Lean, Mean, Calorie Burning Machine..

Growing up I've always been a "big" girl. I've never been a size 0 or had those perfect abs. 

Weight has always been a struggle for me. It's a battle of ups and down's. I don't have small frame, I am built like my dad. big bone structure & muscles. (Although the muscles aren't always the most defined.) Over the years I have been all over the board with my weight. Well..this is a new year. 

I have had a lot of firsts and had decided at the beginning of the year that I was going to challenge myself to be a better version of myself..well I figured it is about time I take charge of something I have always struggled with. Don't get me wrong, I am not one of those overly self conscious people. I have no problem strutting my stuff, I just want to look the best I can. 

So, starting Monday I am going on a diet. I am sticking to it. I am going to go above and beyond to make my ideal body come true. There are no more excuses. You only get one body to live in..why not make it the best body you can get?? Now I'm not planning on going all crazy and becoming some woman's heavy lifting world champion..that's just crazy talk. All I want it something to be proud of. To say "this is me, I am what I am and I'm proud of it" 

I think that is a huge thing for girls these days. To be comfortable being who they are. It's not easy, there will always be someone that looks better than you. The trick is accepting that and being okay with it. You can't go through like comparing yourself to others because you will only ruin you're own happiness. If you don't like something, change it. Make a positive difference in you're life to get you to where you want to be. Don't wait around for something to happen, take the first step. Take charge.

That is exactly what I am doing. I know it's going to be tough, I know I will want to give up, throw in the towel. But then I will be back and square 1 wishing I had pushed myself harder, made it through so in the end I can look back and say: 

"I did that, I kept going, I pushed myself..and it was worth it"

Thankfully my wonderful husband is doing this with me. Hopefully with his support ( and knowing he is suffering like I am) we can both make it to our goal. 
Wish us luck. We are going to need it :)

Goodbye frumpy housewife..hello trophy wife!

What's In A Name...

Growing up with a difficult name I always hoped I would marry someone with an easy last name like Smith or Jones...something that everybody knows and you don't have to spell it out for them.

But wouldn't ya know, easy wasn't in the cards for me. Now with a name like Cecily Charmae Scheffer I got used to people always asking how to spell it. ALL OF IT. But now that I've become

Mrs. Cecily Charmae Piovesan there's no more hope for me. And so I've learned..you don't realize how many things have your name on it, until you change it. There's of course the bank account and drivers license..but you don't think about SSN, car title, car insurance, work information, Facebook...etc.

Plus being added to all your husbands things like health insurance, combining vehicle insurance & being added onto his bank account. (hehe) needless to say, it's going to take a while before it's all completed. And in the end I still have a name that nobody understands the first time you say it.

Now don't get me wrong, having a unique name has it's advantages. You never have to worry about sitting in a doctors office and when the nurse calls your name having 2 other people stand up, or when meeting your boyfriends family for the first time..highly unlikely he will have a sibling with the same name (or an ex girlfriend...awkward). I've also never had anyone call my name in a store and 3 other people turn around thinking they are the one's somebody is yelling at. So there are advantages.
And surprisingly I do receive a good amount of compliments for having a unique/pretty name. Which of course is always nice to hear. I would just love to meet another Cecily! Sure I have had people over the years that have mentioned knowing another Cecily..yet I personally have never been introduced to one. There's Celeste, Celia and Cicily...but so far no Cecily's.
Maybe I should put that on my bucket list...Meet another Cecily before I die. 

 Looking up my name on a baby naming website I discovered the origin is Latin, it's a form of Cecilia, the meaning is Blind, it only has 2 out of 5 stars for popularity rating AND it's been in the US top 1000 since 1880. Like I said before..the chances of being in the same room as another person with my name are few and far between..so until then..I just have to learn to be patient and appreciate those few people who can pronounce your name (or at least part of it) right the first time.

Sincerely, 

Cecily Charmae Piovesan 

What It's All About..

So now that I've been married for almost 6 weeks (and of course know everything there is to know about marriage) I figured I would write some of the things down.

First thing I learned: Getting up with your husband at 5am to make him lunch..is NOT as easy as it sounds. I lasted approx. 3 days. I keep trying to make an effort..but somehow my feet just never hit the floor that early. But I'll keep trying!

I have also learned that marriage is about compromise..would you rather watch fishing and hunting shows? or start a silly argument over the remote that could lead to some bruises on your arms that will raise questions at work. I've learned to sit and watch the shows..just not quietly..commentary is always needed in hunting shows! And if you are lucky he might have a change of heart and allow you to change the channel. 

And last but not least. Now that we are married it seems my husband is unable to do laundry.

Now I know he is very capable of doing laundry because he has had to do his own for years.

