These two are the masters of the perfect personalised speech. Not something for everyone but I love it! Patrick and I haven't really talked about things in that much detail yet but I wish we were Apple people so we could steal these guys idea. I love it that much. I am off for the weekend but Mareike is going to be here Sunday evening and Monday and I am looking forward to having my Maid-of-Honour here with me to to do wedding things! Yay! Hope you have an awesome weekend!
Tiffany + Brook • St. Regis, Ca from VisualMasterpiece on Vimeo.
Freitag, 6. Mai 2011
Mittwoch, 4. Mai 2011
And the winner is...
Oh, you think I'll tell you right away and not waffle on about how we made the choice, what made us choose against certain places and how we finally, after much, much thought we came to choose the place we did? Well, you think wrong. You got your hot drink of choice ready? Some nice music on in the background? Your reading glasses on? Then let's dive right in!
Firstly, thank you so much for all your suggestions and offers of help. They really made thinking of the Honeymoon fun and it's great to know we have such helpful friends (I'll remember that when planning the post-wedding clean-up team!).
Up first - the south of France. This was the first place we came up with and we thought long and hard about it. I went so far as to look for holiday homes in and around Carcassonne and a few places near there. Fazit: too expensive, and also somewhere we could go later and with a family. So for a Honeymoon? Non, merci!
Next serious contender - Malta. Hot, small, relaxing, where Paul was shipwrecked, English-speaking, blue water and lagoons. Yes, yes, yes. Touristy. And we just didn't get that excited. So, good-bye Malta.
The whole Honeymoon planning really started to annoy me after ruling out Malta. I just couldn't think of places for us to go that would fulfill my need to go somewhere we may never get to ever again and cheap, clean but cheap, as foreign as we can get but... are you getting the picture?
A few months ago, Patrick mentioned where his flatmate was going on her Honeymoon. It sounded adventurous, not too expensive, far away but still clean. Patrick seemed intrigued but I never really thought that it would be where we would end up.
About a month ago, I decided to just see where we could fly to from Bremen and see if we would be interested in any of those places. Two days later our flights were booked. Without much thought, as we would find out later. We, I am excited to share with you, will be flying to Morocco!
Firstly, thank you so much for all your suggestions and offers of help. They really made thinking of the Honeymoon fun and it's great to know we have such helpful friends (I'll remember that when planning the post-wedding clean-up team!).
Up first - the south of France. This was the first place we came up with and we thought long and hard about it. I went so far as to look for holiday homes in and around Carcassonne and a few places near there. Fazit: too expensive, and also somewhere we could go later and with a family. So for a Honeymoon? Non, merci!
Next serious contender - Malta. Hot, small, relaxing, where Paul was shipwrecked, English-speaking, blue water and lagoons. Yes, yes, yes. Touristy. And we just didn't get that excited. So, good-bye Malta.
The whole Honeymoon planning really started to annoy me after ruling out Malta. I just couldn't think of places for us to go that would fulfill my need to go somewhere we may never get to ever again and cheap, clean but cheap, as foreign as we can get but... are you getting the picture?
A few months ago, Patrick mentioned where his flatmate was going on her Honeymoon. It sounded adventurous, not too expensive, far away but still clean. Patrick seemed intrigued but I never really thought that it would be where we would end up.
About a month ago, I decided to just see where we could fly to from Bremen and see if we would be interested in any of those places. Two days later our flights were booked. Without much thought, as we would find out later. We, I am excited to share with you, will be flying to Morocco!
Morocco
Morocco!
Morocco!
Morocco!
You know when you write the same word over and over again and it starts looking really weird? That just happened. But hey, I am going with the most wonderful Patrick Honsberg to Morocco! That's Africa! Africa! Africa! Where we are going exactly and why is a post for another day. Frankly, I think my Honeymoon is more interesting for me than for the rest of you, but I want to read about the planning one day when I have more laundry than I ever dreamed possible and 3 screaming kids and then I'll say 'Look at me moan about the planning process. How little I knew.' and then I'll chuckle patronisingly at the me of the past as the kids cry and Patrick writes the sermon for Sunday and I, wait a minute, hey, me of the future! Less blog reading, more work you lazy mom!
Enough of this. It's late. Over and out.
Dienstag, 3. Mai 2011
... this video.
I am much to busy actually doing something for our wedding tonight to write loads so how about another video, eh? This one is from 'Life's Highlights' and I love their work. Especially this wedding. I want all my lady friends to pray for me before I walk down the aisle too, please!
I cried when I watched this. And giggled. And sighed. I'm a suck.
Oh, and you want to know what I am so busy doing? You want to know what I have cramps in my fingers from and what I am quite proud of and am just dying to show you? Well, I won't tell you and can't show you until the time is right, so you will just have to wait. Or ask and then I will crumble like a house of cards. Like I said, I'm a suck.
Kelly & Isom (West Palm) from Life's Highlights on Vimeo.
I cried when I watched this. And giggled. And sighed. I'm a suck.
Oh, and you want to know what I am so busy doing? You want to know what I have cramps in my fingers from and what I am quite proud of and am just dying to show you? Well, I won't tell you and can't show you until the time is right, so you will just have to wait. Or ask and then I will crumble like a house of cards. Like I said, I'm a suck.
Montag, 2. Mai 2011
... watching strangers get married!
I watched the wedding. I watched all the coverage we could get in Germany. From 9-3. I watched it all. I held in my need for the washroom so I wouldn't miss a moment. I loved it. I loved seeing someone else's wedding and knowing that I didn't have to pay for it. I loved talking to Mareike and squealing with her when the Princes' left for the Abbey. That's also the only moment I shed a tear. It's also when I excitedly clapped, tapped on the screen, waved and repeatedly squealed 'You're getting married today, William!' I don't think he heard me though.
Like everyone else I was wondering what Kate was going to wear. I was hoping for something quite fashion-forward, something that would maybe be unexpected. It wasn't. It was beautiful, it screamed Grace Kelly, and the more I read about the idea behind it, the more I love it. Don't get me wrong, it's gorgeous, totally appropriate for her and a Royal Wedding, but it wasn't quite the 'gasp' I was hoping for. Her veil, on the other hand, took my breath away. Wa Wa Wee Wa. And her second dress is gorgeous. Really. I think I just expected something else from the fashion house that gave us this:
Now that would have been a 'wow'.
Want to know what my all time favourite thing about the wedding was? What I loved even more than the Queen's bright yellow outfit? More than the cartwheeling priest? More than Harry fooling around with William? THIS:
Every time I saw those trees, especially from above when you got a look at the whole Abbey, it took my breath away. Stunning. So beautiful. Perfect. I will go on about these trees to all and sundry for a while yet. So if you talk to me, you best steer away from this subject or I will not shut up.
