WDW a.k.a Wedding Day Workout Commences

So back in September 2010 I started dieting and did really well for myself losing 30lbs by February 2011. Then in March my friend Dana and I joined the YMCA and were going regularly until Spring Break (I work in a school so I still get to enjoy Spring Break). For Spring Break I spend the week in Charleston with Bobby and Dana-which was great besides eating, eating, and eating. Then there was drinking, drinking, and more drinking. Needless to say since Spring Break I have not been dieting, watching what I eat, or exercising regularly and I have put 10lbs back on. This does not make me feel good about myself especially since I have to fit into a size 8 wedding dress...yes I said size 8. This still amazes me because I have never fit into a size 8 dress before but it is nice besides when I have been dress shopping for weddings and casual dresses I am a lot smaller than what I would normal have had to wear. But since the wedding is a year away I need to get back into gear and diet and exercise to look great for Bobby!

Day 1:

Ate pretty well, better than what I have been doing and exercised- I did 1.25 mile on the elliptical and worked on my arms. Drank lots of water and took vitamins.

Day 2:

Again, did pretty well with my eating right! Yay me! I also did 50 minutes of cardio and 1.94 mile on the elliptical.

So basically, I am counting my calories and doing low carbs with a lot of water to stay hydrated. Hopefully, I can keep this up. I need to be in good shape for my wedding day :] Wish me luck.

On a side note, I am watching Say Yes to the Dress: Atlanta -Bridesmaids edition and it is crazy, these girls want their bridesmaids to spend 500 + on their dang dress! INSANE! (Girls I WILL NOT do this to you). Some girls just torture their friends because they feel like they can for their wedding, not nice. Thankfully, all the weddings that I have been in, I have been lucky to have wonderful brides, who were NOT BRIDEZILLAS.

xo Grimmy

365 days

Yesterday marked an official year until Bobby and I's wedding in Jacksonville Florida at Club Continental! ( found here )The both of us couldn't be more excited that it is finally close enough to "count down" too. Granted, it was my choice to wait this long to get married but I wanted to make sure it was right and that him and I could live together before getting married. With that I have been engaged since April 15, 2010... The most difficult part about waiting so long besides not being on his insurance (military insurance=good insurance) is that some of my friends who had got engaged well after me are already married or are getting married this summer. Don't get me wrong I am very happy for my friends who are getting married, it's just that I want to have my special day too and I kick myself in the but sometimes for waiting as long as I did but it's for the best. I would much rather have a long engagement than get married super quick and risk having a divorce in a couple years.

While on the subject of divorce...I chose to have a long engagement because I grew up with fighting parents, who eventually got divorced but ever since I was little I told myself that I would not get divorced, and that once I was married I was married for good, so I really want to hold to those words. Thankfully, Bobby and I have his parents as an example since they have been together thirty-nine years this November but the point is that they are still together and still love each other and that is what I want and what I want my children to grow up having. I have so many horror stories about my parents fighting when I was younger and their divorce took such a toll on my younger brother that I knew it was nothing I wanted. Granted I am still learning to pick and choose my battles and to not get mad/upset at the little things because it sparks the stupid little fights; however, I definitely take after my mother, on a side not I really try not to be like her. I must admit that I am very thankful to have found Bobby (thanks to Jessica) because he puts up with me when I am happy, sad, drunk, silly, and mad. He is definitely a great guy and I couldn't be anymore lucky to have him.

So with our wedding being 365 days away...I was checking out my theknot.com page and seeing what else needs to be done.