But now that he has a wife, it seems he has completely forgotten how to run the washing machine, let alone fold clothes. But it's okay, as a wife it is my duty to take care of those types of things..laundry, dishes, dusting and vacuuming. Although they might not be my favorite things to do..it makes me feel like I am doing my God given wifely duties when my house is clean. And hopefully someday I will be able to keep up on it all. Until then, I will do my best to make a home and a happy husband.

And continue to enjoy married life :)

.. Living The Life ..

We did it!! We made it through May 19th with no major hick ups or problems!

It was a BEAUTIFUL 73 degree day in Leavenworth. Amber and I had went up the day before and where able to relax and enjoy walking around looking in all the little stores. Saturday morning we ate breakfast, walked to Starbucks & got coffee, walked around trying to waste some time since our ceremony wasn't until 4:30pm. Both families ended up arrived around 1pm and we started the process of getting ready. Thankfully the hotel put all our rooms next to each other so we could all get ready together. I had been able to keep my nerves in check until I put my dress on, the tears decided they wanted to show up but I was able to hold them off. (thanks to Amber fanning me with a book ha.) We left the hotel a few minutes late, arrived at Pine River Ranch around 4:30pm. 

My sister went and got my dad so he could see me for the first time in my wedding dress before walking me down the isle. Which seeing my dad brought back a few tears - but I pulled myself back together and headed for the yard where the ceremony was being held. Every one was seated and we quickly got the wedding party in order. We did pretty good for not rehearsing anything ahead of time! Doug's face was priceless. 

My heart was beating like crazy. The next thing I knew we where saying "I DO" and pronounced Husband & Wife!! BEST MOMENT EVER!! Signed the marriage certificate to make it really official and took some family pictures. Quickly changed out of my wedding dress, put on my party dress and headed to meet everyone at the Italian restaurant in Leavenworth. We had a fun family dinner and my mom had the great idea to go walk down the street and get some ice cream. So 33 of us took off down the street and invaded the small ice cream shop. We looked like a parade walking down the sidewalk. My grandpa paid for us to take a carriage ride to end our evening. 

To say the least it was the best day of my life. We had both our families there, beautiful weather & I married my best friend. I couldn't have asked for more! 

Now a little over a week later I am still adjusting to being Cecily Piovesan. I started the long process of changing my name on everything. I've made good progress but there are still a few things left. 

We are pretty settled into our married life. I love when Doug comes home and I hear him say 

"Hello wife" I don't think that will ever get old :) 

I am trying to be a good housewife and keep up on the laundry, dishes & cleaning. Housework isn't my favorite thing to do, but I try. Now if I could just be able to get up at 5am every morning with Douglas and make him a lunch just like my mom used to do for my dad. I have done it a few times, but it's not as easy as it sounds! hah. As long as my husband is happy, it's all I can ask for. And so far he seems pretty content...he is passed out in his chair as we speak. haha. 

Looking forward to many, many more years with this man that I love more and more everyday.

Until next time,

Cecily Piovesan

A Little Sun Goes A Long Way

Douglas reminded me the other day that it has been a while since I have wrote anything and I guess he is right. I better catch up on what's happened in the past 2 months.

I had my birthday in March and turned the big 2 - 1 (2 for all those that are confused)

I worked on my birthday, like I have for years, then I was able to enjoy a nice dinner with Douglas.

We ended up going out to dinner a few nights later with some friends.

Next came my cousin's wedding. It was B-E-A-U-TIFUL! 

I was so happy I was able to be a part of it!

I also survived the coffee temptation that I knew was going to eat at me.

Douglas didn't help much by setting steaming cups of coffee in front of me every chance he got..but I made it through! I made it till East before taking my first sip of coffee in 40 days!  

I ended up drinking a couple cups of coffee before i felt better about all the coffee I had missed!

(Although I still feel like I'm trying to catch up:)

The weather become nice here in the past couple weeks and i received my first sun burn, mowed the lawn, got a mosquito bite, had a near miss from a bee sting & did a little fishing.

I also had my first Bridal Shower, on the hottest day so far this year. 

It was great to see everyone that came and I feel so blessed with all the gifts.

 It is so helpful with starting out as a newly married couple!

And I even got all the Thank - You's sent out.

My Aunt's in Lynden are hosting another Bridal Shower for me next weekend and I am looking forward to having both sides of my family together to celebrate.

Speaking of the wedding: 

I have my first (and hopefully final) fitting with the seamstress to have a bustle put into my dress. I almost forgot that is something that needs to be done. 

I purchased my boots, corset, made a veil & hair piece, and purchased Doug's ring :)

I feel like I am getting a good amount of things checked off my list.

with less then a month till the wedding and 2 months to the reception I don't have much time to get everything done. But I think we are on the right track. I'm not stressing out as bad as I was. But I'm sure I will start freaking out in the next 2 weeks. ( breathing, in, out, in, out)

 Douglas has been making a huge effort to help out with whatever he can to help lighten my load. He took charge of setting up the table & chair rental and he came through with flying colors. That was a big thing on the list that needed to be taken care of due to the fact that our guest list is now at 390 people - and we will need approx 38 round tables and 300 chairs.