Oh. I also thought the Bishop delivered the best sermon at a wedding I have ever heard. Well done, sir, well done.
If you haven't had quite enough of the wedding round up yet, click here to read a really good summary that I couldn't really agree with more.
Tomorrow it is on again with real wedding stuff. I can't wait to tell you all about our Honeymoon plans!
Like everyone else I was wondering what Kate was going to wear. I was hoping for something quite fashion-forward, something that would maybe be unexpected. It wasn't. It was beautiful, it screamed Grace Kelly, and the more I read about the idea behind it, the more I love it. Don't get me wrong, it's gorgeous, totally appropriate for her and a Royal Wedding, but it wasn't quite the 'gasp' I was hoping for. Her veil, on the other hand, took my breath away. Wa Wa Wee Wa. And her second dress is gorgeous. Really. I think I just expected something else from the fashion house that gave us this:
Now that would have been a 'wow'.
Want to know what my all time favourite thing about the wedding was? What I loved even more than the Queen's bright yellow outfit? More than the cartwheeling priest? More than Harry fooling around with William? THIS:
Every time I saw those trees, especially from above when you got a look at the whole Abbey, it took my breath away. Stunning. So beautiful. Perfect. I will go on about these trees to all and sundry for a while yet. So if you talk to me, you best steer away from this subject or I will not shut up.
Oh. I also thought the Bishop delivered the best sermon at a wedding I have ever heard. Well done, sir, well done.
If you haven't had quite enough of the wedding round up yet, click here to read a really good summary that I couldn't really agree with more.
Tomorrow it is on again with real wedding stuff. I can't wait to tell you all about our Honeymoon plans!
Samstag, 30. April 2011
A film to kick us off again!
I love wedding films. There is hardly anything that gets to me like a really well made wedding video. Yesterday we all watched Kate marry William. We sighed and gasped but there was something... lacking for me. It was really fun to watch, but it was missing the raw emotion I love about weddings. I wasn't surprised, it was a royal wedding, orchestrated and awesome (with a brilliant sermon from the Bishop of London) but it doesn't come close, for me, to this video I found last week.
This is what the videographer had to write about the couple:
"This is the wedding of Sara and Rob. They initially had absolutely no intention of having a wedding film and for good reason… Rob, the groom is deaf. They were introduced to our work by their photographer and decided to entertain the idea. Lucky for us, they loved our work and decided to give it a go. We came up with the idea of close captioning their film and they loved it!
From the minute we first met Sara & Rob over Skype, we knew we were going to be in for a special treat.
Mere words cannot express, what Sara and Rob share together as a couple and as best friends. It is infectious and will literally bring any one to tears...Yes even grown men! There was one moment just after they saw each other for the first time, when they literally just stopped and looked at one another... No words...because nothing needed to be said in that moment. They just knew..."
Already wonderful. Now grab a tissue and watch the beautiful video of Sara and Rob.
Now tell me that you didn't well up. I love Fiore Films work. Raw emotion, beautifully captured. There is more where this came from so stay tuned.
This is what the videographer had to write about the couple:
"This is the wedding of Sara and Rob. They initially had absolutely no intention of having a wedding film and for good reason… Rob, the groom is deaf. They were introduced to our work by their photographer and decided to entertain the idea. Lucky for us, they loved our work and decided to give it a go. We came up with the idea of close captioning their film and they loved it!
From the minute we first met Sara & Rob over Skype, we knew we were going to be in for a special treat.
Mere words cannot express, what Sara and Rob share together as a couple and as best friends. It is infectious and will literally bring any one to tears...Yes even grown men! There was one moment just after they saw each other for the first time, when they literally just stopped and looked at one another... No words...because nothing needed to be said in that moment. They just knew..."
Already wonderful. Now grab a tissue and watch the beautiful video of Sara and Rob.
Sara & Rob Emotional Teaser from Fiore Films on Vimeo.
Now tell me that you didn't well up. I love Fiore Films work. Raw emotion, beautifully captured. There is more where this came from so stay tuned.
Montag, 11. April 2011
Herzen
Donnerstag, 7. April 2011
Preparations are picking up speed
Sometimes I forget that I am getting married. That hasn't been the case recently. Not. At. All. Seriously. When I started this blog, there were still 236 days left till W-Day. Now we have smashed through the 150 mark and have landed firmly on Terra -149. I have 148 days left of being Sarah BOWLES and will become, in 149 days, Sarah HONSBERG (by the by, 'Honsberg' conjures up many things in my mind that I am not but will magically become when I take the name - tidy, able to make wordplay, German).
Getting ready to be married takes work, as we have already explored here before. But now, 5 months away from W-Day, preparation are picking up speed.
On Tuesday we had an appointment at the Standesamt (civil buro? Is that what it is called in English? Am I a Honsberg already that I don't know?!) to official register our engagement, the date of our civil ceremony and hand in all the paper work. This was something that I was really looking forward to doing with Patrick. With him being in England the whole time, it often feels like I am the one getting married and that for him it isn't really a reality. This was going to be something that we could do together and would make the wedding seem really, well, real. It didn't work out that way. Patrick can't make it here till next week, so I called and asked to move the appointment. They are fully booked. Until 21st. Of June. So there was no changing the meeting, I had to go alone. Along with many other pearls of wisdom, I was informed that the wedding would not be able to take place if one of us were missing or if one of us were unconscious. Duly noted.
I have also been doing lots of crafting. Ok, maybe lots is exaggerated but I have started doing one of the many DIY projects that I have set as goals to help make our day more special, personal and hand-made. I am really enjoying doing it, except that because I am currently not watching TV, I was crafting to the sounds of a Dan Brown audiobook. I have discovered that Dan Brown and I are not a good match. I can't take him. I won't get into this here, it's too upsetting and this is a happy wedding blog.
I also was blessed to be able to have a short stop-over visit with my brother and sister-in-law who is baker, make-up artist, and hairdresser at my wedding. We practiced make-up and boy did I look good! It was so exciting to test out what I am going to look like and what style we are heading towards etc. I think it's pretty awesome being a girl.
On a side note, well not really cause shoes have to do with being a girl, right? My lovely Starbucks barista Felix has offered to buy my wedding shoes. He has also asked if he can be my flower girl and wear a tutu. I said thank you and yes to both those ideas. Sadly, I don't think he is serious about them. Well, maybe about the flower girl one.
Back to what we are up to: Patrick comes on Sunday and the next week will be full of wedding prep. We are going to jewelers to look at rings, we will be continuing with the plans for our Honeymoon (yes, we know where we are going and I will blog about this soon!), and we will be going to the party venue to chat about the details. This has been under new management since the beginning of April so I am hoping and praying that they will not suddenly want to paint everything orange. You can pray with me.
