The Teacup Invites Have Left the Building

Can you believe it? Neither can I, it's a miracle they made it in the mail! Here's proof of my success, happily nestled in the Fizz & Frills marketplace bag. Yay, recycling!

Ladies, I won't lie - the past few weeks have been incredibly hectic. It doesn't help that I'm a terrible multi-tasker. Shedding for the wedding, invitations, and my bachelorette weekend all converged last Thursday. Although I wish it were effortless, I managed to keep my peak stress levels to a minimum. A girl can fantasize, right?

Image via Professional WAHM

I logged some heavy DIY hours on these babies and managed to finish them at 4am on the morning of my departure for Las Vegas after work. It will be a few days before the full reveal to allow all our guests to receive their invites. Until then, here are some sneak peeks.

{ Calling in for backup from Mr. Hot Tea }

{ What a glorious mess! }

{ DIY assembly line, notice all the unfinished ones }

{ Finally! It's been too long since we've seen a clean dining table. }

{ This, multiplied 140 times }

I promise you won't have to wait long to see the suite, and until then I have stories galore of my weight loss progress ( already 4 lbs. in 2 weeks) and my Vegas bachelorette weekend. There's so much good stuff to share I can hardly stand it, stay tuned!

Silicon Valley Bee Meet Up!

Hello, Hive! I'm excited to share some photos from our recent local Bee meet up in San Jose, California, on Wednesday, August 10. Our group hosts a monthly meeting for all comers in Santana Row and we've been getting together since May.


It's a great time to associate real people with their online avatars. We've established a tradition of dinner at Pasta Pomodoro restaurant followed by dessert at Ben & Jerry's ice cream or Pinkberry frozen yogurt.

Back row: cutexkitty, pengoala

Front row: Miss Teacup, nonapkns, sparkedlove11

Each month we've added a new face or two to the group. Meeting strangers from the internet could be intimidating, and I think breezybri19 speaks for all of us when she describes the experience: 

"It was totally scary at first - and I'm pretty sure my hands were shaking when walking to Pasta Pomodoro the first time... but it is definitely one of the best things I've ever done, all of the ladies are so sweet, and it's really nice to make REAL friends instead of just virtual ones on the boards. Plus, there's usually an ice cream or yogurt treat at the end ;)"

True to her story, we celebrated the warm night with Pinkberry's newest flavor, salted caramel. Yum!

From L to R: Miss Teacup, sparkedlove11, Miss Godiva, cutexkitty

There are two September brides, the firsts to get married from our group. Pengoala had to leave early to return to work (I have your sash!) and you can see sparkedlove11 sporting her sash during dessert. A fun and friendly group, I look forward to our get-togethers and regard them as highlight of my month.

Our next meet will be scheduled for September, check the San Francisco/Bay Area board for more information. If you aren't in our area, head to your local board to see what's happening close to you!

Shedding for the Wedding: The Dreaded Diet

It wasn't so long ago that I would be ashamed to admit feeling like my favorite Ben & Jerry's flavor, Chunky Monkey.

{For the girls of the night chat!} / Image via Flickr / Photo credit: cromatophobe

Food is an easier control for me than exercise. I know you need both, but a girl can only accomplish so much in a day. 

{Eye on the prize - lol!} / Image via In This Week

I've attempted several popular DIY diet trends of their primetime, including Atkins and the South Beach Diet. Counting calories feels like micromanagement to me. Counting carbs is a little easier, though not by much. I've even used the GNC 7-day cleanse to jump-start healthy eating habits. Through it I learned to love soy milk and wean off caffeine, yay! [For the record: these are not endorsements, just sharing my trials.] 

Herein lies the challenge -- these programs are so darn hard to maintain beyond a few months. I slim down and then my enthusiasm wanes. Bad eating habits and lack of exercise slowly take over again and I'm back to where I started. 

{'Nuff said.} / Image via Prime Physique

With W-Day looming only 8 weekends away, I'm lovingly telling myself that an intervention is in order. DIY won't work for me this time. My goal is realistic and achievable, I just need assistance getting there.

AHA! Here's the main life lesson reinforced to me through wedding planning: I don't have to have all the answers and do everything myself. Whether it's invitations or flowers or losing weight, it's okay to ask for help and to allow other people to take care of me. Sweet relief!

So here I am with my fiancee fifteen, ready to take a leap of faith into the next level of weight loss program - the in-person commercial center. That's right, I'm talking about Weight Watchers or Jenny Craig.

Image via Pusatlpse

I have no experience with a program like one of these, so Google suggested a comparison on livestrong.com:


"With Weight Watchers, the target dieter is someone who needs a more moderately priced way to lose weight, paired with the comfort and support of a large group to stay motivated. With Jenny Craig, dieters who will do best are those who want to lose weight without making special foods or counting calories. A one-on-one counselor provides support for someone who needs a more personalized plan."

Alrighty then. I'm finding the basic difference to be group support and tracking calories through a point system vs. individual support and pre-packaged meals. As an introvert with no interest in counting calories, it seems my choice is clear.


Now it's your turn to share. . .if weight management is part of your daily regimen, which program works best for you? Do you prefer to DIY, use the internet, or go the in-person route?