As of right now I have the following checked off my list:

• Wedding colors (Navy and Lime)
• My wedding dress!
• Wedding budget
• Wedding date (7/7/12)
• Photographer
• DJ
• Venue
• Guest list
• Ideas for center pieces- like mason jars, old books, lace dollies, flowers etc.
• A wedding planner =no stress for me!
• Photo booth
• Candy bar
• My bridal party and Bobby's
• Megan- Maid of Honor
• Tara
• Jessica
• Danielle
• Laura

Although I feel like this is a lot I still have much more to-do. Thankfully, I have an amazing Maid of Honor who is constantly sending me things! I love her. But I desperately need to find cute bridesmaid dresses for my girls, I really really want them to be the apple green/lime and under $200.00 but this is difficult. My whole reason behind the girls wearing the green was to have the boys in navy suits but if this can't be done I am going to have the girls in navy dresses and the boys in like a heather gray suit, wish me luck!

I am also so happy that I have a wedding planner, Adair Currie, she amazing and is so much fun! So bubbly, helpful, and cheap (look here). I feel the same way about my photographer, Taylor DeMaio (and here). Oh and my DJ is pretty awesome too, haha, all of this makes me excited :] One thing I have learned is to use the vendors who are just starting out because it saves you a TON of money which is what I need since we will still be footing most of the bill even with my Dad contributing to the wedding, Hey that's life isn't it. I'm sure I could make it cheaper but I like nice things and a certain someone who will remain nameless, [cough, cough, Bobby Harrold] likes to get drunk and tell more people that they are invited to the wedding. It'll turn out alright because they said like 20% don't even show up, which will help with the cost.

My next steps are to find a florist, decide on a bridesmaid dress, fit into mine that comes in, in September!, decide on STD's (Save the Dates) and invitations, and finally decide on center pieces... we'll see how that goes :]

xo Grimmy

Rummi Bears

In my last post I mentioned that Bobby and I made rummi bears and I thought I would let all know how to do the same :]

It's very simple:

You need:
Gummi Bears (3 packs- depending on how much you want to make)
Rum (your choice but FYI Parrot Bay Pineapple Rum is totally amazing with it!) OR Vodka
Container

Take the gummi bears and pour them into the plastic/tupperware container and then pour the rum over the gummi bears until it is just covering them. Then stick it in the fridge- it takes a while for the gummi bears to soak up the rum so make sure you start this a good 3 days before!

You can also take a look at this article if you want: http://www.examiner.com/cocktails-in-seattle/rummy-bears-is-not-a-typo

There ya go! Have fun and good luck!

xo grimmy

4th O' July

This year we celebrated the fourth of July in Charleston, South Carolina and it was simply A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!

We woke up bright and early in the morning to get things ready for a day on the boat. We had got most of the stuff ready the night before but Tish and Jeremy were picking us up at 8am. So we got up and both Bobby and I put on our American bathing suits, which we purchased from Walmart. I am usually against Walmart but what other place can you get random things like 4th of July bathing suits. Bobby's was the traditional American flag and mine had peace signs with American flags inside of them.

We finally arrive to Chris's house and get everything on the boat and prepare to meet up with the other 5 people that were going to be on our boat, making it a grand total of 14 people on our boat. Everyone finally gets to the boat ramp and Chris and Steven bring their boats and we head out towards this little island, called Capers. On our ride out to Capers Island, Jeremy finds the 2 little travel liquor bottles and Tish and I decided that it was a great idea to take vodka shots at 10 in the morning, NOT! It was sooo rough. We continue to booze it up before we get to Capers Island; however, Tish and I ended up breaking the seal and caused us to slow down so we could idle in the water.

Once we make it to the Island, the boys start blowing up this huge fifteen-person raft, the drinks start flowing, and everyone is having a great time. Time was flying by... at one point I was so shocked that it was 12:30 in the afternoon. A little later the big raft was finally blown-up and us girls piled on and we were passed the rummi bears (which Bobby and I made with Parrot Bay Pineapple Rum- so delish!) and someone passes the DUDE vodka bottle around and we started taking shots from the bottle. The next thing I know- I'm wasted sitting on the boat, thinking to myself I need to get on land and chill out for a little and I get off the boat and go sit on a log for god knows how long and Bobby comes to sit with me. Apparently during this time I missed a lot of events, like young girls trying to bum shots off group and Tish making one of the girls kick a ball but she missed and fell flat on her ass. Well I finally get hot enough that I go sit in the water with Bobby and at this point I am not drinking anymore- well only drinking water.