I am so excited to show you all the little DIY projects I am working on. I won't, obviously, until the wedding is over, I don't want to spoil it for those coming, but as soon as it is done and we are back in normal life I will show you all of them!
Getting ready to be married takes work, as we have already explored here before. But now, 5 months away from W-Day, preparation are picking up speed.
On Tuesday we had an appointment at the Standesamt (civil buro? Is that what it is called in English? Am I a Honsberg already that I don't know?!) to official register our engagement, the date of our civil ceremony and hand in all the paper work. This was something that I was really looking forward to doing with Patrick. With him being in England the whole time, it often feels like I am the one getting married and that for him it isn't really a reality. This was going to be something that we could do together and would make the wedding seem really, well, real. It didn't work out that way. Patrick can't make it here till next week, so I called and asked to move the appointment. They are fully booked. Until 21st. Of June. So there was no changing the meeting, I had to go alone. Along with many other pearls of wisdom, I was informed that the wedding would not be able to take place if one of us were missing or if one of us were unconscious. Duly noted.
I have also been doing lots of crafting. Ok, maybe lots is exaggerated but I have started doing one of the many DIY projects that I have set as goals to help make our day more special, personal and hand-made. I am really enjoying doing it, except that because I am currently not watching TV, I was crafting to the sounds of a Dan Brown audiobook. I have discovered that Dan Brown and I are not a good match. I can't take him. I won't get into this here, it's too upsetting and this is a happy wedding blog.
I also was blessed to be able to have a short stop-over visit with my brother and sister-in-law who is baker, make-up artist, and hairdresser at my wedding. We practiced make-up and boy did I look good! It was so exciting to test out what I am going to look like and what style we are heading towards etc. I think it's pretty awesome being a girl.
On a side note, well not really cause shoes have to do with being a girl, right? My lovely Starbucks barista Felix has offered to buy my wedding shoes. He has also asked if he can be my flower girl and wear a tutu. I said thank you and yes to both those ideas. Sadly, I don't think he is serious about them. Well, maybe about the flower girl one.
Back to what we are up to: Patrick comes on Sunday and the next week will be full of wedding prep. We are going to jewelers to look at rings, we will be continuing with the plans for our Honeymoon (yes, we know where we are going and I will blog about this soon!), and we will be going to the party venue to chat about the details. This has been under new management since the beginning of April so I am hoping and praying that they will not suddenly want to paint everything orange. You can pray with me.
I am so excited to show you all the little DIY projects I am working on. I won't, obviously, until the wedding is over, I don't want to spoil it for those coming, but as soon as it is done and we are back in normal life I will show you all of them!
Mittwoch, 6. April 2011
Day 11 of 30 Day (death) Shred
It's day 11. I have made it through days 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 (after which I took a 2 day break due to 1. death pain in my thighs 2. being away all Saturday and coming home way to late to Shred and not having the service ready for Sunday), 8, 9, and 10. Today was day 11. Last night, a little debate started in my head after shredding. I was making it through everything all right, I no longer felt like either jumping off my balcony, no, not jumping, too much effort, rolling over and never moving until my neighbours wondered what the smell was in the hallway or seeking and destroying Jillian and I could do pretty much all the exercises at 'Natalie' level (Natalie being the toned caramel godess who Jillian holds up as a model of work-out ethic 'If you want to look like this (pointing to Natalie's toned, perfect body) you need to work like that') barring the push-ups and the stupid side-squat arm lift moves. So, should I move on or stick with level one until I could win a head-to-head race with the Natanator?
I wrote my cousin Robin, who started shredding 2 days after I did, but who now drew level with me due to my wimpy inability to push through the pain. Was she moving on? She was debating too, but I read last night that she had decided to move on and found it quite easy. Wait a minute, I'll find her status on Facebook, just so you have a comparison. Hm. Can't find it. Anyways, it went something like this 'Moved on to level 2 today, wasn't as bad as I thought it would be etc' you get the point. Not that bad. I took this as a good sign and decided today that I would move on as one is supposed to and do Level 2.
Words cannot describe how misleading my cousin's cheerful, deceitful status is. Right now, I am lying on my couch, a full 20 minutes after shredding, and I can barely find the will to type, let alone get off the couch to find my Hairspray DVD so I can listen to the soundtrack while I type. I really want to listen to that. It would be perfect right now, and yet, I am afraid that if I try to move off the couch I will topple head first onto the floor, in a kind of plank position that Jillian has now grown so fond of, minus the arms holding me up. I almost threw up during cardio session 2. I'm not kidding. I was debating how fast I could run to the washroom or if I should just run out onto the balcony and heave off there.
It didn't come to that. But almost. And that's all I have to say about that. Except - this is Natalie:
And even she cheats once or twice.
I wrote my cousin Robin, who started shredding 2 days after I did, but who now drew level with me due to my wimpy inability to push through the pain. Was she moving on? She was debating too, but I read last night that she had decided to move on and found it quite easy. Wait a minute, I'll find her status on Facebook, just so you have a comparison. Hm. Can't find it. Anyways, it went something like this 'Moved on to level 2 today, wasn't as bad as I thought it would be etc' you get the point. Not that bad. I took this as a good sign and decided today that I would move on as one is supposed to and do Level 2.
Words cannot describe how misleading my cousin's cheerful, deceitful status is. Right now, I am lying on my couch, a full 20 minutes after shredding, and I can barely find the will to type, let alone get off the couch to find my Hairspray DVD so I can listen to the soundtrack while I type. I really want to listen to that. It would be perfect right now, and yet, I am afraid that if I try to move off the couch I will topple head first onto the floor, in a kind of plank position that Jillian has now grown so fond of, minus the arms holding me up. I almost threw up during cardio session 2. I'm not kidding. I was debating how fast I could run to the washroom or if I should just run out onto the balcony and heave off there.
It didn't come to that. But almost. And that's all I have to say about that. Except - this is Natalie:
And even she cheats once or twice.
Freitag, 25. März 2011
Day 2 of being shredded
I can hear you asking yourselves already 'Is she going to post about this every day? Cause if she is I'm just going to pop back here once she's married to see the pictures.' My answer to you is - I don't know. I will, however, also post about other things, I promise, it's just that this is so new and shiny (shine-y? Is it a requirement that I know how to spell to have a blog?) and painful deadly that it just makes it so deliciously interesting to write about and maybe even to read about. Ok? So keep it together, it's only day 2 and I promise I will post about Rachel's wedding (I asked and she said yes!) sometime soon and just to make it worth while, I will find something beautiful as a little treat at the end of this post. So, on with being shredded !
