Farewell, Dear Diet Coke

If you've known me for longer than 10 minutes you likely know that I love Diet Coke. I'm not going to say that I'm addicted because I've quit cold turkey for a week before and didn't really have withdrawals or anything. I just really really like them! Recently, James and I have decided to get back to healthy eating since we've both gained weight since the wedding. It happens to almost everyone, I know, but I miss feeling confident and energetic like I did back in December. Also, the wedding weight was not my ultimate weight loss goal so I plan to lose some more once I get back to where I was.

Anyway, I digress. We realized that by cutting out "emergency grocery store trips" and eating out/fast food we could afford to have a really good healthy meal every day. So I proposed that we I give up Diet Coke (and Diet Pepsi and Diet Dr. Pepper) in order to save a little more money. James also said he's been drinking more soft drinks and has lost his taste for water (I might've been the influence on that...) so he wanted to cut back too.

Ideally, I would cut back to maybe 2 a day, then 1 a day, then slowly phase them out completely. But, the truth is, if I have them in the house I'm going to drink them instead. So at our last grocery trip we bought several different kinds of Crystal Light to get us started. They're very low in calories and it's a lot closer to drinking water than cokes are. Once we go through these then we're hoping to commit to drinking water 100% of the time!

I'm also a runner. I was pretty consistent at going 2-3 miles a day at a 8 min/mi pace last year but since we moved I haven't been pushing myself as much and usually only get in 1 mile at a 10 min/mi pace maybe 4-5 days a week. Hopefully being more hydrated will help me get back to where I was.

Finally, I wanted to mention that I have read the articles that say aspartame cause brain tumors, multiple sclerosis and obesity. I've never been convinced of that. I have heard more from people whose opinions I trust that diet sodas are a great alternative to sugary drinks. I've personally lost 50 pounds while drinking diet sodas all along the way. It was helpful for me to have something zero calories that I could let myself indulge in. They are not, however, nearly as good as water so that's why I'm making it my goal to cut them out.

So far I'm on my fourth day with no soft drinks of any kind. I had a little headache on day 2 so I took a Goody's powder and haven't had a problem since!

Wish me luck!

3 days no Diet Coke!

Edie Rose by Rachel Bilson - Hydrangea Collection

I read a blog post a couple of years back and the girl just talked about her china and how much she loved it. As an unengaged/unmarried girl I thought it was a little weird. However, once I started my gift registry I immediately understood the love affair between a woman and her china.

I really didn't think I would register for china because I do have some in the family that I will inherit some day but once I saw the Edie Rose collection I knew I had to have it! It's not technically china so it was a good compromise.

Even when I put it on the registry I would've been happy just to get a few of the pieces but thanks to friends, family and some other awesomely generous people I got 12 place settings, the serving pieces and the napkins!

James said the dishes remind him of me and I couldn't agree more. They're traditional, girly, Southern, PINK and they have hydrangeas (my favorite flower second to magnolias).

The teapot was the very first wedding gift I received (shout out to my sister-in-law!). Is that not the most adorable thing you've ever seen???

 All the pieces are still in their boxes at my moms house since I don't have room for them right now. (Space is limited in seminary housing...case you were wondering). As soon as I have a dining room (or any room at all...a corner would even suffice) I really look forward to being able to display the collection. Every single piece represents someone who thought about us during our marriage preparation and all that love is what makes it really special :-)

Change of plans...

Fact: I worry waaaayyy too much about what others think. Any decisions I make are usually based on how it will "look" when I tell my friends and family about it. Lately I've really found freedom in making decisions for myself and not caring about what anybody has to say about it.

I say all that to say, for those of you who don't know, I am not in school currently. I found out when we got down here that the school I was planning to attend was closing. I had absolutely no idea and I had even gotten an acceptance letter from them. It was nothing that I could have prepared for. For the past month and a half I have been constantly beating myself up over the fact that I'm not on a path to finish my education. I was angry with William Carey University for more or less deceiving me and leading me to believe all was good to go when they were planning to close after the semester. At this point, I'm done. I'm done being angry, I'm done telling myself I'm a worthless failure because I was rejected to nursing school at Memphis and I'm done feeling inadequate because I won't have a degree in the next few months. I was so worried that people would say I gave up my education so I could get married sooner even though I know it was God's will. James and I prayed for months about this being the right decision. We begged God to kill our plans if it did not follow His will. We know that we made the right decision and we are resting in that.