We have way too many friends and family. haha. 

But I am really looking forward to it. I think we can put together something good.

I guess there is only one way to find out:)

All I know is that after this wedding I'm going to need a hobby to fill in the space of all the time I have been spending on this wedding & reception. 

I've been trying to talk Douglas into a horse. I'm hoping that he will cave. 

I've been working on him. I can keep it out on the property & have plenty of space to go riding. I always wanted my very own horse & would love to learn to rope and get better at riding. I think it be a lot of fun. I already have a horse that was offered to me. 

Doesn't everybody need a horse? :)

 Doug & Chico

 

THE EXCITEMENT OF BUYING ENVELOPES

I am starting to really get into this whole wedding planning thing, five months after becoming engaged, and it's starting to worry me. 

Tonight I had some errands to run and I needed to look for some paper and envelopes for the invitations. Since I decided to get all crafty and make my own invitations, with lots of help from my sister-in-law Veronica, my sister Morgan & my friends. (they don't know what's in store for them yet.) Somehow I got a little distracted at Costco and didn't make it to Hobby Lobby on time. They really should be open till 9pm (just sayin) so I wound up at Office Depot looking for envelopes. Not thinking they would have much of a selection I wasn't getting my hopes up. 

But lo and behold..after searching for about 5 minutes I found some cream envelopes, just the right size and the best part? They are only $10 for a box of 100! So I bought two boxes. 

I really only need about 170..but having an extra 30 laying around never hurt! 

I was so excited! 200 envelopes for $20?! The dutch part of me did a little happy dance.

My family should be proud. Too bad stamps will be about just as expensive. sigh.

And yes..I said 170 invitations. Our guest list just keeps on growing. And my mother hasn't even gotten a hold of it yet. If we reach 400 people on the list I will seriously consider feeding everyone hot dogs and juice cups. Hopefully it won't come to that.

 this is probably what my stack will look like..

 

DAY AS;LDFIU'JNSD WITHOUT COFFEE

Somehow I have made it over half way through Lent without taking one sip of coffee. I have even turned down coffee ice cream! For those of you that know me, this is not normal behavior. And I'm honestly not sure how I have been able to stand my ground and keep from breaking my fast. Chai tea has become my new drink of choice, although it doesn't give me the extra energy like coffee does, it doesn't taste half bad. 

And now I've past the half way mark. It's all downhill from here. Soon me and my beloved coffee will be reunited! I really could use that coffee this week, between wedding and reception planning, work, house work, laundry & all the extra weekend activities. It seems every weekend there is about 500 things to do. 

I'm happy to report that wedding planning is finally coming together and starting to actually look half organized. 

We still have a few months so things can still fall apart. But I'm crossing my fingers that won't be the case.

I will be happy when this is all over and life can go back to normal. I have two cousins getting married this year as well and from what i gather they feel the same way. The first one is the end of this month and I play the role of "host" making sure everyone is there & accounted for, along with getting them down the isle in the right order. Some people put too much faith in me, especially since I won't have my coffee privileges restored yet I might have to actual try something like an energy drink *gasp* to give me what I need to get through the day. Desperate times call for desperate measures! And I'm sure everything will go just fine. And by the time my other cousin get's married in August I will have my wedding over with and can sit back and enjoy visiting with family. Wedding's are a great time to get to enjoy spending time with family and friends. It's a shame they can become so stressful for everyone involved. The those of you who simply receive an invitation with a date & the hardest part is returning the RSVP on time, count yourself lucky. When it is your time to go through this wedding process you will understand. So to all my single friends out there, before you say yes to your prince charming, make sure you are prepared for 6-9 months of planning, stressing, planning and more stressing. Along with  family disagreements, tears, meltdowns, disagreements with your fiance, carrying a planner, a notepad AND wedding binder with you 24/7, making decisions upon decisions, everyone asking questions to the point that you think twice about answering phone calls and text messages and I'm sure there are a few other things that I have forgotten..but  the most important thing to remember:

 IT WILL ALL BE WORTH IT.

I know I am not done with all my wedding stress yet, but I continue to remind myself that once it is all over I will get to spend the rest of my life with the love of my life. building a home & family. And as far as I am concerned, I can put up with all of this if that is what I get to look forward to in the end. 

Even if life isn't perfect, it's my Happily Ever After. 

After all that, I hope y'all don't think I'm crazy! :)

(If you see me after Lent is over at Dutch Brothers with the biggest iced white chocolate mocha they make in my hand, don't judge me!)

CAKE TOPPER?