I stayed in bed a little longer than I normally have recently today, partly for fear of the pain I knew I was going to have to face when I got out of bed. Last night, whilst writing yesterday's first Shred post, I slipped into a little googling. This is always a mistake if you are googling symptoms of an illness, words that could be misinterpreted or torn ligaments (that one is from experience. Ok, all of them are) but please add to your list Jillian's fitness DVD. The back of my DVD tells me that for the past 3 years, 30 Day Shred has been number 1 on the US Fitness DVD charts. This means lots and lots of people have bought it. And wrote about it online. It means I could read about what to expect over the next few days as I torture my body with things it has never done before. It means I knew that I wouldn't be able to move properly this morning.
I felt fine in bed. It was the getting up that worried me. But then I got up - and felt fine. It was when I went to pick up my pants (trousers for the British, no 'lost in translation' here please) that I felt it. My thighs. My arms. Ouch. Still, not quite as bad as I expected. Walking down to work was a bit of a reminder that I had moved in unnatural-to-me ways yesterday but it was still bearable. It got worse as the day progressed and led me to begin fearing my fitness programme later on.
Half past five p.m. I knew it was time to head upstairs to start getting my shred on. Between seven and eight o'clock I was expecting some people to come pick up a bunch of clothes that we had sorted out from downstairs and I didn't want to wait until late to get fit and I also really didn't want to meet people I had never met with a red, sweaty face. I got changed into my running shorts, shoes and a t-shirt and strapped my running gear on - I wanted to see how my pulse did and how many calories I burned in one session and started the DVD. Twenty-one minutes in, the doorbell rang. 'Please, oh please, please. Not the clothes men!' I begged as I ran to the doorbell after pausing Jillian. 'Hello' I gasped (Twenty-one minutes in means I had just finished the last 3 minute strength training and was moving painfully into the last 2 minute cardio) 'It's Stephanus!' answered a man. Oh geez. The clothes man. 'Oh! I'll be right down!' I answered and ran as fast as I could into the washroom where my jeans still were from getting changed. I threw them on, pulled me fleece on over my t-shirt, one I have had for years that used to belong to my wonderful friend Sadie, and ran downstairs. My legs did not like those stairs but I didn't let them complain. Stephanus looked a bit... disoriented at the sight of me. I'm sure my hair was crazy, I had just been doing jumping jacks for goodness sake, and I am more than sure that my face was still red from the strain of these weird side lunges with weights that totally kill. Poor Stephanus. We loaded up the truck, he left cheerily (with his teenage helper, who also looked at me with bewilderment) and I dashed back upstairs. 'I'm sorry, Jillian! I know you say 5 seconds is the only break I get but I just hauled a bunch of sacks of clothes to a truck. That counts as cardio, right? No?' The DVD went back on, cardio and abs were completed as ordered. Shred 2, done.
I have now learned to wait till after the clothes men have come.
Here is the promised something beautiful:
And last but not least, here are a few quotes I found while googling, all taken from here.:
“I took a first stab this afternoon, and I'm crippled. CRIPPLED! I try to do something exercise-ish every day (excluding weekends and major holidays, of course!), so I thought I could hack it. I'm really [expletive] scared for the pain that tomorrow will bring. I'm scared of that AND this Jillian chick. She's pretty damn scary. So, I'm not sure if I should thank you or curse the day we ever met!!” (sms to the lady who recommended Shred to her)
"... walking back to my office after the workout? I almost fell going down the stairs. i had to literally HOLD ON to the rail"
“ … the first attempt left me so crumpled and sore that I couldn't even roll over in bed without wincing for nearly a week. I seriously wondered if only insane people did this workout, because me? I'm no good at it,”
Now you know.
I stayed in bed a little longer than I normally have recently today, partly for fear of the pain I knew I was going to have to face when I got out of bed. Last night, whilst writing yesterday's first Shred post, I slipped into a little googling. This is always a mistake if you are googling symptoms of an illness, words that could be misinterpreted or torn ligaments (that one is from experience. Ok, all of them are) but please add to your list Jillian's fitness DVD. The back of my DVD tells me that for the past 3 years, 30 Day Shred has been number 1 on the US Fitness DVD charts. This means lots and lots of people have bought it. And wrote about it online. It means I could read about what to expect over the next few days as I torture my body with things it has never done before. It means I knew that I wouldn't be able to move properly this morning.
I felt fine in bed. It was the getting up that worried me. But then I got up - and felt fine. It was when I went to pick up my pants (trousers for the British, no 'lost in translation' here please) that I felt it. My thighs. My arms. Ouch. Still, not quite as bad as I expected. Walking down to work was a bit of a reminder that I had moved in unnatural-to-me ways yesterday but it was still bearable. It got worse as the day progressed and led me to begin fearing my fitness programme later on.
Half past five p.m. I knew it was time to head upstairs to start getting my shred on. Between seven and eight o'clock I was expecting some people to come pick up a bunch of clothes that we had sorted out from downstairs and I didn't want to wait until late to get fit and I also really didn't want to meet people I had never met with a red, sweaty face. I got changed into my running shorts, shoes and a t-shirt and strapped my running gear on - I wanted to see how my pulse did and how many calories I burned in one session and started the DVD. Twenty-one minutes in, the doorbell rang. 'Please, oh please, please. Not the clothes men!' I begged as I ran to the doorbell after pausing Jillian. 'Hello' I gasped (Twenty-one minutes in means I had just finished the last 3 minute strength training and was moving painfully into the last 2 minute cardio) 'It's Stephanus!' answered a man. Oh geez. The clothes man. 'Oh! I'll be right down!' I answered and ran as fast as I could into the washroom where my jeans still were from getting changed. I threw them on, pulled me fleece on over my t-shirt, one I have had for years that used to belong to my wonderful friend Sadie, and ran downstairs. My legs did not like those stairs but I didn't let them complain. Stephanus looked a bit... disoriented at the sight of me. I'm sure my hair was crazy, I had just been doing jumping jacks for goodness sake, and I am more than sure that my face was still red from the strain of these weird side lunges with weights that totally kill. Poor Stephanus. We loaded up the truck, he left cheerily (with his teenage helper, who also looked at me with bewilderment) and I dashed back upstairs. 'I'm sorry, Jillian! I know you say 5 seconds is the only break I get but I just hauled a bunch of sacks of clothes to a truck. That counts as cardio, right? No?' The DVD went back on, cardio and abs were completed as ordered. Shred 2, done.
I have now learned to wait till after the clothes men have come.
Here is the promised something beautiful:
 |
| Yes, please. |
“I took a first stab this afternoon, and I'm crippled. CRIPPLED! I try to do something exercise-ish every day (excluding weekends and major holidays, of course!), so I thought I could hack it. I'm really [expletive] scared for the pain that tomorrow will bring. I'm scared of that AND this Jillian chick. She's pretty damn scary. So, I'm not sure if I should thank you or curse the day we ever met!!” (sms to the lady who recommended Shred to her)
"... walking back to my office after the workout? I almost fell going down the stairs. i had to literally HOLD ON to the rail"
“ … the first attempt left me so crumpled and sore that I couldn't even roll over in bed without wincing for nearly a week. I seriously wondered if only insane people did this workout, because me? I'm no good at it,”
Now you know.