The crew decides that it is time to go and we all load up and head on back to the boat ramp. At this point, like it always is on the water in the evening in SC, the seas are 2 to 3 feet and it's windy out. So the party boat we are on can only go so fast; however, with all the waves we are getting SOAKED! Every breath I went to take I had a huge splash of water in my face, I am pretty sure that I drank a couple gallons of salt water. We finally make it back to the boat ramp and head back to Chris's to find out that Bobby had to work at 6:30pm, well it was closer to 7:00pm. So we hitched a ride back in Chris's Echo with Wally and Lacy.

Once home, Bobby left for work and Dana and I got to-go from On the Border, which was so good. It reminds me so much of Tia's Tex-Mex in Tampa, FL. Overall, this was the best 4th that I have had in a long time. My family never had a boating tradition on the 4th of July, mostly because we never had anything but a Jon boat for Bass fishin'. The typical Grimm family tradition was to head out to a local park that had a lake and we would sit out there play with glow sticks, play the games that were set up, and watch the fireworks, which I always thought was wonderful. However, fun family holiday's ended when my parent's got divorced. I can't wait to have a family to start traditions with! Maybe by that time Bobby and I will have our own boat and can go boating all the time (I can wish, can't I).

As I stated previously, this was a great 4th O' July, definitely one for the books!

Love Grimmy

What is in a blog name?

Last night when I decided to follow in my BFF's footsteps and start a blog I spent a good 45 minutes on the phone with Bobby trying to think of ideas. My first thought was to make it a nautical themed because Bobby is in the Coast Guard and I wanted to blog about my life...and since he is such a big part of my life I wanted to make a reference to it.

With that I began to research blog name ideas...many websites stated that the name should be readable, prounceable, spellable, memorable, concise, and unique as well as evokes or describes what is represents; again coming back to Bobby and I's life together.

So with Bobby's help we thought of like twenty-plus blog names/titles what-ever you want to call it. The names were all nautical; however, a lot of them centered around Sparrows and knots. The knot names were definitely more simple than the sparrow in the fact that the sparrow has so many different meanings depending on the individual. Thus, I did not want to use a sparrow reference and have people think that I was referencing death by any means. Some other sparrow meanings are 'findind your true love', 'keeping evil away', and 'safe journey's for sailors'. Although the meaning that I was going for was more nautical in that traditionally sparrows seen in the open ocean gave the sailors hope for land etc. (I can't find a good source to cite this from) but any who I ended up deciding against the sparrow term and as always went with one of Bobby's ideas, that being Pink Sails & Blue Anchors.

I decided on the color pink because it has always been my favorite color and is typically seen as a girl color and blue for a boy and then kept the nautical theme going with the sails and anchors. Just a little FYI the Coast Guard does have sailboats.

Coast Guard Cutter Eagle, San Francisco, CA (2008)

Bobby doesn't work on a sailboat- he works on a 25 foot Response Boat Small (RBS). This boat definitely is a small boat when you have 4 or 5 guys on it at a time...

25 foot RBS

Back to the original story...I decided on Pink Sails & Blue Anchors to share stories about my life, planning our wedding, work, and living long distance from my best friend/fiance, Bobby. Hopefully, ya'll do not think that the name I decided on is too lame and that it is actually a good representation of my life as a future Coastie wife....365 days in fact!

I hope you all enjoy my blogs since I am just getting started and am not sure about the official etiquette with blogging.

Love Grimmy

Happy Birthday to ME

   So this past weekend I celebrated my 25th birthday, yes, the B-I-G two-five. However, I was lucky enough to spend the weekend with my fiance, Dana, and other amazing individuals in Charleston, South Carolina.