Sometimes I find myself wondering why God does the things he does in my life. Why does He lead me one way then change the direction when I follow? The Bible gives many stories of people in this exact same situation. Abraham was told to sacrifice his son! Little did he know that God had a much more wonderful plan and all he had to do was prove that he would be faithful. Moses followed command after command and in the end was not even allowed to enter the Promise Land. I am so thankful that God gives us such strong examples in His Word. It makes me feel like I am not alone in my own struggles. Believers across the centuries have faced trials much worse than mine and it is humbling to compare their faith to my own. I also know that in these dark moments, I cling closest to The Lord.

For as long as I can remember my life verse has been John 16:33, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” It has proven appropriate and helpful for so many moments in my life but lately I have found myself needing more and came across John 16:22, "So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you." (ESV) It is such a comfort to know that abiding with God will provide a joy that cannot be taken away.

Moving Day!

We finally made it to New Orleans together! It was a bit chaotic because we didn't find out until the wedding day that the seminary would actually have an apartment for us to move into. We really had to rush around New Years to rent the moving truck and get down here in time for James to go back to work on the 3rd.

First we had to get all our stuff out of storage.

Then there were more boxes at my parents' house to load. Not to mention the furniture.

Finally (after being delayed because of a few issues with Budget) we started the drive to NOLA! Poor James had to drive the big truck all 400 miles.

We made to to New Orleans around 5:00. I have to admit, seeing the apartment and how small it is was a bit of a shock but I knew some lamps, rugs and furniture would make it a little more homey.

 

James and his friend moved half the boxes, the bed AND the dresser that first night. The softer lighting really made a difference.

The next day we got all the other boxes. James went back to work that night and I had sooo much fun getting out all our wedding gifts and setting them up. It's like having the best dollhouse ever! Here is what we have so far. We still have to bring our couches and some more pics. I'll post updates when it's finally finished.

 How 70's is this bathroom?

Thanks to my mother-in-law for the hutch. I don't know what I would do otherwise! My china is staying at my mom's house for now but the Fiestaware is still b-e-autiful in my opinion.

Marriage is pretty great so far. I managed to make a few good meals like this casserole

 and this foldover.

Ok, I'm not the Pioneer Woman but we are using emeals.com and it's a really awesome way to plan meals for two where you don't have a bunch of groceries going to waste. And considering I didn't even know how to brown meat a year ago, it's pretty impressive progress if I do say so myself.

And finally, as I'm ending this blog my husband brings me a Diet Coke in my State Tervis. Yep I love this newlywed bliss.

We're Married!!!

Well the planning and preparations are finally over and we are officially Mr. and Mrs.! I could not get over how well everything went. It just goes to show that you CAN have a beautiful perfect wedding on a tiny budget. Just to give you a rundown, we had about 55 guests which included the family and close friends. James' dad and youth minister officiated and my mom had friends do the music and coordinate. Everything came together so perfectly and I don't think I would change a thing.

We are really looking forward to getting our pictures. Grace from Grace Photography does beautiful work! Here's a little sample she gave us until she finishes the other pictures.

THis is about 30 minutes before the ceremony. All us ladies were crammed in the tiny bridal room and were, of course, acting a little silly. I at least managed to get that last Diet Coke in before the wedding!

We had our reception at Corky's BBQ. We had a lot of family traveling so I wanted to make sure we fed them well!

As a bride I can certainly testify how hard it is to remember to keep your wedding Christ-centered in the midst of all the stress. However, it is so important to remember what you are promising to God and to each other. The wedding should be a symbol of that.

Afterward, we spent Christmas in Gatlinburg, TN.

I guess it should feel like the excitement is over but I'm really looking forward to moving in together and actually getting to use all our shower gifts!!!