Donnerstag, 24. März 2011
30 Day Shred.
Blog Readers, this is Jillian:
Jillian, say hi to the Blog Readers.
We've posted about her before, here on Marrying The Hons, cause she is the reason Mareike and I started running again. She's as uber-fit as she looks and a hundred times more tough. She could beat Chuck Norris up. That's how tough she is.
I haven't written much in our 'fitness' area here, mainly because I hate sports. Or at least I say I do. I do. I hate them. My knees hurt, I hate feeling like I can't breathe and my heart is going to pop, along with my eyeballs... it's just not nice. I don't like getting sweaty (which the good and gracious Lord considered when He made me. I don't sweat easily) which again makes it tough for working with Jillian because she says if you're not sweating, you're not working. It's a good thing she can't really see me.
Anyways. So I don't like sports so there hasn't been much to post here. Until today. Since taking over the leadership of Bremen Corps on top of my other job, I just have not been feeling up to jogging. It's just another thing on my To-Do list that feels like work. So I've been looking at alternatives. A couple of months ago, this girl I know in Canada posted on Facebook that she was starting the '30 Day Shred' which piqued my curiosity. I googled. I read about Jillian Michael's fitness DVD, how tough it is but also how effective and that it is all based around a 20 minute workout etc and filed all this information into my brain under 'look at this again later'.
Well, ladies and gentlemen (hello, boys reading my wedding blog!), today is 'later'. I ordered my very own 'Shred - Schlank in 30 Tagen' as it is called in German on Tuesday and today it was delivered (on a side note, why do the people who translate titles into German always feel the need to bland them up? Seriously - '30 Day Shred' has mystery and allure. 'Shred - Schlank in 30 Tagen' makes me as the consumer look lame. C'mon guys!). Along with my watered-down be-titled DVD came my bright red, 1 KG weights and, not fitting in the fitness category at all, my Capote's In Cold Blood that I have been dying to read for years but someone keeps taking it out of the library! At least that problem is now solved.
Anyways. So everything I need is now here for a workout that is anything BUT jogging. There are 3 Workouts in total, the idea being you do one for 10 days and then level up. They are built around circuit training. 3 minutes strength, 2 minutes cardio, 1 minute abs. I got my Amazon pack at the end of my workday. Perfect timing. I came upstairs and put it on to watch it through once. 'This doesn't look that bad' I naively, oh so naively thought to myself. I went and got changed, moved my little table out of the way and started. And then I died. About twice a minute. Holy crow. Oh my. Jeepers. Oh no. I used to do jumping jacks when I was a kid! What happened?! They were nearly the death of me. And there is out-of-character cheerful Jillian telling me 'If you think you're going to die watch Angela (or whatever her name is, the jumping jacks killed my brain) and she will see you through' Whatever, Jillian! I don't believe a word you say, you skinny exercise dictator!
I finished. Having done more push-ups than I ever have at once and shaking all over. I am still shaking. And it's been 40 minutes. Apparently I am now on my way to being 'shredded'. All I can say is - it feels like it sounds and I better have abs like Abigail (or whatever her name is) by the end of this or I am suing for grievous bodily harm. You've been warned.
p.s. if this hasn't put you off and you are brave enough to join me and letting Jillian beat the crap out of you, you can order Shred - Schlank in 30 Tagen here.
p.p.s despite my griping and moaning, it was quite satisfying, I'm sure I'm going to like it and Jillians comments are encouraging without being cheesy. I like it.
Jillian, say hi to the Blog Readers.
We've posted about her before, here on Marrying The Hons, cause she is the reason Mareike and I started running again. She's as uber-fit as she looks and a hundred times more tough. She could beat Chuck Norris up. That's how tough she is.
I haven't written much in our 'fitness' area here, mainly because I hate sports. Or at least I say I do. I do. I hate them. My knees hurt, I hate feeling like I can't breathe and my heart is going to pop, along with my eyeballs... it's just not nice. I don't like getting sweaty (which the good and gracious Lord considered when He made me. I don't sweat easily) which again makes it tough for working with Jillian because she says if you're not sweating, you're not working. It's a good thing she can't really see me.
Anyways. So I don't like sports so there hasn't been much to post here. Until today. Since taking over the leadership of Bremen Corps on top of my other job, I just have not been feeling up to jogging. It's just another thing on my To-Do list that feels like work. So I've been looking at alternatives. A couple of months ago, this girl I know in Canada posted on Facebook that she was starting the '30 Day Shred' which piqued my curiosity. I googled. I read about Jillian Michael's fitness DVD, how tough it is but also how effective and that it is all based around a 20 minute workout etc and filed all this information into my brain under 'look at this again later'.
Well, ladies and gentlemen (hello, boys reading my wedding blog!), today is 'later'. I ordered my very own 'Shred - Schlank in 30 Tagen' as it is called in German on Tuesday and today it was delivered (on a side note, why do the people who translate titles into German always feel the need to bland them up? Seriously - '30 Day Shred' has mystery and allure. 'Shred - Schlank in 30 Tagen' makes me as the consumer look lame. C'mon guys!). Along with my watered-down be-titled DVD came my bright red, 1 KG weights and, not fitting in the fitness category at all, my Capote's In Cold Blood that I have been dying to read for years but someone keeps taking it out of the library! At least that problem is now solved.
Anyways. So everything I need is now here for a workout that is anything BUT jogging. There are 3 Workouts in total, the idea being you do one for 10 days and then level up. They are built around circuit training. 3 minutes strength, 2 minutes cardio, 1 minute abs. I got my Amazon pack at the end of my workday. Perfect timing. I came upstairs and put it on to watch it through once. 'This doesn't look that bad' I naively, oh so naively thought to myself. I went and got changed, moved my little table out of the way and started. And then I died. About twice a minute. Holy crow. Oh my. Jeepers. Oh no. I used to do jumping jacks when I was a kid! What happened?! They were nearly the death of me. And there is out-of-character cheerful Jillian telling me 'If you think you're going to die watch Angela (or whatever her name is, the jumping jacks killed my brain) and she will see you through' Whatever, Jillian! I don't believe a word you say, you skinny exercise dictator!