   The weekend consisted of lots of adult beverages, putt-putt, boating, laughs, corn-hole, and sushi...I honestly couldn't have asked for a better birthday. In fact, this was actually the first birthday that was fun and exciting and I have never been able to experience an amazing birthday before.

   Friday started off with a quick trip to the pool with Bobby and then we went in to pack and get ready to head to South Carolina; however, we had to make some stops to pick up my new sunglasses at Gander Mountain, once we finally got on the road we made decent time and waited for Dana to arrive. Once she made it to SC we went to Mellow Mushroom for some pizza. After pizza we played a couple of games of corn-hole in which I was able to realize why I stopped playing the game...because I SUCK!

   The next morning we woke up and started the morning off with mimosas and then headed to the pool. A little inside information about where Bobby is currently living: He is in the Coast Guard and is in a Title 10 thingy and thus lives in Charleston,SC in a very prestigious Country Club with an awesome gulf course. Anywho, when you go to the pool you  must  sign-in and include a member ID and pay $3.00 for each guest. Tish, Bobby, Dana, and I arrive at the pool and sign-in and head to a back corner and more guests start arriving...everything is fine and dandy. We are enjoying some cold beverages, listening to music, and having a great time. Tish was providing 'splash' entertainment and doing various jumps into the pool and we ever made friends with a little boy and took him off his mother's hands for a while... the little boy Colton, was developmentally disabled, which is not an issue since I work with children with disabilities for a career. This little boy was a TRIP... his attention-seeking behavior got the best of some of my friends and he proceeded to knock over Chris's drinks, throw sunglasses in the pool, and throw the ball at everyone when they were not looking. After a while, we decided that he 'liked' Dana and boy were we right! Colton started to put the moves on Dana, first by touching her inner thigh, attempting to kiss her chest, and finally straddled her and humped her! It was hilarious!

   After he was finally collected by his mother the other boys began to arrive at the pool, however, as always, they had to make a grand enterance and hop the fence versus walking in through the gate...calling attention to us. Needless to say, the old lady who was manding the gate came over to us and said "What's in that cooler?", Joe's reply was "Diet Cola, Ma'am" (mind you we have empty beer cans around us and I am struggling to hide the liquor that was just handed to me. She says "Okay" and heads back. Not even 5 minutes later this mean looking old man came over to us and began talking to the guys trying to make them pay the $3.00 for the guests and what-not. The end decision was made for us to stay but the majority of the group was ready for lunch and unhappy with the clouds rolling in so we decided to leave. But just as the boys had to make a grand enterance they had to leave the same way and hopped the fence yet again. Thus, causing one of the old people on duty to blow their whistle and call attention to us again! All I could hear was members making comments and us looking like we got kicked outta the pool.

  After we left the pool we ate a snack before going home to get ready for the nights birthday festivities. We gathered back at Bobby's to ride together to downtown Charleston and since Chris was on-duty he was our DD for the night. For dinner we ate at Tsuanmi and it was just as good as the first time I ate there 4 years ago. Once we all ate we headed to Wet Willies for a "Call A Cab" and listened to a horrible band. After we finished our drinks we walked over to Mad River Bar & Grille, which is "located in the Old Seaman's Chapel on Market Street, Mad River's high vaulted ceilings, original stained glass windows and overall aesthetics provide the perfect setting for friends and family to kick back and enjoy everything Charleston has to offer"(http://www.madrivercharleston.com/about.php). We managed to hang here all night! It was so much fun, we took lots of shots, my favorite Patron Silver, of-course, and danced the night away. There are definitely way to many candid photos on cameras out there from this weekend but it was a heck of a good time!



If you look close enough you can see the vaulted ceilings.



   As I stated before, this birthday was definitely amazing and one for the books! I love and appreciate all of those who made it special by celebrating with me and wishing me a Happy Birthday.

More to come on the weekend....