :) I was so surprised and am so grateful to them. It did not occur to me that they would do this. They are so kind and it did not go unnoticed.

Zumba

This is what you look like after two hours of Zumba

Weekends are nice!

I feel like there is a lot to update but I am struggling to remember it all! I do apologize for not being very up to date or being very brief with my posts. There has been a lot going on and I don't generally have time to fully process it. So in true Rachel fashion this will be another bullet point update.

• This is my first weekend where I didn't chose to go into work. The project I can do on the weekends for overtime is finished so I have been coming in at 7 each morning and staying late on Wednesday night to get my overtime in on the phones. I feel like I have helped my company and the overtime will definitely help our pocket books with saving and getting all the projects we want done. It has been nice to have two full days but now that it is almost 11 on Sunday I am sort of running out of things to do and tv is becoming boring
• I have decided to stop training for the 10k. Since my break and now I have lost even more weight. I can tell because the work pants I bought two weeks ago are too big. My stomach is amazingly flat. My abs are quite amazing, if I didn't have to fit into my wedding dress in 4 weeks I wouldn't mind so much. I think this quick weight loss is partly due to how much I am working out but a big part I think is the stress that I am under. I am still going to do my classes at the gym and I will walk on the treadmill during the week but I am no longer doing anything on the weekends and I won't run anymore. I am not worried about being able to finish the races so I really need to focus on fitting in my wedding dress. After the wedding I will pick up the training.
• I will be married in less then 4 weeks. While I truely have not done much of any of the wedding planning at all, weddings are always stressful. I have no clue what I would have done if I did not have Caroline. My Mom may have stopped talking to me. If there was any thought of me becoming a wedding planner, um not anymore! I have also been told that I do not get to stay at my wedding past 8:30 which means I get my dance with Brian and Dad and I am out the door so the hanging with friends I havent seen in several years will not get to happen. I knew I would have to leave early but I thought I would at least be able to see my friends. It does help me not miss the friends as much that aren't going to be able to come since I wouldn't be able to see them anyway.
• The house is still not finished. Vendors are still coming in and messing things up and then not showing up for appointments. I think this is where the stress is really coming from. I cannot wait until we do not have to deal with these awful incompetent builders.
• I had gotten some gift cards from a couple clothing companies which I spent yesterday so what I purchased should arrive in the next couple of days. I will do a post about that when they come.
• Today is the Super Bowl and the Giants are once again playing the Patriots. Football stresses me out especially when my team is playing and they are playing important games. While everyone else is watching I will be knitting, eating lots of food (operation "Fit into Wedding Dress" has begun at least on the weekends) and praying the commercials are good as I try not to focus on the game. I don't handle stress very well especially when I have no control over it.
• We got a lot done yesterday. We are basically at the point where we really can't organize more until the bookcases come. Once the bookcases come we are going to have a very busy weekend but we will be all moved in. And I will be able to actually clean the place. Now we are wondering how we are going to get rid of all these boxes.
• I am hosting my first party! The girls are coming over on the 17th for a wine tasting and Wii Zumba/Just Dance. Then in March we are going to Sherry and Janet's for a St Patty's day party! I am going to try and grab pictures so I can post them. 

I think that is really about it. I hope you are enjoying your weekend! Just think in a months time you are going to start seeing pictures of the wedding and reception!

A Christmas present arrived!

My mom had gotten me a gift certificate to Gumps (a high end company selling housewares, etc) for Christmas and I just go around to picking out what I wanted and they came today!!!!

I first got these Geese salt and pepper shakers!

Aren't they cute!

I also got a couple Wedgewood ornaments. I have a, fake apparently, Wedgewood container that I keep jewelery which I love so when I saw these I knew I had to get them!

It say's "Bless This House"

I can't wait for Christmas where I can hang them!