I finished. Having done more push-ups than I ever have at once and shaking all over. I am still shaking. And it's been 40 minutes. Apparently I am now on my way to being 'shredded'. All I can say is - it feels like it sounds and I better have abs like Abigail (or whatever her name is) by the end of this or I am suing for grievous bodily harm. You've been warned.
p.s. if this hasn't put you off and you are brave enough to join me and letting Jillian beat the crap out of you, you can order Shred - Schlank in 30 Tagen here.
p.p.s despite my griping and moaning, it was quite satisfying, I'm sure I'm going to like it and Jillians comments are encouraging without being cheesy. I like it.
Mittwoch, 23. März 2011
Zum Thema Holz
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| Die "Save the Date" Karte |
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| Die Einladung |
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| Die Location |
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| oder doch lieber diese hier?! |
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| Die Tischordnung |
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| Die Tischnummern |
Das könnte die mögliche Tischdekoration sein:
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| Die Tischkarten |
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| Eine Möglichkeit um Bilder des Paares zu zeigen |
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| Hier entstehen die Bilder für das Gästebuch |
Dienstag, 15. März 2011
... THE dress
The dress. Oh, the dress. We were going to have to touch on this at some point and I have a feeling that this is the first of many, MANY posts about the dress of all dresses.
I have been dreaming, thinking, planning about THE dress since I was a little girl playing M.A.S.H. Remember that post? Well that's when it started. The absolute horror when you ended up with a green or blue or, shudder, multi-coloured dress. Of course we always crossed our fingers and hoped that white would be the last colour standing in the dress category. Beyond that, there weren't many thoughts at the age of 10. However, as the years marched on (and march on they did) I became a bit more, for lack of a better word, creative with my thoughts. White was no longer quite enough. Of course my dress should be white, but what shade of white? What material should it be made out of? What silhouette should it have (I would have asked exactly that question if I had known that word back then). The answer to these questions changed regularly depending on mood, taste, weather, season and boy that I liked. I'm very fickle. When I lived in London, a friend of mine and I went through a phase (oh the shame) of googling 'wedding dresses' and discovering designers. That was when I discovered Vera. I love you, Vera Wang! We would call each other, send links over MSN and generally just enjoy the anticipation (not so much the frustration) of waiting to get married. Neither of us had boyfriends. I feel the need to add that in order to be honest and transparent.
I have bought my dress. Seriously. And not, like, yesterday. I bought it in November. It was a complete surprise. We were having a family weekend and I had always wanted to go dress 'shopping' with Lisa and Mom (and, although I can't say that I 'always' wanted to go with her, the beautiful Aurora) so I jumped at the chance, booked an appointment at a bridal outlet store and we happily made our way there. I was given white gloves, shown the racks with my size on them and told to shove my way through and pick out any I liked. I picked out 7, I think, and number 4 was THE one. The reason why I really, really wasn't expecting on getting a dress that day was because I had already found a dress. I had already called the only store in Germany where that dress is sold. Wait, more accurately, I made Mareike call them and pretend to be me to ask how much the dress is and when it will be sold and had made plans to make my way to that city 3 hours away. Here is a picture of that dress:
Ok, here is another one.
Now. I love this dress. I still do. But I don't regret not getting it because I love my real wedding dress. (What I am, just a wee teeny tiny bit sad about is that my dress doesn't have pockets) That love, though, is not enough to protect me from wedding dress... well I guess you would almost have to call it lust. Why do designers keep doing this to me?
Believe me, this is only the tip of the ice berg. I still haven't shown you Jesus Peiro, Jenny Packham, Ivy and Aster, and my all-time personal favourite, even beating Wang, Monique Lhuillier.
It's totally alright for me to get married once a year, right? Someone send help. I think I need it.
I have been dreaming, thinking, planning about THE dress since I was a little girl playing M.A.S.H. Remember that post? Well that's when it started. The absolute horror when you ended up with a green or blue or, shudder, multi-coloured dress. Of course we always crossed our fingers and hoped that white would be the last colour standing in the dress category. Beyond that, there weren't many thoughts at the age of 10. However, as the years marched on (and march on they did) I became a bit more, for lack of a better word, creative with my thoughts. White was no longer quite enough. Of course my dress should be white, but what shade of white? What material should it be made out of? What silhouette should it have (I would have asked exactly that question if I had known that word back then). The answer to these questions changed regularly depending on mood, taste, weather, season and boy that I liked. I'm very fickle. When I lived in London, a friend of mine and I went through a phase (oh the shame) of googling 'wedding dresses' and discovering designers. That was when I discovered Vera. I love you, Vera Wang! We would call each other, send links over MSN and generally just enjoy the anticipation (not so much the frustration) of waiting to get married. Neither of us had boyfriends. I feel the need to add that in order to be honest and transparent.
I have bought my dress. Seriously. And not, like, yesterday. I bought it in November. It was a complete surprise. We were having a family weekend and I had always wanted to go dress 'shopping' with Lisa and Mom (and, although I can't say that I 'always' wanted to go with her, the beautiful Aurora) so I jumped at the chance, booked an appointment at a bridal outlet store and we happily made our way there. I was given white gloves, shown the racks with my size on them and told to shove my way through and pick out any I liked. I picked out 7, I think, and number 4 was THE one. The reason why I really, really wasn't expecting on getting a dress that day was because I had already found a dress. I had already called the only store in Germany where that dress is sold. Wait, more accurately, I made Mareike call them and pretend to be me to ask how much the dress is and when it will be sold and had made plans to make my way to that city 3 hours away. Here is a picture of that dress:
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| Oh the pockets! |
Ok, here is another one.
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| Do you see what's different? Removable flower-strap! Oh, dress perfection. |
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| Priscilla of Boston. I love the pockets. And the Swarovski belt. |
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| Modern Trousseau. This reminds of the Vera Wang I fell in love with years ago. But it still doesn't come close. |
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| Yet another from Priscilla of Boston. I love the transparent collar making the 'necklace'. And pockets. Of course. |
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| Vera Wang. |
It's totally alright for me to get married once a year, right? Someone send help. I think I need it.
Mittwoch, 9. März 2011
Learning from those going before.
Today was L.'s 81st birthday. A beautiful (inside and out) lady (and at a risk of using too many brackets, she really is a LADY), it was a pleasure to gather our 'Heimbund' together, head over to her house and eat more cake and drink more coffee than anyone ever should. One great thing about this once a week gathering of ladies, is the gathering of experience and wisdom that flows from them effortlessly. Whether it is 88 year old D.'s ability to laugh at a joke about smoking pot or revealing how she used to be part of a gang as a young child that regularly got into fights with another gang until she herself was once defeated, at which point she decided she had had enough or E.'s straightforward, simple ways of explaining faith and life - I never fail to be amazed, awed and inspired. Today was no exception.
I am getting married, so I like talking about marriage. I like hearing about other people's marriages. I like asking them how they got engaged. (On a side note, I asked a man this a few months ago and it stumped him. 'Um. How did I ask her?' he mumbled to himself and after about 5 minutes of thinking, which were rather uncomfortable for me, he settled on saying something down the lines of 'Well, I asked her somehow and she must have said yes so that's good'. I don't know if I'll be asking a man again soon. It was uncomfortable.) One of L.'s friends, who isn't part of the Heimbund, was also at our coffee and cake party and the conversation moved us in a direction that allowed me to ask her how she met her husband. I was so delighted to hear that they have known each other since they were eight. Eight! 8! 4+4! People know each other that long?! They went to school together. Were in the same class. She moved, he moved. She wrote him. The letter was sent back (he had moved). He walked down her street where she lived, looking at the names on each house until giving up just before he reached her place (apparently the Neusserstr. in Cologne is very long and he didn't have all night) Oh the romance! He moved to France. She developed Asthma (apparently common in Cologne...?) He developed a tooth ache. They both had to move back home. They met again. The rest is history. She hates it when he wins at chess. She was better at school so she just. doesn't. get. it. He was always late for things. She was always on time. He is still always late for things. This still drives her crazy. He has learned to say sorry since meeting Jesus in '88.
What a joy it was to listen to her laugh and speak candidly about her marriage, the work that it is and to see how much she loves her husband after the 42+ years of marriage and even longer friendship.
Thomas Moore once said "From my rotting body, flowers shall grow and I am in them and that is eternity."
Their bodies may not be rotting, but these ladies are planting flowers that will grow in me, and my marriage and will honour them when they are called home. I am blessed to call them friends.
p.s. Here is a joke that L.'s friend told us today. "Eine Frau geht zum Arzt. Der Arzt schaut in ihrem Ohr und sagt 'Sie haben ein Zäpfchen in Ihrem Ohr!' 'Oh, danke, dass sie mir das sagen!' erwidert die Frau 'jetzt weiss ich wo mein Hörgerät ist!" (I will try to translate. A woman goes to the doctor.The doctor takes a look in her ear and says 'You have a suppository in your ear!' 'Oh thank you for telling me!' the woman replies, 'now I know where my hearing aid is!) Sometimes they tell jokes that make me choke.
I am getting married, so I like talking about marriage. I like hearing about other people's marriages. I like asking them how they got engaged. (On a side note, I asked a man this a few months ago and it stumped him. 'Um. How did I ask her?' he mumbled to himself and after about 5 minutes of thinking, which were rather uncomfortable for me, he settled on saying something down the lines of 'Well, I asked her somehow and she must have said yes so that's good'. I don't know if I'll be asking a man again soon. It was uncomfortable.) One of L.'s friends, who isn't part of the Heimbund, was also at our coffee and cake party and the conversation moved us in a direction that allowed me to ask her how she met her husband. I was so delighted to hear that they have known each other since they were eight. Eight! 8! 4+4! People know each other that long?! They went to school together. Were in the same class. She moved, he moved. She wrote him. The letter was sent back (he had moved). He walked down her street where she lived, looking at the names on each house until giving up just before he reached her place (apparently the Neusserstr. in Cologne is very long and he didn't have all night) Oh the romance! He moved to France. She developed Asthma (apparently common in Cologne...?) He developed a tooth ache. They both had to move back home. They met again. The rest is history. She hates it when he wins at chess. She was better at school so she just. doesn't. get. it. He was always late for things. She was always on time. He is still always late for things. This still drives her crazy. He has learned to say sorry since meeting Jesus in '88.
What a joy it was to listen to her laugh and speak candidly about her marriage, the work that it is and to see how much she loves her husband after the 42+ years of marriage and even longer friendship.
Thomas Moore once said "From my rotting body, flowers shall grow and I am in them and that is eternity."
Their bodies may not be rotting, but these ladies are planting flowers that will grow in me, and my marriage and will honour them when they are called home. I am blessed to call them friends.
p.s. Here is a joke that L.'s friend told us today. "Eine Frau geht zum Arzt. Der Arzt schaut in ihrem Ohr und sagt 'Sie haben ein Zäpfchen in Ihrem Ohr!' 'Oh, danke, dass sie mir das sagen!' erwidert die Frau 'jetzt weiss ich wo mein Hörgerät ist!" (I will try to translate. A woman goes to the doctor.The doctor takes a look in her ear and says 'You have a suppository in your ear!' 'Oh thank you for telling me!' the woman replies, 'now I know where my hearing aid is!) Sometimes they tell jokes that make me choke.
Dienstag, 8. März 2011
... surprises!
If there are any of you out there who stop by here every once and a while and see that not much has happened lately, I am sorry. I've been away visiting the Hons (I will write about this. I love him, you know?) and Mareike has been busy packing for her move to Karlsruhe :( but I am back and once Mareike is settled she will be sharing her creative ideas and thoughts on weddings again. I have something nice and easy to ease us back into weddings and the beautiful things of life.
I found this on The Knotty Bride, one of the most inspirational wedding blogs the other day and thought that it is perfect to share.
I love the Fiddle on the Roof. Who doesn't? I mean Jewish song, dancing and culture all mixed up with some romance ('Do you Love me?' anyone? You don't know what I'm talking about? Come over, I'll through the soundtrack on and dance it out for you) and you've got yourself one of the most perfect musicals ever. This groom worked so well with his new In-Laws, family and friends to surprise his bride. Seriously. I love this. (I watched another video with the groom and it turns out he one a Tony Award and free-style rapped his acceptance speech. Needless to say, I love this guy. You can watch the amazingness here)
So. Here is the video. Watch. Enjoy. Love.
I found this on The Knotty Bride, one of the most inspirational wedding blogs the other day and thought that it is perfect to share.
I love the Fiddle on the Roof. Who doesn't? I mean Jewish song, dancing and culture all mixed up with some romance ('Do you Love me?' anyone? You don't know what I'm talking about? Come over, I'll through the soundtrack on and dance it out for you) and you've got yourself one of the most perfect musicals ever. This groom worked so well with his new In-Laws, family and friends to surprise his bride. Seriously. I love this. (I watched another video with the groom and it turns out he one a Tony Award and free-style rapped his acceptance speech. Needless to say, I love this guy. You can watch the amazingness here)
So. Here is the video. Watch. Enjoy. Love.
Mittwoch, 23. Februar 2011
... going to weddings!
Patrick and I went to a wedding on Saturday. I was moving and fun and exciting to see two people promise to stay together until the very end and it made it even more special and amazing to be there with Patrick knowing that we will be doing the same in September.
I wish I could show you my crappy pictures so that you could see how beautiful Rachel looked in her short wedding dress and purple stockings, how fun their reception was and tell you their unbelievable engagement story, but I don't want to do that without asking permission, so instead, here are a few pictures of other people who were there. Oh! But before they come, enjoy this embarrassing moment I got myself into:
I have been looking for shoes to match my gorgeous dress and I spotted a pair that were similar to what I am looking for. The woman was really stylish in a 'couldn't-care-less' kind of way so I got all my bravery together and asked 'Excuse me, where did you get your shoes? I have been looking for a pair like that.' 'Toast,' she replied, 'have you heard of the store?' 'Toast?', I replied, 'no, I haven't!' 'What a fancy boutique. Just my luck.' I thought. She looked a bit surprised and told me they had a website where I could find them. I quickly turned to my friends 'Remember 'Toast', guys, ok?' I turned and thanked her, she chuckled at my love for her shoes and I went about the day. Later on, I asked Rachel where she got her wedding dress from. 'Coast' she replied and I immediately understood what had happened. Coast. Not Toast. It's a good thing I can laugh at myself. And anways, she probably thinks I'm American ;)
Ok, enough of that. Here are the promised pictures!
I wish I could show you my crappy pictures so that you could see how beautiful Rachel looked in her short wedding dress and purple stockings, how fun their reception was and tell you their unbelievable engagement story, but I don't want to do that without asking permission, so instead, here are a few pictures of other people who were there. Oh! But before they come, enjoy this embarrassing moment I got myself into:
I have been looking for shoes to match my gorgeous dress and I spotted a pair that were similar to what I am looking for. The woman was really stylish in a 'couldn't-care-less' kind of way so I got all my bravery together and asked 'Excuse me, where did you get your shoes? I have been looking for a pair like that.' 'Toast,' she replied, 'have you heard of the store?' 'Toast?', I replied, 'no, I haven't!' 'What a fancy boutique. Just my luck.' I thought. She looked a bit surprised and told me they had a website where I could find them. I quickly turned to my friends 'Remember 'Toast', guys, ok?' I turned and thanked her, she chuckled at my love for her shoes and I went about the day. Later on, I asked Rachel where she got her wedding dress from. 'Coast' she replied and I immediately understood what had happened. Coast. Not Toast. It's a good thing I can laugh at myself. And anways, she probably thinks I'm American ;)
Ok, enough of that. Here are the promised pictures!
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| The really awesome worship band. |
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| Nessa and Becki looking all dolled up! |
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| I took some pictures of us while the wedding couple were having their pictures done. |
Preparation is Key.
I just got back to Bremen yesterday after spending 4 wonderful days in London with the Hons.
I'm going back to London on Monday, which meant this last time was really relaxed. Normally, I don't really want to see anyone else because I know those few days are all we will have for at least a month, but knowing that I would be back in a week meant that I loved hanging out with his flatmates for a little while on Thursday, going to Rachel's fun, relaxed, wonderful wedding on Saturday (more on that in 'We Love...') and - most excitingly - having our first marriage preparation session on Monday night!
Marriage preparation. Not something everyone does before getting married, but something that I always knew I would do when I got married. I remember in Canada, when my parents were Corps Officers, that they did marriage prep with a few couples who wanted to get married, and I remember my dad saying that he would never marry a couple without going through the prep first. Years ago my Grandparents told me interesting stories from marriage preparation that they were doing with a couple (it had something to do with sex. Needless to say, I have repressed the details). With this kind of 'history', there's no wonder that I wanted to do the course. Patrick hadn't really thought about it but was happy to go along with it and we decided that we wanted my old Corps Officers and his current ones to do it with us. Jonny and Catherine are so much fun to be around but are also really honest, which is perfect for talking about marriage.
We didn't really have many expectations when we went to their house on Monday (barring the expectation for good food!) After a delicious, I want to say Moroccan, meal and reading Sam some good-night stories, we started to get prepared. Expectations and Communication were on the table and it was so much fun! We got to fill out a questionnaire about our expectations (I LOVE things like that) and talk about each other (which I love!) and getting married. Jonny and Catherine helped us feel relaxed right away, and had some really good tips for life after the wedding. My favourite of the night: make the bedroom a 'no work talk' room. This is definitely one I want to apply in my own marriage.
I am really looking forward to our next session Tuesday morning and to learn more about marriage and life post-wedding.
Did you do marriage prep? What would be your number one tip?
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| London, Baby! |
I'm going back to London on Monday, which meant this last time was really relaxed. Normally, I don't really want to see anyone else because I know those few days are all we will have for at least a month, but knowing that I would be back in a week meant that I loved hanging out with his flatmates for a little while on Thursday, going to Rachel's fun, relaxed, wonderful wedding on Saturday (more on that in 'We Love...') and - most excitingly - having our first marriage preparation session on Monday night!
Marriage preparation. Not something everyone does before getting married, but something that I always knew I would do when I got married. I remember in Canada, when my parents were Corps Officers, that they did marriage prep with a few couples who wanted to get married, and I remember my dad saying that he would never marry a couple without going through the prep first. Years ago my Grandparents told me interesting stories from marriage preparation that they were doing with a couple (it had something to do with sex. Needless to say, I have repressed the details). With this kind of 'history', there's no wonder that I wanted to do the course. Patrick hadn't really thought about it but was happy to go along with it and we decided that we wanted my old Corps Officers and his current ones to do it with us. Jonny and Catherine are so much fun to be around but are also really honest, which is perfect for talking about marriage.
We didn't really have many expectations when we went to their house on Monday (barring the expectation for good food!) After a delicious, I want to say Moroccan, meal and reading Sam some good-night stories, we started to get prepared. Expectations and Communication were on the table and it was so much fun! We got to fill out a questionnaire about our expectations (I LOVE things like that) and talk about each other (which I love!) and getting married. Jonny and Catherine helped us feel relaxed right away, and had some really good tips for life after the wedding. My favourite of the night: make the bedroom a 'no work talk' room. This is definitely one I want to apply in my own marriage.
I am really looking forward to our next session Tuesday morning and to learn more about marriage and life post-wedding.
Did you do marriage prep? What would be your number one tip?
Dienstag, 15. Februar 2011
Bride bouquet
Die klassischen Brautsträuße kennt wohl jeder.
Hier mal ein paar ausgefallene Ideen:
Hier mal ein paar ausgefallene Ideen:
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| Der Unkraut-Blumenstrauß |
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| Der Süßigkeiten-Blumenstrauß |
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| Ein Brautstrauß aus alten Broschen |
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| Mal ein paar echte Blumen in einem Strauß |
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| Brautstrauß aus alten und vor allem bunten Broschen |
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| Der Knopf-Blumenstrauß |
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| Schon wieder ein Broschen-Blumenstrauß |
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| Dieser Brautstrauß wurde aus alten Eierkartons gebastelt |
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| Der Perlen-Brautstrauß |
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| Buch-Blumenstrauß |
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| Pfauenfedern-Blumenstrauß |
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| Papier-Blumenstrauß |
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